Summarize the following:
How you choose to use your circle once its cast is largely up to you, your practice, and your goals. In general, though, you'll want to start by blessing the space and clearing it of negative energy, beginning the invocation of spirits. Some covens are very formal and ritualized in their practice, while some less so. Do what feels natural. Walk around the circle, lighting the candles, leaving a trail of salt around the boundary. In each cardinal direction, recite an invocation like: "Blessing upon the creatures and spirits of the North" Walk around the circle three times, saying: "Cast the circle thrice about, to keep the evil spirits out." "I conjure thee, O Circle of Power, that thou best a meeting place of love and joy and truth; a shield against all wickedness and evil; a boundary between men and the realms of the Mighty Ones; a rampart and protection that shall preserve and contain the power that we shall raise within thee." Call them to the objects that represent them. Take each of the objects that represent the elements around your circle, filling it with the power of each of them. Meditate for a while now. Meditation or astral projection might be the main act, or it serves just to shift your consciousness. Remember: "And it harm none, do what ye will." If you must leave the circle before you are done, cut a doorway. Envision a doorway being cut from the edge of the circle, up, to the side, then down again. Reclose the circle once you're back in. pay respect to whatever deities you invited, thank the elements before you remove their representative objects, and finally undo the casting by casting in reverse.

summary: Bless the circle. State the purpose of the circle. Invoke the elements and spirits and deities you wish to work with. Complete your ritual. Close the circle when you're done:


Summarize the following:
For example, tell yourself that if you pay attention for the next 15 minutes, you can have a few peanut M&Ms from the bag you’ve stashed in your backpack. For every additional 15 minutes, you get a couple more. Or, instead of M&Ms, you can allow yourself to check your phone briefly. You could also tell yourself that if you take good notes through the entire class, you can play your new video game for an hour when you get home. This can be a good motivator if you have trouble making it through the whole class, or if the class is pretty long. After all, if it’s a 3-hour class, you will probably get tired of eating M&Ms or checking your phone for updates. For example, before walking into Physics today, tell yourself that if you pay attention the entire time, you can grab your favorite mocha latte or hit the arcade right after class. For example, maybe you find French class excruciatingly boring. Hey, you’re not the first person to feel that way! Tell yourself that if you pay attention today, you’ll treat yourself to that cool new French film (sub-titled, of course!) you’ve been wanting to see downtown. Or you can treat yourself to a delicious croissant or éclair after class.  After paying attention in class and scarfing down an éclair, you'll probably be feeling pretty good. See? Maybe French isn’t so bad after all. Doing this helps you associate positive things with your class. In turn, this may encourage you to pay attention more. If you walk into class already dreading how boring it's going to be and telling yourself that paying attention is going to be impossible, you won't feel very motivated to stay on track. Instead, walk in telling yourself that you will succeed at paying attention in today's class. Set your mind to achieving your goal! For example, instead of thinking "Ugh, I hate this class! It's so boring," you could think: "Maybe I'll learn something interesting today." If you have a friend in the class, ask them to discreetly let you know when your mind has clearly wandered. They can tap you on the shoulder once, or something else subtle, to help you refocus on the lecture.  A friend can help you hold yourself accountable to your goal of paying better attention during class. If you don't have any friends in that class, ask a trusted classmate that you get along with well instead. You’re not perfect – in fact, no one is! Maybe today in class you drifted off a few times, stopped paying attention completely, or even fell asleep for most of it. It happens to everyone occasionally, so don’t beat yourself up. Just tell yourself that tomorrow will be different, and keep trying.

summary: Create small goals and mini-rewards to go with them. Choose a reward you can have right after class. Treat yourself to something that has a connection to the class. Get in the right mindset before walking into class. Ask a friend to help you stay on track. Don’t beat yourself up if you still have trouble paying attention.


Summarize the following:
Write down all the names you came up with, and then say them aloud. Introduce yourself as each one and think about how they sound to you. If you are having trouble deciding which names sound better than the rest, take some time away from the process and return to it in a day or so. The goal is to find one name you prefer above all the others, plus a couple of alternatives. With your preferred nicknames in mind, speak to those around you and see what they think. It can be difficult to get a nickname to stick if others do not like it. Ask friends to call you by your preferred nickname. If they seem game, the nickname is likely to stick. If they are not on board with the idea, it may be time to try one of your alternates instead. Now that you have found a nickname your friends are willing to call you, introduce yourself to others using it. Ask teachers and new employers to call you by it. Consider going by your nickname on social networking sites such as Facebook. Your new nickname will be cemented in no time.
summary: Find your favorites. Test the waters. Rock your new nickname.