Posted by How do you invoke a god? I want to call Hermes. How should I start?
“Well, first you cast a circle and call the quarters, Earth, Air, Fire and Water, moving clock-wise around your circle.”
Wait. Why?
What do the four elements have to do with Hermes? If they have something to do with Hermes, are we sure that the way we are calling them works for a Greek deity?
Well, Hermes is associated with alchemy and the number 4.
So, you know two facts, and from there, you assume that your basic LBRP-derived circle casting is IDEAL.
It will work. Won’t it?
Sure, he’ll show up on the astral. He will also show up if you stand on a side walk near a busy intersection, throw quarters into the air and shout, “HEY, HERMES, CATCH!”
But is it really the best way to help him to manifest?
Let’s start at the very beginning. What IS a circle casting, anyway, what are we actually doing?
According to Wikipedia,
Traditionally, circles were believed by ritual magicians to form a protective barrier between themselves and what they summoned.[1] In modern times, practitioners generally cast magic circles to contain and concentrate the energy they believe to raise during a ritual.
So, we are building a boundary.
No offense Hermes, but you don’t seem to be able to stay inside your own clothing. I’m serious. 
Where is your loin cloth, dude??
I am Hermes. I make my own rules about where the peen is seen!
Right. So, back to boundaries. Do we need one? I think the answer is, “no, it’s a personal choice.” With Hellenic deities, purity is important. Be clean. Be pure.
But seriously, the most powerful manifestations of the Olympians do not happen in circles. Are there people casting circles or calling quarters in the Greek hero myths? No! Gods show up because they want to, when they want to, where they want to. For whom do they manifest?
For Medea, Cassandra, Medusa, Hellen of Troy, Menelaus and Odysseus. For those whom they loved, and those whom they hated. They manifested for the pious and for the heretic alike, but never for the person who wasn’t doing something interesting.
The singularly most important aspect is that the passions of the deities are excited.
What ritual excites passion?
What excites your passion?
Maybe that’s key.
Magick From Scratch 