Candle Magick
1. One of the simplest of magical arts
which comes under the heading of natural magic is candle burning. It is simple
because it employs little ritual and few ceremonial artifacts. The theatrical
props of candle magic can be purchased at any department store and its rituals
can be practiced in any sitting room or bedroom.
2. Most of us have performed our first
act of candle magic by the time we are two years old. Blowing out the tiny
candles on our first birthday cake and making a wish is pure magic. This
childhood custom is based on the three magical 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).
3. The size and shape of the candles
you use is unimportant, although highly decorative, etra large, or unusually
shaped candles will not be suitable as these may create distractions when the
magician wants to concentrate on the important work in hand. Most magicians
prefer to use candles of standard or uniform size if possible. Those which are
sold in different colors for domestic use are ideal.
4. The candles you use ofr any type of
magical 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 magic. Vibrations picked up by secondhand materials or
equipment may disturb your workings and negate their effectiveness.
5. Some magicians who are artistically
inclined prefer to make their own candles for ritual and magical 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 magically
potent. Specialist shops sell candle wax and moulds together with wicks,
perfumes, and other equipment.
6. 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 occured 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 candlemaking supplies can also provide do-it-yourself books
explaining the technicalities of the art to the beginner.
7. 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 magician
through a primal sensory experience. By physically touching the candle during
the dressing proceedure, you are charging it with our pwn 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.
8. 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 canlde 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 bottome or south end and working up to the
middle.
9. 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
magician does not want to use these, he can select suitable oils or perfumes
from his own sources. The oils soluble perfumes sold by craft shops for
inclusion in candles can be recommended.
10. The candles you use can be colored
in accordance with the magical uses shown below.
11. If you wanted to use candle magic
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.
12. The simples form of canlde magic is
to write dosn the objective of your ritual on a virging piece of paper. You can
use color paper which matches the candle. Write your petition on the paper using
a magical 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
cinjure up a vision of your perfect love partner.
13. When you have completed writing
down your petitio, 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.
14. 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 is safe and that red-hot
wax will not cause damage or fire. 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 or be disposed of afterwards.
15. 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 symbollically 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
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Candle Making
Buy different colored sheets of beeswax
(WalMart carries them in their craft section), and cut and roll the wax to the
exact size you need (votive, short or tall tapers, ect...). No melting or
pouring needed. All you do is roll the sheet of wax around your wick. You can
also add herbs or 'scents' to any kind of candles. Buy parrafin from the grocery
store and just using the crayons to add some color. Melting all crayons for
candles can get terribly expensive, and the parrafin is cheap.
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Beeswax Candles
To make beeswax candles, wrap or roll a
honeycomb sheet of beeswax around a candle wick.(artificial honeycombs of
beeswax are obtainible from beekeepers, waxchandlers, honey wholesalers and
hobby shops)
Cut the wax sheet to the size you
desire (for a 6 inch candle, cut a twelve inch sheet in half) Place the wax on a
smooth surface. Press the wick vertically against the shorter of the wax sheet
around and begin to roll the sheet around the wick.(If the wax is cut on top at
a slanted angle away from the wick, the candles shape will be enhanced by its
tapering conical contour.) Anoint the candle with oil to consecrate it and
charge it with power before using it in spells or magickal ceremonies.
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Cauldron Candles
Cauldron candles are simple to make, a
lot of fun and they look great! It's a wonderful way to recycle left over wax.
What
you will need:
·
Clean Sand
·
A Box or Container
·
Heat Source
·
Cooking Pan
·
Oven Mitts
·
Small Cauldron or mayonnaise jar
·
Wax
·
Candle Wicking
·
Scissors
·
Coffee Can or Heat Proof Jar
For wax, you can use paraffin (found in
the canning section of the grocery store), beeswax (can usually be obtained
cheaply from people who sell their own honey), or even left over candles
If you don't have candle wicking, you
can buy them at craft stores or do what I do - use small twine or get the wicks
out of broken candles.
Directions
Prepare the mold: If you are using a
box, line it with a plastic bag to keep the moisture from destroying the shape.
Moisten the sand with water so that it
will keep its shape when pressed.
If you have a small cauldron, press it
tightly into the wet sand until it comes to the top. You dont want the sand over
the edge, just flush.
Make sure that you have at least one
inch of packed sand around the top so that it will hold its shape once the wax
is poured in.
