thing like the following, and blow the candle out:Though these flames of the material world
be darkened,
They shall ever burn in the worlds beyond.
The rite is ended. Blessed be.Repeat this ritual every day until the candle is burned
down to a mere lump. This is a typical candleburning
spell, using sympathetic magick. There are as many
possible variations as your needs and imagination can
conceive. Good references for magickal candle-burn-
ing spells and rituals are: Ray Buckland’s Practical
Candleburning Rituals and Advanced Candle
Magick and Gerina Dunwich’s Candlelight Spells and
The Magick of Candle Burning.Cord & Knot Magick
Any simple emotion, objective, or Elemental force
can be tied and controlled by the simple means of
binding it in a knot. Love, magickal power, winds,
clouds, rain, illness—all can be tied into a cord to
create a kind of “storage battery” to hold the power of
the spell. A Rite of Knots may be performed for any
purpose desired, and the knotted cord either carried
or worked into some part of one’s clothing, or used in
other ways. The knots might be untied later to release
the spell, or (to banish negativity) the cord may be
ceremonially burned or buried. Any small ritual may
be created for the tying of the knots, and a number of
them are recorded.Olaus Magnus, Historia de Gentibus Septentrionalibus 1555In the woodcut above, a Wizard is selling a knot-
ted Wind Cord to some sailors. Winds are tied in the
cord, so that if the sailor needs wind for his sail, he
just unties a cord—one knot for a light breeze, two for
a strong wind, and three for a gale!
To cure a cold or other minor illness, a Witch or
Wizard may “buy” it from the subject for some small
sum of money and immediately knot a string to “tie in
the sickness.” The string should then be hung on a
bush or buried in some remote place where it will molder
away. To cure warts, take a piece of string and tie aknot in it for each wart, and touch the knot to the wart.
Hang the string under the eaves of your house and
the rainwater running down the string will wash the
warts away. After the next rain, bury it in the Earth.
In the Spell of Nine Knots, a series of nine knots
are loosely (so they can be untied later) tied in a spe-
cial 13” scarlet cord used just for this purpose. As
each knot is tied, the intent of the spell is visualized
ever more strongly, directing the focus and power into
the knot. The knots are tied in the following order and
pattern, with these (or similar) words:By knot of ONE, the spell’s begun
============X============
By knot of TWO, it shall be true
X===========X============
By knot of THREE, so mote it be
X===========X===========X
By knot of FOUR, this charm I store
X=====X=====X===========X
By knot of FIVE, the spell’s alive
X=====X=====X=====X=====X
By knot of SIX, this spell I fix
X==X==X=====X=====X=====X
By knot of SEVEN, the power is given
X==X==X=====X=====X==X==X
By knot of EIGHT, the power is great
X==X==X==X==X=====X==X==X
By knot of NINE, the spell I bind!
X==X==X==X==X==X==X==X==XAt the tying of the last knot, all the energy is directed
into the cord and knots, with a final visualization of
the intent. The power raised is now stored in these
knots, where it can be kept until the proper moment for
its release. Although the knots were tied in one ritual,
they must be released one at a time over nine con-
secutive days. Release them in the same order they
were tied—NOT the reverse order! Start with the first
one on the end, and finish with the last one in the
middle. Each day, before you untie the knot, once again
concentrate on what is to happen, and repeat the same
words of the tying spell as you untie that knot.Weather Working
The weatherworker’s and seamaster’s calling
upon wind and water were crafts already known
to his pupils, but it was he who showed them why
the true Wizard uses such spells only at need,
since to summon up such earthly forces is to
change the earth of which they are a part... “Rain
in Roke may be drought in Osskil,” he said, “and
a calm in the East Reach may be storm and ruin
in the West, unless you know what you are about.”
—Ursula K. LeGuin
(A Wizard of Earthsea, pp. 53-54)Course Four: Rites 155
Corrected pages 3rd printing.2.p65 3 6/10/2004, 4:01 PM