Posts Tagged ‘candles’

With so many people looking for work, looking to improve themselves by going back to school we find ourselves in the front of an interviewer or a test.  No need to panic you can do it!  You’ve made it this far and you can do this too.  Want to bolster a little magickal support for your needs, try this cute and effective spell.

A TWIG Spell for Success (Perfect for a test or interview)

Items Needed:
A small bit of water
Matches or Lighter
1 Oil Burner (the Abundance Goddess is my favorite)
3 drops of benzoin EO
3 drops of Cinnamon EO
1 Yellow candle (a spell candle works perfectly) in a secure holder (the Bubble Magick or Cobalt Stars are my favorites)
1 Purple Candle (a spell candle works perfectly) in a secure holder
1 sharp craft or kitchen knife (I love using the Silver Leaf Boline for this kind of work)
1 naturally forked twig
1 6inch length of plain string or twine

Instructions:
**Place all the ingredients on the desk on a surface where you have been researching or studying for your exam/test or preparing for your interview.
**Light the oil burner, placing the water and essential oil in its dish.
**Light the Yellow Candle, saying:
Mercury ease my way in this (exam/test/interview)
**Light the purple candle, saying:
Jupiter bring me Fortune
**Using the craft knife, trim the forked twig to a convienient size to fit in your pocket or handbag.
**Carve into the longest part of the twig the rune known as “Rad”. Rad means “wheel” and it will help the wheel of fortune turn in your favor.
**Now slowly wind the string or twine around the base of the twig, chanting as you do so:
Air to find
Thread to bind,
Find what’s best and
Make it mine.
**Tie off the string and the spell is complete.
**Carry the twig with you when you attend or work on your exam/test/interview, keep it close to you until you have achieved your goal.
**Once you have achieved your goal, say a silent “Thank You” as you cast it into flowing water.

Right now the cosmos are gearing up for another Mercury Retrograde (starting on the 12th). Knowing that communications and such are going to go haywire, I feel that it is a good time to work on my own confidence and empowerment so that even when things go wonky I will be rooted firmly in myself to work through the toughest of challenges that Mercury may present to me.

Tuesday 3-6:

Burning this week on my altar is a Goddess Drop Candle from the Sacred Mists Shoppe.  It is a dark burgundy and perfect for empowerment.   I will burn my candle for two hours each day this week.  Rosy Pink and Marigold Orange Color Magick Sizzling Spell Papers will be used throughout the workings of this week.

Marigold Sizzling Spell Paper,write an affirmation.   You may use the one below I have written or write one of your own.

CONFIDENCE (on one side)
Light within, Shine throughout.
Blight within, I cast you out.
Strength and Calm, Filling my life,
Head held high, Blessed Be!

Today I have folded mine into a football shape and written my name on it.  After it is lit with my empowerment candle I reflect on strength and confidence.  I look within and find my core and anchor to it.  As my candle burns for the two hours today I will know that I am valued and can hold my head high.

Wednesday 3-7:

Rosy Pink Color Magick Sizzling Spell Paper.  On it I will write an affirmation (again you may use mine or write your own).

Beauty is a state of mind,
Love is a state of heart.
Beauty, a wonderful find,
Love within, never apart.
I love, I am loved.
I cherish, I am cherished.

This is all about love and self-love.  With my candle lit I will reflect on the simple act of love and loving.  I know that I cannot be loved unless I love and that includes loving myself.  Today I will be gentle for the mistakes I will make.

I will work in perfect love and trust thinking of others as each task is completed.

Thursday 3-8:

Monday’s are all about home, family, love, health, magick and dreams. These last two, the association is hard to ignore with the ruler of Monday being the Moon. The colors today are silver and white.

With this in mind today’s magick is going to be postponed to be called tonight’s magick
and one that I will be doing before I lay down to bed tonight.

The moon for today is in Taurus making it a fantastic time to work with inner peace, love,
creativity. These are the spells that take the longest to manifest but the results are
stable and long lasting.

My primary altar is on my desk, I use this altar every day. I do have a secondary altar
on my nightstand next to the bed that houses gemstones and a spot for a candle should I want one and an incense burner with either a small stone offering bowl or a stone goddess in the center.

Materials for tonight’s magick:
White Votive Candle (I am using a Sacred White Sage Votive)
Incense with Sandalwood or Jasmine (I am using Hari – Amber/Sandalwood)
Moonstone gem (if you have one)

Set your altar or bedside table (if safe) with the votive, incense burner and gemstone.
If you have an oil you use before sleep please anoint your votive with it. I will be
anointing mine with what some may believe to be an odd choice, nevertheless; I will be
using the Ostara Creamy Petals – Spellbound Potion on my candle. The scent relaxes and
opens my mind to the possibilities before me.

Sit before your altar, light your candle and focus on a challenge in your life right now.
Something you need to find resolution to, something that blocks your way, something that needs divine inspiration to help you find a creative solution through. Be very specific
in your thoughts. For me personally, I will be working on resolving challenges presented
before me in an effort to relocate with the ability to maintain my bills and life while
simultaneously improving it for the better.

I am looking for inspiration and creativity to help me find the direction, by using the
dream-state to lay the groundwork needed.

You may enter a meditative state while thinking about your challenge, this is perfectly
fine and normal as you will begin to receive visions of symbols by letting your conscious
mind go and allowing your inner-self take over to give you ideas and directions.
When you are ready, dab a little of the anointing oil on your temples and third eye then
lay down for sleep.

You may find your dreamstate to be more active. Before your feet hit the ground in the
morning, write down the symbols you are able to recall from your dreaming. These will
help you find your way through your challenge and bring your goals to fruition.

Everyday on the Sacred Mists Facebook Page, we are bringing our path to life with magick and affirmations!

Today’s Magick focuses heavily on Wisdom, Knowledge and Will to be open to receiving it.

See it here:

Thursday is all about wisdom and protection, classically you can see with the ruling planet Jupiter (which is great for money issues as th eruling planet of financial concerns), The magick of Jupiter will always make more of whatever you have so if you have nothing, this is not the best energy to work with. Colors for today are Purple and Royal Blue.

Today I want to grow what I have so I am going to work on wisdom through study. My altar candle is a rich purple (Witches Path from the Sacred Mists Shoppe). I’ve lit my candle on my altar and as it is nearing the end of life I am going to burn it all day. I have taken a little bit of the Power of Wiccae Oil and dabbed some on my third eye, solar plexus, and a little on both sides of my neck. Third eye to absorb the wisdom, Solar Plexus to invoke my power and will and on the neck so that I may speak wisely today.

On small piece of Color Magick Sizzling Paper (lavender) I have written, you can use any kind of paper infusing it with purple energy or using a purple pen!

Today I draw Wisdom
Today I gain knowledge
May my course stay true
May my words & thoughts be just
(reverse side)
Blessed Be!

Fold up the paper and light it with your altar candle or a purple spell candle if that is what you have lit on your altar then drop the paper into your cauldron or fire safe dish.

Today you will learn much along your path with the strength of your Will behind you.

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