The Master Book of Candle Burning Review - Combining Psalm and Candle Magic

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The Philosophy of Fire

Do you think magic and Judeo-Christian beliefs don't mix? People have been blending these paths for centuries. The Book of Psalms lends itself beautifully to this. In The Master Book of Candle Burning: How to Burn Candles for Every Purpose, author Henri Gamache provides a valuable guide to this form of magic and devotion which he calls The Philosophy of Fire.

Materials Needed

The system presented in this book is more elaborate than one candle per ritual, but the materials are simple, attainable or adaptable and include the following:

• White cross figure candles or white pillars.
• Taper candles and holders.
• Candle dressing oils.
• Incense and burners.
• Bible.
• Altar. This can be a table, top of a dresser or an altar devoted completely to this practice.
The tools are pretty basic and some are adaptable. Some spells call for figural candles such as in the shape of a man or woman. The most important tool you need, however, is your devotion.

Types of Spells and Format

The author calls the spells exercises. Each exercise has a standard format of setting up the altar with dressed candles with an assigned psalm and devotional period. There is a set number of days to burn the candles, sometimes adjusting the placement of them, i.e. bringing them closer to each other each day.

There are exercises for the most common human conditions. Some of the titles include:

• To Obtain Money
• To Overcome an Enemy
• To Win the Love of a Man or Woman
• To Protect Against Evil Influences
• To Gain Spiritual Assistance
• When You're Feeling Downcast or Depressed

One section covers what some might consider negative magic using candle burning. Gamache gives a half-hearted attempt to discourage this. However, I think he knew his audience and included instructions for spells such as uncrossing, bringing confusion to an enemy and eliminating a love rival. I'm not a believer in magic being divided between light and dark, so I'll leave it to the individual practitioner to decide.

There is also a chapter titled, Candle Burning During a Time of War: A Deeply Significant Custom. While this book was written in the 1940s and uses the language of men going off to war, modern practitioners can adapt the exercises for whatever gender of loved one that is a member of the military.

Oils for Dressing the Candle

The exercises use candle dressing oils appropriate for the type of work being done. There is a chapter devoted on how to properly dress a candle. Since this book was aimed chiefly at the hoodoo market originally, hoodoo supply shops are a good source for these. Some of the oils referred to in the book have names like Crown of Success, Uncrossing Oil and Zodiac Oil. Shops may not have an exact title match in some cases, but you're sure to find an oil to suit your needs.

The quality of these oils differs greatly. My favorite online source is Lucky Mojo where the oils are made by hand with the proper roots and herbs for the purpose. Other suppliers do the same but some have a generic base oil that is scented with strong perfume oils and are mass produced without much care to their purpose. Hoodoo is African-American conjure, and if you want to learn more about this subject, Catherine Yronwode of Lucky Mojo has written a fascinating introduction to its history and practice here.

Oil and Candle Substitutions

As the spells use the symbolism and what the author terms the vibratory influences of color, it's best to use the candle colors he calls for. But if you have a different set of correspondences from your own tradition, by all means use it.

You don't have to use tapers but can use tea lights and votives. Just remember that the spells usually are performed over a period of several days, so if your candles are smaller, you'll need to have plenty of whatever type you're using on hand.

You can easily make your own candle dressing oils. Herbal magic books will give you the correspondences of plants and oils associated with specific attributes, i.e. luck, money, love. Magical Aromatherapy and Magical Herbalism by Scott Cunningham are two of my favorites, and I've made many of the oil recipes in them. The author provides substitution herbs and oils that can be used for hard-to-find items or for those things you've run out of.

Hoodoo History - Who was Henri Gamache?

This author has a mysterious history. According to folklorist Yronwode, the occult publisher and supplier Joseph W. Kay claimed authorship of books by Gamache as well as several hoodoo authors of the 1930s and 40s. She doubts the tenacity of this claim, but this is a subject still clouded in some mystery. Regardless of this history, The Master Book of Candle Burning is still considered a classic among some hoodoo practitioners and candle magic aficionados.

"It makes little difference what your religion may be, candle burning brings consolation and solace. Candle burning, perhaps better illustrates the universality of man than any other thing." ~ Henri Gamache

More Supplies for the Philosophy of Fire

Each ritual in the book uses cross figure altar candles. You can use white pillar candles if you choose. I've substituted pillars on occasion when I didn't have crosses on hand, but the cross candles are great to have for psalm magic.

While the cross candles imply this book is explicitly for the Christian practitioner, the closest the author gets to preaching is advising the use of psalms which Jews, Christians, and Jewish or Christian witches and Pagans may find applicable to their path.

The Bible, whether Christian or Jewish, is much more than a mere supply and I mean no disrespect. Many of you interested in this type of work may already own one (or several). The Master Book reviewed here conveniently includes the psalms used for each devotion, but some of the rituals call for reading certain chapters of the Song of Solomon which are not in the book. Therefore, if you don't already own a Bible, you may want one not only for this work but for learning more about the mysteries therein. The diagrams of the rituals in the book always include a spot for the Bible.

Invocations to the Mother

The author understood that many types of people practice the Philosophy of Fire. To this end he added invocations to a Mother figure to many of the spells. You don't have to be a Pagan to use this. The mother could be a saint or Mother Mary from Christian religion. But Pagans and others who believe this will bring balance to their work will find these invocations useful.

My Experience and Rating

As with most things magical, experience will vary. So far, the spells that I've done from the book have worked. The fact that they combine ritual repetition with set devotions, I believe, is what makes them powerful. This work may be too focused for people who like a more spontaneous approach to magic.

This disciplined approach may seem like you're performing tasks by rote, but it also allows you to focus on the devotional aspect of the work which I believe is just as important as the candle burning. For those of you who are used to saying daily prayers and find comfort in that practice, this will be a welcome and effective approach.

Wiccans and other Pagans should note that this magic is in the form of petitioning the creator for help in a situation. It's not necessarily the will magic some of them might be used to nor does it follow the Wiccan Rede. This is also a work that is obviously geared towards the practitioner who is comfortable with biblical terminology.

It's a short book at 106 pages but none of that is filler material. There are some typos throughout the book, but there aren't enough to be distracting. I give The Master Book of Candle Burning 5 stars out of 5 for being a solid introduction to candle magic as well as presenting the material in a way that would appeal to people from different spiritual backgrounds.

FTC Disclosure:  I write honest reviews of products I've tried. I purchased this book and I have not received compensation from the publisher for this review. I do, however, receive a small percentage from purchases made on Amazon through links on this blog. Your support of this sometime-blogger/content writer is much appreciated. Thank you.

© Trish Deneen