Posts Tagged ‘candles’

You might not have heard of it: But you should celebrate it!

Of all the saint’s days in April, or perhaps even year round, none is more celebrated the world over than St. George’s Day on April 23rd. One of the most popular saints, he is also one of the most historically interesting and magickally relevant.

St. George’s mythological background makes him a perfect introduction to the power of the saints in all forms of magick, not just the Christian forms of worship figures like saints and angels are often superficially ascribed to. Saints, like George, act as intermediaries with the divine, and in a sense are basically the demi-gods of monotheistic religion. They are akin to the mortal heroes of other ages, like Hercules or Asclepius in Greek myth, whose actions raised them above mankind and up to the divine plain where they became patrons of art, medicine, and man in their own right. Saints are a loophole in Christian doctrine which allows for the worship of many, while still following the path of one god. Saints are also representative of older gods and ancient myths which were modernized and made palatable to the predominantly Christian western world over the last 1500 years.

Regardless of this seeming demotion, the divine spirit of the figure is not diminished; it has simply experienced its own kind of zeitgeist renaissance. In all of these regards, saints are a powerful force to have on your side and can be called on for specialized tasks associated with their myriad patronages. These patronages are usually things they were associated with in life or are areas which the symbolism of their story might draw parallels with; for instance the patron saint of television and its associated industry, St. Claire, earned the association because of the vivid visions of faraway events she purportedly experienced during her life. Or take St. George himself, he is very widely held as a patron of militant leagues and battles as he himself was a soldier in life. But the idea of him as a fighter has spread beyond to symbolically indicate his role in all types of struggles and he is now rather well known for his invocation by those fighting disease.

But who was St. George?

St. George was a Roman soldier from ancient Palestine in the third century AD. Hagiographers (those studying hagiography: the lives and writings of the saints) indicate he was most likely a historic personage in the guard of the Emperor Diocletian (244-311 AD), an emperor notorious for his persecutions of early Christians. In the most popular and most likely scenario of those involving his real life story, George refused to offer up a sacrifice to the gods of the Roman Empire (a type of refusal which was one of the primary issues of discontent between the Roman Empire and monotheistic cults like Christianity and Judaism). When bribery to coerce his sacrifice failed, he was tortured and purportedly killed three times, all the while refusing to renounce his faith and allegiance to the Christian god. Supposedly his devotion to his cause was so moving, that the pagan priest and writer Athanasius and a potentially fictional consort of Diocletian, the so-called Empress Alexandra, were converted on the spot and were executed alongside George.

By the end of the fourth century AD, his worship was popular in the Near East, particularly in George’s native Palestine and in Turkey. He was canonized (made a saint) in the 4th century in 494 AD by Pope Gelasius I. But it was the Crusaders in the Middle Ages who made St. George so popular and by their time, St. George’s story had expanded to include what is today its most prominent and romantic element: George’s encounter with a dragon.

Legend has it that during George’s travels with the Roman legionnaires, George found himself in Lydda in Palestine (potentially also his hometown) where a fearsome dragon was holding the town’s water supply hostage. The townspeople had been distracting if with an offering of a sheep a day in order to sneak past it to collect water. But eventually the dragon had tired of sheep (or they had run out of them) and the town had started sacrificing its young woman to the dragon: one a day. The maidens were chosen for sacrifice by lot, and as it happens, the day George strolled into town was the day a local princess was being offered up. George promptly stepped in between the dragon and the princess, crossed himself (hence his emblem the St. George’s cross, which is prominently featured on the flags of the United Kingdom), killed the dragon and rescued the princess. Some legends have him briefly marrying the princess (who is occasionally given the name Sabra) before rejoining the army in order to make it back to Diocletian in time for his later martyrdom; others have him monastically denying her devotion and the reward of her hand in marriage to pursue his celibate military life.

