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Rating: 
Summary: Candles, Meditation, & Healing
Review: An astrologer and metaphysician, Charlene Whitaker teaches, counsels, and writes. She's also the founder of the Cosmic Academy of Metaphysical Arts, and has been featured in newspapers and on radio and television. Candles, Meditation, & Healing is her second book. She says that some people are wary of rituals, but points out that we all have daily rituals that we follow, such as brushing our teeth. There's nothing inherently fearful about a ritual, including those involving burning candles. When asked what candles do, she replies that "candles do nothing except burn when lit. You are the one who makes extraordinary things manifest in your life and the lives of others." She emphasizes that "doing candle rituals is not incompatible with Christianity or other belief systems." Whitaker starts with an explanation of how to create your own inner sanctuary using meditation. She then describes how to create a physical altar for your candle work. This can be very simple, or as elaborate as you wish. Once you've done that, you're ready to begin--she says that the "possibilities are endless as to how you can use your altar." She provides suggestions for using money, blessing newborns, and general healing. Candles can also be combined with astrology to do readings for others. Whitaker explains how to purchase the candles best suited for your purpose, how to care for them, and the significance of the ways in which they may burn. She also says that using the right color of candles is important, and describes the meanings and uses of each color. Melted candle wax can also form meaningful shapes, and Whitaker provides a complete dictionary of symbols to aid in interpretation. "Candles are a natural source of light and guidance--[Candles, Meditation, & Healing] will show you how to use candles to fire up your prayer, healing, and divination work."
Rating:
Summary: Candles, Meditation, & Healing
Review: An astrologer and metaphysician, Charlene Whitaker teaches, counsels, and writes. She's also the founder of the Cosmic Academy of Metaphysical Arts, and has been featured in newspapers and on radio and television. Candles, Meditation, & Healing is her second book. She says that some people are wary of rituals, but points out that we all have daily rituals that we follow, such as brushing our teeth. There's nothing inherently fearful about a ritual, including those involving burning candles. When asked what candles do, she replies that "candles do nothing except burn when lit. You are the one who makes extraordinary things manifest in your life and the lives of others." She emphasizes that "doing candle rituals is not incompatible with Christianity or other belief systems." Whitaker starts with an explanation of how to create your own inner sanctuary using meditation. She then describes how to create a physical altar for your candle work. This can be very simple, or as elaborate as you wish. Once you've done that, you're ready to begin--she says that the "possibilities are endless as to how you can use your altar." She provides suggestions for using money, blessing newborns, and general healing. Candles can also be combined with astrology to do readings for others. Whitaker explains how to purchase the candles best suited for your purpose, how to care for them, and the significance of the ways in which they may burn. She also says that using the right color of candles is important, and describes the meanings and uses of each color. Melted candle wax can also form meaningful shapes, and Whitaker provides a complete dictionary of symbols to aid in interpretation. "Candles are a natural source of light and guidance--[Candles, Meditation, & Healing] will show you how to use candles to fire up your prayer, healing, and divination work."
Rating: 
Summary: Lightweight offering....
Review: CANDLES, MEDITATION AND HEALING is a hotch-potch of a little book with no underlying and unifying religious or spiritual tradition which may or may not appeal to the average reader. Whitaker suggests her book can be used by any spiritual person and she does not link her candle magic to a particular religious orientation. She tosses in a little of this and a little of that, and although I don't mind an eclectic mix, I do mind a mishmash. Unfortunately, as Whitaker mixes "Christian" and "Wiccan" themes, I find the book more disconcerting than comforting. Many traditions hold with burning candles and incense. From services and candle stands in Roman Catholic Churches to the Hanukkah candles to lighted vespers on feast days to incense and money in Hindu shrines, folks light up all over the world. We light candles for special meals, Jack-o-Lanterns, and in past times the Tannenbaum tree. Whitaker's little book lightly passes over all the glorious ways and whys folks light up and jumps into building home alters and burning specific candles (such as green) for specific requests (money) from some source to be named by the candle burner. If you're looking for innovation and can overlook an unstructured and crazy-quilt approach, CANDLES might prove helpful. If you're looking for something profound this is not the book to buy.
Rating:
Summary: Lightweight offering....
Review: CANDLES, MEDITATION AND HEALING is a hotch-potch of a little book with no underlying and unifying religious or spiritual tradition which may or may not appeal to the average reader. Whitaker suggests her book can be used by any spiritual person and she does not link her candle magic to a particular religious orientation. She tosses in a little of this and a little of that, and although I don't mind an eclectic mix, I do mind a mishmash. Unfortunately, as Whitaker mixes "Christian" and "Wiccan" themes, I find the book more disconcerting than comforting. Many traditions hold with burning candles and incense. From services and candle stands in Roman Catholic Churches to the Hanukkah candles to lighted vespers on feast days to incense and money in Hindu shrines, folks light up all over the world. We light candles for special meals, Jack-o-Lanterns, and in past times the Tannenbaum tree. Whitaker's little book lightly passes over all the glorious ways and whys folks light up and jumps into building home alters and burning specific candles (such as green) for specific requests (money) from some source to be named by the candle burner. If you're looking for innovation and can overlook an unstructured and crazy-quilt approach, CANDLES might prove helpful. If you're looking for something profound this is not the book to buy.
