The Art of "Candle Talk" Part 4--Properly disposing your magical workings~~~~~

Dear Ms. Q,

“I did my spell/candle stuff/ritual, now how do I clean it up, how do I get rid of it, and where do I get rid of it.”

If one reads an old time spell or candle working it will usually include how to dispose of the remnants of your workings, but a lot of new spells that you see popping up here and there, do not include that, and that is a serious mistake.

Even Raymond Buckland’s classic book on candle burning and rituals Does NOT include how to dispose of the remains of your workings----Opps!!!   (By the way I do recommend purchasing this book it is excellent in its rituals  “Practical Candleburning Rituals” by Raymond Buckland printed by Llewellyn Publications---they have a web site you can order it directly from them. You should have it on your personal magic shelf and once you determine the kind of spell you can make notes in your book of the workings disposal.

When you are doing a spell or candle working or ritual you are pulling up the energy from the earth and all around you to focus, become one single “ball” of energy to do your work and this sends it up into the Heavens or into the air to do your working, but what many people forget is just as lightning grounds itself so to must a spell.

If you see in slow motion how a lightning bolt works you’ll see some energy reaching up to the sky, and then the bolt comes down to meet it, this is positive and negative electrons meeting and then grounding itself.   So too much we do it with a spell, we pull up the energy and send it up and the results are then sent down to us, but is it really “grounded” to complete the work?   No it is not.

Proper disposal of the remains of your working therefor is important.   If you do a spell or candle work and the spell does not say how to dispose of the remains then you have to look at the spell and your intent to get an idea and of course you need to take a look at your living circumstances, many people are living in apartments now a days, owning one’s own home is slowly becoming impossible, unless you can get several like-minded folks to go in a rent a home together. 

You also have to get familiar with what is being offered in the city or town that you’re living in to do your workings,  for example I live in a town where there is NO cemetery, so I have to drive out of town to get to one and it is not exactly close by either, but I have lots of abandon railroad tracks (you’ll see in a minute), burying on a business property can be hard if there is no dirt to dig, so you have to be creative, see if they have any potted plants to decorate the front of their business etc.

Another thing is if you are using (and many people do) glass enclosed candles, some of these recommendations are not practical as it can clog up the earth, well recycling is always the best way and I’ll explain that further down.

So you have to think what do you want to do to properly complete your ritual and make it successful.

I’m going to list here the types of disposals and locations, when to use that type of disposal and I’ll give examples of the types of spells and what type of disposal that would be appropriate.

Some are obvious, some are devious, and some may have you scratching your heads.  You have to remember spell work or candle magic is natural and is of nature, so releasing the work back to nature completes the loop to make it happen, remember this and you will see your workings increase.

These types of disposals work very well for free-standing candles such as taper or pillar but not well at all for Glass enclosed candles so I will include alternate means to dispose of the glass.

Since the candle, and I’m speaking of either free-standing or figure candles,  itself is a tangible extension of your prayer, you do not want to treat it as garbage when it has finished burning. You may choose to bury the candle in your backyard, keep it as a memory of a prayer that was answered, or consciously recycle it by disposing it in a recycling location and imagining the energy you put into the candle being recycled into the universe.

Most importantly with glass enclosed candles, do not throw the glass into the garbage, as you would not want to throw away your prayer or attained result.  However there are some exceptions but either way, Show respect! 

Remember “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” — Ancient Chinese proverb

Be sure that your method of disposal does not go against your desired outcome so follow the methods that I have outlined here:  Remember these work best with free-standing and figure candles.

BURYING IN YOUR BACK YARD----Good for Marriage Spells, Prosperity spells, Protection Spell, Family Harmony Spells----

Reason:  This is to maintain a desired circumstance or situation, finances, keeping a person or a possession in your life.

BURYING IN YOUR FRONT YARD---To attract a NEW love spell, New career or life path spell, Attract a new experience such as travel or adventure, For Health, Marriage proposal spell---

Reason:  To welcome or bring something new into your life.

BURYING IN THE CEMETERY----this is for Curses and Banishment spells---

Reason:  To curse, harm or kill a person or to end undesirable circumstances or habits in your life.

Warning:  ALWAYS be respectful in a Cemetery, be sure to leave a few coins and/or pieces of candy at the cemetery gate when you leave.  Be sure to take a different route home and DO NOT look back or over your shoulder as you leave.