The ancient region of Lydda is also known for another, older, dragon slaying legend and princess rescue scenario. The Greek hero Perseus supposedly rescued the princess Andromeda just off the coast of modern day Jaffa there. You can actually go out on a boat tour to view certain rock formation on the seabed that are meant to be the remains of the dragon. The close region-ality of the two stories seems too coincidental to be anything but the same story, reworked for a new era. The St. George and the dragon version preserves the local legend without the pagan undertones that would have gotten the locals in trouble during the Middle Ages. Adding to the historical veracity of the tale, in several medieval versions of the story, the lance which George uses to slay the dragon is named Ascalon, a French re-working of the city name of Ashkelon, which is just down the coast from modern day Jaffa. Both were at various times included in the regional control of Lydda, though Ashkelon was closer to the sources of metal and therefore weapons and may well have been where a historical George got his historical lance. Despite the distance the tale travelled it is most intriguing that even subsidiary elements of the story remain, even in versions where the actions have been transplanted locally.

Several other anthropological and psychological theories regarding the myth are often cited in the hagiography of St. George. Among others, they include the idea that the dragon is an allegory of an evil cult which included human sacrifice and which the George/Perseus character symbolically “kills.” And there is the fabulous idea that even the Perseus myth was itself a reworking of earlier stories, and that the hero originated as an even more ancient Indo-European god-hero figure or amalgamation thereof. Most often noted in this concept is the Thracian sky god Sabazios. This empowers the figure of St. George even more so by making this seemingly Christian medieval figure in actuality a later face of one of the oldest deities known to man.

As such, it is appropriate that he is venerated so widely around the world. He is the patron saint of Genoa, Georgia, Germany, Gozo, Greece, Istanbul, Lithuania, Malta, Moscow, Netherlands, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Venice. He is also known as the patron of shepherds, horses, equestrians, warriors, battles, farmers, fighting diseases (all and specifically snakebites, syphilis, herpes, and leprosy).

How is the day of St. George celebrated?

In the United Kingdom, St. George’s day is the National holiday, akin to the USA’s 4th of July, and the flag of St. George is displayed proudly by all, especially by pubs, shops, and civic buildings. He is also considered the patron saint of the British royal family, despite the fact that few of his regal namesakes were particularly successful (George III for instance went notoriously mad). Churches throughout the land have their parishioners sing a hymn called ‘Jerusalem.’ This particular hymn is actually a poem by the Romantic luminary William Blake and is quite similar to earlier Celtic poetry in terms of its structure and its invocation of objects and elements to fight a larger goal. Its concluding lines are particularly evocative:

Bring me my bow of burning gold;
Bring me my arrow of desire:
Bring me my spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!

I will not cease from mental flight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In England’s green and pleasant land.”

Incidentally the poem is arguably an early ‘green’ poem in that Blake is arguing against the ruin caused by the “dark Satanic” mills of the Industrial Revolution and for the preservation of the vibrant British landscape of earlier days. Although not celebrated as such in England, it is quite fitting that such an environmentally friendly/springtime message be associated with St. George, for in the Eastern Orthodox Church he is venerated exactly as such. Balkan nations like Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia celebrate Durdevdan in his honor and in honor of Spring. Villages hold festivals, light bonfires, and often incorporate a parade of maidens dressed in flowers who sing throughout the town and country; and which is reminiscent of early Slavic rites: particularly those regionally associated with the Slavic goddess of rain Dodulya. Most Eastern orthodox celebrations of St. George also feature a lamb dinner, in honor of his role as a patron of shepherds, and perhaps as a remnant of ancient pagan rites which sacrificed a lamb to the coming spring. Local homes are decorated with flowers, particularly blooming twigs, and the outside of homes are washed with water. Western European nations of the Iberian Peninsula have similar festivities: including a parade re-enactment of St. George’s battle against the dragon, and again, the habit of washing the outside walls of their home in a literal interpretation of the idea of ‘spring cleaning.’

