Article excerpts by Coventry Creations, Introduction by Shaefeather Windsong
When diving into spell-casting in this modern age, it can be a bit overwhelming if you have a busy schedule. How can the modern witch do their craft efficiently without investing a lot of time into study, gathering of materials and creating spells? The answer is candles! But these are no ordinary candles. They are specially designed to work for whatever purpose needed with the spell intact. All that’s needed is a flame and your intention. The maker of these magical candles is a fantastic independent business of over 25 years. Coventry Creations was founded by Jacki Smith with the help of her sister Patty Shaw. Her creative products have provided years of inspiration and magic for our customers here at East West Bookshop as well as myself in my personal life.
The candles can be burned one at a time for a single intent or combined together with other candles to create a special purpose. An example of this is featured below for a spell on "How to Find Your Familiar".
The rest of this article are excerpts written by Jacki and Patty. To get a better understanding of who they are, what the candles are used for and how you can use them in your day to day life I think it's best to hear it in their words and experience. We will be featuring more spell articles each month. Candles can be purchased at East West Bookshop. If we are out, let a sales rep know and we will order one for you.
THE BEGINNINGS
Twenty years ago and before anyone even knew what the law of attraction was about, a smart and spunky 24-year-old quit her day job and started a company that revolutionized the way we approach personal success. Jacki Smith’s method was unconventional but she knew her way really worked. Jacki set out to show people that magic isn’t just for witches and wizards and that we all use magic every day without even knowing it. She created a line of inspirational candles and, combined with her passion for marketing, created a system she called Creating Your Own Reality. A year and a half into it, Jacki invited her sister, Patty Shaw, to join her and they soon became partners and conspired together to bring about world change one candle at a time.
WHY THE CANDLES WORK
The reason why we say Coventry is “Where Magic Happens” is because we use magic freely and often in our creative processes. We set up a sacred space to work in, choose our ingredients purposefully and pull in the energy of the stars, planets and moon by making our candles during the most beneficial astrological times. Magic makes us think that things happen without any effort on our part—but that is Disney magic, not magic of the real world. A lot of effort and planning goes into why candle magic works; it works because of us, not in spite of us. We are all magical beings, and we at Coventry have combined everything you need to make a little candle magic for yourself. The only ingredient left to add is you and your intention.
Our candles work because of scientific as well as spiritual reasons. Each ingredient carries the vibration that is in alignment with a specific action and outcome. The entire recipe, the words on the label, and when the candle is made all work together to hold the space for you while you relax and allow the vibrations to influence your reality. What you are doing is giving the energy held in the candle your address. You do this with your thoughts (your intention), desires (which include your feelings), and words (the blessing on the label and the words you add)... and off it goes to start the manifestation process. Energy is like that, it’s 100% potential and you give it a purpose and a direction. Our candles give you a focus and a platform from which you may launch the energy. Even though this may not sound scientific, it really is. You are working on the quantum level of life when you do magic—which is really science with heart!
Here’s a little tidbit from Coventry Magic (book) by Jacki Smith: “The candle is a great medium of magic, so simple, yet so powerful. Its careful preparation is the core of very powerful spells (even a vague preparation of a mass-produced candle has decent effects). I was initially attracted to candle magic above other mediums because a candle is forged into existence using all four elements. The other powerful aspect to candle magic is the sympathetic action of transformation to release your spell. Using fire, the element of transformation, to transform something relatively mundane into a magical petition is a double whammy of magical intent. Wax in itself is not a magical item, but it is a great insulator and container of energy—it holds it until it is released.”
Magic is all about managing the flow of energy and this is the main reason why our candles work. Energy is something we don’t fully understand, but that doesn’t mean we can’t use it to create our world with it—because that’s what our world is made of. If you are creating a work of art, you would pick your medium carefully and place the elements of your piece just so to create something that fills you with joy. Our candles are just one of the tools you can use to create your own work of art called your life.
MANY MAGICAL TRADITIONS
Being an eclectic witch is the inspiration behind Coventry, more specifically, why the word Coventry was chosen 25 years ago as our company name. When I first looked up in word in an old 1980’s dictionary the definition I got was “A gathering place of witches”.
Today as I look it up, that definition has faded away to be overtaken by “a state of ostracism or exclusion.” That makes sense if you think about attempted reassure of witchcraft, anyplace where witches gathered was considered a place you wouldn’t want to go. Thank goodness we have a new take on witches and a reclaimed definition of Coventry. We look at Coventry as a gathering place of traditions, especially traditions that have been ostracized and excluded by the traditional religions.
There are as many paths to the divine as there are humans looking for connection.
