The Art of Candle "Talk"~Part 1 Dressing and Fixing A Candle~~~~

Dear Ms. Q,

"What is 'dressing a candle?' " "How do I do Candle spells?"   "My candle pops and sizzles, does that mean anything?" 
"The flame on my candle is very high"  "My glass enclosed candle exploded? Am I hexed?"

Interpreting a candle's action is as old as fire divination, as a matter of fact it's as old as fire itself.

A lot of folks understand that candle spells can be effective but many of them do a candle spell without really understanding how to properly go about it.

Lirio: You know how to use candles?

Sarah: Yeah, you light the wick.

Lirio: [Smiles] More than that.  (From “The Craft”)

I used the quote from the movie “the Craft” for a reason, in a previous post I listed why some spells or rituals, especially those involving candles don’t work.  

Most folks in an effort to bring about balance and harmony into their lives as a last measure, understandably turn to doing magick, there is nothing wrong with doing that, because it does focus on your needs to bring about that which is loving, kind, peaceful and prosperous into your life, which everyone deserves.

For many, just getting the right candle (i.e. color, saint, petition) and focusing on their intent can start the “ball rolling” and there can be success, but the more you do the work, you will see that sometimes there are “road blocks” or the energy seems to be wrong or tainted. 

And that’s because lots of times folks want to jump into lighting the candle, doing their petition and seeing the results which they hope will be immediate.

But once you are into doing the work, the practice, especially over a period of time,  you find that there is a lot more involved,   so I’m going to do a series of posts on what I call “CANDLE TALK”    This way when you do a candle spell or ritual you’ll be doing it completely right from the very beginning.

 LETS START WITH HOW TO CLEANSE, DRESS, FIX AND LIGHT A CANDLE.

Cleansing, Blessing and Dressing the candle

My Granny use to buy candles by the dozen now I’m talking about the old fashion taper candles or in some cases plumbers candles,   when candles were coming out in enclosed glass she’d buy 2 or 3 at a time, usually in white (later on in colors as her budget permitted), but because she knew that the candles were handled by different people, (in the making, the shipping, the stocking on shelves, etc.) she knew that these neutral objects (the candles) would pick up energy from these folks unintentionally, because everyone can have a bad day or a great day, and she didn’t want those energies on the candles clinging like invisible dust, so she’d “cleansed” them.  

It wasn’t very difficult really, first she’d actually gently dust them off with a clean white cloth, (later on a disposable white paper towel) then she’d bless them with Holy Water (just a few sprinkles) and she’d say “I Exorcise thee O creature of hidden flame, from all that is bad (negative) and make you pure in your purpose, I bless thee O creature of hidden flame and make you ready to do your work,  In the name of the father, son and holy spirit” and she’d do the sign of the cross over them.  

Now this was done to remove any negative energy as well as dirt or dust, so she’d clean them and bless them first, that way they’d be prepared to give added strength to the candles in ritual by purifying the energy influences.   She’d then would lock those candles away in a cupboard or pantry away from anything else until she was ready to use them. 

She’d also do it to those tiny vigil lights that one burns in a small fire resistant glass cup in front of a religious statue,  when I was a little girl I thought Granny was a “clean freak” but later on I found out it was more than that especially in regards to spiritual work.

I do the same thing, but when I find an unusual candle that has never been used at a yard sale,  I will  dust it as best as I can then rinse it completely in cold water, then allow it to air dry away from the sun, then do what my Granny would do to spiritually cleanse them, then put it away in a cupboard until ready to use

Now prior to her actually activating the candle for ritual work she would “Dress” it first with a neutral oil such as virgin olive oil,  she told me that the  candle it had to be oiled (we now say 'dressed') before “fixing it” for burning it in a ritual.

The reason for dressing the candle prior to “fixing it” was/is to establish a psychic connection between the candle and the practitioner through a basic handling of the candle.

So when she would touch the candle during the dressing process she was psychically connecting to it and putting or charging it with her own energy or vibrations so that the candle would become an extension of her power and energy.

