I call to the east and the element of air! Grant us your qualities of clarity, logic, and inspiration here today/tonight…hail and welcome!
Turn clockwise to face the south. Raise hands, palms forward, and say:
I call to the south and the element of fire! Grant us your qualities of action, transformation, and will here today/tonight…hail and welcome!
Turn clockwise to the west. Raise hands, palms forward, and say:
I call to the west and the element of water! Grant us your qualities of emotion, intuition, and wisdom here today/tonight…hail and welcome!
Turn clockwise to the north. Raise hands, palms forward, and say:
I call to the north and the element of earth! Grant us your qualities of stability, nurture, and stamina here today/tonight…hail and welcome!
Reach and face the above. Say:
I call to the above, the stellar realm! Realm of the stars, the angels and the Divine, grant us your guidance and insight here today/tonight…hail and welcome!
Reach and face the below. Say:
I call to the below, the realm of the ancestors and the luminous beings of the inner earth! Grant us your wisdom, power, and knowledge here today/tonight…hail and welcome!
Bring your hands and focus to the heart of self, saying:
I call to the within, to the divine spark, to the star within, to the spindle within the void by which we are all connected! Grant the insight of the true self and the power of connection here today/tonight…hail and welcome!
When closing, perform in reverse order, turning anticlockwise, and revise the statements to “we/I give thanks for” instead of “grant us” and end with “hail and farewell!”
Exercise: Casting a Circle
You can use this technique in addition to the above or as a stand-alone technique for creating sacred space.
The raw basis of the technique is as follows: using your wand, dagger, or finger as an extension of your will, stand in the east of your circle. With your wand/dagger/finger extended at full arm’s length in front of you, visualize an electric blue light coming from the point as you walk a complete clockwise circle and then eventually joining up at the point where you began. When your work is done, repeat the process in reverse, tracing the circle in an anticlockwise direction, taking the energy back into yourself.
The key to the effectiveness of this technique is energy, intent, and focus. You may find that words or song come to you as you focus—that there is a chant or rhyme that works for you—or that you prefer to cast your circle in silence.
It may suit you to declare your intention in a straightforward way, like so:
I cast this circle as a boundary of protection and power, creating a space between the worlds.
Or you may prefer something more elaborate, such as this rhyme calling on the elementals to protect your space (remember to thank and dismiss them upon closing the circle):
To sylphs of air, I call to thee
Of harmful winds be circle free.
Salamanders who dwell in fire
Protect this space from ill desire.
To undines of the sparkling wave
From all harm my circle save.
And gnomes of sturdy, ancient earth
Protect from those who know no worth.
The circle cast, the web is spun
Let nothing pass till work is done.
The Becoming the Faery Tree exercise featured earlier (see page 50), can also be used as a simple method to create sacred space when performed with that intent. However, for heavier work it is recommended to use something a bit more sturdy!
Tools
As mentioned, Faery Craft does not require expensive tools or garments, as it is a path of nature and the heart. However, you may find that certain objects wish to work with you as allies. Sometimes they will stay with you for a long time or perhaps only for a day. We must always remember that all things possess spirit and thus they do not belong to us, as we are all connected as part of a larger pattern. Therefore, it is up to the individual to be aware of when it is time to allow such tools to move on, either returning into nature from whence they came or passed to other respectful hands. As your awareness and sense of connection strengthens, you will be able to sense when an object wishes to work with you and when it wishes to move on. You will also become more keenly aware that often a simple pebble is far better than any shop-bought bauble and a twig far better than the shiny crystal-clad wand in that glass case!
Here are some potential tools that you may wish to incorporate into your practice:
Wands and Staffs
A traditional tool in many magickal paths, the wand acts as a focus for your energy and an extension of your will. They can be used for creating sacred space, drawing sigils in the air, and many other energy-directing functions.
A staff has a similar role but has the added quality of acting as a bridge between the sky and land, rooting you to your surroundings. If undertaking a walking meditation or journey out in nature, or when setting out with magickal purpose into the wilds, a staff can be a trusted and also very practical companion.
When working with Faery, it is most likely a wand or staff will choose you. Not in the Harry Potter sense of going into a shop and trying them until you find the one that makes your hair stand up like in an eighties pop video, but in the sense that it will be somewhere on your path, and you will simply know. Don’t try or want too hard, but allow it to happen naturally, and one day you will most likely find yourself holding a piece of wood and simply knowing that it is for you. This is my personal preference, rather than cutting from living wood or buying from a shop, though I have been lucky enough to have been gifted beautifully crafted wands by dear friends over the years. You may choose to