The Catalan region of Spain takes the day of St. George a step further and considers it a day of love, akin to what most of the world would associate with St. Valentine’s Day in February. On La Diada de Sant Jordi as it is known in Catalan, men traditionally give the women they love roses and women give the men in their lives books (although in the modern age conventions have altered with the times and often both gifts are given in conjunction to members of both sexes). This use of books as part of a festival was so intriguing, that in its honor and combined with the coincidental factors that April 23rd was also supposedly Shakespeare’s birthday and the day author Miguel Cervantes died, UNESCO declared April 23rd the International Day of the Book. It may be a modern politically motivated holiday, but no matter how contrived, it amplifies the spiritual power of the day.

And how should you celebrate the day of St. George? Combine a few of the elements above. Give a rose wedged in a book to your loved ones. Wash the outside of your house and decorate your sacred space with budding twigs. Have lamb for dinner, or fried Calocybe Gambosa, the St. George’s mushroom, so named for its appearance in the British woodlands around the time of St. George’s day. Mushrooms in general will do in a pinch, but you might be able to find the real delicious deal at local farmers’ markets.

There are also two very personal ways you can invoke St. George and bring him to your aid. In the first, you can adapt a traditional Catholic novena ritual to your own purposes. A novena is a candle ritual whereby you light a candle in the saint’s colors or featuring the saint’s emblems (so in this case carve a cross of St. George into your candle), nine days in a row, each time offering up the same prayer and respect. Burn a bit of an herb sacred to that saint (for St. George go for dried mushrooms or spring flowers) and let the remaining bit of the herb set into the melting candle wax) for extra oomph. Additionally you can increase the power of the calling by starting your novena on the 15th of April so that the ninth day is St. George’s day itself on the 23rd.

The other way to appeal to St. George is via the visualization provided by saints’ cards. Often given out at churches, they feature iconic images of the saints and background information or guided prayers on the back. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of the images churches choose to put on these handy dandy cards, so I make my own instead using artwork I like on the front face. Museums are my favorite hunting ground for personalized saints’ cards. Often fine arts museums sell postcard reproductions of their paintings; and whenever I see a pretty painting of a saint in the Renaissance or Medieval section of the Museum that I like, I make sure to buy a postcard of it later in the gift shop. I picked up my St. George card at the National Gallery in London where they have the Gustave Moreau painting featured in the article and sent it to myself. You can use half of the card to write down details of the saint and his life, and on the other half: write him or her a personalized letter requesting their aid in one of their attributed specializations (and don’t forget your address if you send them to yourself or to others). And then when you want to invoke them, use your personalized saints card on your altar as a visual focus; or keep it there permanently as a constant reminder of the saint’s guidance and aid in your life.

Whichever ways you to choose to celebrate this erudite holiday, many happy wishes to you and for the Spring ahead!

References:

Boas, G., 1952. St. George and the Dragon. English Oxford Journal 9(50): 42-45.

Riches, S. 2000. Saint George: Hero, Martyr, Myth. Stroud: Sutton Publishing.

Romans, C. 1996. Saint George, Catalonia’s Patron Saint & Symbol. Catalonia 1996 (45).

Selton, K.M., 1973. Saint George’s Head. Speculum 48(1), 1-12.

Since we talked about doing some candle magick earlier this week, I thought that today we’d talk about expanding on that a bit.  A lot of times when we talk about candle magick we stop doing anything with the candle after we have lit it and then sent out our energy and intentions.   By not spending a little time with our candles, sitting in sacred space and letting them give us some signs and messages about the work we’re doing, and they can help us to get an idea of what to do next and where our magick is going.

Watching the Flame
Pyromancy, the act of divination through fire, is incredibly ancient but is still a popular form of divination for those who connect to the power of fire.  Here we’ll modify this practice a bit to work with candles used for spells.  Watch the flame as it burns and look for any of these sorts of signs or messages.