Carefully remove the cauldron, trying
to avoid loose sand particles from falling in. If it doesnt hold its shape, or
you are not happy with the results, redo it! Depending on the size of the
container, you can make as many candle molds as you have room. If you dont have
a small cauldron, use a small mayonnaise jar or other container that will give
you the basic shape. You can even use your fist for a unique looking cauldron.
You will however need to make legs for
the cauldron. Simply use your little finger or a chopstick and press into the
bottom of the mold three times. Try to keep them at the same depth, and spaced
evenly around the bottom, otherwise you end up with a lopsided cauldron!
Prepare the wax: Put the wax into the
coffee can or the heatproof container into a pan of water; bring to a boil on
the stove.
Caution - NEVER leave melting wax
unattended and if there are children involved in candle making, always supervise
them! Hot wax is highly flammable and can burn skin - so be extremely carefulfs.
If you wish to make black cauldrons,
add left over black candles or wax to can. If you dont have any, you can add
black crayon pieces until you are happy with the color. Of course, if you want a
different color, use the appropriate wax or crayon.
Prepare the wick: While the wax is
melting, add the wicks to the molds. Press the wicking directly into the sand at
the center of the mold. You will need to drape the top of the wick over a pencil
or meat skewer that is placed over the top of the mold - preferably resting on
the top of the box, to keep the wick from falling into to wax once it is poured.
Pouring the wax:When the wax is
completely melted, put your oven mitts on, lift the can from the water and
slowly pour the wax into the molds. You dont want the wax to cool too slowly or
it may crack, so dont put them outside or in the refrigerator to speed the
process.
Finishing the candles: Once the wax has
hardened, you can just scoop the candles out of the sand. Trim off any wick that
is sticking out of the bottom with scissors and brush off any excess sand.
By Battle Red
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Cauldron Candles 2
Take a 1/2 gallon milk carton fill it
1/2 way with damp sand. take something round (ball...) and press it into the
sand to get the shape of a cauldron belly.
Then use either your fingers or the
point of a wooden spoon to make even 'legs' for your cauldron.
Then secure your wick into the bottom
(press it into the sand) and wrap the top around a stick placed across the top
of the carton (make sure you wick is long enough to do this to keep it straight
(to burn straight).
Then pour in your wax and let it cool.
If you have a mini cauldron, use it to make the shape of your mold.
You can use this method for all kinds
of neat shapes, just remember that you will have sand on the outside of your
candles.
Cyrena
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Container Candles
·
1 fire safe container (glass)
·
Wax of a chosen color
·
Wick (enough to reach the bottom of the
container to the TOP)
·
Pot to melt the wax (preferably a
double boiler, dont plan to use it for food again)
·
Pencil (to hold the wick up)
·
Penny (to weight the wick down)
Instructions:
You can use stubs of old candles or
cheap new ones. While the wax melts we will prepare the rest. Secure wicking to
the penny. Drop into the jar(container) and secure the free end to the pencil.
Make the wick taute as possiable. A crooked wick produces a crooked candle. When
the wax is melted, pour into the container. Be sure the wick is centered. The
wax will shrink, as it hardens. When the candle has cooled you may wish to add
more heated wax to top off for a more professional apperance.
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"Crayon" Candles
What
you need:
·
Coffee Cans (one for each color you
want)
·
Bigger Coffee Cans (one for each
smaller cans, remember they need to be wider than the small cans, and only an
inch or so taller)
·
A bunch o' Crayons (whichever colors
you want, obviously you need the real wax kind, fortunately they're common
enough)
·
String
Rig the cans up like double boilers,
with the large cans full of boiling water to a height about an inch below the
top of the the smaller ones, which you fill with crayon fragments (solid colors
work best, but mixing is okay)Heat the cans until the wax melts, then simply dip
the string in and out until the candle has accumulated the desired mass. For
multicolored candles, simply change colors every five-or-so dips. It sounds
simplistic but it does in fact work.
Money Candles
Items
Needed:
·
2 to 4 pounds of paraffin (the kind
that markets sell for use in canning)
·
Thin candlewicking
·
Green candle dye (or a green crayon)
·
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
·
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
·
A small bowl
·
Patchouly essential oil
·
A large pot and a smaller can (a coffee
can works well; the taller your can, the longer your tapers will be; a tall thin
can, slightly longer than the length you desire your candles to be, is ideal)
Baking soda (for fire safety)
·
1 wooden spoon
·
Waxed paper
Step#1. To speed the melting process,
grate or chop the wax into small pieces before melting. Fill the large pot about
1/3 full of water. Place on high heat until boiling. Place the paraffin in the
can, and set the can into the pot.
