In terms of casting the circle:

The structure of the circle follows the arc of the sun. In the Northern Hemisphere the sun rises in the east and arcs gently south to midday and then gently north again to set. Circles are therefore cast clockwise in the Northern Hemipshere (where the clock itself was invented). The four directions or compass points are seen to be as follows: North is Earth, East is Air, South is Fire, and West is Water. Northern Hemisphere pagans tend to place their altars in the North or in the Earth element.

In the Southern Hemisphere the pattern is reversed and so the circle is cast in accordance with the laws of sunrise - counter-clockwise or "widdershins". This is followed by many pagans in Australia, New Zealand and other countries in the Southern Hemisphere and they have had no problems with energies and entities when casting the circle counter-clockwise as this abides by the path of the sun in their Hemisphere. These pagans also place their altar in the South and they align the four directions/compass points in accordance with the environment in the Southern Hemipshere: North is Fire, East is Water, South is Earth, and West is Air.

One of the basic tenets of the Craft is to work with the natural energies in one's local area, so local rules apply when casting the circle.

However, some pagans in the Southern Hemipshere believe tradition is more important than local factors because the Craft we know as Wicca began in the Northern Hemisphere. These traditionalist pagans who live in the Southern Hemisphere therefore continue to cast the circle clockwise following the Northern Hemisphere's path of the sun from sunrise to sunset.

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Festival Dates for the Southern Hemisphere differ from Northern Hemisphere dates due to the fact that the Hemispheres are six months apart in terms of when the same season occurs:

February 1 - Lughnassadh/Lammas
March 20-22 - Mabon/Autumn Equinox
April 30 - Samhain/All Hallows Eve/ Halloween
June 20-22 - Yule/Midwinter
August 2 - Imbolc/Candlemas
September 20-22 - Eostre/Southern Equinox
October 31 - Beltane/May Eve
December 20-22 - Litha/Midsummer

The actual date of each festival is not as important as the correct season.

A harvest festival such as Lughnassadh belongs to the end of summer when the fruits are ripe which is December 20-22 in the Southern Hemipshere. If Southern Hemisphere pagans were to celebrate Lughnassadh at the time pagans in the Northern Hemisphere celebrate it, they would be attempting to engage in a harvest festival during the winter months (June 20-22) which is a season where harvest cannot occur! So it is important for festivals to fit in with the seasons appropriate to each of the two Hemispheres of the world.