The Ninth House by Leaigh Berdugo

 Magic is alive and well on Campus. Secret Societies like Skull and Bones operate freely. Having constructed tombs under their fraternities the 8 houses of magic are thriving. The ninth house is the Lethe House and their job is to make sure the secret societies follow the rules and things do not get out of hand.

Alex is the newest member of this small order. Her background is spurious. Former drug user who has no idea why she was was chosen. Things start to go awry when one of the 8 houses has a ritual and a bunch of greys or earthbound ghosts try to get in the the mix . Something is wrong. Later that night night Tara Hutchins is murdered. She has occult markings and the murder is done in a ritual fashion. One of the 8 houses broke the rules.

What follows is a modern mystery with occult trapping. Alex and her mentor, Darlington go to the different houses asking question and snooping around. Along the way they team up with detective turner. At first he is skeptical but then understand that the occult is far too great for him to tackle alone. In the course of their investigation Alex is attack by Gluma and scarab Beatles.

One or several of the houses are peddling magic and overstepping the bound. Within Lethe house there is corruption. The end is rather ironic and surprising.

Mastering Candle Magick

 I read the kindle version of this book which is now only available in book form.  This book is one of the original classics in candle burning rituals. It is read by all knowledgeable people who practice magic. 

The book is not pagan but rather very Judea Christian centered. Using fire for ritual purposes goes back thousands of years. It was believed that fire both protected and purified the area around.Fire provided warmth and the ability to cook food. 

It was also believed that certain colors face of certain vibrations. These vibrations could be helpful in helping a person achieve their goal. There are also colors that represent the different birth sign. Like all magic the magic presented here is sympathetic meaning that like effects like, so gathering hair, nail clipping and other personal belonging could help in a love spell or hexing someone . The book has rituals for all sorts of purposes whether it be for money, love success you name it.

Altar set up is simple, any surface can be used. The set up is simple. Two crucifix candles at the head of the altar . They are colors white for purity and dressed in high alter oil. The bottom left hand corner is where the Bible is placed. On the table space between there is where the petitioner candles go and the goal candles. Candle are anointed with oils for the purpose as are they colored so. The oils would probably have to be store bought as there are no oil recipes. Candles are annointed from the middle to the top and from the middle to the bottom. 

Symbolism is everything and colors and goals have their own symbology. Important to realize is that colors may symbolize different thing to different people. Your own symbology is what you should use. 

The candle are burned and different bible verses are read while the candle are burning. The spell has different lengths that the candle burns after prayer are said. 

For those wanting to access magic with a no frills approach and no baggage this book is it. They do advise using vegetable products and avoid any ingredients made with animal products. Great book.