Banish Your Woes: A Thursday Candle Spell

We all need a health and happiness boost sometimes. This spell, aimed at supporting mental and emotional well-being, is best performed when the hardy spirit of Thor is in ascendance. On any Thursday, take a blue candle, dress it with cedar or bergamot oil, light it, and say nine times:

    Fears and woes, I take respite;

    worries and cares, you’re out of sight.

    Stronger and happier I will grow each day;

    my soul has found its way.

If you do this for several weeks, your friends will notice as your health blooms and you simply beam with a bright, jolly, and renewed sense of self and well-being.

Center Yourself with the Help of a Little Candle Magic

The best way to prepare for personal ritual is to center yourself. I call this “doing a readjustment,” and I believe this is especially important in our overscheduled and busy world. Doing a readjustment helps pull you back into yourself and gets your priorities back on track. Only when you are truly centered can you do the true inner work of self-development that is at the core of ritual. Centering takes many forms. Experiment on your own to find out what works best for you. One excellent way to center is to light a candle and meditate on it. By focusing on the flame, you bring your being and awareness into focus. You can take this a step further with this spell for new insight into your life.

Step 1: Place one candle on your altar or “centering station.” Light your favorite meditation incense. For me, nag champa immediately sanctifies any space and creates a sacred aura.

Step 2: Scratch your name into the candle with the tip of your knife. Next, scratch your hope onto the candle, either in words or other symbols. 

Step 3: Light your candle and recite:

    This candle burns for me.

    Here burns my hope for [say what you are hoping for].

    Here burns the flame of insight,

    may I see clearly in this new light.

Sit with your eyes closed for a few minutes and picture yourself enacting your hopes and desires. You are setting your intention. Picture yourself in the company of people who inspire and teach you, those who bring insight and new light into your life. Let the candle burn down completely.

Intention Candle Spell

Essential elements for this ritual are one candle of your favorite color, a candle holder, copal or cinnamon essential oil to represent spirituality, paper and pen, a ritual knife, and any visual aids you may require, such as photos, tarot cards, or a drawing of a deity you have made or found specifically for this ritual. Carefully select a representation of a deity with whom you feel a connection or who you believe will be benevolent toward your intention.

The “body” of the ritual refers to the act itself. It will further your intention if you carve related symbols and power words into your candle with the tip of your knife. Anoint the candle with the essential oil you have chosen. Dressing the candle with the oil from top to bottom adds the influence of attraction to your spell. Conversely, dressing the oil in the opposite direction, from bottom to top, adds banishing power to your spell.

Write your intention on the paper and then speak aloud:

    Thus, I consecrate this candle in the name of [insert the name of the deity here],

    so this flame will burn brightly and light my way.

Place the anointed candle in the candleholder, light it, and say:

    Blessed candle, light of the Goddess,

    I burn this light of [deity’s name].

    Hear my prayer, O [name the deity], hear my need.

    Do so with all your grace

    and with magical speed.

Now read your intention as you wrote it on the paper. Roll the paper into a scroll; then, using a few drops of the warm wax from your intention candle, seal your sacred statement. Place the paper on your altar or in a special place where it can be safe until your intention is realized. 

Allow the candle to burn down completely in order to truly raise and release energy. It can be useful to use small candles or tea lights for spells that require candles to burn out completely, so you’re not left sitting there for several hours. Once you have seen your spell come to a culmination, burn the written intention in a metal dish or in your fireplace in gratitude to the god or goddess who helped you. While other faiths may pray to God for help and favors, this differs in that you are helping yourself: you are taking action and setting your intention, not simply turning over all responsibility to a higher power.

Color Magic: The Supernatural Spectrum

Candle magic and color magic are deeply intertwined. Ritual candles are chosen for their color correspondences and then carved and anointed with special oils chosen for their own special energy. Color is a deeply intuitive form of magic, and its effect on the human mind is widely recognized and is supported by an array of scientific studies. Think about color therapy, for example! The way that colors elicit a subconscious response from your brain is its own form of magic. Even skeptics will agree that different colors can change the energy of a room and alter your mood. You may also find that your favorite colors have something to do with your response to certain vibrational energies and or some things that you are unconsciously lacking in your life.

Color magic is incredibly simple and can be incorporated into all areas of your life, from your home decoration to all the items you adorn yourself with such as clothes, makeup, nail polish, and so forth! Creating a candle spell involving color can be as simple as applying the basic precepts of color magic: Have a clear picture of your desired outcome, and choose a candle in a color you feel is appropriate. Then, just light your candle and let it burn while you focus on your intention. Because color magic is so subjective, some differences of opinion do exist, and color itself is a magical system. You may study the following guide as you select your candles, but remember to let your instinct lead you above all else here.

WHITE

Because white contains the whole spectrum of colors, it can often be used as a catch-all candle color and can replace other candles in a spell if necessary. White is specifically associated with protection, purity, peace and harmony, truth, binding, sincerity, happiness, spirituality and the higher self, tranquility, and new beginnings. You might wish to use the power of a white candle either to get a fresh start to your day or to create a sense of calm throughout your space.

RED

Red is the color of passion! Signifying the lifeblood running through your veins, it can be used for protection, strength, health, energy, vigor, sex and sensuality, love, courage, and power. Red candles are fierce and bold, useful in love magic as well as to ignite your personal power and charisma. They will help you to overcome obstacles and become the most daring and confident version of yourself.

