CEROMANCE: The fine art of candle reading
Lately, I’ve been asked a lot of questions in the Psychic Realm chat room about “ceromancy”. That is the fine art of reading a situation by studying the way a candle burns. Are the flames jumping high? Does the wax sizzle, crackle and pop? What does it mean when the flame goes out?
Many people in the Kingdom over the past year have become avid candle burners realizing quite instinctively that the way a candle behaves is often a mirror image of the situation as it currently exists and its outcome. . It is, after all, one of the oldest forms of divination in the world. The leaping and reaching candle flames are considered to represent the souls of the people involved in the situation being read about. For example, a member the other day asked me what it meant when the wax on the candle he was burning for love melted into a heart shape. Anyone who is used to reading wax drops knows that this is very good news and probably means that the other person is thinking of you.
Another phenomenon that I am constantly asked about is what I call “accelerated magic”. This is when a candle, which usually lasts about four hours, starts to smoke and seems to burn out very quickly…about fifteen minutes. This is usually good news and means that your prayer or request will probably be answered fairly quickly. If the candle was burning for protection of some kind, it means that there was probably some kind of invasion or attack that the spirits decided to deal with as quickly as possible.
In general, when you first light the candle, if the candle starts to smoke quite a bit right away, that’s a very good sign. It means that negative energy is being removed from the situation. If the smoke is white, it means that your prayers will be answered immediately. If you are black, your prayer will probably be answered, but there may be bumps in the way. You have to use your instinct if the flame doesn’t smoke at all. Sometimes that can mean that there are no obstacles and other times, it means that the matter ended a long time ago. A strong, clear flame that burns steadily is a good sign that the candle is sending out a great deal of power and energy to manifest what you desire. If it’s small and more ball-shaped than teardrop-shaped, your prayer is less likely to be answered. A weak or low flame means you are facing “strong” opposition.
Staring into a flame is a great way to tell if your magic is working. It never ceases to amaze me how a flame seems to grow taller or fumble for more air the more you meditate on it. You can also do some divination by looking directly into the heart of the llama, the blue center that is surrounded by the orange halo. A healthy flame has a bright red core, surrounded by a blue halo, and then a yellow color. A glowing red center tells you that the spirits are getting to the heart of the matter. A red center that is faint or just a dot reveals a situation that may not be motivated by the heart. If your candle wick begins to form a small bulb at the tip, you probably have opposition or a third party working against you. If there is a lot of blue in the flame, I take that as a sign that the angels and spirits are protecting you from a possibly unhappy outcome.
Constantly leaping, leaping, and rising flames are an excellent indication that the spirits are fighting the obstacles that are in their path. This can be quite fascinating to watch, especially if the flame really jumps and you are burning a candle that is intended to fight someone else’s will. If the flame is really protesting, so is the person, and sometimes this is their cue to blow out the candle. If the candle makes crackling, hissing or popping sounds, this is also a sign that some kind of spiritual warfare is going on. If it scares you or you don’t feel well, blow out the candle. However, if you feel like the obstacles are being destroyed or removed, then enjoy the show.
If you are burning a love candle and a second flame develops from an ash, then I consider that to be a bad sign. It means you have a rival. If you’re burning two candles that are supposed to represent two different people, it’s not a great omen if one of the candles burns to the bottom much faster than the other. Often, that’s a sign that your time is out of place in the relationship or shouldn’t be.
If the smoke from the candle is directed towards you, it means that your prayer is more than likely to be answered. If he walks away from you, it means that you will need a lot of perseverance for your prayer to be answered. According to the author, the Rev. Ray T. Marlborough, if the smoke is blowing to your left, “you are becoming too emotionally invested in the situation and are in danger of unconsciously sabotaging your own prayer so that it goes unanswered. If you blow to the right , you will need to use your head instead of your emotions to continue with the situation.”
The way a candle unfurls or deconstructs as it melts can be very significant. It is wonderful when the sail seems to collapse outward or unfold like a flower. I take that to be a sign that your wish will be granted. It represents possibilities and paths opening up for you. A sail that is too unbalanced in one direction or the other universally means that you are dealing with a situation that is very unbalanced. If the wax buries the flame, for me that is usually a sign that the wish will not come true.
The reading of wax drips is a completely intuitive matter. It is similar to reading tea leaves. Some shapes are obvious, like the heart, which obviously represents love. Wax drippings can take shapes that mean something very personal to you, for example a totem animal. A good general reference book to buy that tells you the meaning of many shapes, common symbols, and animals is Talismans and Amulets by Felicitas H. Nelson.
Perhaps one thing to remember when shopping for a candle is that you cannot read the drips on a candle that is made from paraffin or marketed as “dripless.” Opt for a candle made from natural messy wax or beeswax, as these tend to reveal the most astral information.