CANDLE MAGIC
Cast a virtual spell!
There’s good reason why candle magic is the most preferred way to cast a spell: it works.
Who can deny the ethereal beauty of candlelight? A flame provides warmth, light, and a strong focal point, but any witch will tell you that a candle itself is only one piece of the rich tapestry we call magic. A candle is a tool; so are herbs, oils, and incense.
The most powerful ingredient of any spell is YOU.
Yes, you read that correctly. YOU. When you breathe deeply, concentrate, and merge your own specific intention with the transformative power of fire, you create a gateway for manifestation.
A big question might be running through your mind right about now: Can it really be that easy?
The answer: Yes! But as with any skill, magic requires practice. A virtual spell might not feel as authentic as holding a candle, inscribing your initials into the wax, and catching the first whiff of that burning wick. But magic is practical. Let’s say you need to cast a quick protection spell for yourself or a loved one in the middle of a workday but can’t (for obvious reasons) set a real candle on your desk and allow it to burn for two hours. What if you find yourself sitting on a bus – on your way to an important meeting or job interview – and the idea of casting a spell for good luck or self-confidence seems like a very good (but logistically impossible) idea? How about that exhilarating hour before a promising first date? A love (or lust) spell might serve you well.
VIRTUAL MAGIC
That’s where virtual magic comes in handy. You can cast a spell right here, right now. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve cast a thousand spells or haven’t uttered a prayer in twenty years. Nor does it matter whether you’re sitting in front of an altar or standing in the middle of a bustling airport. Magic is about energy and intention – your energy and your intention.
If you’re having a hard time making the connection between modern technology and magic, consider the following points.
The candle you’re going to see on your screen? Think of it as a mechanism – like your cell phone. You need it in order to get something done: a conversation, an email, an Internet search.
Your intention might be to bring more protection into your life, send healing vibes to a sick loved one, or make sure the renovation project in your home goes smoothly. Think of your intention as an important text message. You need to get that message to someone in a clear, concise, and fully coherent manner. So you hit the text button, fill in a contact, and then type out your message. If it’s an important text, you’re going to take a few deep breaths, make sure that your body is relaxed and your mind free of distractions. Then you’re going to concentrate and choose your words carefully.
Even though you know the text message is well written and that your message has been clearly communicated, you need a minute to think it through, so you save the text as a draft or just put your phone down. It’s likely that the text details the end result, or the goal, of the message. It’s also likely that you’ve already visualized that end result and felt the happiness, excitement, relief, or serenity that accompanies it. In fact, if you read the text you just wrote, you’ll experience those feelings again. And they’re good feelings – or why else would you be writing the message?
Pleased with the message you’ve crafted, excited about the response you’ll receive, and fully confident that the end result will be attained because of your effort and the focused attention you infused it with, you hit SEND.
The missive has been sent through the ether and to someone else’s phone. The wheels are in motion. It’s done.
These are the components of a virtual spell. The only difference is that you’re “sending” your message out into the universe instead of to a specific person.
UNLESS OF COURSE, YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, GODDESS, SPIRIT, THE ALL, – or whatever else you call divinity.
Incidentally, if you pray to Adonai, Jesus Christ, Allah, Hecate, Osiris, Pan, or the Virgin Mary, feel free to address your virtual candle directly to them. Same thing goes for the saints or an ancestor with whom you have a particularly strong connection. It’s okay to get personal. It’s also okay to trust the ambiguity of the universe and technology itself…because you already do – Every. Single. Day.
When you send a text message to your BFF, do you actually see the virtual pathways upon which that message travels?
No. Not at all. Maybe the message shoots through a sparkling (but totally invisible) tunnel before reaching your BFF’s phone. Maybe the pathway looks like a wind funnel or a cresting wave. Does it look like a roller coaster? The point to remember here is that you have no visual evidence that your text message – or email, for that matter – is flying off to its intended recipient. But you trust the process completely. You hit SEND and don’t give it another thought. When the little DELIVERED message appears on your screen, do you spend much time wondering how it all went down? No. You’re just glad that it happened.
What you know is that technology – like electricity – is real.
It fires up your phone, computer, car, and hundreds of other items. You trust the unseen world of technology with your own life, not to mention the lives of your loved ones. When you “arm the house” before going to sleep at night, you put your trust in an alarmed security system that’s been designed to protect you against intruders. If you had to explain how that security system works, you’d say something like: “I punch in a secret code and then all the doors and windows are kind of sealed. If someone tries to force their way inside, we’re all woken up by a loud and persistent noise, and the local police precinct is alerted that there’s been a breach of security at my house.”
That’s a good answer, but can you see your house getting “armed” after you punch in that code? No. You do not witness bright laser beams encircling the windows and doors. But (again) you trust the process. Why? Because more often than not, it works. There are instances when the WiFi goes down or a text message fails to reach its intended recipient, but for the most part, our technological world runs pretty seamlessly.
It’s much the same when it comes to magic.
The only difference is that most of us have been conditioned to believe that magic isn’t real. If you can’t see, taste, touch, smell, hear, or feel something, it’s labeled invisible, intangible, or downright fantastical. As recently as thirty years ago, people scoffed at the idea of small telephones that are, in fact, pocket-sized computers. But cell phones are our main form of communication today.
Our very recent ancestors would have shunned the idea of airplanes, let alone the space shuttle, yet we can fly across continents with speed and ease. Much of our present-day reality was perceived as fantastical – or magical – not so very long ago. It’s important to remember that the advancements we’ve made were imagined before they were willed into existence. Those “scientists” who work in laboratories, manipulate energy, and discover what isn’t yet visible to the naked eye? They’re witches! The “technology” that enhances our lives? It’s magic!
Dion Fortune, occultist and witch, coined what is the most commonly used definition of magic: “the art of changing consciousness at will.”
In other words, you don’t have to wait around for something big to happen in your life; you can make it happen without having to wait around.
That thing you want so badly – be it love, money, perfect health, a hot sex life, a new car, a months-long vacation in Tahiti – is very much within reach. Stop wishing for good luck. Stop feeling as though you have to become someone you’re not in order to get something you know you deserve. You can manifest it yourself.
To quote the late, great witch Dr. Leo Louis Martello: “The weak find a way out; the strong find a way.” Magic happens when you relinquish the antiquated beliefs holding you back and get clear about what you want.
