Correspondence Course in Magic and the Western Mysteries
Free One Year Online Course in the basic Theory and Principles of the Mystical Qabbalah and the Western Mystery Tradition

The Daily Candle Exercise

© 2005 Worldwide Copyright to Salomo Baal-Shem (and the Brotherhood of the Eternal Light)



The Candle of God is the Soul of Man. (Proverbs 20:27)1


This text is an excerpt from the forthcoming book “High Magic in the Western Mystery Tradition” by Salomo Baal-Shem. Salomo Baal-Shem asserts his moral right to be indentified as the only author of this work. Including the right of reproduction in whole or part in any form. The text of this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form of by any means, electronic or otherwise be lent, resold, hired out or circulated without the consent of the Author/Publisher in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on any subsequent purchaser.

The following exercise only needs 1-2 minutes and has tremendous impact on your spiritual progress. Ideally it should be performed once, twice or three times a day (i.e. in the morning, in the evening and before every meditation). This exercise may seem to be simple, but do not underestimate it, for it is almost as important as the daily meditation itself. Even though it is not unusual that this exercise has a tangible effect right from the start, one should not expect profound results after only having performed this exercise a few times. Likewise, one would not expect to be as strong as Samson or Hercules just because one has done a few push-ups. But if you do this exercise regularly, and with devotion, it will increase your spiritual growth tremendously.



If you cannot meditate on a particular day, then try to do the Daily Candle Exercise at least once, better twice or three times during the day.

The Light is a universal Symbol of the highest Divine Principle. If you do this exercise in the morning as the first deed of the day, you will place the entire day under the blessing (and protection) of the Light. Thus your entire life becomes a way to serve the Light. If you do this exercise before your meditation, an extra blessing will be added to your meditation, and if you do it in the evening, your sleep and your dreams will be blessed.


The Exercise:

For this exercise you only need a white candle. Note your breathing rhythm and ensure you are breathing calmly and regularly. Then light your candle and say:

I want to serve the Light.


The most important thing about this exercise is to really mean it! You need to speak the words with deep inner devotion. Perform the lighting of the candle as an act of sympathetic magic! When lighting the candle, bring Light into your life! It is one of the most important abilities in magical work to be able to speak words with firm, concentrated intention and devotion. In this exercise you just need to speak one single sentence, but try to give all your will-power, your faith, your sincere devotion to the Light and to the Path of Light into your words.

It is not enough just to say the words powerfully, you need to feel them and mean them with all your heart and soul, and you should also visualize their meaning. Concentrate on the idea of serving, and let any suitable image that you personally connect to the idea of serving a higher ideal appear in front of your inner eye. Make the inner image of selfless serving as vivid, bright and full-sized as possible, and identify yourself with it. Every time you perform this exercise, add some rich detail to the visualization to make it clearer, and more distinct and vivid. Know that it is the true purpose of your existence to live for a higher purpose. (Also be aware that there are others who serve the light, just as you do.)3 You must keep your devotion to the Light as pure as possible. Always know that like attracts like. If your devotion is as sincere and wholeheartedly as possible, you will - correspondingly to the power of your devotion - attract more Light into your life. Open yourself consciously to that blessing!

Let your heart be filled by the Light and feel the deep peace, the love and the blessing of the Light for 1-2 minutes. Let this exercise become a daily moment of inner calmness and spiritual joy. Let your heart be filled with the spiritual joy and blessing that comes with being part of something greater than yourself and being able to live for a higher purpose. Permit yourself to be filled with love and peace shared by all those who walk the Path of Light. (While doing this exercise also keep in mind that you are not the only person performing this exercise. If you do not belong to a magical group, your sincere devotion will one day bring you into contact with those people, who, like you, serve the Light with all their hearts. From this day on, your Daily Candle Exercise will become a symbol of your inner bond with your spiritual brethren4 whom you found (or will find eventually). Thus, inner peace, blessing and something of a "spiritual home" will accompany you wherever you are.)

