[w4HPpbSW]

I've been wondering about which religions/belief systems/as-you-wish use candles for various reasons, the colors used, and the reason they are used. A good many of them seem to use them, and I'd like to know more about similarities or differences according to belief. Also, what sort of role do scented candles play?

[SoOW2LeA]

Good Question...as always my friend.

I use white candles for ritual. I seldom use other colors because...tada...I have a form of color blindness.
Since I normally use incense in ritual, I don't use scented candles but I know some use them to replace the incense.
I know others handle these things differently. I look forward to their answers.

[scoundtrack]

i offered prayers and make wishes to be carried to the gods on the flames of the candles. ... and i use oils but mosty i use virgin olive oil if i do not have the type of oil on hand.. and i use the waning, and waxing, and full moon, and new moon, when i use prayers.. iam funny like that if i need a liitle more boost i will use dragons blood
on them and i craved names in my candles for my family and friends and call the 4 Corners asting a circle is a rather
advanced way to raise energy and protection and when doing simple spells such as candle spells... which are really more of a prayer a focusing of a large amount of energy it is not necessary to have a whole circle

if you still feel you need protection from other energies ask your spirit guardian or patron god to exteind their protection to you You should feel this immediately and then proceed when you're comfortable... In cases of doing magick in public,... it's not practical to walk out a 30-foot circle, of course so a silent request for protection is just fine

[Cheaperisdeeper]

Candle Correspondences & Information
Candle Color Correspondences

WHITE Protection, cleansing, divination, healing, contacting the gods, and clear vision.

GOLD Worldly achievement, wealth, recognition, and long life.

SILVER Divination, awakening different psychic powers (clairvoyance, telepathy, etc...), astral projection, invoking the goddess, intuition, and repressing unwanted psychic powers or visions.

RED Courage, increase life force, determination, action, sexual passion and potency, survival, physical health, strength, pleasure, and willpower.

ORANGE Fertility, creative growth, self-esteem, confidence, abundance of all things, and energy.

YELLOW Mental exercise, gaining someone's approval, improve memory, increase concentration, and sharpen logic.

GREEN Healing, gardening, tree magic, growth, good harvest, prosperity, money, and good luck.

BLUE Create confidence, discover truth, expand mental horizons, success, and protection.

PURPLE Meditation, past-life work, divination, astral travel, psychic protection, prevention of nightmares, and remembrance for parted loved ones.

PINK Love, romance, friendship, affection, quiet, rekindling trust, and attracting new friends or lovers.

BROWN Locating lost objects, home protection, pet protection, money, ideas, and balance.

GRAY Reaching compromises, invisibility, and settling negative emotions.

BLACK banishing, leaving a relationship, acknowledging grief, and forgiveness.

==========

All Purpose Candle Anointing Oil

1 cup rose petals
1 cup violets
1 cup water
1 cup olive oil
1 tbsp clove oil
2 teaspoons powdered cinnamon
1 tablespoon powdered myrrh
1/4 cup wild fennel seeds

Gather rose petals and violets at sunrise. Place them in a clean ceramic crock.

Cover with water (fresh rain water, preferably) and let crock sit in a sunny location for three days until an oily film (the essential oil of the flowers) is seen floating on top of the water.

Remove oil from water by carefully absorbing it into a small cotton ball. Squeeze out oil into a clean, long-necked glass bottle. Add olive and clove oils, and swirl gently in a clockwise direction to slowly agitate oils. Next, add cinnamon, myrrh, and fennel seeds.

Seal bottle tightly and store it in a dark, cool place.
After four weeks, strain through cheesecloth and use to anoint candles.

Written for
Pagan Daily News (exact author is unknown to me)

===========

To Reverse Spells Cast Candle Magick

Light two black candles and chant:

"In the name of the Gods and all ye Spirits
In the name of Kernunnos and the light and the dark
And the Gods of the Netherworld
And whosoever shall be casting a curse against me
Let them suffer their own curse
Let these candles be their candles
This burning be their burning
This curse be their curse
Let the pain they have caused me and mine
Fall upon themselves"

Do this spell for five consecutive nights (as close to midnight as possible) and each night
Chant the spell until the candles are spent.

