CANDLE MAGICK

In Greece, all ceremonies and new enterprises began with an offering to the altar of Hestia, as Vesta was then known. I ask Vesta as Goddess of the hospitality of the hearth to welcome you to this work. Within Vesta's sanctuary of protection may you safely explore her ancient, magickal, ever-renewing fire. Before her hearth, upon your altar, may your goals find their point of focus, intensify, and then be released to manifest in the world for your greatest good and that of All Creation.

Forgotten Magick

We can still find Candle Magick hidden in many of our holiday and cultural celebrations. For Example:

All Hollows or Samhain - This is the one night of the year when the thin veil between the living and the dead can easily be breached and divination is best. many Latin American cultures still keep with the custom of preparing an altar on this night and placing upon it a picture of the departed loved ones. Candles, representing the spirits of the dead, are also placed upon the altar along with various symbols of death. Symbols of life represented by food, clothing, and tools are then added in hope that the departed will return to visit those left behind. Over the years, this ceremony of love has been perverted into a ceremony of fear, now known colloquially as Halloween. Candles are placed in grotesque jack-o-lantern's to ward off evil and keep away the dead. The ugly faces on pumpkins and masks are designed to frighten away such "evils" as ghosts, demons, goblins, and ghouls. The roots of this loving-turned-fearful ceremony are often lost on the children, dressed in scary costumes, going door to door for treats.
Birthdays - Many cultures made use of a tall candle marked in twenty-one segments. The candle, purchased and blessed on the birthday of the child, was then lit on each consecutive birthday until the child reached maturity at age of twenty-one. The burning of the candle on each birthday represented the gratitude of the child and family to a deity for that past year of life and also petitioned for many prosperous and healthful years to come. The magickal and religious aspects of this candle burning have for the most part been lost and replaced with the small candles atop the birthday cade. The honoree is then told to "make a wish" which will come true if all candles are extinguished in one blow. The participants probably never realize they are indulging in Candle Magick.
Candlewalk - According to The Folklore of American Holidays, 1987, a remnant of the ancient midwinter fire festival appears today, celebrated regularly on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve by the people of rural Bladen County in North Carolina. On this festive occasion, women and children disappear into a secret place, each adult carrying a torch or candle, while men must stay behind. Usually the men wait in a nearby church as it is rumored the penalty for following the women can be death. Later, the women and children return, walking in a single file toward the church. Upon their entering, each torch and candle is extinguished. This Candlewalk ritual - still a very secret rite about which little is actually known - is believed to be a form of worship of the Virgin Mary. It possibly consists of a celebration of the rite of passage of children into puberty.
Devotion Candles - These are usually tapers, votive, novena, or oil candles that are offered to a particular Saint, Deity, or Loa for their help. Pagans, Catholics, and some Protestants, along with devotees of many African-based religions, still remember the value of a candle in ritual, magick, and prayer.
Drawing Down the Sun - In order to obtain a flame that was untouched or uncontaminated by mortals, ancient magickians and priests often used a piece of natural glass that would concentrate and magnify the Sun's rays. The rays were directed onto some dried grass, herbs, or holy resins. Once heated, the fuel would ignite into a flame to kindle the holy fires. Thus the fire was indeed sacred, as it was kindled by the deity.
Funerals - Candle or Fire Magick has played a significant role in funeral services of all cultures since the dawn of civilization. Funeral pyres cremated the physical remains. Torches and candles lined the processional paths to guide the spirit to the final resting place. Ancestors were guided across the threshold of death by song, dance and fire. Today, for some whom the funeral ritual has lost much of its spiritual significance, modern crematoriums and electric lights have replaced the open fire and candle. Many, though, still make use of the flame, in some form, to light the way for the departed.
Hanukkah - The Feast of Lights. This is an eight-day Jewish victory celebration commemorating the defeat of King Antiochus IV, who had sent troops to Judea to destroy the Jewish religion. It also commemorates the rededication of the temple and the relighting of the perpetual fire. Candles are lit for eight consecutive nights to celebrate this festive occasion. Imbolg - A celebration of the Fire Goddess Brigid, also known as Brid, Bride, Bright, Bridgit, Brigit. The word Imbolg means "New Lambs" or "In the Womb." Imbolg signals the beginning of Spring and the birth of new life. It is also called the Feast of Lights or the Feast of Pan.
The Spirit of the House - When a household has known much happiness and prosperity, there is an old belief that the house has a good spirit. you can invite this spirit to accompany you when you move by taking the flame from the fireplace and using it to light a large candle. You then carry the lit candle to the new house and use it to start the new hearth fire.
Vernal Equinox - The time each year when all sacred or perpetual fires were extinguished. Holy men and women would relight the sacred flames in a ritual rededication. Members of the community then took home with them a spark of hte Deity to relight their own hearth fires. This ritual was believed to bring prosperity and protection for the coming year to all who participated and demonstrated dedication to the Deity.
Vigilance Candles - Vigilance candles are used to creat unity and change. Lit candles, each held by an individual, channel the masses' spiritual energy toward the desire goal. A lone vigilance candle, usually placed in a window or upon an altar, is used to guide the return or manifest the protection of a loved one on a journey.
Yule - The Yule celebration of rebirth, symbolized by the coming of the Sun and warmth once again to a cold environment on the longest night and shortest day of the year, predates Christianity. The Goddess, pregnant with life, the embodiment of regeneration, reincarnation, the renewal of all life, gives birth to the Sun. With the advent of Christianity, the pagan rituals gave way to the religious aspect of the SON rather than the SUN being celebrated at Yule. Whatever the reason for celebrating the Yule, all those participating used candles to signify rebirth. From the pagan altar candles to the Yule log fire and the Christmas tree lights, the spirit of birth and rebirth remains prevalent over the Yule season.

There are hundreds of similar examples of man's use and worship of fire. Taking an overall look at the way fire has been used as a tool, one can readily see that Candle Magick has been an intricate part of our lives.