Conjuring the Light , Hoodoo candle magick

I have written on Hoodoo candle-work before on here, but looking back on that particular article, being one of  the very first I added, I didn't feel overly satisfied with it. Which is only normal I’d say, we are all humans, we learn throughout the life, something new every day, if we really want to.
So I wanted to add more organized, and slightly more comprehensive article here

Candle magick is a very simple form of magick ,  a common exemplary type of fire magick. It’s old almost as candle itself, though it became quite more popular and employed as industrialization enabled us  the comfort of obtaining candles easily. In local stores , rather than made in our homes by ourselves, like old European folk did. In different parts of the world we have different influences to thank, for that.  In Eastern Europe, folk in remote mountain areas, rarely had candles, and when they had them, they were precious items used for illumination rather than for magick. Not to mention the colors of the candle lol They were either dark grey , made from animal fat, and they stank like …well smth bad , or the cunning folk would buy orange-brown-ish or yellow  pure  beeswax candles readily available in Church. Cunning folk would buy the candles, normally used to light for the dead, or for “health” of the living,  in Orthodox or  Catholic Christian churches, and use them for craft.

In Hoodoo, across the States , people commonly use candles in there rites, for prayers and laying tricks as well. [1] They became readily available during the 19th century, and their use in Conjure community was suggested ,  popularized even , by Henric Gamache’s and his  work “Master book of Candle-Burning” a thin, paper bound, but highly informative pamphlet ( published in 1940.originally ) though candle burning as Roman Catholic practice and it’s consequent inclusion in Voodoo-Hoodoo syncretism rituals and ceremonies, certainly played  important role. It’s suggested that such candle burning ceremonies had first started in New Orleans, at St. Anne’s Street, and thatr they were run by mysterious ( and at the time notorious ) Mamzell’e Leveaux

What is the role of  a candle in a magick ritual ? Multiple purposes candles serve; they act as spirit and power beacons, as well as focus tool and adjunct to power, for they posses qualities of fire, such as fierce force etc. Today, in modern occultism, inspired by old grimoires we attribute more power to candles depending on their color and shape ( image candles ) as well as burning time.

Types of candles

We differentiate many, depending on size and burning time for start, like chime candles, offertory candles, pillar candles, votive candles , tea lights/candles etc.
Image candles are candles shaped/molded/poure d to symbolize specific aspect or image and as such find use in specific spells, or spiritual works. Let’s mention some

Cross candle – Shaped like cross, coming in different colors are used for doing spiritual work, blessing , uncrossing and healing ( blue and white most often ) or doing harm ( black cross candles )

Some variations in forms appear, such as “Master key Crucifix candle” and “Lucky clover Crucifix candle” white used for blessing, black for mastery , conjure work and crossing, orange for positive changes and Road opening, brown for Court cases, red for love and green for money.

Skull candle – candle molded in form of a human skull , for clarity work , mind uncrossing and blessing ( white, pale blue ) domination and mastery , mind swaying ( purple , red or black ) and crossing and causing intranquility or to have luck in gambling ( black )

Male or Female figural candles – used to represent certain person in spellwork, like effigies in a way . Depening on color, these are  most often used in blessing, uncrossing and healing ( white ) causing lust ( pink, sometimes red ) contacting someone who’s fare away ( yellow if available ) domination ( purple, orange if available ) and crossing ( black ) . They come usually in two forms,

- naked male and female , so called “Adam” and “Eve” candles used mostly in love, marriage and lust work, and
- cloaked male and female, often referred as “Gentleman” and “Lady” used for any office, career or job related workings, as well as to influence or dominate someone

Male and female candles, other than in separate forms, as mentioned above, come in shapes where both are present, together. A simple example is “Bride and Groom” candle, used in marriage work, “Lovers” representing nude couple embracing each other,  is a type of candle, used in lust work or to attract a new lover ( red, pink , white ), and “Divorce candle” showing  man and women back to back,  with one wick set between their backs,   is used in separation and divorce spells, often coming in   black or red.

Black cat candle – is a candle shaped as cat, usually dark green or black, used in gambling luck, or money issues, also sometimes in Court work.

Seven day knob candles – also called Seven day wishing candle s are c andles that appear as if  knobbed,  divided in seven sections,  each designed to be burnt for one day, all together seven days, while praying for result. Those  can come in one color or each knob/section/part can have different color, for different wishes.

