Before you can begin practicing ritual magick you must designate a space wherein your rituals will be performed. This space should be as private and as comfortable for the magician as is possible. An entire room works best, although a small section of a room or even a corner will work if there is no alternative. It's fine if you ritual space and living space collide, it's best, however,to keep your magickal implements and objects as hidden from ordinary day to day life as possible.

Because ritual magick partakes of the eternal archetypal symbolism of the universe and in the human psyche, most ritual spaces acknowledge the four elements: air, earth, fire, and water by making us of incense and perfumes (air), small amounts of earth or wood (earth), candles (fire), and a bowl or cauldron (water). Additionally, many ritual spaces make use of the four directions: North, South, East, and West and color schemes in symbolically fruitful fashions; how you approach your individual ritual space is entirely up to you.

You should make a clear distinction between when a space is used for ordinary and ritual purposes. This has to do with "casting the circle" and "banishing;" both are subjects which I will talk about presently.

Casting the Circle

Before you begin any magickal operation in ritual space you are advised to first "open the circle" or "cast the circle" which is done by entring your ritual space and, either in complete darkness, or by the light of a single, guide candle, closing your eyes and turning slowly in a circle, pointing with a finger (or magickal wand or dagger) and envisioning a rainbow line of light encircling your ritual space. See this line as vividly as you can imagine it and trace it clockwise and counterclockise meditating on the idea that only sacred, magickal energies may permeate your ritual space.

One the circle is cast you may conduct your rituals and other magickal operations. If you must leave the cast-circle at any time it is wise to leave your implements behind. It is unwise to leave a cast circle for a prolonged time period. If you must leave for an extended time, perform a banishing to break the circle.

Banishing 

When your rituals or operations are completed "break" the circle by banishing. Chaotes such as myself prefer a hearty laugh and clapping of hands with a hearty "So mote it be!" for theatrical impact. Snapping on a  light and saying "Well done!" works just as well. 

Consecration of Ritual Space

All that is necessary is that the magician designate a space and consecrate it with some variation of the following:

After the space has been cleared and set-aside, and the circle-cast the magician should sit on the floor in the ritual space in total darkness and pray to their god or contemplate Divine will. After sitting in silence and darkness long enough to feel a shift in their ordinary state of mind (a feeling of excitement is best), the magician should proclaim with conviction: "In this sacred space be done my magickal will!" Repeat the invocation (or one like it) until the room has "soaked it up."

Some typical questions about magick:

1) Is there such a thing as "Black Magick?"

Yes. And no. In my opinion all magick may be considered "white" in that it springs from a Divine source. However, it may all be considered "black" because it is concerned with the invocation of Divine power to serve personal desires. Arthur Edward Waite remarked that "There is a magick behind the magick" and what he meant was the Divine Will always triumphs over the will of any magician, so a successful spell, white or black, represents the harmony of individual and Divine wills. Or you could say conscious and unconscious thought.

Certainly, there are magicians who think of themselves as black and those who think of themselves as white. As we shall see, color-symbolism plays a huge role in magickal operations, but I find it useful to divest symbolic colors from any moral connotation. You may feel differently. Magick has often been referred to as the "Dark Arts" and as Jung pointed out this has a lot to do not with its moral capacities but with the manner by which occult information is most often transmitted and occult knowledge and results gained: out of the light of normal, everyday life.

2) Do you need special robes and ritual gear to do magick?

No. Magick can be performed without any implements whatsoever. The common vision of a magician in robes standing in a pentagram with a pointy hat has been and may be still true for some Ceremonial magicians. But, no, it is not necessary to have this stuff to do magick.

3) What is the "Necronomicon?

It is a fictional book in the writings of H.P. Lovecraft, one which is often mistaken for an actual occult treatise and spellbook. Yes, Lovecraft and the "Necronomicon" play a role in certain quarters of the Chaos-magick crowd, but not in my particular corner of the world.

4) What is the Law of Occult Silence and aren't you/we breaking it by having this discussion?

The Law of Occult Silence is not something that is commonly admonished by occultists to other practicioners, but it should be. It pertains to the discussion of specific rituals and specific results only. It does not pertain to theory or to general discussion of practice or implements.

In other words it's ok to share a spell you created or have had good luck with, but it is potentially hazardous to say: "Hey gang, I am starting a spell now and I'll be back later to let everyone know if it worked." Even worse is to start "bragging" about results you have had; in some extreme cases, when the ego gets too out of control and the magician no longer recognizes any limit to their vanity or power, it can be of lethal consequence.  Mostly though it just causes your spells and other operations to flop. 

Why is it bad to break the Law of Occult Silence in regard to specific rituals and specific results? Simply put: it's a form of "breaking your concentration:" as if a golfer stopped in the middle of their swing to say "Look at this!" and then went on and hit the ball anyway!

The more your operations and spells are brought into the light of ordinary life, simply put, the more they lose their magickal capacities and that includes spells that have already been cast, even if they seem to be working. Try not to become egotistical or too-talkative about your specific practices and results and you will experience far less "backlash" or outright failure from your magickal operations. A rule of thumb: it is good to reveal and share knowledge; it is perilous to claim it with exclusivity as your own.  

5) Is there such a thing as "sex-magick?"

Yes, we'll talk about that a little later!  (But it's a lot duller than you may think!)

6) Is magick evil?

Absolutely not. You are engaged in ritual and magick whether you are conscious of it or not on a daily basis, so how can it be evil? Any application of individual will, be that writing a great novel or just baiting a fish hook, consists in some ways of ritualized concentration and that is all we are talking about here.