Blessing a Wiccan Circle

A Wiccan circle is an informal group of witches who have gathered together to perform spells, rituals, blessings and other spiritual acts. Blessing the members of the circle and the circle itself is a common practice which helps remove negativity, consecrate the circle and bring circle members in tune with the elements, gods and goddesses. Some circle blessings include blessing circle members while some witches prefer to cleanse and bless themselves before the circle. You can perform one or all of these blessings.

One of the simplest ways to bless the circle is to do a short meditation. To do so, stand in the circle, hand in hand, or sit alone quietly. Take a few deep breaths to calm your mind and body. Relax your muscles. Picture a small white light. Picture that white light getting larger and larger until it is surrounding the circle and everyone who sits around it. Ask the gods and goddesses to banish all negativity from the circle. Picture the white light absorbing all the negativity in the circle.

Smudging is a Native American practice that many Pagans use to bless and cleanse the circle before a ritual. Smudging involves burning sage, whose smoke is said to cleanse bad energy. To smudge, light a smudge stick until it produces a steady stream of smoke. Walk around the circle, spreading the smoke. Stop at each circle member and draw a circle around him or her with the smoke. Place the smudge stick in a fire-safe container and let it burn throughout the ceremony or snuff it out.

Blessing the circle with salt and water is called "asperging." To do this, fill a bowl with water. Dip your fingers in the bowl and flick the water on them onto the ground to represent removing all the negativity from the water. Hold your dagger, also called an athame, in the water with at least one finger and say a blessing. Blue Moon Wicca.com recommends something like "May this water be blessed with love, nurturing and understanding." Add salt one small pinch at a time until you've added three pinches and stir with your fingers or dagger. Walk around the circle sprinkling this water to bless and consecrate the circle.

Incense works by helping to bless and consecrate a circle while cleansing away stale or negative energy. To perform an incense ritual, chose an incense made with herbs or oils that mesh well with the intention of your circle. Light the incense and meditate for a moment on what you'd like the incense to do -- in this case, bless the circle. Walk around your circle slowly, counterclockwise, with the incense in your hand. State your intention three times as you complete the circle. When you've completed the circle, say an affirmation of joy, think positive thoughts, sing a happy song or perform a dance to replace the negative energy with positive energy.