BURYING IN A TARGETS YARD OR PROPERTY----This is to either Curse the target (person), Love spells, Protections Spells, Influence/manipulation spells

Reason:  To curse, bless or to influence a specific person or family.

Warning:  If cursing, take a different route home, do not look back or look over your shoulder.

LEAVING AT A TARGETS FRONT DOOR OR DRIVEWAY---the same as above.

Reason:  One needs to be bold to do this as this is the most direct way to curse or to influence.

Best way to do this:  the remains must be inconspicuous and discreet such as ashes mixed with a bit of dirt.

Warning:  If for cursing take a different route home, do not look back or look over your shoulder.

BURYING AT A BUSINESS PROPERTY----This is for influence or manipulation spells, Prosperity spells, Protection spells, or Cursing the business or employee of the business

Reason: For prosperity (if you are the owner), to curse, bless or influence a specific business or employee of the business

Warning:  If for cursing take a different route home and do not look back or look over your shoulder

RELEASING INTO A STREAM/RIVER/NATURAL LAKE/OCEAN---- This is both positive and negative use for Love spells, Influence and manipulation spells, Spells to help release emotional pain, banishment spells and also for Curses.

Reason: To release negative circumstances or emotions, to deliver a curse or influence a person in distance or unknown location.

Warning:  If you’re doing it for cursing take a different route home do not look back or look over your shoulder.

RELEASING INTO A MAN-MADE LAKE/RESERVOIRS--- Do NOT do it---Man-made lakes and reservoirs usually do not have natural streams or rivers that carry water in and especially out, the energy tends to be fairly stagnant.

If you live near one of these refer to Burying in the Back yard list of circumstances and uses otherwise do not do and refrain from using it.

RELEASING INTO PONDS OR SWAMPS---- For Curses---there is an exception, if you live on or near the pond or swamp or even salt marsh in question do not use, refer to Burying in Backyard list of circumstances and uses.

Reason: Ponds,  Swamps and even Salt Marshes have stagnant energy, if you do not live near one you may use these natural bodies of water for cursing, but if it is close to you do not use, 

Warning: if the Pond, Swamp or Salt Marsh is part of a nature reserve to protect wild life DO NOT USE, seek other means of completing your curse.

LEAVING ON AN ACTIVE RAILROAD TRACKS--- for Love spells, Influence/manipulation spells, spells to release emotional pain, Banishment spells, Curses.

Reason:  To release negative circumstances. To deliver a curse or influence a person who lives in the direction of the running train(s)   Be sure to put it the well enough in advance of the trains approach, you can leave it on the wooden or cement ties and don’t be fussy, get well away from the tracks or you could be killed---Trains do not stop on a dime.

Warning: If cursing take a different route home, do not look back or look over your shoulder.  Avoid the train and railroad tracks for at least 3 days.

LEAVING ON ABANDONED RAILROAD TRACKS---- For Banishment spells and break-up spells

Reason:  To separate yourself or other people from each other or a situation, if you want the separation to be complete do not look back or over your shoulder it will negate the spell because it means you’re not reading to separate.

With the next two forms of disposal use caution when doing this especially at night, you could get hit by a car and seriously hurt.

LEAVING AT A ROAD INTERSECTION (depending upon the spell either a 4 way crossroads or 3 way crossroads) --- For Curses, Banishment Spells, Release personal emotional pain, Love spells, Influence and manipulative spells.

Reason: To deliver a curse or influence a person living in or at an unknown location.

Warning: again if cursing take a different route home, again do not look back or look over your shoulder.

LEAVING ON A ROAD IN THE LANE OF THE DIRECTION OF YOUR TARGET--- For curses, Influence or manipulations spells, love spells on a specific person.

Reason: To deliver a curse or influence a person living in the direction of the traffic lane.

Warning: again if cursing take a different route home, again do not look back or look over your shoulder.

BLOWING OR THROWING THE ASHES TO THE WINDS---(this is only if you have ashes from paper, no or without any wax)----Blow in the direction of the target to curse or influence them, love spells, prosperity spells, protection spells, healing spells.

Reason:  This is a general all-purpose release of spell work energy into the Universe.

THROWING INTO A FIRE—For Curses, Banishment spells, Spells to release emotional pain

Reason: To release negative circumstances, to deliver a curse or influence a person in an unknown location.

Warning:  If cursing it is recommended the fire is not on your property or grounds, But be very careful, please practice fire safety, remember only you can prevent wild fires and forest fires.