===========================

written for
Pagan Daily News (exact author is unknown to me)

[Caregrasy]

From my Book of Shadows, however, I mainly use white as it is the presence of all colours, black being void of all colour.

White: A balance of all colors, effective for spiritual enlightenment, purification, protection, cleansing, clairvoyance, healing, truth seeking; rituals involving lunar energy; may be substituted for any other candle color

Yellow: Activity, creativity, drawing, pulling, compelling, and unity. Yellow brings the power of concentration and imagination to a successful ritual: used in rituals when you wish to gain another's confidence or persuade someone or in rituals that require solar energy.

Gold: Fosters understanding and attracts the power of cosmic forces; beneficial in rituals intended to bring about fast money or riches

Pink: Promotes romance and friendship; standard color for rituals intended to bring affection; a color of femininity, honor, service; brings friendly, lively conversation to a dinner table.

Orange: Charges and recharges intellect; combine with any other candle to stimulate their actions; for rituals stipulating Mercury

Turquoise: Healing, Prosperity, Peace, and Growth

Peach: Strength, Protection, Confidence, and Communication

Rose: Maintaining Health, Patience, Passion, and Peace

Orchid: Physical Energy, Happiness, Power, and Healing

Violet: Spirituality, Friendship, Relaxation, and Peace

Chartreuse: Confidence, Prosperity, Travel, and Growth

Red: Health, passion, love, fertility, strength, courage, will power; increases magnetism in rituals; draws Aries and Scorpio energy

Silver: Removes negativity and encourages stability; helps develop psychic abilities; attracts the influence of the Mother Goddess.

Purple: Power, success, idealism, psychic manifestations; ideal for rituals to secure ambitions, independence, financial rewards, or to make contact with the spiritual other world; increase Neptune energy

Magenta: Combination of red and violet that oscillates on a height frequency; energizes rituals where immediate action and high levels of power or spiritual healing are required.

Brown: Earthly, balanced color; for rituals of material increase; eliminates indecisiveness; improves powers of concentration, study, telepathy; increases financial success; locates objects that have been lost.

Indigo: Color of inertia, stops situations, or people. Indigo is used in rituals that require a deep meditation state or in rituals that demand Saturn energy.

Royal Blue: Promotes laughter and joviality; color of loyalty; use to attract Jupiter energy, or whenever and influence needs to be increased.

Light Blue: Spiritual color; helpful in devotional or inspirational meditations; brings peace and tranquility to the home; radiates Aquarius energy; employ where a situation must be synthesized.

Blue: Primary spiritual color; for rituals to obtain wisdom, harmony, inner light, or peace; confers truth and guidance.

Emerald Green: Important component in Venusian's rituals; attracts love, social delights and fertility.

Dark Green: Color of ambition, greed and jealousy; counteracts these influences in a ritual.

Green: Promotes prosperity, abundance, and success; stimulates rituals for good luck, money, harmony, rejuvenation.

Gray: Neutral color, useful when pondering complex issues during meditation; in magic, this color often sparks confusion; it also negates or neutralizes a negative influence.

Black: Opens up the deeper levels of the unconscious; use in rituals to induce a deep meditation state, or to banish evil or negativity as in uncrossing rituals; attracts Saturn energy.

[valiumcheapll]

All of the above,I think everyone covered the whats and the whys of candle use perfectly.

I cant think of anything else to add.

Excellent answers

[Adfcvkdg]

In many ways I am a true "Kitchen" witch. I can throw a spell with a gum wrapper, a salt packet, a feather, a lighter and a bit of spit. But when at home, I keep it simple and mainly use white tea lights. I annoint my candles with different oils depending upon my intent.

