Do You Prefer Snuffed or Blown?

Image Source

Would you rather be snuffed or blown? If you're a man, you're probably thinking blown. *wink*

In this case I am speaking about your ritual candles. There are certain "rules" that some say one must follow to extinguish candles. (I.E. One must snuff a candle out to properly extinguish it) I however, being Eclectic and hating rules that says what I must do... do not follow this rule.

I've heard all the reasons why snuff is better.

• You shouldn't put one element out with another.
• You'll upset the Gods
• It will ruin your built energy. 

 I say, HOG WASH. 

I extinguish my candles with my breath, which is an extension of my energy. As I blow toward the candle I think about my intent. My breath transforms the flame into smoke, which then carries my intent away to spirit. I think of it as an extra boost of energy at the end of the ritual. I've certainly never experienced a drop in energy I have raised. Nor have I been spanked by the Gods for some slight I've caused.

Incidentally, if a candle refuses to be blown out, I take it as a sign that the work is not finished. I leave it burning. ;) When all is said and done though, I don't think it matters which one you chose to do.

This question came up when I was talking about my son yesterday. He's watched us do rituals and loves to try to blow candles out. :)  At Inanna's yesterday he tried his best to blow out the candle. Though at Inanna's they do snuff out rather than blow.

Do you prefer to snuff or blow? Why or why not?

A Years Reflection

Source unknown

The year is almost over and now is the time when I usually go back through my pictures and writing to see where I've been. Often through reflection I can see where I might be headed in the future.

Here are some posts I am very proud to have written and I think deserve a second read.





There's been a lot of talk lately about mental illness. Here's a post written in January on mental illness and psychic ability.

Is Psychic Ability & Mental Illness linked?

Who could forget the gentleman who decided to punish his daughter in a very public way by making a Youtube video and shooting her computer!

Tough Love Parenting

I've often said that I don't meditate enough. As a busy mom with two kids it's hard to find time to myself. However in March I did find a little time to receive this message from my great Granny. Her message of patience is a good one. Sometimes we just have to wait because what we want isn't the right time to manifest.

A message from my ancestors.

Do you like to keep candle magick simple? This candle magick I performed didn't work out as I had envisioned it, but my husband did have a job soon thereafter.

Keep Candle Magick simple

Here's a personal tale of caution. Good intentions sometimes have very bad consequences.

Be careful what you witch for.


Do you like tradition? I don't like to feel boxed in. Tradition is fine and daddy when it uplifts you. However when it is restrictive and discourages growth I feel it is harmful. Which is why I'm eclectic. Here is a message from me encouraging you to break free from those traditions that suppress your nature and personal potential.

Tradition limits creativity & spiritual growth

Sometimes I don't know everything! Shocking I know. So here's a post I made after learning the true meaning of the Ichthys symbol. This post wins the best catchy title award and is one of the most visited posts this year.

Vagina On My Car Please

Here's a personal change of mine. Cernunnos came into my life. At the time when Cernunnos offered to "teach me to hunt", I took it to mean teach me how to be successful. I no longer think that. I think he meant teach me how to love a man in a fatherly way.

Lord of the Hunt

It's not often that I share rituals. Here is a ritual I wrote for a friend and shared here on my blog.

A Year & a Day ritual

It's not often I write poems, however this one I think is one of the best I've ever written.

Celebration of the Stag

We're almost to that moment of truth when we find out if Dec 21st is the most important day in history if if it'll turn into a dud like Y2K. Here's my thoughts on the Mayan calendar and the end of days.

Spiritual & Personal Awakening

The year couldn't be complete without my opinion on telling children about Santa.

No good lie: A discussion of Santa Clause

Reflect on your life this year. What has been your major success and major downfall? If you're a blogger, what is the one blog post you're the most proud of?

PBP: Candle Magick

Prompt: Candle Magic

Do you use candle magic in your spells/rituals?

How do you do it?

What would you recommend for beginners?

Candle Magick is one of the most basic magickal works IMO. I certainly do recommend it for beginners. Even if your not a beginner, it has its place in your magical repertoire.  Each spell is different, and I'm not a witch who shares spells. But with candle magick there's always a "formula" I follow. 

1. First, if you can, make your candle from scratch. I know that's not always possible and store bought candles do work. But the more energy you put into your purpose the better. 
2. Second, carve key words into the side of your candle such as prosperity for more money or new job, success, protection, love, etc... Choose the appropriate buzz word(s) for your purpose. 
3. Anoint your candle with an herbal oil appropriate to your purpose. You can find these oils at most metaphysical stores or you can make your own.
4. I like to place my candle in a bed of loose herbs as well. Please be careful of a fire. Never leave your candle unattended. As the wax melts it blends in with the herbs and adds energy to your purpose. 
5. Write your ritual and at the end, I always burn the paper I've written it on. While burning, I visualize my words as the smoke going up to spirit. 
6. Burn the entire candle. DO NOT reuse the candle for something else. Since most paraffin candles burn for many hours, you can extinguish the candle and re-light it later. In this case, save your written ritual and repeat it every time you light the candle. When you know your candle is about to go out for the last time, burn the paper.
   

Keep Candle Magick Simple

Hi Everyone! I know its been a bit since I've wrote. I've noticed there a few more people following my blog so a big wave and hello to them.

Last night I did a little mini spell again. Just a green candle, some herbs that represent change and/or financial gain, and a few simple words. I let my husband write it. I sort of chastised my husband for making it so simple. It went something like... You know what we want, help me!
Not those exact words but you get the point Dh was trying to make.

