There are many steps involved when performing Magick properly. This is not meant to be prohibitive, but rather instructive in the ways of Witches. Now, while some of these steps may be omitted, that omission is not without a price. By not ritually bathing, for example, you can carry into the circle the negativity of your driving experience to the rite, or jealous vibes of a co-worker, feelings of withdrawl felt by the cashier who checked you out at the grocery store, or the suspicions of the guy at the gas station who thinks his girlfriend is cheating on him. Not to mention spirits of someone from an automobile accident you might pass; if you are sensitive to these things, they will feel you as you drive by. There are literally thousands of negative feelings you can bring to circle if you have not ritually bathed.

That is just one important step to proper magickal execution, so when you read this, do so with these thoughts in mind. You have to take precautions to ensure that your magickal endeavor does not backfire.

Purification of Self

In essence, this consists of bathing (use like-scented soaps), anointing your body with essential oils, meditating on the project at hand, deep breathing exercises, and otherwise purifying your body, mind and spirit, readying it for the coming rite.
See Ritual Bathing.

Purification of Space

Outdoor ritual spaces rarely have to be purified. Indoor rituals, however, require it.

Lock the door, take the phone off the hook, and close the curtains. Cover all things reflective. You must be assured of absolute privacy and lack of interruptions during the ritual.

Clean the floor physically. Sweep with a regular broom, vacuum, or mop. Once clean it can be purified with the old Witch's tool, the magick broom. Visualize the broom sweeping away negativity, ill and psychic clutter, while brushing briskly. Visualize and know the broom is magickally cleansing the room. When you believe, it will be so.

Scatter the area with salt mixed with powdered rosemary which has been charged.

Creating Sacred Space

 You can form your circle many ways.

You can use cord, visualizing a sphere eminating from its boundary (both above you and beneath the ground).
You can use your feet to "walk out" the circle, visualizing just as mentioned above.

OR

You can use the Circle of Stones from Scott Cunningham's "Wicca: A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner." It works VERY well for Me, and can easily be adapted from the Circle of Stones, to the Circle of Dragons, or Circle of Sea Creatures, or whatever your path and inclination may be.

This circle may be used for many, many types of ritual/rite, including meditation.

You will need 4 large, flat stones. And many smaller ones. [The following uses the Standard Placement of the elements. If you have a customized version, please feel free to use it in all your rites/rituals.] Place the first stone to the North, with a large green candle placed upon its center. Place the second to the East, with yellow. Place the third to the South with red, and the fourth to the West with blue.

In ritual when you invoke the Spirits of the Stones, you're actually invoking all that resides in that particular direciton, including the elemental energies.

The stones should mark out a rough square, nearly encompassing your entire working area. This square reperesents the physical plane on which we exist--the Earth.

Now take the remainder of your smaller stones, or if you just cannot find enough, a long purple or white cord, and lay them out in a circle, using the four stones to guide you. The stones should be placed so that the larger elemental stones remain inside the circle. Now you have a square and a circle, the circle representing the spiritual reality. As such, this is a squared circle; the place of interpenetration of the physical and spiritual realms.

The size of the circle can be anything from 5 to 20 feet depending on the room and your needs.
Next, set up the altar, all of the following tools and the altar itself must already be inside the circle area before the circle is "sealed." You should already possess these items, if you are a magick user, or have made adequate substitutions for them. If you do not understand what is required, there are many good beginner's books available at Llewellyn Books

° A Goddess symbol
° A God symbol
° Magick Knife (athame)
° Wand
° Censer
° Pentacle
° A bowl of spring or rain water
° A bowl of salt
° Incense which corresponds to your needs
° Flowers and greens of the season
° Any other tools or material required for the ritual, spell or magickal working you endeavor to perform.

Set up the altar accordingly. Also be sure to have plenty of matches, as well as a small heat-proof container in which to place them when used. A charcoal block is also necessary to burn the incense.
Light the candles. Set the incense smoking. Lift the knife and touch its blade to the water, saying...
I consecrate and cleanse this water that it may be purified and fit to dwell within the sacred Circle of Stones. In the name of the Mother Goddess and the Father God, I consecrate this water.


