This article is part of a series of instructional chapters on CANDLE MAGIC IN THE HOODOO ROOTWORK TRADITION
When we burn candles in the conjure tradition, we often watch and wait for divinatory signs that tell us how the work is going to come out -- that is, whether the spell will be a success or not. Some of the common signs we observe are so-called "coincidences" (especially names and subject matter that relate to those in the spell). We can also consult a system of divination, such as using a pendulum or a Jack Ball, reading or cutting playing cards or tarot cards, or employing Bibliomancy (divination by means of a book such as the Bible). Another easy way to get a divination on candle-burning spells is through ceromancy -- divination by wax. In this case, the wax we "read" is the wax of the candles themselves.
Not every magical practitioner takes heed of the manner in which ritual or spell-casting candles burn, but for the most part, in my experience, people who work in African-American and African-Caribbean traditions often pay attention to the way a candle burns and can draw conclusions about it. In particular, spiritual workers who set lights for clients make a habit of noticing the manner in which the candles burn.
Of course, it is important to note that some candles are simply poorly made and will burn badly no matter what you do with them (for instance, if the wick is too thick they may burn sootily). Also, the temperature in the area, the presence of wind or a draft, and other external factors may play a part in how candles burn. The novice should not worry over-much about how candles burn until he or she has burned a lot of candles and gained some perspective on the matter.
A sign does not reflect on your ability to do the work: If your candle burns badly or goes out, you did not "botch" the spell. However, on the other hand, the fact that a "natural" draft put your candle out or "the cat tipped it over" does not obviate the fact that the candle going out was a bad sign. This is because a sign is a message, and the method of its delivery to your consciousness is not as important as that you saw it and received the sign.
All that having been said, here are some of the things to watch for when burning candles:
SIGNS LEFT IN THE WAX RESIDUE FROM A CANDLE
SIGNS LEFT IN OR ON THE CANDLE HOLDER, STAND, PLATE, SAUCER, GLASS, OR LABEL
This is often seen as a sign that the person on whom you are
working is subconsciously aware of your actions and may be responding
partially, then fighting off your influence, then responding again. Be sure,
however, that this behaviour of the candle flame is not caused by the
mundane fact that you have set the candle in a draft. If
necessary, move the candle somewhere else and see if the
repeated flaring up and dying away stops; if it does not stop,
then it is to be considered a sign, and not simply a
physical coincidence.
This is usually interpreted -- especially by those in the Spiritual
Church Movement -- as a sign that spirits (of the dead, of angels,
or of other entities) are trying to "come through," that is, to
communicate. Pay attention! You may learn something important.
This gives you an opportunity to observe the flow of wax for signs. For instance:
If
you are burning a bride-and-groom type candle for love, and
the woman's wax runs all over the man's, then the woman
desires the man more than he desires her.
If you are
burning a green money candle and the wax melts and runs
down onto the monetary offering, then the spell is "eager to
work" and the candle is "blessing the money."
Some
people try to influence the way melting wax runs. They do
this as an intentional part of the spell-work, to increase the likelihood
that things will go the way they want. Others prefer to let
nature take its course and to watch running wax for signs,
without interfering in its movements.
A token of hidden trouble or
someone working against your wishes.
Things will not go well at first,
but with repeated work you
will overcome.
Either the client (the person for whom the candle is being burned)
is clinging to past conditions
or someone or something from the client's past is unwilling to let the client go.
The term "past conditions" means events or
memories from the client's past.
The term "someone or something" means that it may
be a living person, or a hostile spirit sent
against the client, or a spirit of the dead, or
the spirit of a drug or illness.
If the client is the one who is clinging, you
will probably know it by knowing the client's
case.
If someone or something is clinging to the client,
it is likely to be the same someone or something
that is the cause of or is a part of whatever is
the client's problem or situation that you are
working to remedy.
If, based on your knowledge of the
case, you don't know which situation applies (i.e. whether the
client is clinging to him/her/it or he/she/it is clinging
to the client), you will do a simple divination on which
situation is the operative one at this time.
Once you know which it is, then you can address
the issue through spiritual and magical remediation.
If the client is the one clinging to the past, then
cleanse the client by administering a
Black Walnut bath to
break ties with the past.
If someone or something is clinging to the client, then
give the client a cleansing
Van Van
bath followed by a
Cut and
Clear rite (or, in a pinch, simply add
Cut and Clear
Dressing Oil
to the client's candle) to break that thing off. If it is
very strong -- for instance, if it is the spirit of a drug or
a bad companion who hangs around, you may also have to do
some Cast Off Evil
and/or
Hot Foot work.
If your light was lit for simple increase or decrease without
respect to the will of another being (more wealth, less
illness, etc.) then this is may be considered a bad sign -- a negative reply from the world
of spirit to the question implied in the work.
If the candle was set in open opposition to the will of another
person (e.g. a coercive love spell, an antagonistic spell,
etc.) then this sign may either be a negative reply from the world of
spirit to the question implied in the work or it may be a
message from the other person, implying resistance, blockage,
reversal of your designs, or sending harm back onto you or your client.
Such a dousing of your lights may indicate that someone very strong is
working against you or against the
person on whose behalf you are setting the lights.
In any case, if the light goes out,
you will have to splint the wick (that is, re-wick the candle)
and pray over it before relighting it, or start the entire job over
from the beginning.
If the light goes out or is put out a second time,
this a sign that you may need to use stronger means than
you first employed to reach the goal.
Generally a fast burn is good, but an overly-fast burn
(compared to other times you have used the same kind of candle)
means that although the work will go well,
it may not last long. You might have to repeat the job at a later date.
