What is lighting a candle?
You take fire, place it on thread, and let it heat up wax until the wax transforms into liquid. And along the way, it lets you smell beautiful scents, lets you admire the flicker of the lit wick, lets you see all the different colors one color can be as it melts down and creates drippings and pools.
And isn't that magic? Yes, candles are used in magic, but isn't the simple existence of a candle magic? Isn't the casual act of lighting a candle - any candle - magic?
You set a goal, you take something that is, you use its being to create something new within yourself - relaxation, soothing scents, something nice to look at... Whatever it is you wanted the candle for, using it has given you an energetic response, perhaps a boost, perhaps clearing out negativity...
What I'm saying is: magic is in much of what we do. Hidden in plain sight.
Because, friends, we are magic. Magic works because we are it. And everything we have on Earth is a tool to use our magic.
Yes, there are tried and true methods, associations, rituals, etc... And yes, you should learn as much as you practice. And yes, you should "know what you're doing" to protect yourself from any accidents or unintended consequences (of which there can be many!).
But the first step is this: acknowledge the energy in you, in all of us. And acknowledge that it is that energy that makes magic work ✨