• Flame goes out = Try again, now is not the right time.  Dispose of the candle, do not try to reuse it.
• Flame is large and hot = Power is manifesting in favor of your desires, keep praying and sending energy to your desires.
• Flame is weak = You’re facing strong opposition and you’re losing the battle.  Try your spell again.
• Flame flickers = There is indecision either within yourself or in the process of your magick.
• Flame jumps repeatedly = Bursts of energy, chaos and uncontrolled emotions surround you and your work.
• Candle breaks = Try again, the time isn’t right.  Dispose of the candle and do not reuse.
• Candle burns slowly or almost goes out = Task requires caution.  There will be many obstacles to overcome to reassess your plans.
• Candle burns our quickly – The situation calls for fast action and lots of energy.  It may also indicate that the goal will be attained very quickly and easily.
• Flame is multicolored = The energy of fire, ruled by the Salamander, resides in your spell and is aiding your work.  Communicate with the energy of the Salamander as it will help you in your work and bring you helpful messages.
• Black soot develops = This is a very positive sign as it indicates negativity and barriers are being burned away.
• Crackling sounds = The Salamander is pleading your case with the Spirits.  The lounder the sounds the harder it is working for you and the more opposition you’ll need to overcome.

Watching the Smoke
Looking for signs in smoke is a long held form of divination and you can get answers about your spells by taking time to watch how the smoke is rising and reacting.

• Smoke moves toward you = Your request has been heard.
• Smoke moves away from you = Work hard and send more energy to your desires.
• Smoke turns right = You’ll need to be patient.
• Smoke turns left = You’re too emotionally involved and may need to sort out your emotions and feelings before you’ll see results.  Take time to reconsider your feelings and try again.
• Smoke move North = Physical manifestation is in progress.
• Smoke moves East = Mental manifestation is in progress.
• Smoke moves South = Success will come fast.  The results may be quick and intense.
• Smoke moves West = Your emotions will likely get the best of you.  Better to hold off and try your spell again later.

Watching your Holder
The holder that your candle is in can something react to the candle and give you signs as well.  Most commonly people today use glass holders but you can take these and modify them for metal or wooden holders as well.

• Glass breaks = There is magick being done against you with regards to this desires.  Stop this spell and do an uncrossing spell first, being sure to watch signs from those candles before moving back to this spell.
• Glass remains clear = In spite of blocks that are in your way, your desires will manifest.
• Glass turns black at the top but is clear at the bottom = Someone is working against you, but you need to stick to your guns.  The darker the glass the strong the opposition.
• Glass turns completely black = There are serious obstacles for you to overcome and possibly spells being cast against you.  Stop this spell and work a cleansing spell on yourself and an uncrossing spell for any forces or people working against you.

With these signs from your candle you can know what to do next.  Do you need to cast your spell again?  Do you need to do something else before this spell is going to even take hold?  These signs can help you make your next move in your process of manifesting your goals.

For more help with candle spells, or for some spell suggestions, try these books!

Exploring Candle Magick by Patricia Telesco
Mastering Candle Magick by Patricia Telesco
Practical Candle Burning by Raymond Buckland

When we work with candles, whether it’s for spell work, meditation, devotionals or just our altar candle, we can add some herbs to them to make some amazing magickal tools.  What I’m going to share with you is a method of working with candles that involved oils, herbs and a few other elements that I personally have been using for years with great success.  It was one of the first methods of working with candles that I ever learned for spellwork.  I had never thought of it as being too much until I started to share it with others and they felt I was making too many steps.  I think it works great and if you’re into working with herbs and crystals as well as candles, this could be a great way to mix them all together with some magickal intent and personal power.

Obviously the first thing that you’ll need to do is come up with a purpose for your candle spell.  We’re going to work with the idea of creating a money drawing candle. For this we’re going to need some items; the first thing that you’re going to want is the most obvious item, your candle.

Color: When you’re picking your candle you need to make a few considerations.  The first thing is pick your color.  In the case of a money spell you can use green or gold; some people use shades or yellow.  Pick whatever color and shade of that color says “money” to you.  Many people recommend that you use a candle that is a solid color all the way through; you can tell this by scratching just a small chip off the bottom of the candle with your nail.  Personally, while I also prefer solid colored candles, I don’t think that a dipped candle with a white inside will harm or detract from your work.  So if you can’t find a solid candle and can only get a dipped one, I say don’t worry.