[wCYvMKAc]

In many ways I am a true "Kitchen" witch. I can throw a spell with a gum wrapper, a salt packet, a feather, a lighter and a bit of spit. But when at home, I keep it simple and mainly use white tea lights. I annoint my candles with different oils depending upon my intent.

Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!!!
I think too often we get hung up in making everything the way someone else says it's right. I find what works is what's right for me, in the here and now!!!
(Damn coffee...you are teachin' me something!!! )

[Anteneprorid]

White Lotus it seems as if you and I were posting at the same time.

[HornyMolly]

Exactly the types of answers I was hoping for! Thanks, everybody, and keep 'em coming!!!

[gghrdfffhfyj]

White Lotus it seems as if you and I were posting at the same time.

LMTA = Like Minds Think Alike....

[Lillie_Steins]

Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!!!
I think too often we get hung up in making everything the way someone else says it's right. I find what works is what's right for me, in the here and now!!!
(Damn coffee...you are teachin' me something!!! )

Connie - As one of my spiritual teachers told me repeatedly... "If it feels right to you, then it is right!!"

[tretcheenia]

When I cast a circle for ritual, I have three main candles on the altar - Blue - White - Orange (Goddess - Both - God). This is how I was trained and what speaks to me as right. I use "jar" candles to help minimize affects of ceiling fans or breezes when outside and to contain the wax to protect my altar cloth.

I have two tall-ish pillar candle holders upon which I place candles of whatever color happen to be handy since they are to provide light for my ritual book which sits upon a book holder in front of the pillar candle holders. Using the tall holders (more like pedistal platforms) helps keep the candles out of the way of my hands, arms, sleeves, etc. I am possibly going to look into finding some sort of reflectors to reflect the light downward from these two candles to better illuminate the ritual book. The hand printed text in this book is in red for what is to be done and black for what is to be said. Simple yet effective.

I have not used candles to mark the Quarters though I have attended circles where they were used, both at the edge of the circle and upon the altar. My personal thoughts are having the Quarters candles upon the altar makes for a very crowded altar with a LOT of chances to get burned or catch something on fire...

[IssuessBratte]

Connie - As one of my spiritual teachers told me repeatedly... "If it feels right to you, then it is right!!"

I agree. Words like this were among the most important to me in my spiritual growth and practice.

[CymnMaync]

I make my own candles its my business, so I use them more than anything else in ritual and everyday life. I believe a candle holds great power and specifically if you use them on a particular day and time. I use all colors but they depend on the intent. I use scented candles for meditation or spells. Not all the time though because sometimes less is more.

[Fellionas]

In the Orthodox Christian faith:

Since the Savior Himself taught that He is the Light of the World (John 8:12), our candles and lamps ultimately refer to His radiance. The Light of Christ illumines all humanity - in fact it enlightens the whole world. Some of our light in our churches is provided by oil lamps. These recall the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids who kept their vigil for the Bridegroom (Matthew 25:1-13), and help us to remember that we also must keep our watch for His coming again.

Some of our light is provided by wax candles. In Psalm 68 we read that the wicked (i.e., those who hate God) will disperse when they encounter Him in just the same way that wax melts near a fire. Our prayer is that any wickedness in us will vanish as the wax of a candle vanishes and is consumed by the flame. But more practically, wax candles are simply a convenient and age-old means of providing light by which to see. The faithful light candles as a sign of their fervent prayer to God. We light candles and lamps before icons; we carry them in processions; we place them at various locations throughout the church building - simply to give off illumination. The more candles that are lighted, the more light is generated, and greater is the image of the Empty Tomb of the Lord which shone forth with a brilliance far greater than the light of day.

I hope this explains some of what Orthodox Christians express by the use of candles.

+ Rev. G

[Virosponna]

I think everyone covered my thoughts. One thing that I'll do, I will assign meaning to a candle that may not be considered the "right" color to do the job. Sometimes I am just out of a specific color and don't have the time to rush out and buy them. Otherwise, great job every one.