Divination, using wax,
and sometimes wax and water, as mediums to draw
oracles about past, present or
future events is called ceromancy ( sometimes also Ceroscopy ). The word itself comes from the Greek words “keros”
( wax ) , and “manteia” ( prophecy ). [1]
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Candle forming "arms" and engulfing lump at the base, during candle magick work |
It can be understood as a form of Hydromancy , in a sense that melted wax is being poured,
or rather dripped into the bowl of cold
water, forming all sort of hardened-wax
shapes and “images” thus. But strictly
speaking, ceromancy would be interpretation of waxen shapes, formations,
pillars and alike, that candles form as they burn, or that remain when the candles
extinguish. In such case it can also be seen as a form of pyromancy.
This, later
example, is how ceromancy is understood
in Hoodoo, African American folk magick. Also, in Hoodoo , Ceromancy is hardly
ever used as a single divination method,
rather, it’s combined with Capnomancy ( divination by smoke ) and
Pyromancy ( Divination by flame ). What more, in Hoodoo, ceromancy is most often integral part of spiritual work, or rather
integral part of “setting lights” for
someone, which is candle magick , and is used to attain invaluable information
about ( future ) perspective of the work, and it’s efficiency. [2]
The very use of wax in divination is undoubtedly of (
relatively ) newer date, for the candles are a commodity of the 20th
century, more so those made from wax.
It could be that the wax has replaced
tin or lead tablets and chips, which ancient Romans used to melt, and pour into cold water
watching the shapes forming , as the liquid metal would once again,
harden. As strange as it may sound, such
metal waste material was in ancient Rome easily obtainable, while the candles
were an extremely rare luxury.
In this article, we will be dealing with both the:
·
Ceromancy
sensu stricto – or divination by candle wax
·
Ceromancy sensu lato – or divination by ( melted
) wax and water
Ceromancy sensu stricto
Divination by observing the candle wax behaviour is
something I do quite often, being that I do a lot of Hoodoo candle magick. It’s
brilliantly pragmatic, and a handy tool to monitor the success of Your candle
magick spells, and thus, accordingly,
influence or “fix” them, as You are performing them.
Of course, a rootworker will
also observe the smoke behaviour, flame movements, even other things
such as glass cracking , in the case of glass encased candles, or label
scorching or burning, also sounds that
candles may produce, appearance or
sparkles etc.
We shall focus on the ceromancy part here, since this is an
post about ceromancy. And in this case we observe:
·
The speed by which candle burns. Essentially,
if the candle burns fast it’s ominous of a good outcome, desired outcome, and if it burns slow, it indicates that there
are some forces or obstacles opposing to, or slowing down the work. Finally a
candle that goes away way too fast ( let’s say in half of the time assessed by
manufacturer ) foretells success, but most often a very
short-lived or temporary one.
·
The “efficiency” of candle burning. Meaning if
the candle lumps, goes out frequently, makes a lot of cascade drip-lines from
sides, burns slowly, it’s sending a message that something is defying the influence of the spell or
countering it, also slowing it down. In such case some people light new
candles, yet other “remedy” the candle (
relight, trim the wick, add some condition oil or even some cologne used in
spiritual work, etc. ), and thus also affect the outcome of the spell.
·
The Shapes the wax forms. If the wax drips a lot, and forms hanging
pillars, “waterfalls”, “frozen drops”,
cascade flows , it’s usually taken as a sign that the success will come,
but with a lot of effort and tears possibly, preceding it, and more so if these remain
after the candle has burnt down. These
wax formations are often seen as
transitive, because they rarely remain after the candle has burnt all the way
down, naturally. The other kind are the
“permanent” wax shapes , that had formed in residual wax, remaining after the
candle has naturally extinguished
itself. For example the leftover
wax can form a new moon shape, which is indicative of new beginnings, or the
shape of an eye, which could be a warning about the “evil eye” or “glance of
malice” influence. To interpret such symbols, You are to consult the analogical
part of mind , and listen to intuition,
rather than use some kind of symbol – meaning (correspondence) lists.
It should be clear that this “universal” doctrine of
signatures symbolism will vary depending
on the type of candle used and therefore also , the purpose of the candle
magick ritual.
For example, let’s say we are using a spell to influence two
people, who are, or should be
romantically involved, and we are using figural candles for the spell. The wax melts,
and connects them firmly at their basis.
This is a good omen, If it was some kind of reunion, or
marriage, or other kind or love or friendship spell. But If we were actually
trying to do a separation spell, this would
indicate that the two people will fight and overcome the spell, and
remain together. Likewise, If one is
doing some kind of marriage spell, or fidelity spell with the bride and groom
figural candle, and one party ( bride or
groom ) drips intensively over another,
we can safely say that the given
party is more eager on getting married
and that it tries to “cling” onto the
other party.
