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So what sort of rituals do you perform simultaneously, and what sort of gestures do you do that are appropriate with magic as opposed to meaningless gestures and movements during a candle magick ritual?
How do you know it carries power, and isn't just a Harry Potter level of gestures used?
I don't think I have ever in my life used a gesture in any kind of magic, actually, except possibly talking with my hands while conversing with a sprit...
Hm. I love tools, so I'm prone to using objects for that kind of thing, even for very simple spells. I suppose in that case, I don't tend to use any gesture just as a gesture, because power or not, it feels far too LARP Harry Potter, and that just ruins the thing for me, but I'll physically intact something going on symbolically as feels obvious and natural.
Of course, not always in ritual. Facing the realization of a... spiritual bond that troubled me while making dinner, once, I simply laid it on the cutting board next to the celery and took my favorite kitchen knife to it. It proved not to be the smartest thing I ever did magically, but it sure as hell worked.
Well, I found during my quest for world peace, that the affirmation I'd memorized beforehand, even slinging a rosary and calling forth divine names.
When it was kicked off, at first I used the wand to invoke Earth, and drew Qaballistic Crosses oved the altar and the candles. Then the wand was laid to rest, and the rest was cupping the candles repeating speaking the affirmation into them.
Then I would stretch out my arms repeating the affirmation.
Then I had a hunch to end it before the candles fully melted.
Five.minites later I get a text from my friend that she's coming over with her son's to move some stuff out.
See what I mean?
Tool or not, of you think you're LARPing then you probably are.
The most important things I know, is to direct focus, and call forth the darkness and the light, raise and direct energy. Then close and banish.
Hm. I love tools, so I'm prone to using objects for that kind of thing, even for very simple spells. I suppose in that case, I don't tend to use any gesture just as a gesture, because power or not, it feels far too LARP Harry Potter, and that just ruins the thing for me, but I'll physically intact something going on symbolically as feels obvious and natural.
Of course, not always in ritual. Facing the realization of a... spiritual bond that troubled me while making dinner, once, I simply laid it on the cutting board next to the celery and took my favorite kitchen knife to it. It proved not to be the smartest thing I ever did magically, but it sure as hell worked.
To each their own, I think a lot of people can be dependent on tools, ideally you should be able to do Magick with nothing at all, so maybe one day I will use a wand, sword, etc.
See what I mean?
Tool or not, of you think you're LARPing then you probably are.
The most important things I know, is to direct focus, and call forth the darkness and the light, raise and direct energy. Then close and banish.
I see what you mean, and if it works for you, that's great, but we clearly come from very different backgrounds, magically. There's very little separation in my life between what's done magically and what's done mundanely, and mostly, they're in conjunction with each other. Read a beautiful passage once in a remarkably, brutally dark grimoire on djinn magick - I'll have to see if I can find the reference, but this was years ago - that the ultimate goal of those in his tradition was to get to the point where shaping reality to the practitioner's will took nothing more than a whispered breath on the wind.
I'll dress a candle, because I like making potions, and because it's faster and easier to make a potion once and use it as needed later. Perhaps make a sigil, if I need something specific this time around. But that's extra, if the spell takes more than the intention breathed into the candle and lighting it, it's not a spell ready to cast. And I can't even remember the last time I've banished. If I need to, something totally different has gone wrong, and frankly, that hasn't happened in more than a decade now.
Edit: Hehe, @Lemongrass00 beat me to it, and stated it more elegantly. Yes, that.
I talk a lot with my hands in normal life and so it's natural for me to gesture when I do a spell. Like "grabbing" a concept with my hand, clench my fist and "fling" it open as I release it. Trace a widdershins spiral around something to pull energy out of it, then cup it and visualize it melting into me. Brush over my heart, clench fist and throw away what I don't want there. A lot of clenching fists to gather and abruptly opening the hands to throw
So what sort of rituals do you perform simultaneously, and what sort of gestures do you do that are appropriate with magic as opposed to meaningless gestures and movements during a candle magick ritual?
How do you know it carries power, and isn't just a Harry Potter level of gestures used?
I trace runes (when I don't do the actual stada). Likewise I might trace a sigil in the air instead of having it drawn. Of course, pentagrams for LBRP or their equivalent in that rite's equivalent. My rule of thumb: I make such gestures as seem warranted to lend a heightening of drama to the situation. This is as an aid to raising my emotion and focusing my concentration. I doubt any spirits are going to be particularly impressed.
So what sort of rituals do you perform simultaneously, and what sort of gestures do you do that are appropriate with magic as opposed to meaningless gestures and movements during a candle magick ritual?
How do you know it carries power, and isn't just a Harry Potter level of gestures used?
You might want to look into the Orante gesture, Damon Brand uses it somewhere, and it's described in more detail in Denning & Phillips's "Mysteria Magica" that I've just uploaded (p. 48 in the PDF file) - allegedly good for consecrating/charging a talisman or other object:
A complete system of Magick, Mysteria Magica reveals essential and advanced teachings in terms that even newcomers can follow, with a richness of inspiration embraced by experienced mages. Mysteria Magica explores the core of Ceremonial Magick―the inner system of symbolism, philosophy, and...
