Am looking into candle rituals

[Rising Phoenix]

what kind of candles, colors, sizes etc do I need as a beginner?

[Ignis]

1. As much as I'll regret it...

I'm going to recommend a basic candle book by Raymond Buckland:

http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Candleburning-Rituals-Purpose-Llewellyns/dp/0875420486/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227037129&sr=1-2

You'll outgrow this book very quickly, but if you're really starting from zero, this is better than nothing.

The basics of any candle ritual involve a candle and a ritual. :) This book will help you formulate the beginnings of a ritual framework, and you'll quickly develop your own that fit your own worldview/spirituality.

If you're more interested in Goddess/Earth-based spirituality, I'd recommend picking up The Spiral Dance by Starhawk. She barely touches on candles here, but she'll give you the basic ritual framework (ground and center, call the quarters, etc.) that you need to do any sort of ritual. Once you have that foundation, you'll be able to use the candle as the focus of the center of your ritual.

http://www.amazon.com/Spiral-Dance-Rebirth-Religion-Anniversary/dp/0062516329/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227037464&sr=1-1

Best of luck!

[Rising Phoenix]

2. thank you so much

very appreciated

[Ignis]

3. My pleasure.

Scott Cunningham also has a good series of folk-magick books that deal with candles, herbs, gems, etc. They're a bit more encyclopedic than Buckland's books, but maybe a a bit less user-friendly because they provide SO many options.

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The very, very basic approach to most candle rituals is the following:
1. Pick a candle of the appropriate color.
2. Anoint the candle with an appropriate essential oil (working from the center outwards to the two ends) while focusing on your intention.
3. Do some ritual groundwork (casting a circle, etc.).
4. State/sing/chant/focus upon your intention while lighting the candle.

And then either:
1. Let the candle burn for a fixed time while you focus on your intention, or
2. Close out the ritual and leave the candle burning (in a safe place!) for X days until it burns out.

(There are two approaches at the end because there are two approaches to focus-based magick: One calls for continued concentration on your focus over a period of time, while the other calls for a more "fire-and-intentionally-forget" approach. YMMV.)

Glad I could help. Candles are a great, easy intro to magical working. Hope you have fun!

:hi: