CANDLE MAKING

If you do not make your own candles, you can purchase them from normal retail outlets, though most arts and crafts stores will have many candles of more artistic designs and unusual shapes, such as roses, crucifixes, figures, embossed candles, etc., many of which you can utilize for your purpose. The most important consideration is undoubtedly color, as will be shown later, though the most useful color of all may prove to be white. As a later section will show, you can even color white candles to suit your requirements. There was a time when I would have strongly advised you against using candles of animal fat. Though the admonition still holds good, it is not necessary today as most candles are made of paraffin wax, vegetable oils, or beeswax. You can, therefore, buy from those generally available with confidence.

The actual size is a matter of personal choice, though in general a five- or seven-inch candle is the most practical for candle work. The candles used are divided into three main groups:

Altar Candles

Altar Candles (A/Cs) are the candles placed at the rear of the altar. Two candles are usually used and this is my personal preference, but you can use a single candle if you wish, placed at the rear of your altar in the centre. Altar Candles should always be white. Buy the tallest and most beautiful you can afford. If you can obtain and afford them, use beeswax candles, as they represent the deity or God (whatever your religion or religious philosophy) and the spiritual kingdom, which is the realm you are trying to contact and forge a link with, the Altar Candles serving as your 'bridge' with that kingdom. Occasionally you may find it said that Altar Candles are not really necessary and can be omitted, but their removal breaks the pattern of three, Altar Candles, Zodiac Candles, and Offertory Candles, the ubiquitous but sacred 'trinity' of most religions, and thus reduces it to a pattern of two and 'duality.' On the earth plane, duality is frequently the cause of many of our conflicts and troubles and is often the reason for the ritual in the first place. The Altar Candles should literally dominate the altar even when the candles are burning low. They are, more often than not, the first to be lit and the last to be extinguished for 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last.'

Zodiac Candles

The Zodiac Candles (Z/Cs), sometimes called Astral Candles, nearly always represent the people involved in the ritual according to their birth sign (which is why I prefer the term Zodiac Candle to Astral) — consult the Tables at the end of the book for this. Zodiac Candles are used to represent the petitioner, the person or persons for whom you may be performing the ritual, people you may wish to influence, or those people who are helping, obstructing, or 'crossing' the situation for which the ritual is being performed. If you do not know that person's birth sign, use a white or yellow candle; alternatively you can use an exhausted ballpoint pen to scratch the person's name in the wax of the candle.

The white candle, regarded as neutral, is an obvious choice for an unknown person or factor. The yellow alternative sometimes perplexes students, yet the reason is relatively simple. Yellow represents the planet Mercury (a greatly misunderstood planet), and the Archangel Raphael, the 'Messenger of the Gods.' He pervades all planes and, having everyone's 'ear,' relays messages or information to where it should go if you are in any doubt. In his positive aspect, he is neutral and his force acts like 'quicksilver' (a 'shape-changer'), which is his metal. He is thus well suited to this purpose and is usually deemed helpful.

Offertory Candles

Finally, we come to the Offertory Candles (O/Cs), which represent the active principle in any situation — the forces at work, for good or ill, that you are trying to manipulate one way or the other. This is shown in the choice of color and in the positions of these candles on the altar. If they are between the petitioner and the petitioned, they may be obstructing the petitioner. If they are between the petitioner and an evil, obstructive force or person, they may well be defending him, as will be shown later. These two latter sets of candles, the Zodiac and Offertory Candles, work on the front section of the altar in front of the Altar Candles, which, for the most part, remain stationary at the rear. The form of the ritual dictates the positions and movement of these candles, which will also be explained later.

Candle Making

Early schools of occultism were adamant that the magician/occultist should try to make everything he was going to use, and there was sound reasoning for this, for by making everything yourself you are giving of your time, and your time is your life. Further, in creating these artifacts, it is necessary to concentrate, in all the stages of their manufacture, on the purpose behind their use. Your equipment becomes 'impregnated' or 'charged' with your personal vibrations or thought forms, which, after anointment or consecration to the force or power behind their intended use, remain personal both to that force or power and to you. Traditionally, this is why these items were not publically displayed or permitted to be touched or used by anyone else. Often they were hidden away in a safe place to prevent anyone else from handling them even inadvertently and thus contaminating them or even destroying their power.

The basic materials are as follows:

Paraffin Wax

Waxes have varying degrees of melting and working temperatures. The most useful and frequently used has a melting point of 133° – 136° F (56° – 58° C).

Stearin

This is a general name for three glycerids, formed by a combination of stearic acid and glycerine, applied chiefly to tristerin, which is the chief constituent of tallow. It is a non-toxic, non-corrosive, white, flaky substance. Stearin makes the candles opaque and the percentage (a ratio of ten percent added to the wax) usually causes the mixture to shrink a little, thus allowing the candle to be extracted from the mold more easily. Wax can be purchased with the stearin already added in the correct proportions. It should be added to, and mixed in, dissolved candle dyes before the dye is added to the wax. This helps by giving better dispersion in the wax.

Wicks (Various Sizes)

The correct choice of wick is most important and must be the right type and size for the candle according to its height and girth. If the wick is too small, it will be swamped by an excess of molten wax and may go out. Too large a wick will have insufficient fuel, and if it does not go out, may burn with a very smoky flame. Often a wick slightly smaller than required is used so that the candle will burn with a hollow centre. This can be very effective in square candles, as symbols can be put on the sides, which is most impressive as the candle burns down. This type of candle makes a very potent 'magical night-light' during hours of darkness, or in times of stress and perplexity. Making sure the wick, trimmed to about a quarter of an inch, is central in...