E. A. Koetting - staticfly.net

WORKS OF
DARKNESS
sat. Their chants brought rain when needed or scattered the clouds
when it had stormed too long. Their spells protected them from evil,
and brought disease to their enemies. Their rituals, it is even thought,
eventually brought about the first great civilizations upon the earth.
This world was initiated into power not by the breath of God, but by
fire.
The ancient link between fire and spiritual or self awareness is
beyond dispute. The first religious ritual that was recorded in the Old
Testament was Abel's burnt offering to God, a rite that is not specific to
Judaism. While Moses spoke to God through the medium of a burning
bush, inhabitants of what is now South America would incinerate strips
of paper covered in their blood. From these flames the Vision Serpent
would rise to carry the shaman from his body into the world of energy
and spirit.
Fire is the supreme tool of the gods. It is the gateway between the
worlds, neither here nor there, but precisely in between. In religious
mythology throughout time and geography, fire has both acted as the
mouth or the ear of the Divine, either instructing man through the
visions in the flame, or sending his desires into the realm of creation.
Rituals involving bonfires, pyres, and fiery mandalas will be
learned, practiced and mastered in your later Operations of Black
Magick. Presently, however, the ancient Magickal fire will be
concentrated upon the wick of a candle.
Candle Magick is one the first forms of ritual that the Dabbler or
the Neophyte naturally discovers, learns, and finds success with. In
practical terms it is simple to perform as it requires little memorization,
ritualization, or exertion of raw will, although these are present in
Candle Magick in a lesser degree than other occult practices.
At first sight, Candle Magick is exactly what the Dabbler was
expecting from the occult. It bears a similarity to the simple spells seen
in movies, where all that is needed is for the "right" person to verbally
make a wish in the "right" wording, and it comes true before their
eyes. Although the exact reason eludes them, every Working of Black
Magick needs to involve candles, such is just the way things are, they
assume.
After reading a few articles, slim books, or three-by-five cards
accompanying ·spell candles" at the local occult shop which claim to
teach the basics of Candle Magick, the Dabbler will make sure he buys
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