Dressing Candles, Candle Magick

To "dress" a candle you anoint it with oil or salt-water, rubbing it into the candle from the center toward the ends. Always rub in the same direction. While dressing the candle you should be concentrating hard and visualizing on your magickal intent.

Candles are useful for magickal uses, the reason for this is quite clear and simple:

• Candles are available in a wide range of colors and colors are directly related to magickal energies.
• Candles absorb personal magickal energy easily.
• When burned, candles release their energy over a period of time.

The candle itself, unlit, represents the element, Earth. When touched with fire, the candle melts, producing wax (representative of the element water) and smoke (the element air). This process of elemental symbology is another reason why candles are an accepted part of folk magick.

The Candles

Ideally, the candles will be of solid beeswax, colored with natural dyes and hand-dipped by the Caster (the magickal practitioner). In reality, candles are often made of parrafin, are artificially colored, and mass-produced by factories. Beeswax candles are available in many colors and (are said) to produce the best results, but any candle will work. It doesn't have to be expensive or hand-made, for candles are simply vehicles for the Caster's personal magickal power. Magicians usually select a candle for ritual by it's color, matching it's hue to the type of ritual they'll be doing. This isn't strictly necessary, for the color merely assists the Caster to accurately program personal magickal power. If you can't find the appropriate color for your spell, or you just don't have it, white candles can be used for every magickal purpose.