Candle Magick

I realize it is Thursday, and today is supposed to be Goddess Bio day. I will probably, hopefully, get around to that later. Knight and I have his nephew here, and man is it hard to keep that kid away from my altar in the living room, and keep him away from any other magickal stuff I have around the house. I feel like I'm constantly chasing him around, returning stuff to it's rightful place, picking trash up off the living room altar, picking up his dirty dishes off the altar, and trying to explain to him that, no, the xbox controller does not belong on the altar either. Of course, it doesn't help that Knight's family doesn't know what my religion is, since it's such a weird mishmash of Christian/Pagan/Wiccan/Voodoo beliefs, so while Knight understands that the altar is not to be messed with, I can't really explain to his nephew what it is. Knight took him to work with him, and I now have a moment of time today, and really wanted to discuss candle magick. So, that's what we're gonna do!
I've practiced candle magick for years. It was one of the few things I could do, before I announced to key people that I'm a witch, that didn't give me away instantly. Candle magick is practiced in almost every single religion. And if you're still in the broom closet, which I'm not coming down on you for, there's all kinds of reasons for a person to keep their religious beliefs to themselves, so candle magick is the perfect closety practice for you! Regardless of what some people may think, candle magick is not a passive form of magick. Some of my biggest magickal feats have been accomplished through candle magick and the deity/spirit/orisha/loa that I decided to work with for those feats. We won't go over the basics just now, because I want to save that for a Witchcraft 101 post, but I want to talk about simple ways for you to introduce candle magick into your life. 
I've become addicted to candle magick. In all honesty, if I don't have at least one candle burning on my altar at all times, I don't feel right, my home doesn't feel right. The most important candle on my altar is a large white candle. I like using pure white novena candles in a clear jar. That one white candle represents the God and Goddess. I reuse my novena jars, and refill them here at home. Once it has burned down, I clean out the jar, replace the wick, refill it with white candle wax, and as soon as it is "cured" I relight it. I try to keep one premade, while refilling the other, so that I never have to go without my deity candle burning. Like I said, without at least that one candle burning, my home doesn't feel right. I can almost feel the absence of the God and Goddess. That may sound strange to you guys, because in all honesty, the God and Goddess are always around, whether there's a candle burning or not, but to me, without my deity candle burning, it feels like they are a bit more distant. So, my white candle never goes out on my altar. If you aren't able to have an altar, just having a special shelf where nothing else it put, placing a white candle on the shelf, and lighting it will make a huge difference in your life. 
Other than my deity candle, I usually have at least one prayer/spell/intention candle burning as well. These candles are all slightly different. I still use the glass jars from novena candles, but while some of them are novena candles bought from the store, others are specifically colored, hand poured, Witchmade™ candles that I make for specific intents and spells. Currently, I have my deity candle burning, which will need to be replaced soon, and I'll be making a new deity candle later today. I also have a St. Jude candle burning. I had an interview with a business close to home that will have good hours, be fulfilling, fairly good pay starting out, and great benefits. I am hoping to hear back from them tomorrow so I can start training on Monday, so the St. Jude candle is to help things along. 
One thing I find interesting is the difference in how store bought, and Witchmade™ candles burn. Those that I create myself, focusing on my intention while preparing the wax, pouring, etc., seem to burn longer, cleaner, and much brighter, than the ones bought from the store. For example, my deity candle, which I poured here at home while meditating and talking to God and Goddess is burning much higher than the St. Jude candle I bought at the store. The flame is rather high, very cheery, and extremely comforting. It lets me know for sure that God and Goddess are within my home. The flame on the St. Jude candle on the other hand, while burning brightly and cheerily, is not anywhere near as tall as my handmade one. I've also noticed a difference in the results received from Witchmade™ candles, and store bought candles. You add more magick to them when you make them yourself. Now, this isn't to say that store bought candles won't work, because they absolutely do. I fix mine with oils and herbs, whether Witchmade™ or store bought, and do deep prayers and cast a lot of energy into them. 
So, what kinds of candle magick do you do? Have any of the saints helped you out? I know that St. Jude has been an amazing help around this house!

Household Cleansings: When Negativity Must Leave

It starts off as something small. You wake up with your love, and for some odd reason you both are just in crabby moods. You snap at each other, then say you're just tired, and then he leaves for work, and you leave for work, or stay home, and it just sets a bad tone for the rest of the day. Then that bad day turns into a bad week, and that bad week turns into a bad month, and before you know it, it seems like your life is just spiraling out of control! What's going on here? Have you been cursed? Is life turning against you? Chances are, the answer to the last two questions is ... NO.