Hoodoo Candle Magic

[SunKat]

HOW TO READ DIVINATION SIGNS
FROM CANDLE-BURNING

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 OBSERVED WHILE THE CANDLE BURNS 

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 burns unusually slowly or "won't go out"

The candle tips over and flames up into a fire hazard

SIGNS LEFT IN THE WAX RESIDUE FROM A 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

The glass or ceramic holder, saucer, or plate under a free-standing candle breaks or shatters

SIGNS OBSERVED WHILE THE CANDLE BURNS

The candle flame flares, dips, gutters, and flares again, repeatedly

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.

The candle flame hisses, sizzles, pops, or makes other noises

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.

A free-standing candle runs and melts a lot while burning

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 free-standing candle lets out a lot of smoke but burns clean at the end

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.

A pin or needle on a marked free-stading candle drops -- but it clings and won't fall

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.

The candle goes out before completely burning

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 relight it. Do so with a prayer.

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. Try relighting it again, with a stronger prayer.

If it goes out a third time, you may try to splint the wick (that is, re-wick the candle) and pray over it very intently before relighting it, and you may also wish to consider adding a second "helper" or "back-up" light on the altar.

If no amount of effort on your part enables the candle to burn, and the helper light goes out three times as well, you should consider the need to start the entire job over from the beginning.

The candle burns up overly fast

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.

The candle burns unusually slowly or "won't go out"

Sometimes a candle seems to take forever to burn, or there may be a little stubborn stick of wick at the end that keeps pulling in wax and just won't go out. I have seen some candles run 10 to 20 hours longer than manufacturer estimates, flickering at the end, but never quite extinguishing. This slow type of burn can necessitate dramatic watchfulness, but do not get impatient and blow such a light out prematurely. Watch and wait and observe what happens.

Generally a very slow burn signifies that the work is very slow in comming to fruitition, but what that means in any given case will, of course, vary based on the purpose for which the candle was set.

A slow burn on a positive-outcome petition may mean that it will take time before you see results, but if and when they do come, they will last.

However, if the candle is being burned because you wish to end or resolve a negative situation, the candle's refusal to finish may mean that the target of your work, your opponent or enemy, is resisting being finished with the situation, despite your efforts.

The candle tips over and flames up into a fire hazard

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.

SIGNS LEFT IN THE WAX RESIDUE FROM A BURNED-OUT CANDLE

The candle gives a clean, even burn with no tokens or signs

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.

A free-standing candle burns down to a puddle of wax, forming images

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.

A transient image that often forms while a candle burns, but disappears after it is finished is a run of wax droplets down the side of the candle. These are called "tears" and they denote that someone will cry before the spell succeeds. If the tears persist and form a tall column that never melts down, the sorrow will be of long effect. If the tears melt away, the sorrow will pass in due time.

After the candle is finished, the wax puddle that remeains can be examined and its meaning related to the spell. 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.

A vigil candle burns down but leaves up to 1/2" of unburned wax at the bottom

Unburned wax at the bottom of a glass-encased vigil 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 an 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.

 

SIGNS LEFT IN OR ON THE CANDLE HOLDER, STAND, PLATE, SAUCER, GLASS, OR LABEL

A glass encased candle burns half clean and half dirty

A grey or black and sooty top which fades down to a clear bottom 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.

There is a dirty, black, sooty burn (especially one that messes up a glass encased candle)

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.

A glass encased vigil candle cracks or breaks, spilling wax

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 spell 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 glass or ceramic holder, saucer, or plate under a free-standing candle breaks or shatters

As with the broken glass container of a vigil light, this sign is never "good" -- but it is not always "bad", either. If the spell is one of aggressive expulsion, the break can indicate the suddenness of the rupture to come, but if the spell is for increase or amelioration, a broken holder or base is unfortunate.