Wordplay: Casting a Circle vs. Creating Sacred Space

So I'm starting to realize that my definition of casting a Circle and creating a sacred purified space are a little different from other people's and a I just wanted to clarify. So when I cleanse a space, I physically sweep, vacuum, mop, etc, the area. I sweep all the negativity away physically. When I purify a sacred space, I call upon the elements in a chant to drive negative energies away. I usually use a physical representation of each of the elements (Water, Salt, Candle, Incense) and walk around the space with each while chanting. I may also smudge the area as well. I am casting the Circle when I am calling upon the Watchtowers, Goddess, and God to protect the space and aid with the ritual at hand.

Some people may say I'm being a little bit picky about this but the only reason I want this to be known is because words have power. Names have power. Everything you say gets sent out into the universe physically; I believe your words can be even more powerful than your thoughts. So to me, it only makes sense to be as clear as possible when stating your intentions for ritual or spellwork. This is why spells are called spells! Grammar is tremendously important!

In Druidic traditions, teachers don't give their students the names of sacred tools such as wands, athames, and cauldrons until they know their student has an in depth understanding of what the tool is for. They describe their tools to the student instilling this understanding and then, only after, do they divulge the name - because it has power.

So I invite you, dear reader, to explore these words and come to an understanding of what they truly mean. Let's not use them interchangeably but for the specific purpose for which they were constructed. Let's not interchange words such as Witch and Wiccan either. We can't assume everyone who is Wiccan is a Witch and all Witches are Wiccan. That's for another rant though.

Cleansing vs. Purifying

I tend to be really bad at interchanging my words when it comes to cleansing and purification and I've come to realize that I probably shouldn't. So to clarify why this is probably not the best thing to do, I'd like to emphasize the difference between these words in the Craft. The textbook definition for both of these words are as follows:

Cleanse - clean, especially: to rid of impurities by or as if by washing

Purify - to make pure: as
             a: to clear from material defilement or imperfection
             b: to free from guilt or moral or ceremonial blemish
             c: to free from undesirable elements

These definitions were taken from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. As you can see, there is some difference in these definitions just as there is a difference in these words to the Witch. So by my definition as a Witch, cleansing is the process of physically cleaning your sacred space. Sweeping the area, mopping, dusting, raking leaves, etc. When you are cleansing an area, make sure to clean it to your best expectations. If you feel you haven't cleaned the area enough to welcome sacred deities into the space then continue cleaning or wait until you have time to clean the area properly.

Purification is the ritual or ceremonial act of ridding your sacred space of negativity. This is the type of work you do when you are smudging the area with sage or using the elements to protect your space.