Coiled snake – Control, bind, increase spiritual awareness

De*il – for crossing and causing harm, contacting demons and sending them on/ after one

Pyramid candle – Pyramid shaped candles, sometimes with an eye inscribed ( in which case called “pyramid and Eye” ) candles , used for drawing some sort of energy, most often green- money , pale blue –healing, and purple –spiritual power, divination.

Baphomet – shaped in form of Sabbatic Goat, red for causing lust, black for worship or evil forces

Angelic influence – Candle depicting and Angel , often in pale celestial-blue, or white, for work with angelic forces, blessings, healing and guidance. Sometimes pale celestial-blue pillar candles are sold under the same name, and can be used interchangeably.

As we have seen, color symbolism is considered even in case of  the image candles, and when we speak of common ( not image ) candles color symbolism is even more important. So let’s go through basic correspondences of candles and colors , like Hoodoo teaches us:


· White – Purity, Uncrossing, Spiritual work and cleansing, Power, Prayer, Healing, Blessings, also sometimes in Tranquility work, as well as good general offering candle or to honor deities such as St Barbara, Obatala etc.
· Blue – Healing, Peace, Harmony , Good intentions, Spiritual work, work with Celestial forces
· Red – Love spells, Drawing spell, Bodily or other power ,Lust, Protection
· Green – Money, Gambling, Good job, Good crops
· Yellow – Devotion , Success, Youth and longevity work, Clearing the air
· Orange – Creating opportunities, Road opening, Prophetic dreams, Repelling or influencing Law
· Brown – Court work and Justice spells, Neutral spells
· Gold – Solar works, Success, Riches , Fortune, Luck
· Black – Doing evil or repelling evil, Gambling luck, Uncrossing, Reversal work, Dark arts type of Spiritual work, Contacting spirits, demons and necromantic work
· Pink – Lust, Bodily desire, Romance, Love
· Silver - Lunar works , Intuition, Divination, Petitioner’s candle
· Purple - Control and domination, mastery, Occult power and Guidance, Precognitive dreams, Power spells , work with Deities such as St. Cypriano ect

Other than single-color candles in spells, many times we use two/double , or sometimes even three color candles, frequently halves or thirds dyed in different colors. Sometimes candle may appear single color from outside but comes with a colored wax “core” inside, like Reversible candles. Let’s mention few most commonly sold ( and used ) 

· Double action white and black – Returning evil to sender, Uncrossing and Blessing at same time
· Double action red and black – Removing love crossings ( and drawing love )
· Double action green and black – Removing money crossings ( and drawing money   )
· Triple action – often coming in all sort of various colors though Black, white and orange is common and universal for uncrossing, Road opening and Blessing. In my humble opinion they are unpractical and unnecessary
· Reversible – Black wax outside, red wax inside, used to reverse evil back to sender, especially handy when the enemy is unknown,  these  are very powerful and give  fast results

Candles are also burnt, If instructed so, for specific periods of time ( for example 3 days period, 7 day s period or other ) so we have to chose our candles taking this criteria in consideration as well. Chime candles and tea light are suitable If needed only while ritual lasts, meaning one time  use only. They are also quite  nifty to burn while taking spiritual baths. Offertory ( common household, table candles ) and pillar candles are more suitable for longer , repeated rituals that may require extinguishing and relighting the candles, though when the ritual calls for seven days  , we are suggested to use Seven day , or Seven knob candles.
In Hoodoo, Conjure and Creole Voodoo ( as well as in similar systems such as Palo, Santeria or even Kimbalad a ) glass encased candles are very popular. These are either “fixed” ( dressed and powdered ) candles made for specific magickal aim in glass vials, or devotional candles to certain deities such as Saints or Loa ( or Lwa ) in which case , they usually come along with Saint prints and novenas and prayers on back, also glass encased of course .In the latter case they are also called Novena candles and can also be found sold in Christian Churches or Church store/s .

