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What you put into this book both substantively and spiritually reflects who you are now and what you hope to be in the future. So, it's not something to slap together recklessly or without some consideration.
Exactly where you find your information is up to you. Talk to people you respect and trust, look through well-documented books, watch educational tapes or programs on the Craft, make notes of your own personal experience and insights, take notes at gatherings you attend, and so forth. As you do, make sure to write down the source from which you received the information. There are several reasons for this:
You may want to go back to that source later for more insights or clarification.
You may want to recommend that source to someone else.
When writing an article or speaking about the subject, you'll want to be able to cite your resources.
If you integrate any materials into a public ritual or other public forums, copyright laws require proper acknowledgment.
At this stage of the game, I highly recommend drafting or writing up your notes in one place and transferring them into your formalized book later. Drafting the information gives you the chance to mull over several important questions including:
1. What parts of the assembled information do you feel are the most timeless and inspiring? These are the sections you'll want to give the most attention to when you transfer them into your
spell book.
2. What parts of the gathered information can you do without (in other words, it's not really reflective of your vision or your
flavor of magic)? You can either throw these portions away or keep them in a separate file or binder. The advantage to the second option is having materials that offer "food for thought" for research or to get a different perspective.
3. What part of the information do you anticipate becoming quickly outdated? You probably want to keep this for a while in a three-ring binder so you can add in updates as necessary.
4. What parts of the material do you need to personalize, expand, shorten, or otherwise edit? Play around with these until they feel just right (but still keep a note of where they original concept came from).
5. What's the best way to present the materials you decide to keep in completed form? Do they need to be printed, written in calligraphy or typed? Should a specific color or aroma be added? Do you want to mix the information with art or illustrations?
6. How can you best organize this material? There's nothing more frustrating than needing information from your Book of Shadows and not remembering where you put it. So, carefully consider into which section of the book each piece of information should go, and if it should be repeated anywhere or cross-referenced.
You'll note from reading the last five points that your Book of Shadows may actually consist of several different books or
sub files. One book acts as the core of your faith. Another tome (or storage area) houses things that change quickly like popular books about magic, and yet another maintains information from other systems that you might want to use for comparative study or alternative outlooks.
Why bother with so many different types of storage? First, when you put a lot of work into a beautifully crafted
spell book, you don't want to be ripping or blotting sections out! Second, while a lot of things can be helpful to our arts, they're not always timely or practical. Your main
spell book should contain the ideas, methods, and correspondences that you need almost daily, not a lot of extraneous material. Having alternative places in which to store this extra material alleviates both problems.
Each edition of the spell book can be maintained most easily on a computer disk. For those who don't have access to computers, try suitably labeled filing folders or small three-ring binders instead. Here are some of the alternatives you might want to have, other than those already cited.
~ A table of contents and an index for ease of reference. This should give the page and edition location for each subject.
~ Magical Artists: Musicians, writers, painters, etc. who really inspire you. These will change with the times and so it's best to keep the list separate or as a section in one of your secondary
spell book editions.
~ Techno magic: Because technology is transforming faster than anyone can keep up with, this is definitely a section that will need regular updates and reformatting.
~ Internet Resources: Along with technology, the Internet shifts and changes faster than most people change their socks. It's almost impossible to keep this data current, so store it where you can delete, add, and change listings frequently.
~ Networking Contacts: We live in a very mobile society, so you'll probably want to keep your magical address book separate from the main text.
For Your Book of Shadows,
Part I
Novelty Candles
Yes, you've seen them - Dispel Evil Candle, Prosperity Candle, Success Candle, Double Fast Luck Candle - are these candles better than the ones you pick up at the grocery store? Probably not. Any shop owner or business can give a candle a name. I've even been told there are
Raven Wolf candles. Can you believe it? I can't either. Trust me - I didn't make them. Named candles usually follow the connection between color and noted desire. Unless you know that during the making of the candle, specific herbals or oils were used, then these candles won't pack any more punch than those at your local supermarket. If you are on a tight budget, then skip the name candles and dress a plain candle with a favorite oil. You can even roll the candle in your hands, then roll it in your favorite magickal powder. In all fairness, some reputable dealers offer properly prepared candles according to their names. These candles usually have a piece of paper with them indicating the ingredients used to prepare it.