The daily candle exercise hast two components, an active and a passive one: The active part is to let your devotion (actively) be inflamed with strong will-power and focused intention, and with all the enthusiasm and spiritual euphoria you are able to summon up. Send this devotion as a blessing to the Light (and subsequently especially to your spiritual group, if you belong to one). In doing so, on the mental plane it is important to speak the words with the clear and firm intention to serve and dedicate yourself to the Highest Principle, and on the emotional plane it is equally important to speak the words with emotional power and devotion. Deliberately work yourself up more and more into the spiritual euphoria of true devotion, until the exercise turns into an expression of devoted spiritual ecstasy, focused by your will on one point (the Light). Finally let your heart (passively) be filled with the blessing of inner peace and calmness, and take some time to absorb that blessing.

If you perform this exercise regularly, you will not only develop your willpower, your devotion and your power of vizualisation, you will also further strengthen the Light within your soul and beneficial emotions in your astral body (emotional body / sentient soul). In addition, you will develop your character to higher ethics, as well as learning to open yourself up to higher powers. All of this makes the daily candle exercise, despite its simplicity, to be one of the most important occult exercises on the Path of Light.

Every time you repeat this exercise your spiritual devotion will become deeper and deeper and ever stronger. Furthermore, it will become easier and more natural, and the feeling of deep peace and inner calmness will intensify more and more each time, the inner images of true selfless service becoming clearer and ever more vivid. Every time you light this candle you will add a layer of Light to your soul, and more and more become a true magician.

This exercise is also a wonderful protection if performed with true devotion. Just as even the vastest shadow cannot reduce the light of a single little candle flame, nothing that comes from the darkness can touch the soul of a man who has truly connected himself with the Light. Furthermore, if you are part of a spiritual group, this exercise activates the special protection emanating from the group mind.

When the old candle is almost burned down, take a new white candle and light it from the old one. In this manner the power of the old candle will be passed on to the new one.

The remaining candle stump contains both the power that you have placed into it during the performance of the exercise, and the power to the group and its group mind under whose protection you are. For this reason you can carry the remaining candle stump with you when you leave the house - for protection and for blessing. Thus the power of blessing and protection of the candle exercise and the group mind will accompany you on all your ways.

You can also light a tea-light from the candle, which can be taken with you while traveling, to perform the exercise when you are away from home.

When you extinguish the flame you may wish to say (either audibly or just in your mind): "The flame, but not the Light." This will indicate that only the flame is extinguished, but the inner Light shines on to illuminate your life.




Correspondence Course in Magic and the Western Mysteries
Free One Year Online Course in the basic Theory and Principles of the Mystical Qabbalah and the Western Mystery Tradition

  Click here for: Online Courses and International Forum   Ritual Magic Training in Germany (German Language)   The Brotherhood of the Eternal Light (About us)   Qabbalah   Magic   Rituals   Meditations   Events   Groups, Lodges and Covens (Worldwide)   (in Europe)   (in Germany - German Language)   Sitemap   German Page   International Magic and Qabbalah Forum   Languages (entry page)   and much more...

Home





1 Literally: "The Candle (or Lamp) of YHVH is the Neshamah of Man."

2 Dion Fortune, The Mystical Qabalah, ch.2, page 8

3 Some, however, who pretend to serve the Light, merely serve their own ego and try to cover their own darkness with a glamour that may seem to themselves and to others as the true Light.

4 By the word brethren we mean both male and female companions of the Light (i.e. spiritual sisters and brothers).




We are an internationally recognized mystery school and magical lodge and offer serious magical training based on the principles of the mystical Qabbalah (Kabbalah, Kabbala, Kabala), Hermetic magic and the Western Mysteries. Magical training in an authentic mystery school (or magic school, and/or magical order) of the Western Mystery Tradition is the spiritual and mystical preparation for initiation of the student of the mysteries. Like every true magical lodge or magic school and every true Hermetic order we take training in magic very seriously. We stand in the spriritual tradition of the Rosicrucians and do not only teach the ancient ritual magic (or ceremonial magic), the Egyptian magic, the Celtic magic and the Greek Mysteries, but also the classical pillars of the Hermetik Tradition such as astrology and Tarot.