Bell, book, and candle shall not drive me back
When gold and silver becks me to come on.
King John
William Shakespeare
The three titular objects of this node refer to the rites of excommunication and anathema within the Roman Catholic Church. Anathema can only be declared by the Pope while excommunication can be performed by lesser clergy, but the symbolic use of bell, book and candle appears in both instances.
After reading the declaration of excommunication, the officiating cleric will shut the Bible, ring the bell, and extinguish the candle by casting it into the dirt. Shutting the Bible represents excluding the anathemized from the word of God. The ringing of the bell echoes bells rung in mourning for the departed, as the sinner is now "dead" spiritually within the Church. Dousing the candle flame snuffs the light of the doomed's soul. All in all, a rather weighty curse.
Bell, book and candle are often referenced in wicca, New Age and/or other pagan and "occult" traditions because, historically, those found "guilty" of witchcraft were often cast out of Christian society via this rite. The symbolism is weighty enough to have been adopted by other magical (or magickal) systems, although it is rare in these instances that the book used is the Holy Bible.