How could the vast presence of the universal creator be embodied by only one perspective? I see the divine as a finely cut diamond and we can only see one facet at a time. We are all blind to the totality of our god/goddess experience with only our time bit in focus. At Coventry we want to open up to many more facets and bring validation to others like us. It’s in our bones and it’s in our her-story.
In 1990 when Coventry was first conceived of, I was heavily into the study of the Wiccan traditions. I got there thru the love of the Christian mysticism and my journey thru a 12 step program. These three ideals shaped the Blessed Herbal Candles, the Affirmations, Blessing kits, and Witches Brew line.
My journey didn’t end there. I studied with a teacher from a Krisha Temple, a shaman, a transformational healer and a Santeria house. All of these paths brought me to a wider understanding of traditions around the world and that we need to honor those who kept the traditions alive in a time where they would have been erased. My study of Conjure and folk magic from around the world brought us to the creation of the Motor City Hoo Doo line and the World Magic line.
Patty keeps us in balance with her foundation in Christianity, Reiki, and transformational healing. Her influence along the way helped keep every product we make relevant to the changing needs of people today. (We are working on a few new lines that speak closer to these paths)
What we do here is ensure that we are authentic in our magical creations. We don’t make products that we have not become intimately acquainted with their tradition or energy. We have to connect profoundly with the message and recipe, that’s why when Dorothy Morrison and I were talking about products, it took us 2 years to create the Wicked Witch Mojo line. It had to be right, not just marketable.
We have come and gone with many product lines, and our current passion is the limited editions that speak to the energy of the moment. (Hekate, Ghost, Firecracker, Crossroads, and Peace candles.)
Coventry is made up of many traditions and yet we all travel in the same direction, a deeper connection to our higher power. We invite you to experience our products to awaken your own divine connection and create your own powerful personal magical tradition.
TRY THIS: STEPS TO FINDING YOUR MAGICAL FAMILIAR (OR SPIRIT ANIMAL)
We hear the terms: witch’s familiar, magical familiar, spiritual familiar, which all relate to an animal who you are esoterically connected to, but what we need to understand is that your magical familiar, or whatever term you identify with, is an actual living animal.
Most of us were introduced to “magical animals” through movies, television programs, or even books. A Witch’s Familiar or animal guide was believed to be a supernatural entity that would assist witches in their practice of magic. This makes complete sense as there are many magical deities that are depicted with specific animals along with the stories that are told about them: Athena is shown with an owl, Anubis with a jackal, Ma’at with an ostrich, Bast with a cat...the list is long. Yet, the witch is always shown with a black cat which is perpetuated in various media. So how do you find YOUR familiar?
Is there a certain type of animal always around you? Is there a certain pet that you bond with? It could be a cat, a dog, a frog, or the owl that hoots outside your window. Do you find that there are certain animals that bring you a semblance of peace? Here is how you find your magical familiar:
-Place the Goddess Affirmation candle in a candle holder
-Arrange the Pet Blessings Blessed Herbal Blessing Kit in votive holders on the left, right and in front of the Goddess Affirmation candle.
-Set your intentions by saying “may my familiar make itself known to me”
-Repeat this intention as you light the Goddess candle and each of the Pet Blessing kit starting on the right and moving clockwise.
-Allow the candles to burn as you settle into yourself. Pay attention to your senses and your thoughts. Once you have a clear picture of your familiar extinguish the candles.
If your magical familiar is your pet, wonderful! If your familiar is not your pet that’s okay, too!! Either way, you are now in a great position to attune and connect with the energy of your familiar. You can do this by burning the Soul Mate Affirmations candle in a candle holder. Set your intention of gratitude saying, “I am excited about working with you. I am grateful for our connection and I look forward to deepening our love and friendship.”
Burn the Soul Mate candle daily for two hours until the candle burns out.
Your spiritual familiar is closer than you think
If your spiritual familiar is your pet you can do this to create a closer bond with your spiritual familiar. Using our Witches Union Magical Adept Witch’s Familiar patch and sitting with your pet, hold the patch to its heart and say the following:
“By fur feather and scale I honor my magical partner and pet.”
Hold the patch to your heart and repeat this same blessing. Spend time communicating, petting and loving your familiar, strengthening your connections and magic.
Remember: A witch’s familiar is grounding, energizing, protecting and comforting. This shows us that all pets are magical in their own way. A magical adept knows that a familiar is their magical partner and brings a unique essence and depth to their magic. Wear this patch proudly if you pet brings a unique magic and love to your life.
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Excerpts are from coventrycreations.com and all credit goes to Jacki Smith and Patty Shaw.
www.coventrycreations.com