A project I've been working on for years is using traditional palmistry for contemplation and selfhelp. There's two very basic but powerful concepts.
From the index/middle finger to the thumb is what's considered the active or the sun/day side hand.
From the ring finger to the pinky is the passive or night/moon side of the hand
If you raised your arms up, palms facing out you're within the light of the sun and the night surrounds you. Vise Versa palms facing towards you, you're bathed in the reflected light of the moon.
Hands cupped together is requesting. Hands being brought together, until index and thumbs touch or almost touching is focusing active energy.
Those familiar with tarot i like to add the major arcana to this with the empress on the active side (mount of venas) the high priestess on the moon side (mount luna).
So what sort of rituals do you perform simultaneously, and what sort of gestures do you do that are appropriate with magic as opposed to meaningless gestures and movements during a candle magick ritual?
How do you know it carries power, and isn't just a Harry Potter level of gestures used?
I try to eliminate any gestures from ritual I feel are meaningless. There is elegance and beauty in simplicity while converting deep meaning. Everything I do should be meaningful or else it is dead weight. Don't get me wrong, I will execute complex and elaborate rituals but every part thereof has been refined just the way I want it for optimum connection.
See I'm if the mind that you should never just go through the motions. Everything you do in ritual, every feature or mannerism, should mirror an internal change of state. Elsewise it is dead with meaning or power. Oh it might have power through tradition and/or mas adherence, but good luck tapping into any of that if you are spiritually dead, the equivalent of a spiritual zombie.
It amazes me how many people just pick a random ritual from a book, from a system, culture or belief system they know nothing about and then wonder why it didn't work. Well have they ever worked with those entities before? No..well do they understand the religion and culture of the person who wrote the ritual, No?. Well do they at least genuinely believe in the entities they are calling? No? Well, then no wonder it didn't work.
I'm not sure what they expected to be honest. These are just basic considerations. We aren't even talking yet of them thinking they know the system when they don't.
That having said, I actually incorporate Asanas and Mudras in a lot my rituals to emphasize and bridge the gap between that internal state and external expression. If I am reaching out to and calling a martian entity I'll use a martial mudra to align myself.
That's what the grade signs in the Golden Dawn actually do. An entity doesn't give two shits what your grade is in the GD if they aren't members themselves or otherwise respect the system. However, through the grade signs you align to the mysteries and forces put upon you in your initiations and your work. The modular nature of the Golden Dawn system also empowers the rituals thereof.
When you do the Analysis of the Keyword in the Rose Cross ritual that's not just pulling from the Rose Cross ritual: that ritual firm is built up from every ritual you've ever used it in.
Case in point I use an initiatory key that I say before every ritual. Thus when I say it my brain knows it is time to get into ritual headspace. A big part of your practice, no matter weather you are a witch, a magician or a yogi, is conditioning your habits to serve you. Ritual gestures and keys train us to align properly. It is proper magical posture and magical muscle memory.
And there is much power in that alone. That is how you get consistent day to day results and let that be your proof.
As for what gestures would be appropriate during a candle working, well that depends entirely on what that candle is a locus fir and what your aim is.
I see what you mean, and if it works for you, that's great, but we clearly come from very different backgrounds, magically. There's very little separation in my life between what's done magically and what's done mundanely, and mostly, they're in conjunction with each other. Read a beautiful passage once in a remarkably, brutally dark grimoire on djinn magick - I'll have to see if I can find the reference, but this was years ago - that the ultimate goal of those in his tradition was to get to the point where shaping reality to the practitioner's will took nothing more than a whispered breath on the wind.
I'll dress a candle, because I like making potions, and because it's faster and easier to make a potion once and use it as needed later. Perhaps make a sigil, if I need something specific this time around. But that's extra, if the spell takes more than the intention breathed into the candle and lighting it, it's not a spell ready to cast. And I can't even remember the last time I've banished. If I need to, something totally different has gone wrong, and frankly, that hasn't happened in more than a decade now.
Edit: Hehe, @Lemongrass00 beat me to it, and stated it more elegantly. Yes, that.
I'm the same way in that in my culture there is no separation between the mundane and the spiritual. Everything we do, we do with the eternal spirit in mind and our spirituality is very practical. Yes we have ceremonies and rituals that are solemn and "set apart" but they are a way of letting go of or removing the chatter of the world which obscures our view of the spirit behind it all.
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To that point while I would say there is much piety and leaving worldly affairs to their own domain, the flesh isn't sinful to be not do I go through life thinking the world is some spiritual prison. It isn't typical Christian piety nor Gnostic piety.
I have a couple of everyday things (never done candle magic) that are only gestures. Well, the gesture triggers the state of mind associated with the magic.
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