Candle Correspondence Table ~by George Knowles Candles have long been used in association with magick and witchcraft, as indeed they have been adopted and used by many other religions for spiritual communication. Candle magick is probably the oldest and simplest form of ritual magick still performed today. Ever since fire was discovered, the naked flame has been regarded as sacred. In ancient times they used to light touches to invoke the Goddess and Gods. Today we symbolize those acts by utilizing candles. The naked flame remains the finest and easiest means of focusing in on power and energy. The use of differently coloured candles symbolizes the nature of intent and ultimately the outcome of a particular spell. Coloured candles are therefore used to pinpoint our focus on a particular deity or planetary association. We need to understand the colour properties and other associations of candles to make magick work. Below is a list of candles and their associations. For other associations and correspondences see: Black – Are used for Banishing evil or negativity as in uncrossing rituals, Crone Magic, Mourning a loss, Meditation, Feminine Divinity, Samhain. Also used in rituals to induce a deep meditational state. This candle attracts Saturn energy. Light Blue - Is a spiritual colour and is helpful in devotional or inspirational meditations. It brings peace and tranquility to the home and radiates Aquarius energy. Use in situations that need to be synthesized. Royal Blue - Is the colour of Loyalty and is used to promote Laughter and Joviality. Use it to promote Jupiter energy and whenever an influence needs to be increased. Blue – Is symbolic of the spirits of the West, and the elements of Water. It is used in rituals to obtain Wisdom, Peace, Healing, Tranquility, Truth, Sleep, Prophetic Dreams, Friendship, Physical Protection and Hope. Brown – Is symbolic of the spirits of the North, and the elements Earth. It is used for rituals involving Animal Magic and the Home in regards to Material Increase. It eliminates Indecisiveness and improves the Powers of Concentration, Study and Telepathy. Use it also for increasing Financial Success and for locating Lost Objects. Gold – Fosters understanding and attracts the power of cosmic influences. Use it in rites intended to bring about fast luck or money. When communicating with Solar Deities and for honouring the Gods. This candle generates solar energy. Grey – Is a neutral colour and is useful when pondering complex issues during meditation. In magic, this colour often sparks confusion. It also negates and/or neutralizes a negative influence. Emerald Green - This candle is important in Venusian rituals. It attracts Love, Social Delights and Fertility. Dark Green – Are used for Beauty, Employment, Fertility, Healing, Success, Good Luck, Prosperity, Heart Matters, Money and Masculine Divinity. Being the colour of Ambition, Greed and Jealousy, it can be used to counteract these influences in a ritual. Orange – Are used for Creativity, Attraction, Stimulating Energy, Legal Matters, Success, New Home, Intelligence and Mental Clarity. It charges and recharges the intellect and combines with any other candles to stimulate their actions. Use for rituals stipulating Mercury energy, and sometimes-solar energy. Also used during Samhain. Pink – Promotes Romance and Friendship, and is the standard colour used for rituals to draw affections. It is used for Love, Honour, Friendship and Fidelity. A colour of femininity, it brings lively conversation to the dinner table. Purple – Are used for Psychic Ability, Wisdom, Spirituality, Success, Independence, Spiritual Growth, Power, Healing and the Feminine Divine. Ideal for rituals to secure Ambitions and Financial Rewards. Increases Neptune energy. Red – Is symbolic of the spirits of the South, and the elements of Fire. It is used for Strength, Courage, Power, Passion, Health, Energy, Vitality, Love and Will Power. It increases magnetism in rituals and draws on Aries and Scorpio energy. Silver – Is used to remove Negativity, encourage Stability and helps to develop Psychic abilities. Use for Protection, Honouring the Goddess, Telepathy and Clairvoyance. This candle attracts the influence of the Goddess. White – Is a balance of all Colours and is used for Meditation, Healing, Truth Seeking, Peace, Spiritual Strength and Enlightenment, Rituals involving "Lunar" energy, Purity, Protection, Happiness, Masculine Divinity, and may be substituted for any other colours. Yellow – Is symbolic of the spirits of the East, and the elements of Air. It is used for Charms, Confidence, Attraction, Wisdom, Visions, Psychic Powers, Mental Powers, Activity, Creativity and Unity. Use it to bring the power of concentration and imagination to the success of a ritual. Also used in rituals where you need to gain someone's confidence or need to persuade someone. This candle generates solar energy. Magenta - Is a combination of Red and Violet that oscillates on a high frequency. It energizes rituals where immediate action is needed, or high levels of power and spiritual healing are required. Indigo - Is the colour of inertia. It is used to stop situations or people’s intentions. Use it in rituals that require deep meditation and rituals that require Saturn energy.
