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Candle Magik
Rituals & Ceremony

Candle Magik Rituals & Ceremony
Casting a spell with a candle is no different than casting any other spell. You can add some ritualistic movements or gestures, but the basic concepts should be the same. But you should understand the Candle Magik Basics before you attempt one of the following ritual outlines.
 
With that said, the following is an example of two different magikal events. The first is a simple ritual and the second is a complete Candle Magik Ceremony.
 
Before you begin any ritual or spiritual work, please review these three very important postings.
The Law Of Accountability
Kundalini and the Chakra Centers
Chakra Reference Map
Protecting Your Energies
A Simple Prayer Lighting
This is my personal nightly candle lighting ritual. Although it's simple in method and form, the results are successful and approached with the same reverence and respect as a complete candle ceremony.
  1. Stand before the candle, close your eyes and take a deep breath.
  2. Align yourself with the Great Spirit (the God/Goddess, whatever you chose).
    By this we mean, try to center yourself, or put your thought and being in that place you consider to be divine and holy.
  3. Open your eyes and light the match or lighter. As you light the wick of the candle, say your prayer. (Prayer examples.)
  4. Always begin by giving thanks to the God/Goddess for the blessings of your day. You can be specific or general, as long as you have the heart felt meaning behind the words.
  5. Say your prayer, or spell, for what you're lighting this candle for.
    Here's an example of my prayer:
    ~ Great Spirit, Creator of All That Is. We give thanks for the blessings and protection you've provided us this day. We honor the wisdom and love you've added to our lives. As we light this candle, please allow it's warmth and light to act as a beacon for our desires of health and happiness through the night and throughout tomorrow. We give great thanks for your assistance and honor to all the unseen forces who have provided us with support and blessings this day, and for this special request. Unehlanvhi nvwhtohiyada. (Cherokee - God's Peace)
  6. Allow the candle to burn for at least 30 minutes. Never leave your candle burning unattended. I leave the candles lit from the time I come home from work, until we go to bed.
  7. When you're ready to blow out the flame; Give thanks to the God/Goddess for the energy they have added to the flame and to your spell/prayer. Then blow out the flame.
A Candle Magik Ceremony
This is an in depth and ritualistic ceremony for casting Candle Magik. Make sure you are properly prepared to begin this kind of ceremonial work prior to entering your circle.
  1. Preparation:
    1. Gather your tools. The candle you've selected, a ceremonial plate to place the candle on while it burns, lighter or matches, meditation music, your ceremonial broom, two ropes made of natural fibers ~ one long to make your circle and one short to bind your hand to the spell being cast, your ceremonial dagger, an offering for the God/Goddess and Spirits who you call upon for help, and any additional items you wish to include, such as crystals, pictures etc.
    2. Prepare your ritual space. Clean up and dust your alter and the area around it where you'll be creating your circle. Once the physical work is done, clear and cleanse your space spiritually as well.
    3. Before you begin any ritual, you need to prepare yourself too. After all your physical being and energy are part of the tools you'll be including in the ceremony. Take a shower or bath and get rid of the grit and grim of the day. This will also help you to relax and prepare your mind and spirit for aligning your energies. Conduct a mediation to open your chakras and raise your energy level for the ceremony.
    4. Before you begin, think about what you want to say as you cast your spell. You can write out a rhyme, a verse or use plain or old style English. What ever feels comfortable to you. Write out your spell in 3 separate verses. Each verse should be at least 2 lines long, there is no limit to the length, but you'll recite each verse 3 times in this method; so you might not want to make them too long.
      I highly recommend you write them down before you begin. I do this for 2 reasons. First, by the time you get through the preparations for casting your spell, you might forget what you were going to say. As you try to figure it out, the energy you've created will fade and you might add 'confusion' or 'disorientation' to your ritual. Secondly, it's a great way to keep a record of your rituals. You should record the date and time, weather conditions, where you're conducting the ritual and finally the spell being recited. Later you can go back and record the results of your casting. What you like about your ritual and what you didn't like and might change next time.
    5. One thing I like to do is light two or three white candles around my ritual space to add some light after the lights are turned out. Remember the best time to practice your magik is at night. If you don't want to fumble around in the dark, you might add this to your preparations too. I like to use 3 candles, saying a simple prayer over each one asking God to add light and guidance to my ceremony. Now you should have everything ready for your ceremony. Let's begin.
