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The Llewellyn Encyclopedia

Term: candle magic

DEFINITIONS

Candle Magic: “The use of candles in magic dates back many centuries, but the specific system of magic in which colored, anointed candles are the primary tools is a relatively recent innovation, developed in the nineteenth century out of Catholic devotional practices using candles of various kinds. The southern United States, with its rich heritage of hoodoo magic and African tradition, seems to be the homeland of candle magic, with New Orleans probably the original place of invention.

“The basic practices of candle magic involve a detailed color symbolism in which red candles represent sexual desire, green stand for money, white for spirituality and healing, black for cursing and banishing, and so forth. Candles used in magic are “dressed” or anointed with specific oils, which are typically rubbed onto the candle from the middle out to both ends. A candle magic working may simply involve lighting one or more candles and reciting a charm while it burns; it may also involve rearranging candles on an altar to represent the rearrangement in the world that the working is intended to bring about.

“Originally, candle magic was mostly practiced among Southern folk magicians of various kinds, but in recent decades it has spread far more widely. Many Witches and Pagans in the current Pagan revival movements make use of it, as do a great many occultists who simply picked up a book on the subject and found it to their liking.”
source: The New Encyclopedia of the Occult, by John Michael Greer


ARTICLES

Can Runes Be Used for Divination?
The earliest allusions to runes concern divination. The Roman historian Tacitus, writing in 98 A.D., describes how the German priests would cut a bough from a tree and divide it into pieces, then distinguish them by carving into their bark "certain ...
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Review of Tarot of the Celtic Fairies
Summary: A beautifully illustrated deck that perfectly melds the traditional legends of the Celtic fairies with the symbolism of the Tarot. Although it is surprising to find such elegant matching, the Celtic imagery adds much to the traditional ...
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American Middle Pillar & Auric Energizer Technique
Introduction. This is, in some ways, one of the more complex procedures because of the various items listed in the following tables that need to be memorized and visualized before the actual exercise is undertaken. The psychic Centres are truly ...
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A still controversial figure, Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (1911–1986) appears to have been largely self-educated despite having attended prestigious private schools and two years at George Washington University. As the son of a naval ...
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New Age
A phrase adapted by certain occult writers to describe: A belief in a new level of consciousness coincident with the Aquarian Age. A social movement of diverse spiritual and political elements directed toward the transformation of individuals ...
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Review of the Voices of SaintsTarot deck
Summary: A delightful deck with medieval-style illustrations of 78 famous Saints. The Little White Book gives one or two of their major feats along with brief divinatory meanings. For divination you must use the LWB as the images do not have the ...
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Review of Dark Angels Tarot
Summary: The angels who serve the creator are sent to earth to comfort the remaining humans. As they explore a dying world, they discover love and pain, strength and weakness. Through their experiences, we explore our hidden selves and find ...
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Review of the Tarot of the Sweet Twilight
Summary: The Tarot of the Sweet Twilight is a unique and beautiful place where kindnesses are more poignant and pains evoke tenderness. Opposites blend and dance highlighting the beauty in the darker aspects of life and showcasing joy tinged with ...
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Review of the Samurai Tarot
Summary: A deck that delicately imitates the soft pastels of colored Ukiyo-e art in an attempt to shoehorn a brief look at Samurai concepts into the Western Tarot paradigm. The art must be appreciated as should be the dedication of the designer. ...
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The Numbers Eleven and Twenty Two
Two other numbers beyond 1 through 9 in modern numerology are regarded as special or gifted numbers. These numbers are 11 and 22. Eleven is the number of revelation, while 22 is the number of adeptship. Whenever the number 11 or 22 is generated, ...
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The Moon
The 18th Major Arcanum image: a dog and a wolf baying at the rising moon by a body of water, or an owl flying beneath a full moon over water with swimming fish Hebrew letter: Qoph Divinatory meaning: delusion, the unknown, intuition Path on the ...
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Whatever your background is, it's bound to happen to you: the scary paranormal case. We're not talking about your run-of-the-mill haunting here. We're talking portal hauntings, negative entities, and bad earthbound spirits—in a nutshell, things that scare us! These cases usually start out as a seemingly routine investigation; then, somewhere... read this article
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