Basic Protection Circle

Stand in the center of the space you wish to protect. Feel the earth beneath your feet, solid and eternal. Close your eyes and take three deep breaths, drawing energy up from the earth through your body. Visualize brilliant white light gathering at your solar plexus, your center of power. Feel it building with each breath—warm, protective, infinite. Extend your dominant hand (the hand you write with). Your fingers are now a conduit for divine energy. Slowly turn clockwise (deosil, the direction of the sun's path), beginning in the East. As you turn, visualize white light flowing from your fingertips, creating a wall of protective energy in a perfect circle around you. This is not imaginary—you are quite literally weaving energy into a barrier. Some witches see it as light, others as flame, others as a wall of thorns. Trust what you perceive. As you complete the circle, returning to the East, declare with conviction: 'This circle is cast, this space is protected. Only love and light may enter here. So it is and so it shall be.' Feel the boundary seal—you may sense a subtle 'click,' a temperature change, or a shift in air pressure. The circle is now complete. You stand between the worlds, in sacred space. When you're finished with your work, always close the circle. Walk counter-clockwise (widdershins), visualizing the energy returning to you or dispersing into the earth. Thank the four directions and the elements. Leave the space as you found it. Note: This circle will last as long as you maintain it through focus and intention, typically anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. Physical disturbances (someone walking through it) will break the circle unless you've reinforced it through regular practice.