  2. Open Your Circle:
    1. Face northward, holding the long rope in your hands. Raise the rope to the God/Goddess and say a prayer of protection and call upon the divine energy as you draw your circle.
    2. Lay one end of the rope on the floor, moving in a clockwise motion to the east. Place the rest of the rope on the floor to shape a circle. The circle should be large enough for you to sit inside and should include your alter if possible. Don't step inside the circle as you lay out the rope. When you have finished, you should be standing at the top (north) of the circle, facing south.
    3. Move around the outside of the circle to the southern or bottom part. Face North again. Hold up your ceremonial broom and say a prayer to the God/Goddess, asking that this broom be the doorway between your physical world and the spiritual world being created inside the circle. Ask the Divine Spirit to watch over your circle, using the broom as a gateway for you to enter this sacred space, and as a barrier for any negative, earthbound or physical interferences to be kept out. Lay the broom down on the floor, hilt pointing to the east.
    4. As you step over the broom into the circle, state your purpose for entering this sacred space. Once inside, imagine a doorway of divine energy closing behind you.
    5. Some witches like to draw out a large pentacle once they're inside the circle. If you'd like to add this to your ritual, you can do it in a variety of ways. You can draw out the pentacle with another long piece of rope (again, made from natural fibers), with seeds (a nice touch if your alter is outside), powdered incense to sprinkle on the floor (you might have to vacuum after your done), or burn an incense stick and draw the circle with the smoke (a native American type method).
    6. To draw the pentacle, start at the north again. Raise the rope, seeds or whatever in the air and say a prayer for spiritual guidance and an increase in energy. Start at the northern point and draw out a 5 pointed star, moving clockwise again. Go from the north to the southeast, to the west, across to the east, down to the southwest and completing the star at the northern point again.
  3. Invoke The Spirit:
    1. Once you have entered your sacred circle, close your eyes and call upon the spirits, the God/Goddess, as well as, your spiritual guides and teachers.
    2. First call your personal Spirit Guide and solicit their assistance during the ritual. Your personal guide can assist you to maintain focus and concentration during the ritual as well as, aid in your tasks within the circle. You might call upon them like this:
      (State your guides' name), I call upon your guidance and love to assist me during this spiritual ceremony. To help me maintain my focus, energy and alignment for divine purpose and work.
    3. There are just as many ways to call upon spirit as there are people on the earth. You may like the traditional rhyming verses of old Wiccan covens, or modern speech with specific details concerning the energy you're calling upon. Or you may be like me and you've found a way to combine your Catholic up bringing with your Wiccan beliefs and use both in your invocations.
    4. Many witches align their energies with their personal deity or Pantheon at this point as well.
      I believe in the spiritual existence of myself as a perfect image of (deity' name). In this reflection that is my physical embodiment, I align myself and my faith in the supreme guidance of my soul with the ancient powers and wisdom of (state the deity' name once more).
    5. Here is where you can call upon the Four Corners of the Wind, The Four WatchTowers, or as I do, the Four White Dragons.
    6. However you chose to call upon the spirit(s), make sure you're stating your purpose for the summoning, asking permission or inviting (not demanding) them to join you. Make sure you give proper thanks and offerings for their assistance as well.
  4. Lighting The Candle:
    1. Once you have invited the divine spirits to join you, and called upon the Four Corners, you can sit inside your circle and prepare for casting.
    2. Begin with closing your eyes and imagining a flame being lit within your own body. Imagine your spiritual essence, lighting a flame in your solar plexus. This is your divine light, the spirit within you that will provide the energy to the wick of your candle. With each breath you take, imagine the flame inside your being growing stronger and brighter. Until it fills your entire body with it's warmth and bright light.
    3. Open your eyes, take the matches/lighter in hand and light the wick of your candle.
  5. The Spell Casting:
    1. As soon as the flame is lit, use your right hand to draw a pentacle over the flame. (Not too close, you don't want to get burned.) Start in the north, as explained above in the Opening Your Circle section. You can use the center of your palm as the drawing force, the tips of your fingers or just one finger, it's up to you.
    2. Next, make a circle with your hands about 3 inches over the top of the candle. Thumb touching thumb, and middle finger touching middle finger. No other fingers should be touching.
