Candles and Sympathetic Magick

Candles moulded into shapes are considered sympatheticmagick. Our ancestors at some point placed animal head-dresses on their headsand animal skins on their backs to ask their spirits for good hunting. This isalso a type of sympathetic magick; using a like object to reach our intent. Toassist you in finding a familiar, burn a candle of the animal you desire.

For a hunter in buck season, burn a candle for a maledeer. In both these instances, you would be contacting the animals’ collectiveunconscious to request their assistance.

Fertility spells can be cast with a phallus-shapedcandle. Healing spells can be performed with human-shaped candles (pick upthose skull-shaped candles around Samhain). White ones are great for healing;black ones for reversing spells or warding off negativity.

Another type of candle/sympathetic magick is to inscriberunes, names, or other magickal symbols directly on the candle before burning.If you are in a real hurry and need results pronto, take a hat pin (yes, theyare still around but you have to look for them) and stick it as close as youcan to the top of the candle without breaking it. As you are inserting the pin,say: When this candle burns to the pin, the process of (name the desire) willbegin. Insert a second pin close to the first, and say:

When this candle burns to this pin, the process of (namedesire)

Of course you may have to re-word the spell, but you getthe idea. Candle and colour magick are considered “sympathetic magick” –wherein like attracts like. The colour red, for example, attracts passion,courage and strength. A candle of that colour or any colour acts in the samefashion. Other items commonly used in sympathetic magick are locks of hair,photographs, personal effects of a particular individual, and poppets (dolls).Because these items have a psychic link to the person they have been taken from(the dolls are made with the link), they are very powerful. These things can beused in healing rituals or for drawing good fortune to that person, and aid ineliminating bad habits.