Call of The Raven® |
Jenifer RavenSong |
Candle Magick |
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Magick is simply described as causing something to occur to the conformity of your will. (That is a paraphase of Aleister Crowley, I believe.) You do not have to be of a particular spiritual belief to practice magick -- it is a practice, not a religion. |
While there are dozens of different types of magick practiced today, Candle Magick is one of the most popular and easiest. It is also one of the oldest forms of Magick, as it is a form of sympathetic magick. Sympathetic magick, in its simplest terms, refers to performing an act upon, or causing a change to an object, in order to bring about a similar change or end result in another. An example ofsympathetic magick dates back to prehistoric times, when cavedwellers would form an animal out of clay, then ritually "hunt" and "kill" the clay animal with spears. The belief was that if this ritual was performed, the actual hunt would then be successful. Sympathetic magick can be found in various practices and cultures around the world. While many forms of sympathetic magick have become archaic, Candle Magick is still widely practiced, in forms ranging from the charmingly simplistic, to the mind-boggling complex. Candle Magick has found its way into everyday life -- the simple act of making a wish upon a birthday candle, for example, has its roots in Candle Magick, and the practice of lighting a candle in church for prayer intentions is a carryover from Candle Magick. (For those of you that I have now offended, and are aghast at the suggestion that a "pagan" practice such as Candle Magick is used by the Christian Church, a little reading on the early history of the Christian Church and its incorporation of "pagan" practices would be enlightening, and might just get me out of hot water with Christian readers.) Early converts to Christianity did not want to leave behind their symbolism, practices and traditions (remember, many of them were converting under duress), and since the early Church was intent on converting as many souls as possible, it appeased the people by incorporating many of the ways of the "old religions" into its practices. The "Easter Bunny" and the celebration of Easter is one example worth exploring further. I once saw a bumper sticker that read, "Christianity Has Pagan DNA." That is undoubtedly the most eloquent and succinct manner in which this complex, convoluted and controversial matter has been expressed. Please note that whenever I use the term pagan throughout this site, it refers to the pre-Christian peoples and their practices, and those people livings today who are picking up where our forefathers left off with the "old religions." The term was coined in the Middle Ages, still early in the Christian Church's history, when the non-converted peoples still practicing their own traditions and old religions, lived out in the country, far from the cities and established stronghold of the Church. The term pagan is derived from the Latin pagani, which simply means "people who live in the country." The same holds true of the term heathen, which means "he who lives in the heath." The terms did not acquire their negative connotations and associations until modern times, and is not used in the perjorative manner here. Going back to Candle Magick.....the candles themselves do not hold any magickal properties, of course -- magick exists within the individual. If your intention is pure, and your conviction is strong, you can bring about the desired results without buying expensive candles sold in Magick shops. I will only briefly address the fundamentals of Candle Magick here, because there are countless publications and websites which devote themselves entirely to the finer points of the practices. Raymond Buckland and Silver RavenWolf both have several books on the subject which are well worth reading. First, you must decide what the intention of the candle is to be -- what change you want to bring about, what you wish to manifest in your life, what you wish to eliminate from your life. Your goal, the end result, must be crystal clear in your mind before beginning if you are to have good results. As we are discussing intent, I would like to add a quick cautionary word on the ethics of Magick before we move on. The Wiccans follow what is known as the Wiccan Rede -- 'An it harm none, do as thy will"; which is akin to the Christian tenet of 'Do onto others as you will have them do unto you.' It seems to be a universal concept --"What goes around comes around." What's the point of telling you this? When practicing any form of magick -- even Candle Magic -- be ever mindful of whether your intent is harmful to someone, or if it is manipulative of another's free will. The Wiccans believeve in the Rule of Three -- all good deeds performed come back to you threefold; of course the same rule applies to all bad deeds as well. Other philosphies call it karma...others call it the Golden Rule....call it what you like, the practitioners of magick universally understand it, and so should you if you are going to practice Candle Magick. I don't think I have to illustrate what constitutes "harmful intent," but I will add a thought or two further on what constitutes "manipulation." Performing candle magick to cause a specific person to fall in love with you is definitely manipulative, and shouldn't be done. On the other hand, you can perform candle magick to bring love into your life -- just not the love of a particular person! If you're not sure about a particular intention, take the time to ask another practitioner, or a reputable publication. |
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