    3. Slowly lower your "hand circle" over and around the candle to it's base. As you do, cast your spell. You should be able to recite your first verse 3 times before reaching the bottom of the candle.
    4. As you recite the spell, imagine the color of the candle rising up into the flame. Imagine your words carrying the light and energy of the spell from your hands into the candle and into the flame. Imagine all these energies combining, taking shape and form within the flame of the candle. As your recite the spell for the 3rd time, imagine the energy you've created going out into the spiritual world through the light and smoke of the flame, making it's way to manifestation.
    5. Repeat this step for the remaining 2 versus of your spell. Each verse is stated 3 times. If you've noticed, you cast your spell in the 3x3 form. 3 versus, stated 3 times.
  6. Meditation:
    1. No matter what your ceremony is for, we believe you should add a moment of meditation to the event. In this altered state, a witch can add to a spell by visualizing the energy being created, seeing it in your mind as it manifests and comes to form. You can contact the God/Goddess and engage them in a private ritual as well. You can use this time to thank the forces that have helped you this evening. Lastly , you might ask for clarity of vision or a better understanding in the situation at hand.
    2. I like to add some preselected New Age or spiritual music to my meditations. I suggest your meditation last for a minimum of 15 minutes, but not longer than 45 or 60 minutes.
  7. Thank The Spirits:
    1. Before you conclude your ritual, you should formally thank the spirits, deities and God/Goddess for their assistance. Typically this is done through an offering of some type. Bread and wine is a common offering, but if you're a male witch, baking bread or muffins just isn't at the top of your list of things to do. So you might offer seeds for planting, or a seedling tree that will be planted in the honor of the spirits. There are as many different types of offerings as there are covens and witches in the world. Be true to your heart and your emotion, and select an offering that will have the most meaning to you.
  8. Close The Circle:
    1. Conclude your ritual by closing your chakra centers. When you have completed this step, stand inside your circle. Face north and give thanks once more for this sacred space. Turn southward and imagine the energy door opening, allowing you to exit while still protecting the circle. Step over the broom and imagine the doorway closing behind you.
    2. Allow the candle to burn inside the circle for at least 30 minutes. Never leave your candle burning unattended. After 30 minutes you can re-enter the circle. If you want to move the candle to another location and allow it to continue burning, that's fine. Here's how I recommend you do it.
    3. Stand before the door and imagine the gateway opening. Step over the broom and enter the circle, imagining the door closing behind you. State your purpose for moving the candle and ask that the energy within the circle be transferred with it.
      I give thanks for the light and wisdom of the flame and ask that it's energy be transferred to (where you're going to move it, such as a fireplace mantle) so this flame may continue to burn for (state what the purpose of your spell was).
    4. Lift the candle and the ceremonial plate together. Turn to the south and imagine the doorway opening. Cross over your broom and this time, as you leave the circle, imagine a sphere of energy encircling the candle and plate as you exit. Imagine this sphere holding inside it, all the love and light and blessings that were created inside your sacred space. Imagine this sphere staying with the candle as you place it in the new location.
    5. Return to the circle door and state:
      I give thanks for the energy and love created in this sacred circle. I ask that the love and blessings stay with me always as I walk my spiritual path. I now close this space and disperse the energy within for the highest purpose and benefit for all. Blessed Be the light of the God and Goddess.
    6. With that, you can remove the broom. Then the rope for the circle. If you created a pentacle within the circle, remove that next (unless you're outside and you used seeds). Lastly, clean up your tools and your alter. Put everything in it's place of honor.
    7. When the cleaning is all done, I like to say one more thanks for the blessings of the space and energy, with a slight bow to close and top off the ritual.
    8. When you're ready to blow out the flame; Give thanks to the God/Goddess for the energy they have added to the flame and to your spell/prayer. Then blow out the flame.
Post Ritual Work
When you have completed your rituals your next step should be to sit down with pen and paper and record the event while it's still fresh in your mind. Write down the steps of your ritual and any alterations you made while conducting the event. Include your thoughts, feelings and impressions during each part of the ceremony. And finally any closing thoughts you may have about the event. You may also want to return to this summary and record any updates that may occur.
For additional closing information, review the Candle Magik Basics.

Source: 1, c3, c4, c8, c13, s1, s2, s4, s5, s6, s7, s11, s14, m1, m4, m5, m7, m10, m16, m18, m23, m36