Fixin’ da’ candle

“Fixing the candle” is a practice, indigenous to Hoodoo and Conjure, that calls for dressing candles with oil and rolling them in powdered or crumbled herbs, or simply dusting anointed candles with powders.
Instead of such method of “fixing”, oil and herbs/powders can be added to wax while pouring the candle, or small holes can be made into candles,  and filled with oils and herbs/powders. This is usually done with sharp heated metal tool , such as needles, and is mostly  suggested  method when “fixing”  glass encased candles, vigils, novenas, and sometimes large pillar candles.
When dressing/anointing the candles, it’s customary to use condition oils that suit the aim of candle, and sometimes even color, though in my humble opinion, oil – candle color correspondence is silly. Normally , we dress candle from top to bottom when we wish to draw something to us, or from bottom to top if we wish to banish, repel or reverse something. Individual methods that follow this general guidelines can be adopted, such as dressing candle from ends to middle to draw something, or from middle to ends for opposite effect. Some people twist them as they do. Some dress in falling or ascending spiral as well.
Candle can be rolled in dry herbs or powdered liberally afterwards with sachet powders and there is no specific rule  about how this should be done. I would simply spread some dry herbs on some wax paper or plastic wrap, and roll , previously anointed candle in it. In case of powder I might use same method or I might blow powder at candle, sometimes in odd number of “blows” , that could correspond to  the aim  of the ritual or spell.

Double action candle “butting” and dressing

Double action candles serve, as the name  indicate s  two goals, they usually end, or banish something bad, such a scrossed condition, while at the same time drawing something good, like Blessings for example. When used in such manner, they are often “Butted” which would mean, their bottom part wick carved out, so it can be lit, thus becoming the new "top" part. Which of course means the candle is inverted in the proces.   They are also  commonly laid on plate horizontally, though previously dressed, both wicks being lit afterwards. They are not commonly dusted, though this can be done as well. If burned vertically, white tip is cut, black butted and candle burnt upiside down, so the black part would burn first.







Candle spell examples

Prophetic dream candle spell

Get a purple candle and dress with some oil such as “Vision”, or “Aunt Sally’s dream” and roll in Anise seed , or /and Flax seed, or powder made of such. You can use sachet powder of same brand ( name ) as oils listed above too. Carve the divine name “Jah” into candle and light it.
Recite Psalm 23rd seven times, and any Prayer to Holy Ghost for inspiration or guidance. Alternatively You can say some personal prayer ( after each Psalm reading ) seeking answers such as :
“O Great , All-knowing, One True G’d, be merciful upon this servant of Yours , hear my cry and deliver me from, not knowing, Send me Your Holy Ghost to inspire me with True Knowledge and Your Angels to give me answers in my dreams. End the confusion and provide answers and guidance for those that seek You and invoke Your Name! For Your Glory is eternal ! Amen !”

Love candle

Get a red candle and dress it with “Attraction oil” , or “Look me over” or “Follow me boy/girl” oil, carve the name of those You wish to notice You, and roll it in brown sugar. Place the candle on overturned saucer, bellow which You’ve placed  charged lodestone.
Burn for nine nights saying nine times:
Like moths to flame, bee to flower, look me over, be my lover !

Money in rush candle spell

Get a pyramid shaped green candle, If You can, If not,  offertory green candle will do fine. Mix Bergamot and Basil essential oils in base oil. You may add some Patchouli essential oil If You wish. Role the candle in some Cinnamon powder. Place on overturned saucer , bellow which You’ve placed brown paper with written amount of money You need and purpose ( be modest , only what You need ) , sprinkled with brown sugar, and folded thrice towards oneself. You can carve symbols associated with money onto candle, such as Aquarius symbol, or Jupiter symbol/s
Then light the candle and pray the Psalm 23rd. You can either read the psalm 7 times, and let the candle burn itself out, or You can read Psalm seven days, once a day, leaving candle to burn all the way down on the seventh day and burring the remaining wax and paper in Your yard.

Blessing candle

Place petitioner paper with the name of person in subject bellow White, offertory candle. Dress it with Blessing oil and sprinkle with some Angelica, Basil or Flax seed. Light the candle and pray for person, using personal words of power and /or 62nd Psalm[2]. It would be very beneficial indeed , If You’d burn some Frankincense resin/s along this candle.


NOTES: This article was written and composed by myself so If You'd like to use any of it ( parts, sections, quotes or all ) give credit s ; Shadow of Shadows magick place, Shadow-333@hotmail.com , or links to this post.
REFRENCES: [1] - According to Lucky mojo website page on Candle magick www.luckymojo.com/candlemagic.html
[2] - 62nd Psalm suggested for blessing according to Godrfrey Seilig's "Secrets of Psalms"
IMAGES: Taken or drawn by myself



Many Blessings, from Shadow , and Happy Equinox :)