As you do this, visualize your knife blasting away all negativity from the water. The salt is next touched with the point of the knife while saying...
I bless this salt that it may be fit to dwell within the sacred Circle of Stones. In the name of the Mother Goddess and the Father God, I bless this salt.


Now stand facing North, at the edge of the marked circle. Hold your magick knife point outward at waist level. Walk slowly around the circle's perimeter clockwise, your feet just inside the stones (or cord), charging it with your words and energy. Create the circle with the power flowing out of your knife's blade. As you walk, stretch the energy out until it forms a complete sphere around the working area, half above the ground, half below. As you do this say...
Here is the boundary of the Circle of Sones. Naught but love shall enter in, Naught but love shall emerge from within. Charge this by Your powers, Old Ones!


When you have arrived back at the North, place the magick knife on the alter. Take up the salt and sprinkle it around the circle, beginning and ending in the North, and moving clockwise. Next, carry the smoking censer around the circle, then the Southern point candle, and finally sprinkle water around the circle. Do more than carrying and walking; sense the substances purifying the circle.
The Circle of Stones is now sealed.

Invocation

Hold aloft the wand at the North, at the edge of the circle, and say...
O Spirit of the North Stone,
Ancient One of the North,
I call You to attend this circle.
Charge this by Your powers, Old Ones!

As you say this, visualize a greenish mist rising and writhing in the Northern Quarter, over the Stone. This is the elemental energy of Earth. When the Spirit is present (you'll FEEL it), lower the wand, move to the East, raise it again and say...

O Spirit of the East Stone,
Ancient One of Air,
I call You to attend this circle.
Charge this by Your powers, Old Ones!


Visualize the yellowish mist of Air energy. Lower the wand, move to the South and repeat the following with your upraised wand, visualizing a crimson Fire mist...

O Spirit of the South Stone,
Ancient One of Fire,
I call You to attend this circle.
Charge this by Your powers, Old Ones!


Finally, to the West, say with wand held aloft...
O Spirit of the West Stone,
Ancient One of Water,
I call You to attend this circle.
Charge this by Your powers, Old Ones!


Visualize the bluish mist, the essence of Water.

The circle breathes and lives around you now. The Spirits of the Stones are present. Feel the energies. Visualize the circle glowing and growing in power. Stand still, sensing and sealing it completely, for a moment.

The Circle of Stones is complete. The Goddess and God may be called, and magick wrought.

Energy Raising

 When raising energy for a spell or rite, your heart should be pounding and adrenaline (the "life blood of magick itself) should be pumping through your veins. You are calling down the GOD and GODDESS! Your heart SHOULD be pounding! For help in charging and energy raising, Go Here.

Work Your Spell

OR

Perform Your Rite

Earthing The Power

When your spell or rite is completed, all the excess energies raised by Eeveryone present should be gathered, and sent into the Earth. Morph them into healing energies of warmth and love and give them back to our Great Mother. She needs all the help we can give Her. Charge them for healing and mending the damage we, as Humankind, have wrough upon Her and send them coursing through Her, running to those Magickal ley lines of energy we all know are here.

Thank The Gods/Goddesses, Elementals and/or Powers That Be That Yyou Have Called For Their Energy, Attendance and/or Help

You should always thank anything/one and everything/one which has assisted you, whether it's the plant from which you took a leaf, a tree from which you needed a branch, a stream from which you dipped a bowl of water, or the earth from which you pocketed a stone. You especially should thank any and all Deities, Elementals, Watchers, Guardians and/or Powers That (otherwise) Be for every assistance! Always!

Breaking The Circle

I differ from many other Magick Users who offer instruction, in that I find it MANDATORY to take DOWN a circle that's been erected. I cannot understand omitting this step! It's there, and it's not to be broken until all is done; therefore, why would they NOT take it down when it's over? Just the thought of having things walking around within a magickal circle that's been cast, but never removed just doesn't seem ... RIGHT to Me.

Many Magick Users apparently don't see the need, but the need is genuine.

Take your athame, or your finger, and draw the energies raised BACK into the knife or yourself, change it to healing and earth that, just like when the rite/ spell was over. *see above*.