The history of candle magic can be traced back to ancient times when candles were used not only for practical purposes like providing light, but also for spiritual and magical purposes. The use of candles in religious ceremonies and rituals is a common practice in many cultures. There is evidence of candle magic being practiced in ancient Egypt, where candles were used in rituals to communicate with the gods and to send prayers to the heavens. The ancient Greeks also believed in the power of candles and used them in their religious ceremonies. In medieval times, candle magic became even more popular. Candles were often used in religious ceremonies and were believed to have the ability to bring forth the divine.

The History of Candle Magick

Angel Magick candle rituals allow you to tap into a mighty power for manifesting, healing, and answering prayers. Candles are one of the best divination tool for focusing your mind on positive intentions. When you stare into a candle, you can concentrate on your desires more easily. An important note – When working with candles, it’s crucial to maintain a clear mind-set. It’s also vital to conduct your prayers and put forth your intentions from a place of love, so we implore you never to practice angel magick candle ceremonies while angry or resentful. Your intentions are the most important ingredient when working with candles.

The history of Candles in Spiritual Practices

Archaeologists have found evidence of candle holders in Egypt dating back to the 4th century B.C.E. The abiliy to carry fire and light was very important discovery in the history of civilization, and ancient Egyptians produced the first known candles by dipping reeds into animal fat. Once the task was accomplished with these crude candles, it was deemed important to extend the burning time. Early humans found that wood fibers could be twisted into wicks to prolong the fire.

The candles used in ancient Rome for religious purposes were made of woven vegetable fibers dipped in tallow, wax, or other resinous substances. Until the 15th century C.E. all of the candles in the Catholic Church were forms from beeswax which is a type of odorless solidified kerosene. This is particularly useful for scented candles, as paraffin typically burns without black smoke and has none of the odor associated with beeswax. Most households, temples, and churches use candles. This relatively simple piece of technology is as much alive today as it was in ancient eras.

You have only to look at the common birthday cake to realize that the candle will be with us in ritual practices for a long time to come. Candlelight ceremonies typically have a more solemn and dignified feel than our day-to-day gatherings. Thomas Edison once bragged that the electric lightbulb would be come so prolific that only the rich would buy candles. Little could he have for seen the hundreds of religious families who are voracious consumers of candles regardless of their economic backgrounds. It’s not really all that important if the candle is being used for a Jewish festival-of-lights ceremony, a Catholic prayer, or a Wiccan process—the candle knows no artificial boundary…it simply does its job.

About the Author:

Adored Angel (Desiree Szabo) is an angelic interpreter who sheds gentle light on life’s toughest problems. Her background as a psychic is formal training as a Master Instructor in Integrated Energy Therapy, and the Healing Angels of the Energy Field. She has been practicing her work since early childhood. Her specialty is helping you to see the light, through prayers, healings, cellular angelic energy and angel card readings.

History of candle magic

Candles have a long and interesting history in religious worship, magic, and folklore. They light the way to the sacred, they dispel the forces of darkness, they are associated with ghosts and the dead, they can find buried treasure, and they play a role in incubated dreaming.

The origin of candles is not known, but there is evidence that beeswax candles were used in Egypt and Crete as early as 3000 B.C.E. Other early candles consisted of tapers made of a fibrous material, such as rushes, saturated with tallow.

Ancient peoples observed that candle flames revealed mysterious things. By staring into a flame, one could enter an altered state of consciousness and see gods and spirits, or see the future. The late Egyptians of about the third century used lamps, and possibly candles, in a magic ritual for "dreaming true," or obtaining answers from dreams. The individual retired to a dark cave facing south and sat and stared into a flame until he saw a god. He then lay down and went to sleep, anticipating that the god would appear in his dreams with the answers he sought.

Ancient Pagans used candles and lamps in religious observances, a practice that the Roman Christian theologian Tertullian vehemently protested as "the useless lighting of lamps at noonday." By the fourth century, both candles and lamps were part of Christian rituals, but it was not until the latter part of the Middle Ages, from the twelfth century on, that candles were placed on church altars. The Catholic Church established the use of consecrated holy candles in rituals of blessings and absolving sins, and in exorcizing demons.

Witch-hunt Lore
During the witch-hunts of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, inquisitors' handbooks such as the Malleus Maleficarum (1486) prescribed holy candles as among those consecrated objects "for preserving oneself from the injury of witches." Farmers used holy candles to protect their livestock from danger and bewitchment.

According to the prevailing lore during the witch-hunts, witches were said to light candles at their sabbats as offerings of fealty to the Devil, who was often portrayed as wearing a lighted candle between his horns. The witches lit their candles from the Devil's candle; sometimes he lit the candles and handed them to his followers. Witches also put lighted candles in the faggots of their brooms, which they rode through the air to their sabbats.

