Candleburning art in Hoodoo

Candle burning in Hoodoo

Hoodoo has a rich tradition of burning and dressing candles . Fire magick is indeed a very important part of Hoodoo system so it definitely deserves a separate article since candle burning in the African-American hoodoo tradition has undergone considerable evolution during the 20th century.

There is a large variety of candles in Hoodoo , human shaped candles , cross shaped candles , candles of different colors , candles in glass ( glass encased ) , catholic novena candles and similar .

Here are the color correspondences ( including mixed colors ) according to Miss Yronowood of Lucky Mojo


• white -- spiritual blessings, purity, healing, rest
• blue -- peace, harmony, joy, kindly intentions, healing
• green -- money spells, gambling luck, business, a good job, good crops
• yellow -- devotion, prayer, money (gold), cheerfulness, attraction
• red -- love spells, affection, passion, bodily vigour
• pink -- attraction, romance, clean living
• purple -- mastery, power, ambition, control, command
• orange -- change of plans, opening the way, prophetic dreams
• brown -- court case spells, neutrality
• black -- repulsion, dark thoughts, sorrow, freedom from evil
• red and black (Double Action) -- remove a love-jinxing spell
• white and black (Double Action) -- to return evil to the sender
• green and black (Double Action) -- remove money-jinxing


Special ( shaped ) Figural candles

Those are as the name says candles shaped to represent human body or some symbol . Being made as such they are stronger focus and symbolic point , and give extra “ boost” to spells . Also , they can be personalized by carving names on them ( in some cases a human Figural candle with a name carving acts as voodoo doll would ) or anointing and dressing ;.
Many forms of old figural candles that were used , can still be home made ( If You have the right mold , or If you are good sculptor lol ) but can also be purchased on sites like
www.luckymojo.com , www.mysticvoodoo.com or www.mojomoon.net

Just looking to the shape of the candle You should be able to guess it’s purpose but here is the description of some that can be purchased on luckymojo site


"Black Cat" -- black for gambler's luck.
• "Bride and Groom" (man and woman side by side with two wicks) -- red for passion, pink for reconciliation, white to attract new love or sanctify married fidelity, black to cause harm or damage to a couple, blue for peace in the home.
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• "Divorce candle" (man and woman back to back with one candle wick between) -- black, to cause a couple to separate.
• "Lady" (a clothed female figure) and "Gentleman" (a clothed male figure) often used when performing spells related to job, school, or career -- white to meet someone new; pink for reconciliation or friendship; red to foster love; blue for peacefulness, health, or peace on the job; black for harm or revenge.
• "Adam" (a nude male figure) and "Eve" (a nude female figure) -- white to meet someone new, pink and red for love spells, blue for peacefulness at home or to bring about faithfulness, black for harm or revenge.
• "Male Member" (Penis) and "Female Member" (Vulva) -- relating to the sexual behaviour; white to attract a new sex partner and to purify the genital organs, pink for romantic sex or to turn a friend into a lover, red to induce lust and passion, blue to bring fidelity or limit their sexual interest to the practitioner only or to bring healing to the genital organs, black to control a person's ability to perform.
• "Cross" or "Crucifix" candles: keys and a book on a flaming cross ("Master Key Crucifix Candle") or four-leaf clover on a cross ("Lucky Clover Crucifix Candle") -- white for spiritual purity and insight, black for personal power and conjure work, brown for court cases and legal matters, green for money spells, red for love spells, orange for change, yellow for devotion, pink for romance.
• "Devil" -- red for commanding lust and sex, green for collecting money owed or for gambler's luck, black for doing harm to an enemy.
• "Baphomet" or "Sabbatic Goat Candle" -- red for lust spells, black for worship of bestial or Satanic forces.
• "Skull Candle" -- black for meditation on death or for gambler's luck.
• "Seven Knob Wishing Candle" (flattened spheres stacked seven-high) -- burned on seven days, for seven different wishes or for seven-fold strength on the same wish -- white for healing, black to do evil, green for money spells, red for love spells.

Now pay attention to this two examples

DEVIL CANDLE, BLACK
Use for doing evil or repelling evil.
DEVIL CANDLE, RED
Use for drawing sexual love and passion.

CRUCIFIX (CROSS & KEYS) CANDLE, BLACK
Use for doing evil or repelling evil.
CRUCIFIX (CROSS & KEYS) CANDLE, RED
Use for drawing sexual love and passion.

You will note that symbolism of both Demonic and Celestial may vary in Hoodoo and that well known symbol of good can be used for harming and vice versa .
In my opinion If You use Crucifix to cause evil in Hoodoo You are simply reversing it’s polarity in Your favor , a form of inversion If You will. Same with the symbol of the Devil , You use power of evil pointing it to some thing that is also evil , thus making it what we would call “good use of it” . The veil between the good and evil is thin in Hoodoo .
I however avoid to use crucifixion for harming , unless I would harm an evil entity ( not human ).
Anyway this one is probably ma favorite among figural Candles






Seven days and seven Knob candles

Are candles that burn for seven days , or are divided in 7 sections and each burns daily . Those sections can be made in different color so that each color symbolizes a wish , for ex. Green money , read healing or love est.
Similar deal is with Catholic Novena candles that burn for seven days , also used in Hoodoo.
The simplest and easiest way for You to make a 7 day candle is to devide it using pins , since it will extinguish once it reaches pin .

Here is the instruction as shown on Luckymojo.com


The candle divided by seven needles or pins:
I believe that this is the oldest form of the 7-day candle. To make one, take a regular offertory or jumbo-size candle and seven needles or pins. Poke the needles into the candle, dividing it into seven equal parts (the seventh needle or pin can go at the top or at the bottom, but no one i know ever uses SIX needles or pins to divide the candle into seven parts). Write your wish (or seven wishes) on a piece of paper. Turn the paper 90 degrees sideways and write your full name over the wish or wishes seven times, crossing and covering the previous writing with your name. Place the paper under the candle. Dress the candle with an appropriate oil. Burn it for seven nights, pinching it out (NOT blowing it out) each time a needle falls. Save the needles when they fall. When the last needle falls, stick the needles into the paper in the form of two X patterns surrounding one double-cross pattern (that has two lines crossing one upright line). Dispose of the ritual remains in an appropriate way : Bury the paper and any leftover wax under your doorstep if your intention is to draw something or someone to you. Throw the paper and wax away at a crossroads, in running water, or in a graveyard if the intention is to get rid of something or someone.

Votive candles and Tea light are something we are all familiar with . Lux Perpetua are candles used also in Santeria , paper encased , Paper ussualy contains a picture of a Saint or Mother of God ( Virgin Mary ) and is used for Healing ( “curadismo” ) and Blessings and spiritualism .




Dressing the candles

Means simply anointing the candles with oils and maybe the spices . They are anointed from ends toward centre If we want to attract something and from centre to ends If we want to banish something,

We use oils that are consistent with our intention , like ones I mentioned in previous article , or If we lack them Conjurer will gladly use Olive oil or Holy Oil from Church .

Candles can be left to burn for Protection , psalms can be recited over them , or they can even be fixed on the bottom of the bowl with water with herbs later used to sprinkle room or person . Possibilities are endless , and sky is the limit .

Blessing and consecrating the candles is individual and usually done reading , psalms , prayers, parts from Bible or simply asking God to bless it .

We note that this part of process does not really differ from the general procedure in Witchcraft and Wicca religion.