Creating Circles and Ceremonies: Rituals for All ... - reading...

266 Creating Circles & Ceremonies
candles were blessed, and some were burned to honor Christ as the light, the truth, and the
way—once again symbolizing the flame of Spirit showing the way out of the passing darkness.
Traditionally a time for dedications and initiations, this is the season to decide on and
formalize your commitment to focus on a specific aspect of your path for the waxing year.
Decorating and blessing a candle to help you on your path is a natural way to mark this holy
day. This activity can be done alone, or as part of a larger solitary or group ritual.
In the days and weeks from Yule (Winter Solstice) to Imbolc, consider what you wish to
pursue during the upcoming year: working on your relationships, reclaiming your power,
expressing your creativity, starting a new career, etc. Try to choose a specific area of your
own spiritual, emotional, or psychological journey, rather than that of the world or of those
around you. In honor of Imbolc, this should be a dedication to yourself and to your own
personal path. You may wish to perform some divination or to spend time journaling, meditating,
and reflecting on recent events before finding your focus.
Now select a candle for this purpose. You will need either:
- A pillar candle in an appropriate holder, and a toothpick, pencil, or small knife, or
- A glass-enclosed “novena” (7-day or 9-day) candle, craft paper and drawing supplies,
catalogues and/or magazines, scissors, and nontoxic, clear-drying craft glue.
You may want to choose a color based on the following list:
Red - Love, passion, emotions, courage, sex, strength, power, blood, fire, energy
Pink - Honor, love, romance, femininity, friendship
Orange - Attraction, encouragement, stimulation, fire, courage
Yellow - Attraction, charm, confidence, happiness, joy
Green - Fertility, prosperity, abundance, growth, luck, healing
Blue - Success, material/earthly destiny, patience, tranquility, healing, clarity, wisdom
Turquoise - Healing, balance
Purple - Spirituality and spiritual destiny, power, peace, royalty
White - Purity & oneness—contains and reflects all colors—positive, active Yang energy
Black - The Void—negates all colors and energy—receptive, passive Yin energy
Gold - The “masculine” aspects of the Divine, the Sun, prosperity & abundance
Silver - The Goddess or Lady, the Moon, prosperity and abundance
Above all, select the color that draws you to it whenever you meditate on your desired goals.
If you cannot find one that seems to fit, try selecting white or a basic color. Then, while
meditating on your purpose, imagine the colors and images you would associate with this
purpose swirling around inside your candle until they resolve into a design. By personalizing
your candle in this way, you are also further imbuing it with your purpose.
For the Pillar Candle:
Use the implement of your choice to carve words, runes, pictures, and other symbols
representing your dedication onto your candle. One of my own favorite techniques is to form
a crossword-puzzle style pattern, interlocking the names of qualities I am seeking to develop
within the next year. Similar to a bind rune, this ties the individual ideas together, making for
a stronger whole.
For the Glass-Enclosed Candle:
Designed to burn for a week or more, these types of candles can sometimes be found in
the ethnic food section of major supermarkets, but the best selection is often found at local
Hispanic or international food stores. A printed plastic wrap on the candle can easily be
removed by cutting it off, whereas other coverings are often much more difficult to remove.
It is also a good idea to consider the meaning depicted when making your selection, as its
energy has already been infused into the candle. I generally look for plain candles for this
reason, although sometimes a (Goddess) Mary or luck candle can be just the right touch.