Before you can cast a circle you need to have a basic understanding of the five elements, Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Spirit.

Air

The element of Air is vital to human survival, without it we would all perish. Air is the manifestation of movement, freshness, communication and of the intelligence. Sound is another manifestation of this element. As an element, it is invisible, but its reality can be felt in the air that we breathe in every day.

To connect with the power of this element, find a place with clean air and breathe deeply, touch a feather or inhale the fragrance of a heavily scented flower. Let yourself experience the energy of this element, and reflect that we also possess Air energy within ourselves.

In magical terms, Air is the power of the mind, the force of intellect, inspiration, imagination. It is ideas, knowledge, dreams and wishes. Air is the element of new life and new possibilities and is essential to spells and rituals of travel, instruction, finding lost items, some types of divination, and freedom. Air aids us in visualization, a vital technique in magic.

Air is a masculine element and governs the magick of the four winds. It is the vital spirit passing through all things, giving life to all things, moving and filling all things. 

When summoning Air you should face East, the direction of the sunrise, and use a yellow candle. 

Fire

The element of Fire is both creative and destructive. It is fire that we and our ancestors used to warm our homes, we use it to cook our food, we sit around it to ward of the darkness of night, and it fuels our passions. Fire, unlike the other elements, does not exist in a natural state. Its physical form can only take place by consuming some other element. Fire is the transformer, converting the energy of other objects into other forms: heat, light, ash, and smoke.

To feel the manifestations of this power, go out on sunny day and feel the warmth and light of the sun, hear the crackling of logs and smell of smoke from a burning fire. As you gaze into the transformational flame of a candle, immerse yourself in the energy of Fire.

In order to gain benefit from the energy of this element, we need to control Fire's destructive aspect. When we light a candle, we are not only calling upon the energy of Fire, we are also limiting its power. This destructive aspect should not be seen as negative, forest fires, actually help, clearing away underbrush and encouraging seeds lying dormant within the Earth to burst forth into new life.

Fire is a masculine element, its aspects being change, passion, creativity, motivation, will power, drive and sensuality. It is sexuality, both physical and spiritual. Fire is used in spells, rituals and candle magic for healing, purification, sex, breaking bad habits or destroying illness and disease. Fire is the element of authority and leadership.

When summoning Fire you should face South, the direction of Heat and use a red candle.

Water

Water, is a great necessity, without it nothing can live. Only earth and water can bring forth a living soul. Such is the greatness of water that spiritual regeneration cannot be done without it.

Water is a cleansing, healing, psychic, and loving element. It is the feeling of friendship and love that pours over us when we are with our family, friends and loved ones. When we swim it is water that supports us, when we are thirsty, it is water the quenches our thirst, another manifestation of this element is the rainstorms that drench us, or the dew formed on plants after the sun has set.

The power of the energy of Water, can be felt by tasting pure spring water, moving you hand through a stream, lake, pool, or bowl full of water. You can feel its cool liquidity; it's soft and loving touch, this motion and fluidity is the quality of Air within Water. This Water energy is also contained within ourselves, our bodies being mostly composed of Water.

As well as being vital for life, within the energy of this element is contained the essence of love. Love is the underlying reason for all magic. Water is love.

Water is a feminine element, it also the element of emotion and subconscious, of purification, intuition, mysteries of the self, compassion and family. It is psychic ability; water can be used as a means of scrying or as an object for meditation. Water is important in spells and rituals of friendship, marriage, happiness, fertility, healing, pleasure, psychic abilities and spells involving mirrors.

When summoning Water you should face West, the direction of the setting sun, and use a blue candle.

Earth

The basis and foundation of all the elements is the Earth. The Earth is the object; subject and receptacle of all celestial rays and influences and in it are the seeds of all things. It is made fruitful by the other elements and the heavens, and brings forth all things of itself. It is the first fountain from whence all things spring; it is the centre, foundation and mother of all things.

Earth is the element of stability, foundations and of the body. The Earth is the realm of wisdom, knowledge, strength, growth and prosperity. It is also the physical Earth on which we live and the very heart of life. It is essential in spells and rituals of prosperity, business, fertility and stability. Earth is a feminine element and governs stone and knot magic.

The Earth can be viewed as our mother, with its fertile and nurturing farmland, providing all Earth's creatures with nourishment and shelter. The earth takes on qualities of the other elements, whether it is the dry, dusty and hot aspects of Fire and Air, as is found in deserts. Or the moist and fluid aspects of Water, in swamps, marshlands and fens. In its physical manifestations, such as stones, rocks, crystals and gems, the element of Earth represents the densest of the elements.

The Earth is the womb from which all things spring, pressing your hand against fresh soil, you can feel its vitality, stability and earthiness. In its fertile soil, we've grown the food that provides life, on its surface we live out our lives, and when the time to return to the Goddess and God comes, we are interred in the earth.

When summoning Earth you should face North, the place of greatest darkness, and use a green candle.

Spirit

Spirit is a kind of super-element: the binding force between the other elements, or demi-goddess or, for that sake: if you want to look at it from a scientific point of view, a kind of black hole that emanates and absorbs energy/matter. Spirit is the fifth element, the binding part that runs through all matter, and it is also the collective unconscious of life-forms. 

The Elements emerge from Spirit, the immutable, changeless source of all energy. This is the realm of potentiality: of promise, of paths not yet taken, of unformed galaxies, of outer space.

Spiritual is also present within our bodies. Some say that the spark of life, that unknowable force that is called the "soul," is a bit of Spiritual energy housed in the physical body. We would call this Magic as well, something inside the body that is unexplainable and can be used to create wondrous things.

Spirit is thought to be symbolically present on the Earth. More often it's seen as the Mother of the elements.

Primarily, Spirit is unbeingness. Its energy, which extends everywhere throughout the universe, has not yet achieved form and substance. It's the primal source of energy that creates and fuels the elements.

Because of this, it contains complete, balanced energy: Earth and Air and Fire and Water. The following table of Akashic associations points out its universal nature, and is not meant to be used for magical purposes.

When summoning Spirit you should stand in the middle of the circle and use a white (or rarely black) Candle.