It was believed that witches made perverse use of holy candles in putting curses on individuals. According to an English work, Dives and Pauper (1536), "it hath oft been known that witches, with saying of the Paternoster and dropping of the holy candle in a man's steps that they hated, hath done his feet rotten of."

Black Magic
Candles made of human fat were believed to contain life energy, and supposedly were used in the Black Mass in the 17th century, and in other black magic rituals. The Petit Albert, an 18th-century grimoire, claims that a "Magic Candle" made of human tallow would disclose buried treasure. The treasure-seeker took the candle into a cave or other subterranean location. When the candle began to sparkle brightly and hiss noisily, treasure was at hand. The nearer the treasure, the more intensely burned the candle, until it went out at the exact spot. Treasure- hunters were advised to carry along lanterns with consecrated candles, not only for light, but to conjure the spirits of dead men who were said to guard buried treasure. The spirits were to be summoned in the name of God and promised anything in order to help them find "a place of untroubled rest."

At the turn of the 19th century, Francis Barrett, author of The Magus (1801), wrote that candles made of "some saturnine things, such as a man's fat and marrow, the fat of a black cat, with the brains of a crow or raven, which being extinguished in the mouth of a man lately dead, will afterwards, as often as it shines alone, bring great horror and fear upon the spectators about it."

Candles and the Dead
In folklore, candles have a strong association with the dead, perhaps dating back to old Jewish customs, later adopted by Christians, of lighting candles for the dying and dead. A lit candle placed by the bedside of a dying person is believed to frighten away demons. One Jewish custom calls for keeping a lit candle for a week in the room where a person died, perhaps to purify the air. In American folklore, however, a candle burning in an empty room will cause the death of a relative. Superstitions about candles hold that a guttering candle means someone in the house is about to die, and a candle that burns blue means a ghost is nearby.

Wicca and Practical Magic
In some Wiccan rituals, consecrated white candles are placed on altars and at the four quarters of a magic circle. If a ritual calls for it, candles are placed at the points of a pentagram. Colored candles are used in many magical spells; each color has its own vibration, attribute, symbolism and influences.

As part of the preparation for casting a spell, rub a candle with anointing oil while concentrating on the purpose of the spell. The formula of the oil will be determined by the purpose of the spell. Or, write a spell on a candle and then burn it.

The following are some of the energy vibrations and influences evoked by colors. Burning colored candles in magical work enhances the vibration of the colors.

• White: Spiritual truth and strength; purity and purification; meditation; attract benevolent spiritual forces; break curses; feminine principle (in alchemy).
• Pink: Love and friendship; harmony; entertaining; morality; domestic tranquility; the sign of Cancer.
• Red: Sexuality; strength; physical health and vigor; passion; protection; the signs of Scorpio and Aries; masculine principle (in alchemy).
• Orange: Courage; communication; solving of legal problems; concentration; encouragement; the sign of Taurus.
• Yellow: Persuasion; confidence and charm; aid to memory and studying; the signs of Virgo and Gemini.
• Green: Healing; money and prosperity; luck; fertility; the sign of Sagittarius.
• Blue: Psychic and spiritual awareness; peace; prophetic dreams; protection during sleep; the signs of Aquarius and Virgo.
• Purple: Ambition; ruling authority; reversing a curse; speeding healing in illness; extra power; the sign of Pisces; lavender for the sign of Libra.
• Gold: Protection; enlightenment; masculine principle; the Sun; the sign of Leo.
• Silver: Intuition; subconscious; feminine principle; the Moon.
• Brown: Protecting pets; solving household problems; attracting help in financial crises; the sign of Capricorn.
• Gray: Stalemate; neutrality; cancellation.
• Black: Loss; sadness; discord; releasement; negativity.

In angel magic, use colored candles in work with these principal angels:

• Haniel: red and pink
• Michael: gold and yellow
• Gabriel: white and silver
• Raphael: green and orange
• Uriel: ice white and ice blue

History of Candle Magic

The history of candle magic or fire can be traced back to Paleolithic times. Fire is a source of inspiration and its immense power that inspired awe and wonder from ancient man in the early years of our development. Fire, not only kept the cave man warm, cooked his food, but also frightened away animals for their security.

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Can you imagine back in the past not having electricity and having to eat by candle light every night? Today we take so much for granted and now we treat eating by candle light a special occasion. Well historically the very first known candle-type was called rushlights and this was the first use of beeswax and use of animal fats. The process for making rushlights was soaking pithy reeds in animal fats and/or beeswax. This was noted as early as 3000 BC. As tombs of rulers were being unearthed they found candles resembling today’s beeswax candles. It wasn’t until the Romans improved candle making and used wicks of woven fibers to light up their places of worship and their homes.

