Chapter 8 – Fire Spells
Candle magic is the most convenient sort of magic there is; second only to magic done purely with the mind and using no tools at all. Candles are readily available; the last time I did a spell that needed a candle of a particular color, I ran out to the drug store, and sure enough, they had what I needed. Candles provide a convenient and easily-understood focal point, they are self-timing, they lend themselves to the use of all sorts of additional symbology (as we’ll discuss shortly) and they dispose of themselves.
When you do a writing spell you have to decide what to do with the paper afterwards-save it? Bury it? Burn it? Similar decisions exist for all sorts of spells; but not candles, which burn the evidence. This is not only convenient, but it creates a satisfying sense of completion; it uses Fire’s devouring quality to finish off the spell neatly.
A candle spell is, at the heart, as simple as lighting a candle while visualizing your intention. The flame serves as a visual focal point; you gaze into it and allow it to induce a mild trance. You can see your target and/or goal in the flame-just as flame can be used for scrying, in which visions are allowed to come as they will for divination, flame can be used for imposing a desired vision (water can also be used for both of these purposes).
The candle continues to “work” even after you have finished casting your spell. By this I mean simply that you light your candle, raise power, focus, send, and finish, saying So mote it be or whatever you like to say. Then you leave the candle burning, and while it is burning, the energy continues to be sent towards its target. (Needless to say, fire safety is essential. Flames left unattended carry a risk; use safe candle holders, place the candle on a fireproof surface, and make sure your smoke alarms are in working order.)
One way I like to do this is to do a spell before bed, using a standard 12 inch dinner taper. These burn just about exactly eight hours, and so the candle will burn all night. Intermittently throughout the night, I will wake just enough to become conscious of the candle flickering in my room, and so my mind will continue to feed the spell until morning. It’s not the deepest sleep, and I wouldn’t do it every night, but it works.
Burning the candle down completely is something that is only done when a spell is accomplished in a single session, or when it is the last session of a multi-part spell.
The simplicity of candle spells can be attractive, but need not be confining. Candle spells are added to in a number of ways, including color, decoration, “dressing,” and movement. This gives them variety, and makes each spell unique.