To do the initial dressing she would oil it with the olive oil like it was a magnet with a north and a south pole, the whole idea was that the energies of the North and South ends would meet in the middle, so taking a dab of the oil she would first stroke the candle from the top to the middle all the way around starting at the top part of the candle and always stroking in the same direction Top to Middle, top to middle.

Then she take another dab of oil and stroke the South end, bottom to the middle, bottom to the middle again in the same direction in simple single strokes.

She’d Never rub it up and down, it was always stroked in the same direction.  Dressing a candle is the phrase most often used to mean anointing the candle with oil.

Now a days folks will use a special oil to dress a candle like Abramelin  or Oil #20 to do it, but Granny always believe that olive oil was best.   Now if you don’t want to use olive oil you can use natural ones which can be obtained quite easily. Some occult suppliers will provide oils with exotic names. If a practitioner does not want to use these, you can use other oils from other sources, but I’ve found that olive oil is the best and most neutral type of oil followed by Abramelin or Oil #20.  (And we can thank S. L. MacGregor Mathers for introducing this into Western Mystic tradition)

To dress the candle with oil use your dominate hand, that is the hand that you write your signature with, most people are right handed so use your right hand, if your left handed then use your left hand, if you are one of those rare folks that are ambidextrous again use the hand that you usually sign your signature with.

Some folks however will dress a candle the opposite way, starting from the middle and going to the top and from the middle going down. 

It depends upon what you are planning to call upon, to draw something to you or banish something away from you this is for your personal self.

Next come the FIXING of the Candle----

This is when the candle is now set or fixed for a particular purpose,   there are many different ways to start the fixing depending upon the type of candle work or spell you’re doing.

With tapers or pillar candles besides the color, you can carve symbols or a name or what you want on the candle, this can be done with either a clean square nail or if you are a pagan with a sacred knife, or in some instances a coffin nail.  It can be simple for money a dollar sign or what ever symbol in your country that represents money, you can include the amount if you like, if for love a heart and so on, or a hole carved in the bottom to insert a tiny petition,, again depending upon what the spell is about.

Some folks when they inscribe a candle, use the same directional procedure. To bring things toward you, write from the top to the middle, then from the bottom to the middle. If you are repelling something, reverse the procedure.   Frankly I find that a bit complicated so I do this to bring it to me I write it from top to bottom and to banish I write it from bottom to top, nothing half way.

So now the candle has been cleansed and in essence with holy water blessed, dressed, and with the symbols or words empowered, next is the anointing.

Prior to anointing and activating the candle the oil(s) (if you use more than one)  must be consecrated or prayed over before they are used this is important because some oils that are used in certain spells must have certain psalms said over them to properly activate their use .

And it is important to use oils to dress the candle that coincides with the spell you want to perform.

Now in anointing the candle it depends on whether you want to repel something from you (banished) or bring something to you or into your life will determine what you will do next.

To banish or repel something (poverty, a bad habit, illness) or someone (whomever is making your life miserable) take the particular oil that you will need to use and start at the base of the candle with oil for your purpose and stroke the oil from base to the top going all the way around the candle.

If you want to attract something to you, then you would then do the opposite and start at the top and stroke the oil to the base of the candle going all the way around it.

Visualize and concentrate what it is that you want done while doing this, and NEVER rub the oil of purpose back and forth as this would confuse the energies and nothing will happen or what you don’t want could happen.

Afterwards you may roll the candle in herbs that also will help with the type of spell you wish to perform especially if the spell calls to have the candle rolled in herbs or have the candle affixed with pins if the spell calls for it.    In some cases both, in that situation roll the herbs on first and if it’s to bring something to you roll the candle towards you, if it’s to repel or banish something from you then roll the candle away from you,  Never in a back and forth method.    Then if the spell calls for it you affix your pins.

Now this is for non-glass enclosed candles but what about glass enclosed candles.

PROCEDURES FOR GLASS ENCLOSED CANDLES 

My Granny used glass enclosed candles for her work, she’d get them from a church store and this was back in the 1940’s they we’re not carried in metaphysical shops until the late 1960’s or early 70’s, now she’d used these candles in addition to her free standing candles, and these candles would have pictures of Saints on them.   And she was really Big on petitioning the saints.