If you have set lights for several people and one person's candle burns
faster than the others, then
that person is most affected by the work, but the influence
may not last long enough to produce a permanent change.
Not only will the spell probably fail but there
may be increased danger ahead for you or the client.
In order to accomplish anything, you will have to start the entire job over from the
beginning -- but first do a thorough Uncrossing
spell for everyone involved and ritually clean
the premises before setting any more lights.
This means things will go well with the
spell or blessing and that one will most likely get what one
wishes for. If a glass encased vigil or novena candle burns and leaves no
marks on the glass, that is best. If a free-standing candle
leaves little or no residue, that is best.
When this happens,
most workers will examine the shape of the wax for a sign. You may see something of
importance there, for the shape may suggest an outcome
regarding the matter at hand. For instance, a heart-shaped
wax puddle is a good significator if you are burning a red
Eve image candle or a pink
Adam image candle
for a love spell -- but a coffin-shaped wax puddle is
a good significator if you are burning a black
devil candle against
an enemy. Wax puddles come in all kinds of shapes; most candle-workers treat
them like tea-leaves when they "read" them.
Unburned wax at the bottom of a glass-encased candle is a classic sign of "unfinished business." What that means will
depend upon the nature of the condition for which the spiritual wor was being done:
If the candle was being burned to rid someone of sickness, then the sign means that some
sickness remains; it has not been completely cured.
If the candle was being burned to draw in new love or return and old love, then this sign means that the person
will not come completely, just part-way, due to issues not caused by the client, but rather
due to "unfinished business" on the part of the client's loved one.
If the candle was being burned to harm someone, it may hurt them, but not not severely;
if it was intended to cause death, it may damage them but it is not going to kill.
If the candle was being burned to keep the law away, they may stay away for one reason, but
some other, older, "unfinished business" may draw them back.
If the candle was being burned to draw money, then the sign means that the money may
come part-way, not completely, and that there may be "unfinished business" to be handled
before the ptition is grantd.
This indicates that there is hidden trouble with
the person for whom the lights have been set or that
someone is working against your wishes.
Things will not go well at first, but by repeated spells you
may get them to go better.
This means things are going to go hard --
the spell may not work, the blessing may fail, the person is
in deeper stress or trouble than you thought. If the work
is being done against an enemy and the enemy's candle burns
sooty and dirty, then it is likely that the enemy is
fighting your influences.
This is never a "good" sign. That does not mean, however,
that it is always a "bad" sign. You need to consider what kind of
candle it is in order to interpret the meaning.
Generally, if the crack or breakage results in dripping wax, the indication is for tears or loss of blood.
If the crack or shattered glass is "dry," the outcome is not likely to involve tears or blood.
If the spall is being done to gain something or to change conditions for the better,
the meaning of the breaking glass depends upon the
conditions involved.
• A broken
Love Me
candle and dripping wax could mean tears and separation and
a broken relationship.
• A broken
Money Stay With Me
candle with dripping wax could
mean inability to control outflow of money and failure of the spell.
However, if the candle is being burned in opposition to someone, like an enemy, for instance,
the breakage of the glass signifies resistance, fighting back, reversal of the spell.
• A broken Intranquility
candle may mean that the target is resiting or is shielded by spells and that your
attempt has shattered against those defenses.
• A broken Essence of Bend-Over
candle may mean that the one whom you wish to control or bend to your will is
fighting back and breaking your spell.
In some cases, the breakage of the candle glass is ambiguous.
• A broken Separation or
Break Up
candle might signify a very
complete and abruptly shattered break-up (with tears of sorrow) -- or, if the work were being
performed against resistant people, it could signify resistance to the spell.
• A broken
Cast Off Evil
candle might signify that the evil spell was suddenly broken (possibly with tears, bloodshed, or
God-knows-what-all) -- or that if the evil was embodied in a bad person who was hanging around (as opposed to a
bad habit or substance abuse, for which these candles are also often used) then the breakage of the glass might signify resistance on that persons part and
their refusal to be "cast off" from the person whom they are parasitizing.
In other words, the symbolism varies
based on the type of candle. You may do a divination on the result to further clarify the signs.
In the end, no matter what the kind of case you are handling, the action i
personally would take when a glass candle breaks would be to set another of the same
sort of light on the same situation; that is, i would re-do
the work because i would not consider a broken candle and
spilled wax to be a positive outcome unless the candle was
lit for a negative petition, and even then it would have
negative side-effects (tears, blood, loss).
The candle flame flares, dips, gutters, and flares again, repeatedly
The candle flame hisses, sizzles, pops, or makes other noises
A free-standing candle runs and melts a lot while burning
A free-standing candle lets out a lot of smoke but burns
clean at the end
A pin or needle on a marked free-stading candle drops -- but it clings and won't fall
The candle goes out before completely burning
The candle burns up overly fast
The candle tips over and flames up into a fire hazard
SIGNS LEFT IN THE WAX RESIDUE FROM A BURNED-OUT CANDLE
The candle gives a clean, even burn with no tokens or signs
A free-standing candle burns down to a puddle of wax, forming images
A vigil candle burns down but leaves up to 1/2" of unburned wax at the bottom
SIGNS LEFT IN OR ON THE CANDLE HOLDER, STAND, PLATE, SAUCER, GLASS, OR LABEL
A glass encased candle burns half clean and half dirty
There is a dirty, black, sooty burn (especially one that messes up a
glass encased candle)
A glass encased vigil candle cracks or breaks, spilling wax
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