# When you summon a demon, should you stand inside or outside the pentacle? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 3, 2006, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-summon-a-demon-should-you-stand-inside-or-outside-the-pentacle/359233 "2006-06-03T02:10:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-summon-a-demon-should-you-stand-inside-or-outside-the-pentacle/359233/61 "2006-06-06T19:39:31Z")
> [@](#): > > I think you are right. Well, except I screwed up the first name. I blame my memory. Or my grandmother’s coffee. It was really _Simon_ Orne. Who was really old Jedediah Orne. But no Samuels in the bunch. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-summon-a-demon-should-you-stand-inside-or-outside-the-pentacle/359233/62 "2006-06-06T20:52:56Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] I seem to recall a line in _The Tempest_, something about “Weave a circle 'round me thrice”, but I can’t seem to find it. Perhaps another Doper knows the line I’m thinking of? In context, it might prove instructive here. [/QUOTE] Not sure if it’s in The Tempest or not, but that is how casting a circle is done. One fairly common method is you draw the circle once with incense (the smoke), once with salt water and then seal it with an athame (ceremonial dagger). That however has little to nothing to do with summoning demons, havoc making or sexual. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-summon-a-demon-should-you-stand-inside-or-outside-the-pentacle/359233/63 "2006-06-06T22:41:33Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] Not sure if it’s in The Tempest or not, but that is how casting a circle is done. One fairly common method is you draw the circle once with incense (the smoke), once with salt water and then seal it with an athame (ceremonial dagger). That however has little to nothing to do with summoning demons, havoc making or sexual. 😉 [/QUOTE] Huh. Learn something new everyday. (Must be those durn Californian Wiccans. 😉 ) 'Round these parts, the most common circle casting is with the athame, after the space has been cleansed/blessed with all four elements: water or saltwater, then incense (air), candle (fire) and salt alone (earth). So there’s five circles altogether. Marking banishing pentacles at each quarter with the athame is often, but not always done. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-summon-a-demon-should-you-stand-inside-or-outside-the-pentacle/359233/64 "2006-06-06T23:27:37Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] Huh. Learn something new everyday. (Must be those durn Californian Wiccans. 😉 ) 'Round these parts, the most common circle casting is with the athame, after the space has been cleansed/blessed with all four elements: water or saltwater, then incense (air), candle (fire) and salt alone (earth). So there’s five circles altogether. Marking banishing pentacles at each quarter with the athame is often, but not always done. [/QUOTE] Depends on how formal you want to be I guess. Saltwater is often used to cover water and earth, burning incense for fire and air. If it’s a circle just for meditation the short method is good, for more magical purposes the full method is of course better. this is of course all IMO. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-summon-a-demon-should-you-stand-inside-or-outside-the-pentacle/359233/65 "2006-06-07T00:13:59Z")
[QUOTE=Lumpy] Scumpup, let me just say that anyone who knows isn’t going to blab about it on a public message board. [/QUOTE] Whyever not? ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-summon-a-demon-should-you-stand-inside-or-outside-the-pentacle/359233/66 "2006-06-07T02:23:25Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Whyever not? [/QUOTE] You’re not serious? Have you read the [do you believe in ghosts](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=371223&highlight=ghosts) thread? Sexin’ demons… no freaking way. That’s a holdover from the prudish x-ian middle ages, methinks. Demons ain’t hawt! There’s some other entities out there that might be fun, but not demons. Uck. ---
**Author:** ![reldor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@reldor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reldor)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-summon-a-demon-should-you-stand-inside-or-outside-the-pentacle/359233/67 "2013-03-18T22:55:54Z")
Honestly if ur not sure draw 2 penticles 1 for u and 1 for the deamon gods thats all so simple ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-summon-a-demon-should-you-stand-inside-or-outside-the-pentacle/359233/68 "2013-03-18T23:07:43Z")
I am not sure if resurrecting a zombie thread about evoking demons is a good idea. Prudence dictates otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![tonyfop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85f322/32.png) [@tonyfop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonyfop)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-summon-a-demon-should-you-stand-inside-or-outside-the-pentacle/359233/69 "2013-03-18T23:18:19Z")
I’m glad that this wasn’t a “need to know fast” kinda thread, since **Brain Glutten** is still with us. However we now know that it takes almost 7 years for a zombie demon to circle the globe… ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-summon-a-demon-should-you-stand-inside-or-outside-the-pentacle/359233/70 "2013-03-19T00:48:50Z")
> [@reldor](#): > > Honestly if ur not sure draw 2 penticles 1 for u and 1 for the deamon gods thats all so simple Daemon gods? Are you summoning an evil Apache thread-demon here? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-summon-a-demon-should-you-stand-inside-or-outside-the-pentacle/359233/71 "2013-03-19T02:59:58Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > I am not sure if resurrecting a zombie thread about evoking demons is a good idea. > Prudence dictates otherwise. Good point. I’m putting a stake through its heart. Colibri General Questions Moderator [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-summon-a-demon-should-you-stand-inside-or-outside-the-pentacle/359233.md?page=3)