Do you find that its beneficial to keep rituals simple? Or do you need more elaborate rituals? I like a combination of both. Since I wasn't inspired by words yesterday, I had to let DH come up with it. It seems to have worked. I got a call for Dh today about an application he put in last week. DH was at "work". When I say work I mean the states version of slave labor. He's assigned a job by the state so we receive TANF. The thing is he works basically a full time job for pennies. But that's going off on a completely separate issue.

I took the cell phone and the phone number up to DH so he could call them on his break. So hopefully he will have an interview and possibly a job soon! Though the job is located 2 hrs away. We would have to move, which I don't mind if he gets the job.

I hope this all falls into place. I still have the candle and herbs. When DH comes home I will burn a little bit more of it again to keep the positive energy going.

Another point, when you go to blow out a candle, if it doesn't blow out do you leave it going? I always view that as a sign that it doesn't wish to go out yet and I let it burn. My tools all have a mind of their own sometimes. ;) Yesterday I went to blow the candle out when we were preparing to do the dishes. I was blowing right over top of it and it wouldn't go out, so I just left it alone till later. When it did go out, I was able to blow it out at a distance fairly easily.

In what ways do you keep your craft simple?

A favourite candle.

My favorite candles are hand made by me! I really got into making candles years ago when a candle making company contracted my ex-boss to make a printed bottle for their candle scents. I was curious and went on their website and found a lovely supply of candle and soap making supplies. I spent that year making my own candles for personal use. I even sold a few. Christmas was candles for everyone. It was lovely. :) One of my favorites to make was a black Lily of the valley candle in a scull cast. The person I made it for loved it. :)

I made my mother a Chakra candle that has a dolphin and mermaid on it. She refuses to burn it and has it to this day.

I remember in high school our history class did a projects workshop where we made things like they would have in the Renascence. One of the things I did was dip candles out of beeswax. That was a fun project. :)

Stones & Crystals

I am by no means an authority on stones and crystals. But I realized as I was thinking up new topics for my blog that I rarely speak about them. However they happen to be an integral part of my craft. In my opinion no alter is complete without at least two crystals on it; most of the time more.

I'm one of those that has to take the information card with me or I will completely forget what the stone is called and its metaphysical properties. That's OK, witches can be forgetful too. My favorite crystal is Amethyst. Not only is it beautiful but I find the most uses for it. Its related to the moon, psychic ability, meditation. Basically anything related to the mind can be associated with Amethyst.

Another favorite of mine is red garnet. Dh and I really love to fight over this one because we both love it for jewelry. We have learned to share over the years though. So I'll wear garnet for awhile and then he can wear it. Because we so wonderfully balance each other doing this imbues the crystal with our energy so when Dh is having a particularly bad bipolar day, he can focus on that crystal to give him a little boost of my energy.

Some others I love are moonstone, tigers eye, quartz, and opal. 

What crystals do you find yourself drawn to?

Spiritual Protection

We all have people in our life that mentally drain us. They may be coworkers, friends or even family. Most of them have a personality that is all about them. They rarely ask about how you are doing, and even if they do ask, they turn the conversation around so you are drawn into their daily drama. These people are not happy unless something is wrong in their life. Unfortunately you can't physically distance yourself from this type of person all the time. So what is a witch to do?

In a previous job of mine, there were a couple of people like this. I remember one summer particularly where it seemed like everyone had PMS. So I go about this two different ways - aura shield magick, and candle magick.

Aura Shield Magick

One is a protective shield using the aura. This is temporary. The more you practice the stronger and longer you will be able to do it. Walking through (or sitting in if that works better for you) a crowded store is a good place to practice. Those particularly sensitive to others emotions (empathy) are normally uneasy in crowded areas. This has helped me to get in and out of crowded areas without feeling boxed in and crazy.

I focus on my aura. I strengthen it by connecting to the universal energy. To do this I imagine white light coming down into my body from the top of my head all the way down to my toes and beyond. This makes me feel connected to the Lord & Lady and in control. (Grounded).

Chart showing the 7 Chakra points

Next I focus on the 7 Chakra's beginning at the crown and ending at the root. Each one I strengthen with energy. I may choose to use a symbol sort of a seal to add even more strength. I typically use a pentacle.

I then focus on my aura. Normally if a person is feeling overwhelmed the aura will be close to the body. This is a protective instinct. Imagine your aura being pushed out as far as you can. Try for an inch and then work your way up to two or three inches. Strengthen it with more universal energy. If you find a particular area lacking focus on strengthening the nearest Chakra point. This creates a spiritual wall between other peoples energy and your own. While you do this, no ones extra baggage is affecting your own energy.

Candle Magick for Protection

The second technique I use has a more lasting effect. It requires a little candle magick. If you are a crafty witch, its best that you make a square candle. You can usually find a candle making kit at craft stores. If you can't do this, that's fine. Store bought candles will work, but I'd rather you made your own because the action of you making the candle imbues it with more energy.

Whatever candle you pick, make sure it is square for this purpose. I like to make my candle black for this purpose. Black is the color of creation and what we are doing is creating a space for the negative energy to go. If you cannot make your own candle and cannot buy a black candle, choose a neutral color like white.

I don't share spells, so I'll leave you to write your own. But after creating your candle, you should do a ritual with the intent for all negative energy from whatever person your having trouble with to go into the candle. I like to also anoint the candle with an oil for protection during my ritual. My favorite is dragons blood, but your certainly welcome to choose whatever oil you feel best for protection.

As you burn the candle every night, the energy is released to spirit. This way the bad energy being sent daily to you, goes to the candle instead. And you are not doing a spell to harm anyone. Remember me mentioning those co-workers? Well this is a particular favorite of mine for those co-workers that like to make my daily life miserable. While doing this spell their negativity does not reach me and I can go about my day without worrying about workplace politics.

I hope this has helped you protect your spiritual self and as always,
Blessings, Love, and Light