Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard

154 Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard

link and incantation are commonly used

to make the poppet the magickal repre-

sentative of the subject, and link the liv-

ing subject of the spell with your

Magick ritual. An object-link may be

established by the use of a relic,

which is anything formerly con-

nected with the subject. This is

called contagious magick, based

on the Law of Contact, which

says that “things once in contact

continue to affect each other.” The

strongest relics by far are parts of

the subject’s body—such as hair,

nail clippings, blood, a tooth, and

the like—containing the person’s

DNA. These would then be incor-

porated into the making of the poppet.

Other suitable relics are items of the subject’s

clothing in which the poppet would be dressed or

personal jewelry belonging to the subject. Samples

of handwriting (especially signatures) also work well

as object links, and photographs are now commonly

used, especially for long-distance healings.

Tasks: Sympathetic Magick

Here are a few types of sympathetic magick that

you can try yourself. Once you’ve done a few of these,

you’ll have a sense of how sympathetic magick works,

and you can begin to create your own.

Candle Magick

Candles have been used in sympathetic magick

for millennia to represent people as well as things and

concepts: love, money, luck, success, health, harmony,

strength, fertility, and all manner of things. The candles

can be of any size or shape; it’s the color that’s im-

portant. See the listings of color correspondences in

1.III.8: “The Colors of Magick.” Also consult the

Tables of Correspondence in 3.VI for the colors asso-

ciated with the Elements, days of the week, and signs

of the Zodiac. Briefly, here is a spectrum of some of

the most popular color associations for candle magick:

White—Purity, truth, sincerity; blessing, or anything

you want!

Pink—Honor, love, morality.

Red—Physical work, as in healing of people and ani-

mals; strength, health, passion, and sex.

Orange—Pride and courage; heroism and attraction.

Yellow—Mental work, meditation, divination.

Green—Vegetation, as in gardening; fertility and

prosperity; luck.

Light blue—Emotional work, love, etc.; peace and

protection.

Dark blue—Impulsion, depression, changeability.

Purple—Power, wealth, good fortune, ambition.

Black—Evil, loss, discord, confusion; blighting or

binding.

Candle magick should be done on your personal

altar—just make sure there is nothing anywhere near

or above it which could catch fire, and never leave

candles burning unattended!

If you are burning a candle for yourself or some

other person, you should first choose a candle of a

color that expresses your intention or purpose.

Botanicas and occult shops sell candles of various

colors in the shape of men and women, which are

very excellent for this kind of candle magick, but these

are not required. Ordinary tapers or votive candles

will do, as long as they’re the right color.

Next, inscribe the subject’s name into the candle

with a sharp instrument—ideally, the point of your

athamé. As you do, visualize the subject (you might

want to have a photo to look at, or a mirror if it’s

you), and name the candle accordingly, saying some-

thing like:

This waxen candle I do name

As (subject’s full name); may its flame

As (subject’s first name)’s spirit now burn bright

Empower my spell with magick might!

Then you should “dress” the candle by anointing

it all over with the appropriate oil. You can buy es-

sential oils of almost any herb in health food stores,

botanicas, occult shops, and even some drug stores

(see Tables of Correspondence in 3.VI). To dress the

candle, put a few drops of oil on it, and rub them in

with your hands from the center outwards, while con-

centrating your thoughts on the person and purpose.

Now, light the Fire candle on your altar, then turn

out all the lights in the room. Begin the ritual by draw-

ing a Circle around yourself and the altar with your

wand or athamé, calling the Directions and invoking

whatever Spirits you wish to join you (consult Tables

of Correspondence). See 4.IV: “Conducting a Ritual”

for more information on this. Now meditate for a mo-

ment on your intention, visualizing what you want to

happen as a result of this working.

Then light the candle representing the

subject of this spell, saying something like:

Candle burning in the night,

With your flame enchanted;

By the power of your light

May my wish be granted.

Sit for a while, staring into the

flame in a meditative state, and visual-

ize the desired outcome of your spell. When you feel

it is complete, thank the Spirits and the Elements you

had invited, and release the Circle. Finally, say some-

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