Rating: 
Summary: Light Up Your Life with Candle Magick
Review: Charlene Whitaker was the owner of a local metaphysical store in Canoga Park, CA, in the 1990s, as well as an astrology teacher at the Carroll Righter Foundation, Hollywood, CA, and the founder of the Cosmic Academy of Metaphysical Arts in Canoga Park. Charlene is a very talented teacher and highly knowledgeable in many areas of metaphysics and occult practice. In this slim volume, Charlene presents spiritual working with candles in such a way that anyone practicing any religious discipline could apply these teachings easily within that framework. As she says in her introduction: "Doing candle rituals is not incompatible with Christianity or other belief systems . . . that flame of light . . . is your connection with your Supreme being. Be a loving and giving person as you begin now to 'light up your life,' and all those who follow your light." From that point of view, Charlene takes the reader through steps toward developing a relationship with candles as divine messengers and tools for healing. The first chapter, entitled "Creating Your Inner Sanctuary" focuses on a meditation practice which creates within the worker a personal place of power from which your candle work will draw it's inspiration. The next four chapters are about creating a material altar, types of equipment you might want on your altar, preparing yourself to use the altar, and then several different ways you can use your altar. Once you have your inner sanctuary and material altar prepared, Charlene discusses the mechanics of candle burning. She gives suggestions for choosing the best time for candle burning, how to light your candles, and how to read the way your candle burns. In the chapter "Things To Remember", Charlene makes some good suggestions for enhancing the effectiveness of your candle rituals such as placing a mirror under your candle to amplify the light and energy of the candle's purpose. Instead of just repeating the usual chart of magickal associations, Charlene describes the spiritual essence of colors in such a way as to make it easy on the newcomer to these concepts to remember without constantly referring back to this chapter. The last half of the book presents the most interesting material on candle reading. She presents two different methods of candle reading that also utilizes some very basic astrological information. Both the votive and the taper drip methods use the natural horoscope wheel to provide the framework for interpreting the fall of the candle wax. The material is presented fairly simply so that even someone with only sun sign knowledge can easily use the techniques. Overall this is a great introductory book on working with candles. If you already have a basic knowledge or have been working with candles for some time, you might find most of the material very basic and would do better with a more advanced book such as The Candle Magick Workbook by Kala & Ketz Pajeon (Citadel Press, 1991)
Rating:
Summary: Not to sure about this one...
Review: First off, if you are pagan, and desperately fleeing all things Christian, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK! While there are pagan concepts in it (which almost seem to be added, for the most part, as an after thought), the whole first part of the book in infused with the words "Let go and let God". Also, she has a hang-up for adding the words, "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" (although she does offer at least one alternative phrase usually) when blessing things.
In fact, as a Pagan myself, there are several parts which I find rather offensive. For example, her first reason for not putting an altar in your living room: "...it may give the impression that you are practicing some hooey-dooey stuff...". What, may I ask, is THAT supposed to mean? For one thing, I HAVE practiced Hoo(ey)Doo(ey), and I guarantee, the concepts there are more logical than most of the blessing ones in this book. For another, why have people over that you are required to explain yourself to?
The author also advocates sending healing, blessing, etc. to another person without their permission, as long as you qualify the sending by saying "If this is for the highest good of all concerned" (or something to that effect). Now, I am not the "White Light, Fluffy Bunny" variety of Pagan, so me saying "You should never send anyone anything they didn't ask for" would just make me a hypocrite (which I also am not). However, it seems that the other person's personal desires should be taken into account for that type of thing, rather than leaving it to some "higher power" to decide if this is what is "good" for them.
Having said that, and having decided to keep the rest of my complaining to myself, the part about using candles for divination is pretty interesting. In fact, the divination section is the only reason this book gets 3 stars. Without it, it is barely worth 1. I tried a couple of the techniques and they seem to be comparitively accurate. There are a couple of techniques that use astrology, which I don't follow at all, but the book does a good job of explaining the basics so you can use the technique. I hadn't seen this form of divination in any other books, so it was fun to give something new a try to.
I would recommend this book if you are interested in candle divination, but if you are looking for spells, or "rituals", this is NOT for you.
And now, a joke...did you know that when bubbles form in a glass of tap water, it has been blessed by God? (If you don't understand, email me and I will be more than happy to explain)
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