Saturday, November 05, 2005

How to enchant a candle

The candle is small. A votive. It's smooth, creamy body is white - a nice, all purpose type of color. I roll it in my hands and it warms with the heat of my body. The sensation of it changes now and it feels almost like skin.

Reaching out with all my senses, I connect with the energy around me. I feel the earth beneath my feet, cool and full of clay and the artesian water that flows through channels in the limestone. Far, far below I get the sense of heat. Motion. The heart of the planet. Far above me are the stars - suns in their own right. Around me are the sleepy hickories. Oaks. Honeysuckle. The wind is blowing now.

Earth. Air. Fire. Water. I am a part of them all and they are a part of me.

The candle is no longer an ordinary candle. In my hands, it is a vessel, waiting to be filled. I caress it now, like a cherished lover, gently rolling it in my hands as I fill it with my voice, my will.

When it's full, I gently put the candle into its holder and light it. The wick sputters as the wax melts in the blue heart of the flame but it is soon fed by a small pool that forms beneath it. As the wick feeds, the enchantment is set into motion.

Soon it is time to come back to myself. One at a time, I let the connection go. Water. Fire. Air. Earth. It is done.

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