One of the simplest of magical arts which comes under the heading of natural magick is candle burning. It is simple because it employs little ritual and few ceremonial artifacts. The theatrical props of candle magick can be purchased at any department store and its rituals can be practiced in any sitting room or bedroom.
Most of us have performed our first act of candle magick by the time we are two years old. Blowing out the tiny candles on our first birthday cake and making a wish is pure magick. This childhood custom is based on the three magickal principals of concentration, will power and visualization. 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).
The size and shape of the candles you use is unimportant, although highly decorative, extra large, or unusually shaped candles will not be suitable as these may create distractions when the Witch wants to concentrate on the important work in hand. Most Witches prefer to use candles of standard or uniform size if possible. Those which are sold in different colors for domestic use are ideal.
The candles you use for any type of magickal use should be virgin, that is unused. Under no circumstances use a candle which has already 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 magick. Vibrations picked up by secondhand materials or equipment may disturb your workings and negate their effectiveness.
Some Witches who are artistically inclined prefer to make their own candles for ritual and magickal use. 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 magickally potent. Specialist shops sell candle wax and molds together with wicks, perfumes, and other equipment.
Once you have purchased or made your ritual candle it has to be oiled or 'dressed' before burning. The purpose of dressing the candle is to establish a psychic link between it and the Witch through a primal sensory experience. 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 magickal act into the wax. The candle is becoming an extension of the Witches mental power and life energy.
When you dress a candle for magickal 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 ones which can be obtained quite easily. Some occult suppliers will provide candle magic oils with exotic names. If the Witch does not want to use these, she can select suitable oils or perfumes from her own sources. The oils soluble perfumes sold by craft shops for inclusion in candles can be recommended.
The candles you use can be colored in accordance with the following magickal uses: White- spirituality and peace. Red- health,energy,strength,courage, sexual potency. Pink- love affection and romance. Yellow- intellectualism, imagination, memory and creativity Green- fertility, abundance, good luck and harmony Blue-inspiration, occult wisdom, protection and devotion Purple- material wealth, higher psychic ability, spiritual power and idealism Silver- clairvoyance, inspiration, astral energy and intuition Orange- ambition. career matters and the law.
If you wanted to use candle magick for healing, you would select a red 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 purple one. It is obvious these colors relate to the signs of the zodiac and the planetary forces.
The simplest form of candle magick is to write down the objective of your ritual on a virgin piece of paper. You can use color paper which matches the candle. Write your petition on the paper using a magickal alphabet, such as theban, enochian, malachain,etc. As you write down what you want to accomplish through candle magic-- a new job, healing for a friend, a change of residence, a new love affair, etc.-- visualize your dream coming true. Visualize the circumstances under which you might be offered a new job, imagine your employer telling you that your salary has been increased or conjure up a vision of your perfect love partner.
When you have completed writing down your petition, carefully fold up the paper in a deliberately slow fashion. 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 from life.
When you have completed your ritual, allow the candle to have completely burned away. You do not need to stay with the candle after the ritual, but make sure that is safe and that red-hot wax will not cause damage or fire. Never re-use a candle which has been lit in any magickal ritual. It should only be used in that ritual and then allowed to burn away or be disposed of afterwards.
If you are conducting a magickal 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.
These are as follows-
ARIES red
TAURUS green
GEMINI yellow
CANCER silver
LEO orange
VIRGO yellow
LIBRA pink
SCORPIO red
SAGITARIUS purple
CAPRICORN (black)
AQUARIUS (all colors)
PISCES mauve