Turn the heat down to medium. Watch the
wax as it is melting. Paraffin easily bursts into flame over high heat (this is
exactly why it's used to make candles). If flames appear, place a lid over the
can or drench the area with baking soda to snuff out the fire. If you keep the
heat on low, you should have no problems.
Step#2. While the wax is melting, place
the two spices into the bowl. Mix them together, empowering them as you
visualize money manifesting in your life. Infuse the herbs with your goal.
Step#3. Check the wax. For best
results, you should have at least six inches of melted wax. If there's less, add
more wax. (If the wax has melted, but has begun to harden, the heat is too low.
Turn it up a bit.)
Add a few chunks of green candle dye to
the wax and mix with the wooden spoon. Alternately, remove the paper wrapping
from the green crayon, break it into pieces, and add this to the wax.
The dye will melt. Stir until the
paraffin is evenly colored. The finished, dried candles will be a shade or two
lighter than the color of the melted wax. More dye may be necessary to create
the desired dark green shade.
Step#4. Once the wax has been tinted,
sprinkle the spices onto the wax with your projective hand. Dust off your
fingers over the pot and stir the herbs into the wax with the wooden spoon. Stir
clockwise and visualize.
Add 8 to 16 drops patchouly essential
oil to the wax and again stir with the wooden spoon.
Smell the wax. It should be heavily
scented. If not, add more patchouly oil.
Step#5. Begin dipping. Hold a length of
cotton wicking between your thumb and forefinger. Dunk it into the wax. It'll
probably just floaton the surface the first few times you do this, for the wick
lacks enough weight to plunge it to the bottom of the pan. After dipping, remove
it and hold it in the air for a moment or two until the wax has set, then dip
again.
Dip again, lift the wicking completely
from the melted wax, allow the wax to set, and re-dip. Repeat as needed. The
longer you wait between dippings, allowing the wax to harden, the faster the
candle will build up. If you simply dunk and dunk and dunk, the hot paraffin
will melt each proceeding coat and you'll end up with a soggy piece of wick.
With proper dipping, the candle will soon form. It's bottom will grow into an
inverted cone-shape from the wax that drips down the taper's sides as it cools.
This is natural; don't worry about it.
Step#6. When the candle has achieved
the proper width, hang it to dry in a spot where it won't be touched for several
minutes. We usually stick the top of the wick under the bottom of a cupboard
door and shut the door, thus allowing the candle to hang freely.
Test the candle after 20 or so minutes.
The wax should have set but the taper should still be warm. Check it
periodically to be sure that it hasn't completely hardened before the next step.
Step#7. Turn off the heat under the
wax. Smooth out the wax paper on a counter or table. Lay the candle on the paper
and gently, with an easy rocking motion, roll the candle back and forth on the
waxed paper. This straightens the taper and reduces irregularities in its
surface.
Step#8. When the candle is fairly
straight, cut off the inverted cone at the bottom of the candle with a sharp
knife. Dip the taper two more times into the melted wax and hang to dry until
hard. You've just made a money spell candle. (To save time and produce more
tapers, make two, three, or four at a time. Hang each to dry as you dip the
next. This may require the construction of a drying rack or the use of many
cupboards: one candle per cupboard avoids accidents - the horror of your
freshly-made candles plunging to the floor and smashing themselves."
Step#9. To use your money spell candle,
choose a time when you'll be alone. Smell the rich, prosperous scent and
visualize money manifesting in your life.
Hold the candle tightly between your
palms. Send energy into it, saying something like the following words:
I charge you by Jupiter,
I charge you by the Earth,
I charge you by the Sun, Moon, and
Stars:
Bring money to me,
Prosperity.
Money to me,
Prosperity.
Money to me,
Prosperity.
Set the candle in a holder. Light it.
Sit or stand before it, watching the flame transform the wax into a liquid.
Visualize the candle releasing the energies that you've placed within it. Sense
it sending out power to bring your need for money into manifestation. Let the
candle burn down to its end (if in a safe location). Or, allow it to burn for 4,
8, or 16 minutes daily until your need manifests.