Let's take a moment and go over those shaped candles that march across the occult shop shelves. You know, there go the cats, followed by the people who stand beside those scary-looking devil candles, who crouch next to the skull candles, who look vacantly at the mummy candles, who are all tied up next to the snake candles, who slither to the. . . well, you get my meaning. We call these candles specialty or novelty candles.
The various shapes and depictions refer to universal consciousness symbols, or
thought forms passed down from generation to generation, culture to culture. These novelty candles work in sympathy with your desire. Just as hex signs, dream catchers, and
Mandela's require activation to work, so too of the novelty candles, therefore these candles require the process of cleansing, blessing, and empowerment before use. Many practitioners use novelty candles in conjunction with petition and herbal
magick. Not all Wiccans or candle practitioners use these novelty candles, and their use appears to be more prevalent around ingrained folk traditions and practices, especially where vast numbers of a particular race, culture, or religious mythos have migrated in the larger metropolitan areas. In the seventies one would always be able to find novelty candles in occult shops, but today, with a definite division between occult, new age, or spiritual shops, you may have difficulty finding them, unless you live near an area where ethnic
magick prevail. From a business standpoint, novelty candles do not ship well and often arrive to the shop broken or damaged in some way. Finally, novelty candles carry a hefty price tag compared to a simple colored candle that will work in the same manner. Although candle shapes sometimes find or the Black Arts, this isn't a fair assumption. Again, misinformation and the unfortunate practices of a very few (speaking in terms of Black Magick) have given novelty candles a bad rap. As with any type of magick, keep your intentions pure and your workings positive. Sometimes novelty candles (especially with mail order) come with directions, but more likely than not you'll find the candles perched in a row in an occult shop without information on what to do with them, their history, or what they mean. If you ever have a question about a novelty candle, make a special effort to ask the shop owner the full range of possibilities that each candle may represent, as he or she understands it. This will give you an idea of the energies represented by the entire shop, not just the candle in question. Remember, as with all candle
magick, the use of oils, herbals, and powders can intensify the novelty candle's intensity.
The Cat Candle.
Candles in the shape of animals relate to their totem energies. The cat candle is the most prevalent animal candle sold in occult shops. They come in a variety of colors and sizes. Many individuals equate the cat candle to mystery traditions, feminine energy, or the Egyptian Bast Goddess form. Cat candles basically fall into the prosperity category. Burn a black cat candle to reverse bad luck, break minor hexes, and bring good luck The green cat candle relates to money and gambling magick or the healing of a sick pet or farm stock. Red cat candles function as love attraction or to heighten the energy during a romantic evening. Cat candles work well for spells involving workings of more than one day. Associate the numbers 3,7,9, and 11 with cat candles.
The Cross Candle or Calvary Candle
These are used primarily by those individuals who practice Christianity or a folk religion that includes the trappings of Christianity, although the candle can be useful for anyone. Many Wiccans find the cross offensive, for as they understand this ancient symbol, which predates Christianity, it stands for attack. Cross candles come in a variety of colors, each candle sympathetically attuned to the meaning of the color. Also called the floral cross candle, the designs of embossed keys and the holy book equate to the act of unlocking wisdom and holy secrets as well as overall protection. Cross candles make nice gifts for your Christian friends, and will work well for them in angel magick.
The Devil or Satan Candle
This is rarely used by Wiccans or Witches simply because of their aversion to this evil entity. I've never quite understood the use for this candle, because burning an effigy of ultimate evil would, to me, bring ultimate evil upon you. However, some candle magick practitioners use this candle to break hexes, perform exorcism rites, remove jinxes, and destroy sinister forces. Since there are many other ways to do these same
magick without employing the Satan candle, I've never worked with one.
Figure Candles.
These have a variety of uses, depending on the color chosen. Red, black, brown, pink, and white figure candles each have their own assignation of energies. Red: To bring love. Black: To repel a negative individual. Brown: To find lost items and return them to their owners, or to help restore qualities in an individual which have weakened. Pink: Promote friendship. White: To bring spirituality. You can also employ figure candles as petition or astral candles, meaning you purchase the candle to represent yourself. Figure candles work well for workings of healing for an individual that will last several days. You can use the figure candle in place of a
puppet by loading the bottom of the candle with herbs and something in sympathy (such as hair, nail clippings, et cetera) to facilitate healing (I have provided instructions for loading a candle later in this section).