If we are working with glass encased candles, and the glass
breaks, spilling wax, it can either indicate bloodshed or tears of
some kind, or it can mean blessing, for example If it was a money spell, and
the wax “escaped” and became firm around the coins You’ve placed around the
candle.
So, obviously, while some general doctrine of signatures symbolism applies here, we still must take in account
the purpose of the candle used, as well as it’s nature, and sometimes even
color.
And of course, any “omen” is really an omen, only when we can exclude the possible physical causes. If
You drench the candle in exaggerated amount of oil, it will burn down way too
fast, If You have a draft in the room where
You are doing the work, and the
candle flickers…well it’s obviously not some of entities who are causing this. Also an unstable candle,
tilting or shaking, will drip all over,
from sides to the base. It means nothing other than that You need to affix it J
Therefore, “Ceromancy sensu stricto” is a bit more
demanding, when it comes to analysis and interpretation than “Cereomancy sensu
lato” , which is though a bit more
complicate to do , in the plain, physical sense of performing it .
Cermonacy sensu lato
Ceromancy can also be achieved, for the sole purpose, of a
broader spectrum divination , rather than being part of candle magick. In
fact, today, in the occult community , this
is one of the most popular methods of divination. It can be seen as a form of hydromancy, and
scrying .
It’s as simple as melting some wax, and letting it drip into
water, until the questioner intuitively
( or otherwise ) feels it has been enough. Touching the cold water
surface , the melted wax, hardens, forming auspicious shape, which are henceforth
analysed and interpreted just like the tea-patterns in tasseography (
divination using the tea leaves ) are . The symbolic meanings are the same.
So the very process is generally uniform, more so among the modern practitioners. Some
may drip wax from candle directly, into a bowl with water, while others will
melt wax in some vessel, using double boiler and then pour it into the water.
And that’s fine,
though I myself, when using this method, like to do it traditionally. Which means I pay attention that the candle
or wax I use is brand new, and that I’ve ( preferably ) consecrated it.
Some traditions require either brass vessel or a glass one
specifically. In Turkey , ceremony is a communal ceremony , where two or more
people hold the spread white clothe above the head of the questioner, and some
other person holds a vessel ( bowl ) with water over the cloth and pours wax in
it.
In Italy, they place the candles, in the bowl with water and allow them to drip, while
in the bowl. This is usually achieved by tying the two candles
together , as explained in the following
example , by Judika Illes :
Ceromancy, an Italian method
1.
“Place three Rose hips, three Nettle
leaves, some Cumin seeds and a few
springs of Rue, in a bowl or pan of icy water.
2.
Bind two candles with scarlet ribbon.
3.
Place those candles within a pan of water.
4.
Light the candles and observe the wax dripping
into the water.” [3]
Author further suggests that the lucky shapes, should be
preserved and kept in a red
charm bag like an amulet.
The shapes that form in water can be interpreted as If they
were tea-leaves pattern . You can consult any tea-leaves reading book, and here are some suggestions
I’ve found online on this very
helpful Examiner page
:
AEROPLANE - A
trip of a disappointment
ANCHOR - Your loved one is true
BABY - Troubles are coming
BALL or BALLOON - Your problem will not last very
long
BEANS - Money difficulties
BED - A vacation would be good for you
BELLS - A wedding
BIRD - News will reach you soon
BRIDGE - Take a chance
BROOM - Make a change
CANDLE - Spiritual growth
CAT - A friend is untrue
CHAIN - Go ahead with your plans
CIRCLE - Reconciliation
CLOUD - Something or someone threatens you
CROSS - Do not fear for you are protected
CROWN - Sickness
CUP - Bitter quarrel with a friend
DOG - Your self-esteem is too low
EAR - Be alert for an opportunity to advance in
your work
EGG - New developments soon
FAN - A surprise is in store for you
FEATHER - The problem will be solved
FISH - Someone will betray you
GHOST - Someone from the past is looking for you
GRASS - Good fortune is approaching
HAT - A change of location is indicated
HEART - A friendship will turn into love
HOUSE - Better times are coming
KEY - A setback in plans should be expected
KITE - Your wish will come to naught
LADDER - Take steps to change your attitude
toward an old friend
LEAF or LEAVES - Things will be changing soon
LION - An unpleasant situation is developing
MOON - Indicates more money
MOUNTAIN - Good friends are willing to help you
PANTS - You will be tempted
PEN - Expect a letter from a relative
