1. Find a safe place to
cast your circle. It can be indoors or outdoors, at midnight or early in the
morning. There's no perfect place to cast, so don't feel any pressure to hike
out to the middle of nowhere if that will make you psychologically
uncomfortable. The best place is somewhere you'll feel comforted and at ease,
able to commune in the way you wish, and in the appropriate way for whatever
ritual or ceremony you hope to perform. If that's your bedroom, basement, or
garage, so be it.

Make sure that the place is private and free for as long as
you'll need the ceremony. Being interrupted in the middle of a ritual is a
frustrating and even dangerous experience.

2. Purify the place
where you will cast your circle. First, purify your location physically by
tidying up the spot and making thing orderly. If you're outdoors, clear the
area of branches, leaves and rocks. Next, cleanse the area spiritually.
Meditating, use your hands (or a wand or broom if your practice involves these
items) and push negative energy from the spot. You should also use a smudge
stick, lighting it and walking around the area where the circle is going to be
cast to clear it of negative spirits. A smudge stick is a stick of herbs that
is burnt slowly to spread incense throughout the area.

I would suggest using White Sage for it’s healing and
cleansing properties, Cedar for protection from unwanted spirits and Lavender
to invite good spirits and safeguard against evil. As you perform more circles
you can choose your own herbs to use.

3.Physically determine
the bounds of your circle, if you want. Do this by drawing a circle on the floor,
sprinkling salt water in a circle, or by laying a cord in a circle (make sure
you tie it). Anyhow, the circle is usually as wide as you are tall. This is a
private circle, if you are casting for more than one person remember that the
circle would need to be larger.

Alternatively, if you're in the outdoors, consider using the
elements of nature to create your circle. Create a circle of rocks or other
natural elements if it seems appropriate to your ritual or practice. This is
recommended as you are calling on nature for it’s magic.

4.Place all the objects
you will be using in your ritual inside the circle. Once you start
practicing, you're going to want to stay in the circle and not break the
connection until your ritual is completed. If you start and you've forgotten a
particular candle or totem that's important to you, getting up and hitting
"pause" isn't an option. Gather everything you'll need to begin your
ritual and start preparing for your ritual.

If you're going to offer something to a spirit, remember to
include that and everything you'll need to prepare it. Organize them, whatever
they are, to form an altar. Bring a surface to set them on, like a box or crate
with a small black tablecloth. The altar should face north, as should you when
you're in the circle completing your ritual.

5. Complete the circle. Place candles at
each point of the compass. Do not light them yet. Some Pagans will choose
something that represents Earth in the north, Air in the east, Fire in the
south, and Water in the west, as well as something for Spirit in the centre, as
this is only a basic ritual we are going to use colored candles.

A green candle to represent Earth, a yellow candle for Air,
a blue candle for Water and a red candle for Fire, finally you want a white
candle in the centre.

6. Invoke the elements
one by one.If you wish you can
carry your smudge stick whilst doing this. Start at East and invoke Air with a
blessing, recite an invocation such as

“The element of Air is vital to human survival, without it
we would all perish. Air is the manifestation of movement, freshness, and
communication and of the intelligence. I invite Air to the circle.”

Your blessing doesn’t have to be as long as this but
remember to honour Air and what it stands for.

7.State the purpose of
the circle.This is where you cast
your spell and ask for magic from the elements, for now we will ask for
protection from evil.

"I conjure thee, O Circle of Power, that thou shall be
a meeting place of love and joy and truth; a shield against all wickedness and
evil; a rampart and protection that shall preserve and contain the power that
we shall raise within thee."

This is an old-fashioned invocation, feel free to make it
easier to remember and say, or change it completely if you wish for something
else, but remember not to harm anyone whilst you are casting. You should
meditate a while on what you are asking for and thank elements. (This will
change if you are summoning with a group)

8. Close the circle when
you are done.Pay respect to the
elements and the magic you summoned before releasing them in reverse order, you
should first release Spirit, thanking it for it’s help and finish with Air.