BLACK

Black candles are best known for their ability to absorb and destroy negativity. They have strong banishing powers, protecting you from any harm that might come your way in the form of negative energy or ill intentions. Black is also an excellent color to help you cope with fears of the unknown and is associated with acceptance, determination, grounding, security, release, endings, and grief.

BLUE

Blue represents emotion, honesty and trust, relaxation, and calm. It is a color that can bring peace to a restless heart and mind, and it is also associated with communication. There are a variety of shades of blue that have even more specific correlations and uses.

Altar Candles: Creating Your Power Center

An altar is a place of power—your personal power—where you can make magic. By building a stone shrine, altar, or power center in your home, you can create a sacred place for daily conjuring, rituals, and

thinking. This will set the stage for you to focus your ideas and make them grow. Having a shrine in your home allows you to rid yourself of personal obstacles and invite friendly spirits into your space. Your
shrine will spark your inner flame and bring daily renewal. The more use an altar gets, the more energy it builds, making your spells even more effective. It should be an expression of your deepest self, filled with artifacts that hold personal resonance. Allow your altar to be a work in progress that changes with the seasons and reflects your inner cycles. I recommend starting with a flat surface, one at least two feet across each way for the four directions of the compass. Perhaps you have a favorite antique table, at once simple and ornate. I have set up my altar to face north, long believed to be the origin of primordial energy and associated with manifestation. North is also the direction of the hour of midnight, the “witching hour,” and an altar set up facing north at midnight promises potent magic.

Burning Away Bad Luck

The world can overwhelm us at times with problems relating to work, finances, and all manner of problems that get in the way and want to stay. But these problems are not beyond your control! The ultimate time to release bad luck is immediately after a full moon or any Friday the thirteenth.

If you have been on an unlucky streak, get yourself a big black candle, an obsidian sphere (or at least an obsidian crystal), a piece of white paper, a black ink pen, a cancellation stamp (readily available at any stationary store), and a big flat rock that is slightly concave in the center. Write on the paper what you wish to be freed from; this is your release request. Place the candle and the obsidian on the flat rock and light the candle near an open window so the negative energy will leave your home. While the candle burns, intone:

“Waxing moon, most wise Cybele,
From me this burden please dispel.
Upon this night so clear and bright
I release __ to the moon tonight.”

Bury the candle in your garden for thirteen minutes. Take your stamp and mark the paper “cancelled.” Put the candle out, fold the paper away from you, and place it under the flat stone. Repeat this process for twelve more nights (thirteen total). On the last night, which should ideally be the beginning of the new-moon phase, burn the paper and bury the candle, paper ashes, and flat rock far from your home. Give thanks to the moon for assisting you, and LET GO of bad luck. 

Revenue Stream

After your Employment Incantation, you might want to immerse yourself in the waters of prosperity with a money bath. This particular ritual is most effective if practiced on Thursday night during a new or full moon. Pour apple green or lemon verbena essential oil into running bathwater and bathe by the light of a single green candle. As you close your eyes, meditate on your truest desires. What does personal property mean to you? What do you really need and what do you really want? When you are clear about your answers, put on all of your green gem jewelry—peridot, green jade, tourmaline, malachite, and so on. Focus on the candle flame while whispering:

“Here and now, my intention is set.
New luck will be mine and all needs will be met.
With harm to none and plenty for all. Blessed be.”

Color Craft

Candle magic is a mainstay of crystal magic. I burn candles every night and take them with me when I am traveling. For this exercise to work, simply apply the basic precepts of color magic: Have a clear intention of your desires outcome and choose the appropriate color candle from the following list. On the corresponding day, begin burning the candle on your altar or any special place in your home. Repeat this ritual for seven consecutive days with the same color candle.

* Sunday: the Sun rules this day; use gold or red to affect a boss, a promotion, health, fame, or success.

* Monday: the Moon rules this day; use silver or orange to affect the home, subordinates, or emotions.

* Tuesday: Mars rules; use yellow to affect aggression, sex, conflict, or confidence.

* Wednesday: Mercury rules; use green to affect communication, study, or intelligence.

* Thursday: Jupiter rules; use blue to affect medical and legal issues, money, spirit, integrity, safety, or security.

* Friday: Venus rules; use indigo to affect aesthetics and beauty, marriage, relationships, theater, art, music, or family.

* Saturday: Saturn rules; use black to affect judgment, obstacles, or property.

Moonlight and Candles - Earth, Air, Fire Water

The popularity of candles has reached an all-time high. Candles are used by folks from all walks of life, for relaxation, meditation, aromatherapy and, most importantly, to achieve that “peaceful homey” feeling of being in your own sanctuary. This simple yet profound tool can make powerful magic. Take a moment and notice how candlelight transforms a dark room and fills the atmosphere with the energy of magical light. Suddenly the potential for transformation is evident. I don’t know about you, but I burn candles 365 days a year! They bring a sense of calm to me, imbuing my personal space with the positive.

Every candle contains all four of the four elements:

Air – Oxygen feeds and fans the candle flame
Earth – Solid wax forms the body of the candle
Water – Melting wax represents the fluid elemental state
Fire – the flame sparks and blazes

Blessings From the East: Prayer to Honor the Summer

For summer festivals such as the Summer Solstice on June 21, you should honor the deities who gift us with such plenty. Light yellow and green candles at your altar and on the feast table and offer this appeal: 

Oh, Lady of Summer Who brings and sun and life-giving rains, May each harvest bring the crops that fill our cups. The rivers and oceans, fields and farms are yours. We honor you today and give thanks to you for all we have. A toast to thee, blessed be!