What Is Homage?
Homage Is Honouring Our Ancestors and/or the Ones We pray To.
It is a duty based on the belief that when we die we continue to exist. It is also believed that spirits have the ability to look after the living and to influence their fortune. Paying homage to our elders allows us seeking our ancestors’ wisdom, guidance and assistance for us.
We honor by remembering. Remembering also opens up a communication channel with our personal history which shapes so much of our conscious and unconscious identity. As you think on how a relative would respond with a problem or simply by directly asking their advice you might receive some guidance in the form of intuitions, images, dreams or meetings with people with answers.
The ritual of welcoming and honoring ancestors is an ancient spiritual practice found in many cultures and traditions. Thus we begin this ceremony with paying tribute and expressing gratitude to our ancestors.
From our histories our ancestors call to us, asking “whence we come, and how and whither?” We are grateful for their gifts, their lessons, and their challenge; calling us into accountability and responsibility to fulfill their hopes and aspirations, for “What they dreamed be ours to do.”
Altar Preparation
Prepare an altar space in your home on a small table or nightstand. Where there is not a lot of traffic. Using water and a paper towel, wipe down the area of your table that you intend to use as an altar in a counter-clockwise motion, with the energy and intent that you are clearing space for your magical work. Arrange your candle in a votive candle holder, jelly jar, or cup (anything that will contain the wax as it melts), along with anything else that represents the work that you are going to do on the altar in a way that is pleasing to you.
Lighting Your Candle
Light incense or Sage Stick that is pleasing to you and use it to clear the energies surrounding you and your altar space.
Pray, chant, sing and/or play music to focus your energy before you light your candle. When you feel ready, light your candle and speak your spell words.
Pay Homage
This is with an offering. Mostly, a meal.
The best way I have found, is to make a meal for my ancestors. My father liked the river; so, I bring him his favorite food, brown liquor and light up his favorite cigarette and speak to him near the river banks. For my other ancestors whom I never met and those that were much older than me. I make them fried fish, pan fried cabbage, black eyed peas and cornbread. This isn’t a typical meal for me; however, this may have been a typical meal for your ancestors. Take small portions and apply to a plate. Give them a glass of water to nourish their souls. Light a white candle and talk to your ancestors as if they’re there with you. Tell them what you need. Invite them in your life then leave the plate near a cedar tree or on your altar for 4 days.
Candle Interpretation
One of the wonderful things about a candle spell is that it can give you feedback from the spirit realm as to what to expect from your spell. The primary way to interpret candle remains are to look for soot or smoke on the glass (if applicable), to look for excess candle wax and to read the candle wax remains.
For Vigil Candles and Candle Burned in Glass Holders:
Black soot or smoke indicates spiritual blockages around your intention. The amount of soot indicates the level of blockage (a small amount indicates small blockages, a lot of soot indicates heavy blockages). Re-do your spell again or start with an Energetic Purification, Spiritual Cleansing, Block Buster, Open Roads or Van Van candle to remove spiritual blocks and then, when this cleansing candle has burned cleanly and completely, light another candle for your original intention. Additionally, you may want to enhance your work by doing a series of cleansing baths with Energetic Purification Bath Crystals.
Grey or white smoke indicates that your spirit guides are surrounding you on this issue and would like to help you with your situation. If you would like more help connecting to guides, listen to Magic and the Law of Attraction podcast episodes 9 and 10.
Wax remaining in the bottom of the glass indicates that there is material world work and effort that needs to be done to support your outcome. Wax burned completely indicates that there is no extra work or effort that has to be done on your part.
A broken glass indicates that someone is working against you having your good outcome.
Looking at any candle remains, you can see shapes or symbols which can be interpreted as you would interpret tea leaves in a tea leaf reading.
For Free-Standing Candles on Plates or Trays:
Wax spilling over the side of the tray or dish indicates that you are revealing too much in the situation – either too much information or too much emotion.
Wax “pillars” standing up indicate blockages – large or tall wax pillars indicate large blockages, short ones indicate small blocks. Many pillar indicate many blocks, a few indicate only a few hurdles. Wax pillars that were standing at one time but have fallen over by the end of the spell indicate blockages that have been removed or overcome through the spellwork.
Excess wax drowning your candle flame before it has burned completely indicates that there is material world work and effort that needs to be done to support your outcome. Wax burned completely indicates that there is no extra work or effort that has to be done on your part.
A broken dish or tray indicates that someone is working against you having your outcome.
Looking at any candle remains, you can see shapes or symbols which can be interpreted as you would interpret tea leaves in a tea leaf reading.
If you are working with a figural candle, you can see any particular part of the candle that remain as a message also. For example, if the feet are remaining, you interpret that symbolically as you need to get your “foot in the door” or your “feet on the ground” or that you need a “better footing” in the situation.
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