The Magic of Smoke and Flame<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I don't write about spells or magic very often. Rarely, truth be told. I do practice these things though. Every day it's likely I have candles, incense or\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/pantheon\/2012\/01\/the-magic-of-smoke-and-flame\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Magic of Smoke and Flame\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I don't write about spells or magic very often. Rarely, truth be told. I do practice these things though. Every day it's likely I have candles, incense or\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/pantheon\/2012\/01\/the-magic-of-smoke-and-flame\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PANTHEON\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-01-24T15:28:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs\/pantheon\/files\/2012\/01\/Weihrauch-951x1024.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Star Foster\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Star Foster\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/pantheon\/2012\/01\/the-magic-of-smoke-and-flame\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/pantheon\/2012\/01\/the-magic-of-smoke-and-flame\/\",\"name\":\"The Magic of Smoke and Flame\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/pantheon\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-01-24T15:28:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-01-24T15:28:09+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/pantheon\/#\/schema\/person\/ac61b8c1a66bae870ac040938898606d\"},\"description\":\"I don't write about spells or magic very often. 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{"id":4670,"date":"2012-01-24T11:28:09","date_gmt":"2012-01-24T15:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/pantheon\/?p=4670"},"modified":"2012-01-24T11:28:09","modified_gmt":"2012-01-24T15:28:09","slug":"the-magic-of-smoke-and-flame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/pantheon\/2012\/01\/the-magic-of-smoke-and-flame\/","title":{"rendered":"The Magic of Smoke and Flame"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I don\u2019t write about spells or magic very often. Rarely, truth be told. I do practice these things though.<\/p>\n

Every day it\u2019s likely I have candles, incense or both burning. I light, I murmur incantations, I salute and I invoke.<\/p>\n

$\"\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n

I think that my words, my intent and energy will be carried by the smoke on the wind.<\/p>\n

That wind will go places I never can, from the upper reaches of the atmosphere to the thin drafts under doorways.<\/p>\n

It will whisper my wishes as it encircles the earth in breezes and tornadoes. In hurricanes and the rustling of new spring grass.<\/p>\n

The things I work for will be gossiped about by trees and discussed by sagely nodding daffodils activated by the ever-moving air.<\/p>\n

And the flame I kindle, the ember I blow to life, ignites a similar glow within me.<\/p>\n

Call it superstition, call it a mental prop, or call it magic, it\u2019s an integral daily part of my practice. Every day, in some way, I bring light, heat and smoke into being. When the Big Bang happened light, heat and particulate dust was created.<\/p>\n

When I light incense, or even a candle, I recreate the moment of possibility. In that action something is begun that has vast potential. Something bursts forth that might sustain life.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"