Wicca Candle Magick. Gerina Dunwich

(See Chapter Two: Consecration.)

      Beeswax Candles

      Beeswax candles are tapers fashioned from the honeycombs of bees and used in special magickal spells and rituals that require that no tallow (animal fat) be burned.

      To make beeswax candles, wrap or roll a honeycomb sheet of beeswax around a candle wick. (Artificial honeycombs of beeswax are obtainable from beekeepers, waxchandlers, honey wholesalers and hobby shops.)

      Cut the wax sheet to the size you desire. (For a 6-inch long candle, cut a 12-inch wax sheet in half.)

      Place the wax on a smooth surface. Press the wick vertically against the shorter side of the wax sheet and begin to roll the sheet around the wick. (If the wax is cut on top at a slanting angle away from the wick, the candle’s 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.

      Rune Candles

      Runes are letters of magickal alphabets used to spell words containing powerful mystic meanings. There are many different forms of Runes, including the Druidic Ogam Bethluisnion, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Theban Script, Pictish, Celestial, Malachim, etc.

      To make Rune Candles, heat the tip of a consecrated athame and use it to carve the magickal designs into the wax of smooth tapers or jumbo candles. (A heated steel knitting needle or nail can also be used just as effectively.)

      Magick Symbol Candles

      Other powerful Pagan symbols that can be carved into (or painted on) candles include the sign of the Pentagram (a five-pointed star within a circle) which represents the four ancient elements of Fire, Water, Air, Earth, surmounted by the Spirit, and is used in many spells and magickal ceremonies.

      As a Witch’s Star (or “Goblin’s Cross” as it was called by churchmen of the Middle Ages), the pentagram symbolizes human spiritual aspirations when its point faces upwards. When its point faces down, it becomes a negative symbol of black magick and Satanism.

      The Crescent Moon is a sacred symbol of the Goddess and feminine energy. It is the appropriate symbol to be used on candles crafted especially for Goddess invocations, Sabbats and women’s healing.

      The ancient magickal symbol called the Seal of Solomon is a hexagram consisting of two interlocking triangles, one facing up and the other one facing down. It is a symbol of the human soul, and is most powerful when used on candles crafted for spells and rituals involving spirit communication, wisdom, purification and the strengthening of psychic powers.

      The ankh is an ancient Egyptian symbol resembling a cross with a loop at the top. It symbolizes life and cosmic knowledge, and every major god and goddess of the Egyptian mythology is depicted carrying it. Also known as the “crux ansata,” it is an appropriate symbol to place on candles for spells and rituals involving health, fertility and divination.

      The Eye of Horus is another ancient Egyptian symbol which is often used in contemporary Witchcraft. It depicts the divine eye of the god Horus, represents both solar and lunar energies, and is carved into candles to symbolize spiritual protection as well as the clairvoyant power of the Third Eye.

      The triangle is a symbol of finite manifestation in Western magick, and is used in rituals to evoke spirits when the seal or sign of the entity to be summoned is placed in the center of the triangle.

      Triangles containing veves (intricate symbolic emblems representing certain Voodoo spirit-loas) are extremely powerful when carved into candles. (See Chapter Nine: Voudoun Candle Magick.)

      The triangle, equivalent to the number three (a powerful magickal number) is also a symbol of the Triple Goddess: Mother, Warrior, Crone. Inverted, it represents the male principle.

      The Swastika is an ancient religious symbol formed by a Greek cross with the ends of the arms bent at right angles in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Before being adopted in 1935 as the infamous official emblem of Nazi Germany, the Swastika was a sacred symbol of good luck in pre-Christian Pagan Europe and in many other cultures around the world including the Orientals, the Egyptians and the Indian tribes of North, Central and South America. (The word “Swastika” stems from the Sanskrit “Svastika” meaning “a sign of good luck.”)

      In addition to the above-mentioned symbols of magick, there are numerous ancient as well as modern mystical symbols that can be used to empower candles with specific magickal energies. These symbols include the male and female fertility symbols, crosses, circles, peace signs, astrological and planetary symbols, numbers, etc.

      Before using any candle (hand-made or store-bought) in a magickal ceremony or in the simplest of spells, it is recommended that you first dress (anoint) the candle with a small amount of oil during the waxing phase of the moon to consecrate it and charge it with magickal energy.

      Candle Blessing Ritual

      Using your bare hands, rub an anointing oil into the wax starting at the middle of the candle and working your way up to the top as you say:

      I CONSECRATE THEE

      AS A TOOL OF MAGICK.

      BLESSED BE!

      Start again at the middle and this time work your way down to the bottom of the candle and say:

      I CHARGE THEE WITH POWER

      IN THE NAME OF THE GODDESS.

      SO MOTE IT BE!

      GODDESS OIL

      ½ teaspoon dried yarrow

      ½ teaspoon dried sweet basil

      1 teaspoon powdered myrrh

      3 drops rose oil

      3 drops lavender oil

      ½ cup olive oil

      Place all ingredients in a clear glass jar and gently swirl in a clockwise direction to slowly agitate the oils. (As you do this, fill your mind with images of the Goddess and visualize Her divine power as an aura of white glowing light radiating from your hands into the jar of oil, charging it with magickal energy.)

      Seal the jar with a tight-fitting lid and store it in a cool, dark place for at least seven days. Strain the oil through a cheesecloth and use it to anoint candles for love spells, Goddess invocations, divinations, healing rituals and all positive (white) forms of magick.

      GOOD LUCK OIL

      1 tablespoon dried wormwood

      3 teaspoons ground nutmeg

      ½ teaspoon powdered mandrake root

      13 drops pine oil

      ¼ cup olive oil

      Place all ingredients in a clean glass jar and gently swirl in a clockwise direction. Seal the jar tightly and allow it to sit for 13 nights in a cool, dark place.

      Strain the oil through a cheesecloth and use it to anoint candles for wish-magick, jinx-breaking and spells to attract good luck, money and success.

      SPIRIT OIL

      1 tablespoon powdered orris or serpentaria root

      1 tablespoon dried Solomon’s Seal

      1 tablespoon dried and crushed rosemary

      1 small pinch of powdered jade or turquoise*

      3 drops sandalwood oil

      3 drops mint oil

      ¼ cup safflower oil

      Mix all of the ingredients together and store in a tightly-capped glass jar for at least three weeks in a cool, dark place.

      Strain through a cheesecloth and use to anoint candles for exorcisms, seances, counterspells, purification rituals, protection against evil influences and spells to increase clairvoyant powers.