Shape and Size: Next you’ll need to pick what form you want this candle to take.  First consider how long you want to let the candle burn for.  Ideally you want to burn the candle down when you light it.  One of my personal favorites for this sort of candle work is the large, 7 day jar candles.  These, depending on your living situation, can be safely burned without having to extinguish and relight.  However, I will say that it is always best to err on the side of caution and snuff them out and relight them (we’ll talk about this later).  Some jar candles are not designed to come out of the jars, so look for ones that can be removed, sometimes sold as “pull out candles”.  You can use this method with any shape candle but the best are either the large 7 day jar candles, jumbo tapers, or votives if you need something that will burn for a shorter amount of time.

Herbs, Oils and Crystals: Pick some herbs, I personally like to use three, an oil and a crystal that correspond to your intention.  The amount of herbs you’ll use will vary based on both the size of the candle and the number of herbs that you decide to work with.  You’re going to need enough to cover you candle, full a portion of your candle, and have some either in the jar or holder.  Before you start working with putting any of this together, you’re going to want to know if the herbs are safe to burn.  Check some references online or books like Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magickal Herbs to be sure about how safe the herbs are for burning ensuring they aren’t toxic or explosive (things like seeds or Vesta powder wouldn’t be a good choice since they will pop and explode which can break glass and other items.

You’re going to want to pick an oil that corresponds to the purpose of your work and you’ll need enough to cover you candle well.  You’ll need more than just a few drops like you might use for your usual candle anointing.  I tend to use a palm-full for the larger candles.

Next, pick a crystals.  The stone is going to be used with the candle but it’s also going to become a talisman for you after the candle has burned down.

A Few Other Things You’ll Need:
Something to carve your candle with
A slip of parchment or plain paper
A pen or quill and ink
A small dish, which needs to be larger than the opening of your candle jar, that you can burn some of your herbs on
Glitter (this is optional but it’s fun, especially if you’re doing something like money magick)

Preparing Your Items:

The first thing you’ll want to do is physically clean everything; the candle holder/jar, the candle itself, and the crystal.  Cleanse the crystal in whatever way is best for that stone.  Let it air dry and use whatever method you use for charging and programing your stone.  For this example I’m going to be walking you through steps for using a jar candle since this is what I typically would be working with.  You can certainly make whatever adjustments you need to make based on what I give you here.

Take the candle out of the jar and with warm water (warm but not hot).  Use a drop or two of liquid soap and wash out the inside and outside of the jar.  Let it air dry completely.

Next, with a small bowl of lukewarm water, take a cotton ball or soft cloth, dampen it and then completely wipe down the entire candle.  Set the candle aside and also let this air dry completely.

While you’re waiting for things to dry, take this time to charge your herbs and set up your altar.  When you’re doing this sort of work, I personally think incorporating color as much as possible is very helpful.  Use an altar cloth that corresponds to the intent and if you have specific types of tools or other items that you might work with when doing (in this case) money magick.  Set your altar and then work to charge your herbs.  You don’t need to grind them to a powder but if you are using herbs that are large, like star anise for example, you’ll want to grind them to a size that will be safe for burning.

Crafting Your Candle:

Once your candle and jar are dry, gather everything you’ll need at your altar.  Keep the candle out of the jar.

In your power hand, hold some of your herbs and bless them, including some words and visualization of your intention.  Take your herbs and on the small plate form a pile with a peek to it.  Light it and let the herbs start to smolder.  Blow out the flame and cover the herbs with the jar so that the smoke will fill the inside of the jar completely.  Once the jar is full and clouded with smoke, hold the jar with one hand and the dish with the other and flip them so the herbs fall to the bottom of the jar and the dish is on top of the jar opening.  Let it sit like this while you work with your candle so that the herbs can finish smoldering and any smoke that is inside the jar will settle naturally.

Next, take your carving tool and carve a symbol representing your goal in the side of the candle.  This can be a single symbol, like in our case a large dollar sign, or you can work with a sigil, a seal, or create an image of your own out of multiple symbols, like a dollar sign topped with a crown for success.  While you’re doing this visualize your goal.  If you have a specific word or chant that suits your needs, use that as well.  As long as your intent is clear, your wording will fall in line with your work natrually.  The key here though is to carve deeply.  You’ll want to make sure that you go over your carving a number of times so that you’ll have a nice, deep groove in the candle that your herbs will be able be able to stick in the inside the candle.