With the permission of the other person involved, figure candles help to form a telepathic link between one person and another. If you are learning to send or receive information from a magickal partner, and wish to run several experiments, try them with and without the figure candles.
Double Action Candles.
These contain two colors: a variety of colors on top, and black on the bottom. The upper color may be red, green, or white, though I have seen other colors employed. The combination of black and another color allows negative forces to repel and positive forces to take action. Black and white double action candles fall under the realms of more spiritual pursuits, house
banishing, or other types of cleansing. Black and green candles work well for prosperity
magick, success spells, and overall abundance. You can also use the black and green double action candle to protect property or bring the appropriate property to you. Black and red double action candles help to relieve sexual dysfunctions, clear negative energy away from a marriage and bring a renewed sense of joy, or correct energy problems within the home.
Triple Action Candles.
These work in the same manner as the double action candles, with an extra color for another type of magickal activation. Color symbology, as with most novelty candles, follows the standard interpretations.
Charka Candles.
Charka candles, usually enclosed in glass, contain the seven colors of the energy vortexes of the body: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, and white. Some candle makers pour the colors from red to white, where others may pour the colors from white to red. The
charkas candles work great for meditation, cleansing of body and mind, house blessings, and other activities where you feel you need the full spectrum of color in the magickal activity.
Floating Candles.
Floating candles do exactly what their title implies-they float in liquid. These candles work well for employing equal balance of water and fire elements in your working, and work wonderfully for
scurrying. Simply fill a bowl with water, light the candles, set them afloat in the bowl, turn out the lights, relax, let the candles settle, then gaze into the bowl.
Mummy Candles.
Mummy candles usually fall under the heading of power or success; however, some practitioners use the candle to ward off negativity, catch stalkers, or keep mysterious and dark energies at bay, especially during times of sickness. One may use the mummy candle in ceremonies symbolizing death and rebirth.
Reversible candles.
Reversible candles begin with a red body, then are dipped in black wax. The purpose hinges on burning away harmful energies and energizing the situation in a healthy way. Reversible candles can function as daily partners in magick if you are experiencing a rough patch or find yourself involved in negative circumstances.
Seven-knob or Wishing Candles.
These particular candles have a variety of uses and are a favorite design among magickal practitioners due to their ease in timing. The seven knobs work for one wish or for seven separate wishes. Write each wish onto a knob with a heated nail or pin, or write each wish on a piece of paper and thumbtack the paper to each knob. These candles come in a variety of colors and stand approximately seven inches high. As with other candles, energies associated with these candles correspond to their colors. Red for love, black for banishing, white for spirituality, green for prosperity, and so on. If you can't find a seven-knob candle, take a pillar candle and, with a knife, cut six notches equal distance from each other. Regardless of whether you buy a knob candle or make your own with the pillar candle, if you use the candle for a seven-day spell, don't skip any days, as you break the pattern and knock the foundation out of your magickal building.
Skull candles.
Available in a variety of colors, from white, black, green, to red, though I have seen skulls of other unusual colors. The skull candle's primary purpose falls in the realm of banishment, destruction of disease, or separation. Magickal applications involving white skull candles revolve around healing, protection, and peace, though I have used a white skull candle to separate an abusive husband from his wife when she was desperately in trouble. White was all I had, so that's what I used. If you work ancestral
magick or have an ancestral shrine, you can place a picture of your deceased loved one underneath a white skull candle, and burn the candle while praying for them. Early American Witches (Powwow Doctors/Artists) fully believed that you could pray for a person any time, whether that person was alive or dead, to help them along their karmic path. With thought, I find this odd, as most Powwow practitioners took on the Protestant religion (as that was the most prevalent in their areas), rather than the Catholic religion, which would have given them more freedom for candle magick. This is not to say that there weren't any Catholic Powwows, simply very few in comparison to their Protestant compatriots.
The green skull candle has both positive and malefic uses. If someone owes you money, it's time to break out the green skull candle to get your money back or to receive what's owed to you. Green skull candles work well in magickal applications that require healing of the mind after bodily sickness or an emotional upset, memory retention for school students or endeavors where the focus entails good recall, or for individuals who suffer from more difficult mental disturbances. At its worst, the green candle separates someone from their fortune.