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Pillar Candles
Take a heavy piece of cardboard at
least nine inches square (for balance) and tape a long piece of wick right in
the middle. Then take the cardboard center from a paper towel roll, string the
wick up through it and then use masking tape to firmly secure the bottom of the
roll to the square, making sure the wick is centered. Secure the loose end of
the wick around a pencil and tape the pencil horizontally across the top open
mouth of the roll. Proceed to pour in your prepared wax, and when it is
completey cool, just rip off the cardboard.
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Pillar Candles 2
·
parifann (craft shops)
·
molds (home made of bought)
·
colouring ( crayons, dye,bees wax, or
bought colouring)
·
large pot
·
Wicks (very cheap)
·
Melt proof bags (you can buy these in
craft stores)
·
If you prefer you can use a double
broiler
Instructions:
1) Pick a mold (you can buy these in
stores for little $ or make them containers jars ect) and poke a hole in the
bottom for the wick (this well be the top of the candle)
2) Slip the wick through the hole and
secure at top with and sort of rod (pen or pencil)
3) Now get a large Pot and heat the
water (dont boil)
4) Now take the parrifan and put it in
the melt resistent bag
5) When it starts to melt add whatever
colour and /or smell you like
6) When it seems well mixed pour it
carefully into the mold and let sit depending on the size of the mold for 12-24
hours
7) After that the candle well just
slipout of the mold
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Votive Candles
·
parifann (craft shops)
·
molds (home made of bought)
·
colouring ( crayons, dye,bees wax, or
bought colouring)
·
large pot
·
Wicks (very cheap)
·
Melt proof bags (you can buy these in
craft stores)
·
If you prefer you can use a double
broiler
·
Instructions:
1) Pick a mold (you can buy these in
stores for little $ or make them containers jars ect)
2) Secure the wick at top with a sort
of rod (pen or pencil) and the other end with a piece of metal (apenny or a ring
like in store bought candles).
3) Now get a large Pot and heat the
water (dont boil)
4) Now take the parrifan and put it in
the melt resistent bag
5) When it starts to melt add whatever
colour and /or smell you like
6) When it seems well mixed pour it
carefully into the mold and let sit depending on the size of the mold for 12-24
hours
7) After that the candle well just
slipout of the mold
You don't necessarily need a candle
mould unless you're making tapers-you can use the holders from burned out tea
lights if you need small candles. You can use a small "grenade"
balloon or water balloon, cool the wax until you can touch it with bare hands
(but still liquid) and cover the balloon in it, leaving a 1" diameter
opening at the top. Dry, and repeat three times. Hang the balloon to dry until
set, then set on a plate to shape the warm wax into a flat bottom. Put in the
freezer until completely hard, then pop the balloon for a base for a round
candle. To finish, pour warm wax into the mould, stick a wax- coated wick in,
and allow to dry. You can also use glass or plastic votive holders, but they
usually need a light greasing with crisco or other vegetable oil, if you intend
on removing them from the holder. Wax:
Regular paraffin canning wax that you
can get at the grocery store works fine, and it's cheap. I usually buy it in
quantities of a pound or more, usually a dollar or two a pound. Beeswax is
better, although often expensive. Waxes that come in a box can be scored with a
knife and broken and melted in a soup can (washed out, with the label removed).
This is usually melted by sitting the can of wax on a hotplate or in a pan full
of boiling water on the stove.
Colouring:
Buying colouring at a craft store is
often expensive, and you usually get only one colour per package. I personally
haven't had success with food dyes. Everybody has a box of old crayons laying
around the house. Break off a piece (about 1/2" long, for one votive ) and
stick it in there along with the wax and stir. If you don't have any crayons,
you can usually buy a 6 colour or 10 colour pack of them at the grocery store
for something like 60 cents. Wicks:
For me, the wick you buy at the craft
store works best. Buying it in quantity (about 30 yards or so) is cheaper, and
you won't need to make as many trips to the store. If you want, you can use
those little wick anchors, but dipping the cut wick in wax, cooling it slightly,
and rolling it straight works just as well (put it in when the wax is turning
solid.) According to Rowan, braiding embroidery floss and dipping it in wax
works well also. Scenting:
Whether you're using the candle for
aromatherapy or for spells/rituals, use only pure essential oil. Add it *after*
you've poured the wax into the mould. Herbs can be used crushed fresh, but dried
works ten times better. It's better to use and odd number of herbs/oils.
Candles are simple to make,
require few special tools or materials, and are powerful focal points for
visualization and personal power. You can certainly run to the store to purchase
candles for rituals, but those you've made yourself will personalize your magic
to an even greater extent.