Once you’re done carving you’ll want to get your oil and pour a good amount into your hand.  The oil is not only going to charge your candle and infuse it with energy and power, it’s going to also help herbs adhere to your candle.  Use both hands to rub the oil deeply into the candle.  Do this with intention and purpose.  Now is a great time for changing, visualizing, raising energy and directing that energy with intent into your candle.  In the case of our money spell we would rub the candle in long, downward strokes because we’re working on something that we want to draw toward us.  If we were working on a spell to break a bad habit, for example, we’d rub the candle from bottom to top to send this energy away from us.  Rub the candle with oil, adding more as you need to, until the candle is shiny with oil and filled with energy.

Now you’re ready for your herbs.  Take the herbs in your hand and begin filling the carving with herbs.  This can be tricky depending on how wide and deep you carved your symbols.  Do your best, and once the carving is filled, sprinkle herbs around the rest of the candle surface.  Don’t worry if they don’t stick real well because you’ll be putting herbs around the candle and on top of it once it’s in the jar. If you’re going to work with glitter as well, you can add that on the candle now as well.

When you’re done with the herbs, take the plate off the top of the jar and place the candle in the jar on top of the herbs that you burned. Anoint the top of the candle and sprinkle herbs deosil around the top of candle.  Take some of the herbs and, if there is space between the candle and the glass, try and sprinkle some down the sides as well.

Take your slip of parchment and write out a written spell with your intent in whatever words you wish.  Use runes and symbols as well if you’d like.  Anoint the four corners of the paper with oil and place it under your candle jar.  Hold your crystal in your power hand and take a moment to also anoint it and infuse it with energy.  Place the stone in front of your candle.

You’re just about ready to light your candle.  Take a few moments to visualize your intent, say some words of intention calling on whatever God, Goddess or spirit ally you’d like to aid you if you wish.  When you have the image of your intent fully in your mind, light your candle.  When you light the candle visualize it releasing your power and intent, directing your desires to your goals.  Let the  candle burn for as long as you can.  If you can let it burn completely, that’s perfect, but if not you can snuff it (not blow it out) and then relight it when you’re ready to continue.  When you do, relight it with purpose, taking time to focus on your goals and purpose just as you did initially.

When the candle burns out completely, there are two things that you can do.  If your spell hasn’t manifested as you desire yet, take the parchment, crystal, wax remnants, and any left over herbs into an appropriately colored spell bag and carry it with you until it does.  When it does you can take the crystal out of the bag and either cleanse it to reuse for another time and burn the other items.  If when your candle burns down your spell has manifested as you wish, you can burn the paper slip and any other left over herbs, taking the stone to cleanse for reuse later.  In either case, scatter the ashes in a natural body of running water or to the winds.  Recycle the candle jar or you can clean it out and use it with another candle in the future.

With regards to the crystal, in some cases people don’t like to reuse stones for spells or other work once they’ve been used like this.  If you wish, you can take the stone and bury it in the earth or toss it in a river, lake or ocean.

The method here is a nice and involved way for you to really collect and work with energy to add some oomph to candle magick and it’s a great way to add in herbs to candle work.  The steps I’ve given you here are vague in some regards on purpose so you can work to create your own spells with your own personal touch.  Years after I learned this method, I discovered a book that works with an almost identical method but expands on it adding a few other elements that I have found to be really interesting to work with.  The book is called “The Enchanted Candle” by Lady Rhea and Eve LeFey; I don’t believe it’s still being published but it can probably be found on eBay or used through Amazon.com.  The authors have a second book that is still in print called “The Enchanted Formulary” which is a great addition to give you some help with creating wonderful oils and potions for your candle spells.

So take this and have fun with it, be creative and let the act of crafting your spell candles be just as magickal as the rituals you use them in.