Substitutes for candles?

Well, I'm currently in the broom closet and am finding it extremely hard to cast spells without my parents noticing....
I was wondering if anybody had any ideas that I could use to substitute for candles that I could use for rituals/spell casting without it being too obvious.
All help is appreciated,
Shshgr

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Search virtual candle website on google. I've used a lot of their virtual candles and I highly recommend them.
Also you could just get the electric fake candles.

As RainCaller said some people use virtual candles, pictures, or simply their imagination. Candles are tools used to focus ones mind on the task and symbolism related to the spell. In other words you can cast a spell without candles. I've seen some spells that instructed the caster to imagine every bit of the ritual/spell including burning a piece of paper in the flames of a candle. It looked kinda silly but one site I ran across a while back had you typing in your spell and it being burn virtually in a candle. Where there's a will there's a way as the saying goes.

You can charge different colored ribbons or even items that are inconspicous if they are laying about your room. Call up the energy as if you were lighting a candle flame. When you are done, be sure to dismiss the energy; no one leaves a flame unnatended, right?

Thank you all so much for your help! I never thought of using virtual candles or ribbons!

Candels are usually about scent and color so yes colored ribbons or even something as simple as yarn should do the trick. Experiment and see what works best for you.

Cord and knot magic is a very old form of folk magic that was often associated with wind/weather magics. In cord magic the spells are simply prepared ahead of time, and then used as needed. Each knot is then untied releasing the power entrapped in the cord over nine consecutive days.

For cord magic you will need a cord that is nine feet long (three times three; the traditional magical number) and is the color appropriate to the magical working. Smaller cords can be 9 inches long if you want something simpler to carry and store.

Because it is a magical tool, no one else should ever use your cord but you. Tie a knot in each end to keep it from unraveling. Consecrate the cord to your purpose when once the cord has been cut and the ends knotted.

The most common use of the cord is as a storage cell" for the power. The first knot is tied at one end, with the words "By knot of one, the spell's begun." At this point, chanting or meditation is appropriate until you feel it is time to tie another knot.

The second knot is tied on the opposite end with the words: "By knot of two, it cometh true". Take "aim" at this time by visualizing your need or desire being fulfilled. As the power builds, more knots are tied until there are nine knots in the cord. (Not counting the ones you tied to keep the ends from unraveling.

1------6------4------7------3------8------5------9------2

Here is the pattern of tying, together with the appropriate words:


By knot of ONE, the spell's begun
By knot of TWO, it cometh true
By knot of THREE, so mote it be
By knot of FOUR, this power I store
By knot of FIVE, the spell's alive
By knot of SIX, this spell I fix
By knot of SEVEN, events I'll leaven
By knot of EIGHT, it will be Fate
By knot of NINE, what's done is mine


At the tying of the last (ninth) knot, all the energy is directed into the cord and its knots, with a final visualization of the object of the work. The power has been raised and is now "stored" in these knots in the cord.

Why would you want to store a spell? For some magic, the time for it to happen is important.

Suppose, for example, that you want something constructive to happen but the most propitious time for it to do so happens to be close to the New Moon. Do you do your constructive magic during the Waxing Moon? No. You do it early on, at the Full Moon, using a cord.

Now the power is there, properly raised, but stored for use.

You have nine knots. Although they are all tied in one ritual, these must be released one at a time - one a day - for nine consecutive days. Release them in the same order in which they were tied, NOT the reverse order.

In other words, on the first day untie the knot that was first tied (to know which end you started with, when making the cord, braid in a small bead at one end and always start with this end); on the second day, the second knot tied; and so on.

In this fashion, the last knot untied, on the ninth day, is the ninth knot that was tied at the climax of the tying ritual - the time of greatest power.

Each day, before you actually untie, do your concentration on what is to happen, visualize and again build power. Then, as you release the knot, release the power.

Cords should be of natural materials, such as wool, the best, or cotton; however, if all you have are synthetic materials it will still work..Remember that the tool is not the Witch. The real power comes from within you.

Colors:

White - purity, truth, sincerity, spirituality, the goddess, peace, higher self, virginity(as in the woman’s mind is owned by no man), a substitute for any other color.

Red - strength, health, vigor, sexual love, energy, passion, courage, element of fire, career goals, fast action, lust, blood of the moon, vibrancy, driving force, survival

Light Blue - tranquility, understanding, patience, calm, gently moving, wisdom, good fortune, opening blocked communication

Dark Blue - impulsiveness, depression, changeability, protection, spiritual inspiration, reassurance, creativity

Green - finance, fertility, luck, Earth Mother, physical healing, monetary success, abundance, tree and plant magick, growth, Element of Earth, personal goals

Gold - wealth, The God, promote winning, safety and power of the male, happiness, playful humor

Yellow - The Sun, intelligence, accelerated learning, memory, logical imagination, breaking mental blocks, selling yourself

Gold/Yellow - attraction, persuasion, charm, confidence

Brown - hesitation, uncertainty, neutrality, influence friendships, special favors

Pink - honor, romantic love, morality, Planetary Good Will, healing of emotions, peace, affection,romance, partnerships of emotional maturity, caring, nurturing

Black - evil, loss, discord, confusion, protection, repelling negativity, binding, shapeshifting

Purple - tension, ambition, business progress, power, influencing people in high places, third eye, psychic ability, spiritual power, self assurance, hidden knowledge

Silver/Grey - cancellation, neutrality, stalemate, telepathy,clairvoyance, intuition, clairaudience, psychometry, dreams, astral energies, Female Power, communication, The Goddess

Orange - encouragement, adaptability, stimulation, attraction, business goals, property deals, ambition, career goals, general success, justice, legal matters, selling, action

Greenish Yellow - sickness, cowardice, anger, jealousy, discord

Copper - passion, money goals, professional growth, fertility in business, career maneuvers

Cord magic is often overlooked but it is an old and reliable way of doing spellwork. I often recommend it for those who live in places such as a dormitory where they cannot use the more popular and well-known candle magic.

Thank you all for your help and informative information!
Perhaps I will try cord magick.. My main element is air and it sounds like it might work for me!
Thanks again~

Believe it or not, I actually use electronic candles and colored tissue paper. I have found that these work extremely well, as spell casting is more about the symbolism and the energy than it is about the physical tools you use.

I realize that this is an older post, but I'm new to the Wiccan community and have the same fear of my parents discovering me practicing spells. Thank goodness I found this, it's extremely relieving and helpful.