THE CIRCLE OF STONES by Scott
Cunningham excerpted from: WICCA A Guide
For The Solitary Practitioner 1989, Llewellyn
Publications

The Circle of stones is used during indoor
rituals, for energy raising, meditation and so on.
First cleanse the area with the ritual broom. For
this circle you will need four large, flat stones.
If you have none, candles can be used to mark
the four cardinal points of the circle. White or
purple candles can be used, as can colours
related to each direction - green for the North,
yellow for East, red for South and blue for
West. Place the first stone (or candle) to the
North, to represent the Spirit of the North
Stone. In ritual when you invoke the Spirits of
the Stones you're actually invoking all that
resides in that particular direction, including
the elemental energies. After setting the North
Stone (or candle), place the East, South and
West Stones. They should mark out a rough
square, nearly encompassing the working area.
This square represents the physical plane on
which we exist - the Earth. Now take a long
purple or white cord and lay it out in a circle,
using the four stones or candles to guide you.
It takes a bit of practice to smoothly do this. The cord should be placed so that the 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 desires.
Next, set up the altar. The following tools are
recommended:

*A Goddess symbol (candle, holed stone,
statue)

*A God symbol (candle, horn, acorn, statue)

*Athame 

*Wand

*Censer

*Pentacle

*A bowl of Water (spring, rain or tap)

*A bowl of Sea Salt (it can also be placed
on the pentacle)

*Incense

*Flowers and greens

*One red candle in holder (if not using
point candles)

*Any other tools or materials required for
the ritual, spell or magickal working
Set up the altar according to the plan shown
here or according to your own design. 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.