Before the first candles were invented, ancient cultures used oil lamps for light. The oil lamps are much like the ones we have today with a fiber wick. Back in ancient days the wick was made of flax and their burned as fuel plant oils, olive oil, beeswax and animal fats. The original meaning of the word candle comes from a Latin word Candere which meaning is “to shine.”

Another ancient way to make candles came from India. They made candles for their temples and homes by boiling cinnamon and using the by-product of the boiling to create candles with. In India there was a ban to burn any candle made of animal fats because animals were considered scared.

Candles are the physicaltool to connect to the Element of Fire. Fire has not only lit our way in this life, but it also corresponds directly to life and the creation there of.

Although the importance of the candle died out with the invention of electricity and the light bulb, it’s still important in sacred religious ceremonies in many parts of the world.

As history continued, humans quickly understood the need for light during the dark hours of the night. Later on, this power to illuminate took on a religious significance. In India, presenting a lit oil lamp in front of the God/Goddess is still practiced at home and in temples and it has become ceremonious practice. In Egypt, the followers of Isis kept her temple lamps lit at all hours, both day and night, to symbolize constant hope and life in the afterlife. In Paganism the Sabbat known as Yule (Dec 20-23) involves candles used on the Yule tree. The Festival of Lights, the Sabbat known as Imbolc (February 2nd) and is the Fire Festival for winter purification. In Irish Celtic belief is all centered around Saint Brigid, the Goddess of fire, fertility, home and hearth, livestock, crops, wisdom and poetry For Wiccans and Neo Pagans, this ceremony of lighting a candle signifies the element fire as we call upon the elements to join us in our ritual and draw from their energy. Knowing what candle to light, when to light, moon phases, and what colour to use can increase the potency of the intent of the practitioner. In Christianity lighting candles on or near the altar is an essential part of their practice.

Assignment

1. How do you use candles in your own practice?
2. Why is Fire compared to life and important in ancient Egypt’s tombs?
3. What is the importance of using candles during rituals and crafting work?

Candles were often used in religious ceremonies and were believed to have the ability to bring forth the divine. The practice of using candles for magical purposes also became more widespread during this time. During the Renaissance period, candle magic was further developed and refined.

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It was during this time that specific colors and scents began to be associated with certain intentions and desires. Different colors and scents were believed to have different energies and to be able to enhance specific types of magic. In more recent times, candle magic has become popular in various magical and spiritual traditions, such as Wicca and Hoodoo. In these traditions, candles are used to focus intention and to channel energy. Different colors and scents are still believed to have specific properties and are used accordingly. Today, candle magic continues to be practiced by many people around the world. It is a versatile form of magic that can be adapted and customized to suit individual beliefs and intentions. Whether used for meditation, manifestation, or divination, candles remain an integral part of magical rituals and ceremonies..

Reviews for "Candle magic and religious persecution: A dark chapter in history"

1. Sarah - 1 star

I was really disappointed with "History of candle magic". The author seemed to have a very limited understanding of the topic and provided superficial explanations. The book lacked depth in its research and failed to provide any substantial historical context. The writing style was also dry and uninspiring, making it difficult to stay engaged with the content. Overall, I was left feeling unsatisfied and would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a comprehensive understanding of candle magic.

2. Mark - 2 stars

I found "History of candle magic" to be quite underwhelming. While the book did touch on some interesting aspects of candle magic, it failed to go into enough detail or offer any practical advice. I was hoping to gain a deeper understanding of the history and significance of candle magic, but the author only scratched the surface. The lack of supporting evidence or references also undermined the credibility of the information presented. Overall, I felt the book could have been more thorough and informative.

3. Emily - 3 stars

"History of candle magic" was an average read for me. While the book did provide some interesting information about the origins of candle magic, I found the writing style to be dull and repetitive. The author seemed to rehash the same information multiple times without delving into any new insights. Additionally, the lack of visual aids, such as illustrations or diagrams, made it difficult to visualize some of the concepts discussed. Overall, I would say this book is okay for beginners looking for a basic introduction to candle magic, but it falls short in terms of depth and originality.

4. Alex - 2 stars

I was quite disappointed with "History of candle magic". Despite its promising title, the book failed to deliver a comprehensive exploration of the subject. The author focused too much on personal anecdotes and anecdotes of others, instead of providing a thorough historical account. This approach made the book feel more like a memoir rather than an educational resource. Furthermore, the lack of organization in the content made it difficult to follow and find specific information. Overall, I believe there are better books out there for those interested in studying the history of candle magic.

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