An Introduction to Candle Magic -by Patti Wigington Candle magic is one of the simplest forms of spell casting. Considered sympathetic magic, it's a method which doesn’t require a lot of fancy ritual or expensive ceremonial artifacts. In other words, anyone with a candle can cast a spell. After all, remember when you were a child and you made a wish before you blew out the candles on your birthday cake? Same theory, only now instead of just hoping, you're declaring your intent (and by now you've probably stopped hoping for a pony). If you think about it, the birthday-candle ritual is based on three key magical principles: Decide on a goal Visualize the end result Focus your intent, or will, to manifest that result WHAT SORT OF CANDLE SHOULD I USE? Most practitioners of magical systems will tell you that, much like a few other aspects of life, size really isn't important. In fact, really big candles may be counterproductive -- a candle that takes too long to burn down can be highly distracting to someone working a spell that instructs you to wait until the candle burns out on its own. Typically, a short taper candle or a votive candle work the best. In some cases, a spell might call for a specific type of candle, such as a seven-day candle or a figure candle, which may represent a particular person. One of the most popular candles, believe it or not, is in fact the little menorah candles which are sold by the box in the kosher section of the grocery store. They're about 4" long, white, unscented, and thin -- perfect for spell work. You should always use a brand new candle for spell work -- in other words, virgin materials. Don't use the candles that you burned at the dinner table or in the bathroom yesterday for spell work. In some magical traditions, once a candle is burned it picks up vibrations from things around it -- in other words, a used candle is already tainted by vibrations, and so will lead to a negative or ineffective magical outcome. When it comes to colors, you may wish to have a variety on hand for different magical purposes. Typically, color correspondences for candle magic are as follows: Red: Courage and health, sexual love and lust Pink: Friendship, sweet love Orange: Attraction and encouragement Gold: Financial gain, business endeavors, solar connections Yellow: Persuasion and protection Green: Financial gain, abundance, fertility Light Blue: Health, patience and understanding Dark Blue: Depression and vulnerability Purple: Ambition and power Brown: Earth-related or animal-related workings Black: Negativity and banishment White: Purity and truth* Silver: Reflection, intuition, lunar connections * Note that in many Pagan traditions, it is acceptable to use a white candle in place of any other color. USING YOUR CANDLE IN RITUAL After you've selected a candle, you'll want to oil it or dress it before burning. This is a method by which you'll establish a psychic link between you and the candle itself. In other words, you're charging the candle with your own energy and personal vibrations, and projecting your intent into the wax before you burn it. To dress a candle, you'll need a natural oil -- many practitioners like grapeseed because it has no smell. Another option is to use special candle magic oils from one of the metaphysical supply stores. Begin at the top of the candle, and rub the oil downward to the middle. Then, begin at the base of the candle and rub the oil up towards the middle, ending where the first coating of oil left off. In some traditions, the anointing is done just the opposite way -- start in the middle and work your way towards the two ends. If your working calls for herbs to be used as well, roll the oiled candle in the powdered herbs until it is coated all the way around. Brujo Negro of Brujo Negro Brujeria says, "Is a candle magical in and of itself? No, it is the flame of the candle which is what we are making the magic; the candle and its wax are the fuel for the fire. In essence the candle is a vehicle for the creation of the magic contained in the flame, it is a tool if you will and yes it is a magical tool so you should treat your candles as magical tools. You should give your chosen candle a basic cleansing, before dedicating it to the use of a magical spell." The most basic form of candle magic uses a piece of colored paper that matches the intent of your candle. Decide what your goal is, and write it on the piece of paper - just for an example, let's say we're going to do a money working. Write down your intent -- something like I will become financially prosperous. In some traditions, you would write your intent in a magical alphabet, such as Theban or Enochian. Because this is a money-oriented working, we would select either a gold or green piece of paper, and a candle of the same color. As you write down your goal, visualize yourself achieving that goal. Think about the different ways in which your goal might manifest -- could you be getting a raise at work? Perhaps someone who owed you money will arrive out of the blue to repay their debt. Once you've written down your goal, fold the paper, concentrating on your intent the whole time. Some people like to say a small incantation as they do this - - if you're one of those people, this is a good place to do it. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. You can use something as simple as: Extra money come my way, I could use a little cash today. Extra money come to me, As I will, so it shall be. Place one corned of the folded paper into the candle's flame and allow it to catch fire. Hold the paper as long as possible (without burning your fingers) and then place it in a fire-safe bowl or cauldron to burn the rest of the way on its own. Allow the candle to burn out completely. When the candle has burned out completely, dispose of it, rather than saving it to use again for another working. Usually there's not much left of a candle except a stub of wax, and you can either bury it outdoors or dispose of it in whatever manner you choose. CANDLE MAGIC FOR DIVINATION In some magical traditions, candles are used for divinatory purposes. The two most commonly used methods of candle divination are by reading the wax, and reading the manner in which the candle actually burns. To read the wax, the typical practice is to drop the liquefied wax into a bowl of cold water. The wax will harden almost immediately, and form shapes. Use these shapes to get the answers to your questions, much as you would if you were reading tea leaves. To divine by the way the candle burns is a bit more complex, and Cat Yronwoode of LuckyMojo has a great essay on ceromancy in Hoodoo candle magic.