PIN - Your lover may be attracted to another
PIPE - Peace and comfort
RING - Marriage may be possible in the near
future
SCISSORS - Separation
SHOE - Be suspicious of a new acquaintance
SNAKE - Be on guard against an enemy
SPIDER WEB - Pleasant happenings
STAR - Happiness
SUN - Good fortune
TABLE - An abundance of blessings
TREE - A good time for new undertakings
UMBRELLA - Trouble is coming
WALKING STICK - Get out of the house and visit
friends
WHEEL - One who has been away will return soon
WITCH - Danger will pass you by
WORM - Business troubles ahead if you are not
careful [4]
ANCHOR - Your loved one is true
BABY - Troubles are coming
BALL or BALLOON - Your problem will not last very
long
BEANS - Money difficulties
BED - A vacation would be good for you
BELLS - A wedding
BIRD - News will reach you soon
BRIDGE - Take a chance
BROOM - Make a change
CANDLE - Spiritual growth
CAT - A friend is untrue
CHAIN - Go ahead with your plans
CIRCLE - Reconciliation
CLOUD - Something or someone threatens you
CROSS - Do not fear for you are protected
CROWN - Sickness
CUP - Bitter quarrel with a friend
DOG - Your self-esteem is too low
EAR - Be alert for an opportunity to advance in
your work
EGG - New developments soon
FAN - A surprise is in store for you
FEATHER - The problem will be solved
FISH - Someone will betray you
GHOST - Someone from the past is looking for you
GRASS - Good fortune is approaching
HAT - A change of location is indicated
HEART - A friendship will turn into love
HOUSE - Better times are coming
KEY - A setback in plans should be expected
KITE - Your wish will come to naught
LADDER - Take steps to change your attitude
toward an old friend
LEAF or LEAVES - Things will be changing soon
LION - An unpleasant situation is developing
MOON - Indicates more money
MOUNTAIN - Good friends are willing to help you
PANTS - You will be tempted
PEN - Expect a letter from a relative
PIN - Your lover may be attracted to another
PIPE - Peace and comfort
RING - Marriage may be possible in the near
future
SCISSORS - Separation
SHOE - Be suspicious of a new acquaintance
SNAKE - Be on guard against an enemy
SPIDER WEB - Pleasant happenings
STAR - Happiness
SUN - Good fortune
TABLE - An abundance of blessings
TREE - A good time for new undertakings
UMBRELLA - Trouble is coming
WALKING STICK - Get out of the house and visit
friends
WHEEL - One who has been away will return soon
WITCH - Danger will pass you by
WORM - Business troubles ahead if you are not
careful [4]
Hope this post
was informative and interesting and that it may have inspired You to try
Ceromancy.
Many Blessings
from Shadow J
NOTES: This article was written/composed by myself, hence,
If You wish to use any part of it elsewhere online, feel free but do add
credits Shadow of Shadows magick place, Shadow-333@hotmail.com
or a direct link to this post
CREDITS AND REFRENCES:
[2] According to
Lucky Mojo’s page on ceromancy: http://www.luckymojo.com/candlemagicdivination.html
[3] Retrieved from
“The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 spells” by Judika Illes, used here for
explanatory, educational , and illustrative purposes without any ill will
[4] Retrieved from : http://www.examiner.com/article/ceromancy-or-how-to-tell-fortunes-with-candle-wax for illustrative and explanatory purposes,
without any ill will
IMAGE CREDITS: Images were taken and edited by myself
9 comments:
Words are but symbols for the relations of things to one another and to us; nowhere do they touch upon absolute truth. See the link below for more info.
#symbols
www.ufgop.org
The first shape in the first figure means what ?
If possible can you plz give pic of the shapes mentioned by you .
Thanks a ton.
The first shape in the first figure means what ?
If possible can you plz give pic of the shapes mentioned by you .
Thanks a ton.
I wish I could show a pic,I used a black candle to try n banish, it almost extinguished it self in the water which the spell called for but with the smoke and a wiff of my hand,tho I did not touch the candle... It fell over and is floating. The strange thing but I feel peaceful about it, is that the candle I used to banish a hex looks like it has white wings on it and a pretty mystical sky over it :))) like a wing on each side of the candle, white wings. I am not gonna get excited cause I did use a black candle, first time I have been hesitant. Feeling hopeful, I can send a pic to anyone if you want to see or care to comment, I am still not completely sure what the meaning is just yet, it was a reverse hex vex spell to the sender.
Hi! Can I email you a picture of my peace candle for your interpretation of the shapes formed?
Thank you!
Hi, I have an Aligator that has formed in the wax residue, along the side of the candle, towards the bottom. It's a glassing case vigil candle. What does this mean?
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