Rosemary Ellen Guiley, Ph.D. is the author of The Encyclopedia of Witches and Witchcraft and numerous other books, and is a columnist for Fate magazine.
Candles have a long and interesting history in religious worship, magic and
folklore. They light the way to the sacred; they dispel the forces of
darkness; they are associated with ghosts and the dead; they can find buried
treasure; and they play a role in incubated dreaming.
The origin of candles is not known, but there is evidence that beeswax
candles were used in Egypt and Crete as early as 3000 B.C.E. Other early
candles consisted of tapers made of a fibrous material, such as rushes,
saturated with tallow.
Ancient peoples observed that candle flames revealed mysterious things. By
staring into a flame, one could enter an altered state of consciousness and
see gods and spirits, or see the future. The late Egyptians of about the
third century used lamps, and possibly candles, in a magic ritual for
"dreaming true," or obtaining answers from dreams. The individual
retired to a dark cave facing south and sat and stared into a flame until he
saw a god. He then lay down and went to sleep, anticipating that the god
would appear in his dreams with the answers he sought.
Ancient Pagans used candles and lamps in religious observances, a practice
which the Roman Christian theologian Tertullian vehemently protested as
"the useless lighting of lamps at noonday." By the fourth century,
both candles and lamps were part of Christian rituals, but it was not until
the latter part of the Middle Ages, from the twelfth century on, that candles
were placed on church altars. The Catholic Church established the use of
consecrated holy candles in rituals of blessings and absolving sins, and in
exorcizing demons.
Witch-hunt Lore
During the witch-hunts of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, inquisitors'
handbooks such as the Malleus Maleficarum (1486) prescribed holy candles as
among those consecrated objects "for preserving oneself from the injury
of witches." Farmers used holy candles to protect their livestock from
danger and bewitchment.
According to the prevailing lore during the witch-hunts, witches were said to
light candles at their sabbats as offerings of fealty to the Devil, who was
often portrayed as wearing a lighted candle between his horns. The witches
lit their candles from the Devil's candle; sometimes he lit the candles and
handed them to his followers. Witches also put lighted candles in the faggots
of their brooms, which they rode through the air to their sabbats.
It was believed that witches made perverse use of holy candles in putting
curses on individuals. According to an English work, Dives and Pauper (1536),
"it hath oft been known that witches, with saying of the Paternoster and
dropping of the holy candle in a man's steps that they hated, hath done his
feet rotten of."
Black Magic
Candles made of human fat were believed to contain life energy, and
supposedly were used in the Black Mass in the 17th century, and in other
black magic rituals. The Petit Albert, an 18th-century grimoire, claims that
a "Magic Candle" made of human tallow would disclose buried
treasure. The treasure-seeker took the candle into a cave or other
subterranean location. When the candle began to sparkle brightly and hiss
noisily, treasure was at hand. The nearer the treasure, the more intensely
burned the candle, until it went out at the exact spot. Treasure- hunters
were advised to carry along lanterns with consecrated candles, not only for
light, but to conjure the spirits of dead men who were said to guard buried
treasure. The spirits were to be summoned in the name of God and promised
anything in order to help them find "a place of untroubled rest."
At the turn of the 19th century, Francis Barrett, author of The Magus (1801),
wrote that candles made of "some saturnine things, such as a man's fat
and marrow, the fat of a black cat, with the brains of a crow or raven, which
being extinguished in the mouth of a man lately dead, will afterwards, as
often as it shines alone, bring great horror and fear upon the spectators
about it."
Candles and the Dead
In folklore, candles have a strong association with the dead, perhaps dating
back to old Jewish customs, later adopted by Christians, of lighting candles
for the dying and dead. A lit candle placed by the bedside of a dying person
is believed to frighten away demons. One Jewish custom calls for keeping a
lit candle for a week in the room where a person died, perhaps to purify the
air. In American folklore, however, a candle burning in an empty room will
cause the death of a relative. Superstitions about candles hold that a
guttering candle means someone in the house is about to die, and a candle
that burns blue means a ghost is nearby.
Wicca and Practical Magic
In some Wiccan rituals, consecrated white candles are placed on altars and at
the four quarters of a magic circle. If a ritual calls for it, candles are
placed at the points of a pentagram. Colored candles are used in many magical
spells; each color has its own vibration, attribute, symbolism and
influences.
As part of the preparation for casting a spell, rub a candle with anointing
oil while concentrating on the purpose of the spell. The formula of the oil
will be determined by the purpose of the spell. Or, write a spell on a candle
and then burn it.
The following are some of the energy vibrations and influences evoked by
colors. Burning colored candles in magical work enhances the vibration of the
colors.
White: Spiritual truth and strength; purity and purification; meditation;
attract benevolent spiritual forces; break curses; feminine principle (in
alchemy).
Pink: Love and friendship; harmony; entertaining; morality; domestic
tranquility; the sign of Cancer.
Red: Sexuality; strength; physical health and vigor; passion; protection; the
signs of Scorpio and Aries; masculine principle (in alchemy).
Orange: Courage; communication; solving of legal problems; concentration;
encouragement; the sign of Taurus.
Yellow: Persuasion; confidence and charm; aid to memory and studying; the
signs of Virgo and Gemini.
Green: Healing; money and prosperity; luck; fertility; the sign of
Sagittarius.
Blue: Psychic and spiritual awareness; peace; prophetic dreams; protection
during sleep; the signs of Aquarius and Virgo.
Purple: Ambition; ruling authority; reversing a curse; speeding healing in
illness; extra power; the sign of Pisces; lavender for the sign of Libra.
Gold: Protection; enlightenment; masculine principle; the Sun; the sign of
Leo.
Silver: Intuition; subconscious; feminine principle; the Moon.
Brown: Protecting pets; solving household problems; attracting help in
financial crises; the sign of Capricorn.
Gray: Stalemate; neutrality; cancellation.
Black: Loss; sadness; discord; releasement; negativity.
In angel magic, use colored candles in work with these principal angels:
Haniel--red and pink
Michae--gold and yellow
Gabriel--white and silver
Raphael--green and orange
Uriel--ice white and ice blue
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Phillip Cooper's book, Candle Magic, shows how to use this age-old energy to train your mind and change your life by the magical glow of candles.
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