The red skull candle finds its use in jettisoning a love that is not good for you or for urging unpleasant neighbors to move away. Other uses of the red skull candle involve the saving of a marriage or relationship crossed by karmic circumstances, or where love is in trouble by miscommunication on behalf of one or both partners. If you've got a stray lover on your hands, the red skull candle works well to pull him or her back; however, as with all relationships, perhaps pulling this person back would not be the best for all.
"Skull Candles of the appropriate colors can be of great aid to activists who must deal with bureaucracies. The large entities can be equated to headless monsters that feed off the life energies of their employees. By using the Skull Candle to represent the thought form of the bureaucracy, you can tap this thought form's energy and thus control much of what happens to it. By making the thought form feed upon itself, you can destroy it or allow it to restructure?'1
Snake Candles.
Snake candles, sometimes called bust-away candles, take the shape of large, round candles about two inches in diameter and eight or nine inches tall, decorated with an embossed snake. Magickal applications involving these candles lean toward destruction of negativity and protection, and can be burned approximately once every twenty-eight days. Use the snake candle to awaken Kundalini energies, or pull the snake into your ritual circle as a totem energy.
Witch Candles.
Witch candles, although not usually attractive (darn, they still can't get it right, can they?), provide the magickal practitioner with a multitude of uses, from practicing
glamorizes to representing the totality of our religion. Some practitioners see this candle as an extremely potent love catalyst, where others equate the energies to the Goddess or the lineage of those who have gone before us.
Heart Candles.
Heart candles conjure a strong symbolism to romance. Burn red heart candles for luck in love, white heart candles for purity in love, and pink heart candles for strengthening a friendship.
Angel Candles.
Angel candles come in a variety of colors. According to color, use for healing, higher learning, spirituality, creativity, and workings with angel magick or angel ritual.
Some magickal practitioners feel that novelty candles belong only to beginners, where other practitioners believe that specialty candles fall under the expertise of advanced magickal individuals. Go figure.
Flipping Candles
The practice of flipping a candle to repel negativity and to reduce erratic energy flow dates back to Gypsy practices and was prevalent during Early American Witchcraft. Gypsies would flip their candles to ensure they wouldn't get pinched when committing a crime, or that if unfortunate incarceration might occur, escape or release would manifest. To flip a candle,
Hex Craft practitioners took a white taper candle (later, in the mid- 1900s, when the stigma of colors in candles died, red tapers were used) and cut the top off the candle. Then they cut the wax from around the bottom of the candle, leaving the wick exposed, and placed the candle in a safe holder (with bottom up and taper end in the holder). Light the exposed wick to repel and release any negativity. You can develop a chant or use a spell of release.
You can flip candles to repel an unwanted lover, someone who is interfering in your love life or your career, or whatever. Flipping three black, red, and brown candles will assist in repelling a stalker. Of course, you did do all the normal things someone would do when encountering such a situation. Don't ever rely on just flipping a candle for something so terribly serious. What happens when we flip those three colors? We repel evil (black), we repel the person's unwanted energy (red), and we repel that person's friendship (brown).
If you need to hurry, you can light a candle upside down and hold the candle that way for a few seconds to perform a "quickie" banishing of unwanted energies. Watch out for drips.
Loading Candles
Magickal practitioners often combine ground herbals or magickal powders with their candle magick. Loading the candle entails combining candles, herbs, and powders. For this purpose, you will need a candle with at least a one-inch base (it's better if it is two or three inches in diameter). Carefully carve out a hole in the bottom of the candle with a warmed knife or small spoon (this will help to eliminate breakage). Load your empowered herbs or magickal powder into the hole. Melt the wax shavings and pour over the packed mixture. Allow to cool. Scrape the bottom of the candle with a warmed knife to smooth the surface if necessary. Place in a candle holder for stability.
Suggested Reading
The Candle Magick Workbook by Kala & Ketz Pajeon. Citadel Press. 1995.
Charms, Spells, and Formulas by Ray Maibrough. Llewellyn Worldwide. 1994.
Advanced Candle Magick by Ray Buckland. Llewellyn Worldwide. 1996.
A Bard's Book of Pagan Songs by Hugin the Bard. Llewellyn Worldwide. 1996.
1. From page 197 of The Candle Magick Workbook by Kala & Ketz Pajeon (Citadel Publishing,
1995).
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