Now she would cleanse them and bless them the same way that she’d do with free standing and figure candles,  but it was the Dressing and Fixing of them that would be different.    

To get the candle charged with her energy she would dab a bit of olive oil on her finger and rub the wax clock wise around the wick and pushing her energy into it.   And then she’d put it in a dark cupboard and covered with a clean white cloth to keep them clean.

When she was ready to Fix the candle she’d take a dab of the oil of purpose and if was to bring in something she’d rub the oil clock wise, if it was to banish something she’d rub the oil counter-clockwise.   

Then using one of those wooden sticks that women use to push back their cuticles, she’d use the pointed end to inscribe on the wax what she’d want, and then push the pointed end into the wax in the shape of a  triangle.   And then using an eyedropper drop a few drops of the oils into the holes made in the wax.

Sometimes she would do a very light sprinkling of herbs on the top, depending on the spell.

Later on I discovered on glass enclosed candles without pictures I could draw with a water resistant felt tip marker or using poster paint with a thin pointed brush. In a pinch I've used nail polish.  Of course I still would do the same thing in Dressing and Fixing the candle on the inside.

Now a days instead of an eye dropper you can use these tiny things called pipette’s that some perfumer’s use to test a scent, you can buy like 500 of them for a few dollars on the internet.

And in addition to herbs people have taken to using glitter on the glass enclosed candles not only the color glitter but the fancy one’s in the shape of shamrocks, angels, hearts, stars, even cat’s, ghosts, bats  and pumpkins.  If you're into that watch what shows up at your craft stores or local discount store especially the seasonal glitter shapes.

But you have to be careful to not drown the wick with oil or the glitter or herbs because it could become a fire hazard with the entire top of the candle catching fire. 

Now a days some people will instead use a clean square nail or a needle to inscribe on the wax inside and use the nail or something long and pointed out of metal to push a hole into the wax.  Sometimes instead of 3 holes they would do 5  or 4 in the shape of a cross, it also depended on how many oils one would fix the candle with as well as the type of spell work. 

Personally I prefer to use a wooden cuticle stick espeically for positive spells but I'd use a coffin nail for negative spells.  

But it's up to the practitioner what they want to do or according to the spell work. 

Now you are ready to light your candle-----

TO LIGHT THE CANDLE

Some folks are fussy about lighting a candle directly from a struck match (either a wood match or from a booklet of matches)  that is because of the ingredient of Sulfur,  some spells call for Sulfur some don’t,  the problem with Sulfur is that it can disrupt the planned magical workings.

I remember Granny would have these long thin wooden sticks and she’d would light these sticks from another plain candle and then light the Fixed candle, or if she had a thin taper candle she’d would light the fixed candle from it.

Later on when Bic lighters became popular Granny would ask for the "Sacred Bic", because it would be used to light the candle.  

But with glass enclosed candles if you have to snuff them out because it’s dangerous to leave burning, as the wax would melt down it would be hard to light with a regular Bic, which is where a plain wooden stick or a bar be que Bic lighter would come in handy.

What I would do is if I used the long thin bar-be-Que matches I’d save the stick, remove the burnt end and save the rest of it for magical workings Fortunately my family never questioned me when I’d save those sticks.

There you have it --- to cleanse, bless, Dress, empower and Fix a candle for your magical workings, yeah it is more than just lighting the wick.  But at least you will be starting it right.

On my next post on CANDLE TALK  it will be about how to tell what your candle is telling you, because Candles Can Talk.

Blessings,

Ms. Q

P.S.  When I said to "banish an illness" I must stress that it would be in addition to going to your Doctor or Dentist,  Do Not Think that by doing a candle spell you will be cured,  that is not the purpose to do a candle spell for illness,  it is to help you get well WHILE you are Going to your Doctor, Dentist or receiving treatment for your condition. 

If you are ill seek medical help immediately!