NOTE:  Banishment spells refer to spell work where the desired result is to remove and/or end either undesirable conditions, circumstance, people or habits.  When using glass enclosed candles for all banishment work which would include curses if you are unable to bury them in a grave yard dispose of it in an area where there is no life or very little life exists, an abandoned property is useful.  Do not put glass into areas where there is life that is harmful to the environment. 

Another method of disposing of glass enclosed candles is healthy recycling where the glass will be melted down the fires of the furnace will release the spell into the Universe and purify the glass slag for future use without contamination of the spell.  

When I use glass enclosed candles I separate the left over workings, any paper or other residue I dispose of by any one of the standard means as listed for free standing candles.  The glass is either recycled for positive spells or for negative spells left on abandoned property or in some cases put in the trash cans at cemeteries. 

If you need to have the left overs buried on your property but you live in an apartment this is where having a large planter helps, to have it in the front area next to your door, if need to bury in an area that would be the back  area of your apartment put a plant in the farthest back area of your apartment, but not near your kitchen.   This works for wax and remains of free-standing and figure candles, for glass enclosed candles, use them to plant small plants in to bring something to you, and to banish then recycle it.

Please understand that some rituals require you to dispose of your "ritual left-overs" in specific ways - burying them near your front door if it's a rite meant to bring something to you, at a crossroads or into running water to disperse something or hidden away to keep the magic going, those spells will be specific.

 Other spells or tricks don't necessarily have a specific disposal method mentioned. 

For these kinds of things, I remember both my Granny and Mrs. Washington and Mrs. Rose would make their own "graveyard" , now this was either a lidded basket or a lidded box which was  lined with white cloth into which the left over remains that didn’t have anything specific would be put into.  

 Then just before St. John’s Day (June 24^th), they’d tie up the ends of the cloth, making a bundle of this stuff and then burn them in a big bonfire in an old bath tub in one of the ladies back yards ---back then folks could burn their trash or plant cuttings,  not anymore.  

To make this temporary graveyard you'll need:

A container of some kind, with a lid. Keep it near where you do your workings

Get a White cloth, big enough to line the container and have the four corners of it stick out of the container when the lid is on it that way you don’t have to fuss find the 4 corners of the cloth.

Next you need to get graveyard dirt, now this is not taken for a grave plot but from the cemetery itself, when you go to the cemetery or graveyard knock on the gate or gate post that’s at it’s entrance, ask the Angel of Death and those spirits that protect the cemetery if you can take some of the cemetery dirt, ask them to bless the dirt so that it will keep the remains of the workings in the container, the same way as a cemetery protects the bodies of the people safe, collect the graveyard dirt in the normal way, leave 9 coins (pennies will do) and some candy.

Then sprinkle some of the dirt on the cloth that lines your container just enough to cover the bottom, then close the lid.  Now its ready to accept the left overs of that spell workings that you don’t know how to dispose of.

Be careful with liquids, put them into a separate container and into the graveyard box, when it’s full or even if it’s not full tie up the bundle by the 4 corners of the cloth securely and burn it all on St. John’s day—June 24^th.  

And again practice fire safety when you do this.

But if you carefully think and meditate on how to dispose of your remains you won’t have to do this graveyard container but I provide it to you for your information.

ONE LAST NOTE:

Once you have completed your candle work the area where you burned your candles also needs to be cleaned both physically and spiritually.  Some folks will use a white disposable cloth and Chinese wash to wash off the surface where the working was done, but Granny and her ladies would put a bit of Pine-Sol and some lemon juice into a small bucket of water, and use an old white wash cloth, I myself use lemon scented Pine-Sol and I always buy white wash cloths and towels, when they wear out for bathroom use they come in handy for other uses.  

Once you do that then your area is ready for the next candle working, it has been cleared and will not be "contaminated" by any left over energies from the previous spell workings.  

 

And that completes my series on THE ART OF CANDLE TALK.  

As you go about doing your workings, you may come across other methods of reading the candle and candle disposal, doing the workings is like cooking or baking, there is a science and method in how it’s done, but what works for a cake will not work for a pie, how one roasts a Pot Roast may not work on a Leg of Lamb,  the general principals are the same but the methodology is different.

In time you’ll find what works best for you,  I know what I’ve presented has worked for me, my Grandmother and her ladies of her group.  But times have changed, things have changed, and people have to be more careful. 

Please keep that in mind.

Bright Blessings,

Ms. Q