Monograph 15:

Candle Magick

Candles have been used for centuries for magic and rituals. Most people, at least in the West, have performed their first act of candle magick by the time they are two years old. We blow them out at birthdays and light them at holidays. They invoke the divine and they create a sense of ceremony. Indeed candles do  have a special ability to make wishes come true, because they help clarify our minds and help us to focus. 

We may not have realised it at the time buy blowing out the tiny candles on our first birthday cake and making a wish was pure magic. This childhood custom is based on the three magical principals of concentration, will power and visualisation. In simple terms, the child who wants his wish to come true has to concentrate (blow out the candles), visualize the end result (make a wish) and hope that it will come true (will power).

Candle Magick is one of the easiest of all the magical arts. The rituals are very simple. Candle magick can be practiced in any room, practically anywhere. You don't need much equipment either, and what you do need is cheap and easily available. When working at home, use the Sanctum you have already set up. Just place the candle on your sanctum altar where you can burn it and then leave it undisturbed to burn down afterwards. You can add flowers, incense or other symbolic items to the altar if you wish.

The size and shape of the candles you use is unimportant, although simple plain ones are best. Elaborately decorative or unusually shaped candles are too distracting. You will need to use the correct colour correspondences for you purpose. Candles are sold in different colors for domestic use so this is no problem. 

Even if you do live in some really remote part of the world, it's easy to make your own. There are lots of occultists who are artistically inclined and prefer to make their own candles. This is a very practical exercise because not only does it impregnate the candle with your own personal vibrations, but the mere act of making your own candle is magically potent. Specialist shops sell candle wax and molds together with wicks, perfumes, and other equipment. 

The hot wax is heated until liquid and then poured into the mould through which a suitably sized wick has already been threaded. The wax is then left to cool and once is this has occurred the mould is removed , leaving a perfectly formed candle. Special oil-soluble dyes and perfumes can be added to the wax before the cooling process is complete to provide suitable colors and scents for a particular magical ritual. Craft shops which sell candle-making supplies can also provide do-it-yourself books explaining the technicalities of the art to the beginner. 

The most important thing of all is that any candles you use for any type of magick MUST should be virgin, that is unused. Under no circumstances try to make do with a candle which has adorned a dinner table or been used as a bedroom candle or night-light. There is a very good occult reason for not using anything but virgin materials in magic. Vibrations picked up by secondhand materials or equipment may disturb your workings and negate their effectiveness.

You can use any kind of candle that appeals to you. White is always a good choice, but you may want to choose ones whose colors correspond to specific energies. Red, for example, connotes passion. Green brings growth. Yellow improves communication and blue creates health, harmony and understanding.

If you wanted to use candle magic for healing, you would select a blue candle to burn. To pass an exam, burn a yellow candle, to gain esoteric knowledge burn a blue candle or for material gain, burn a green one. 

Before using a new candle it should be oiled or "dressed" before burning. The purpose of dressing the candle is to establish a psychic link between it and you. By physically touching the candle during the dressing procedure, you are charging it with our own personal vibrations and also concentrating the desire of your magical act into the wax. The candle is becoming an extension of the magician's mental power and life energy. 

A candle is dressed, or anointed,  by rubbing it with oil. This imparts your special energies to it and forges a psychic link. When you dress a candle for magical use, imagine that it is a psychic magnet with a North and a South pole. Rub the oil into the candle beginning at the top or North end and work downwards to the half-way point. Always brush in the same direction downwards. This process is then repeated by beginning at the bottom or south end and working up to the middle. 

The best type of oils to use for dressing candles are natural essential oils which can be obtained quite easily in most places. Some occult suppliers will provide candle magic oils with exotic names. If the magician does not want to use these, he can select suitable oils or perfumes from his own sources.  However, many Witches think this is all too elaborate and prefer to use plain cooking oil. This is fine but, if can can afford it, do use extra virgin olive oil.

Time your candle-burning ritual to correspond to the phases of the moon. You can find them out by looking on the weather page of your newspaper or by looking at the moon logo in Monograph 10. But the best way is to look up into the night sky. As Witches we should always be aware of the current phase of the moon. 

To bring something into your life, do your rituals when the moon is waxing. To rid yourself of something, do it when the moon is waning.

Meditate briefly before lighting the candle to help still your mind and bring your desire into focus. When you light the flame, state your intention out loud, in simple, clear words. Imagine that you already have what it is you want in your life. Watch the flame steadily, but don't stare intently. Being receptive and open to what it is you want.

Engrave the candle with the name of the person ot thing you wish to affect, the person's date of birth or star sign (if known) and one or more of the sigils you learned in Monograph 7.

You can also write down the objective of your ritual on a virgin piece of paper. If you wish you can use coloured paper to match the candle. Write your petition on the paper using a magickal alphabet, such as Theban, Enochian, or  Malachain (explained in a latter Monograph). You can even combine candle magic and runic magick (explained in a latter Monograph) by using the runic alphabet known as the Elder Futtark.

As you write down what you want to accomplish through candle magic, visualise your dream coming true. By "visualise" we don't just mean for you to see in thing in your mind, you must know it with all your senses, not just the sense if sight. Feel it, touch it, smell it, hear it, MAKE IT REAL!

When you have completed writing down your petition, carefully fold up the paper in a deliberately slow fashion, concentrating your whole mind upon each action.  Place the end of the folded paper in the candle flame and set light to it. As you do this concentrate once more on what you want to happen as a result. 

When you have completed your ritual, allow the candle to burn down completly. You do not need to stay with the candle after the ritual, but make sure that is safe and that hot wax will not cause any damage. Never re-use a candle which has been lit in any magical ritual. It should only be used in that ritual and then allowed to burn away.  If there is any residue remaining afterwards it should be recycled in running water. A stream or brook is best but flushing it down the lavatory is a necessary adaptation to modern life for many Wiccans.  Whichever method you use, it should be accompanied by the following words (silent or aloud); "Thank you for aiding my magickal purpose. Now return to the elements from which you came. Go with love to love".

If you are conducting a magical ritual which involves two people (e.g. an absent healing for a person some distance away) then the second person can be symbolically represented during the ritual by another candle. All you need to do is find out the subject's birth date and burn the appropriate candle for that zodiacal sign. 

One final point. As with any type of spell, always add the words "... should it be for the grater good of all concerned. So Mote It Be!"

You can repeat the rituals as often as you like, but don't become obsessive. Candle burning is a way to help you stay open to the possibilities of life. It may seem that your particular wish didn't come true, but who knows? Maybe it is because something better is coming along in your life.