This may sound odd coming from someone who owns a shop selling ten-plus candle colors, but it's true. Of course, this doesn't take away the usefulness, beauty, or pleasure of using a variety of candles. It only means that, like so many other spellcasting techniques, it's not a necessity. If you find yourself low on funds, personal space, or both, excess candles are the perfect place to cut back.
Let's take a moment to dig into the 3 traditional colors of witchcraft!
Black, Red, and White as Staple Colors
Let's go back to a favorite period in history for practitioners seeking magical inspiration: the Middle Ages. For a moment, forget that the candles themselves wouldn't have been available to the average person. Think instead about the range of anything in those times. Would you have spent 20 minutes debating between clothing brands? How about picky eaters? Do you think there were many of them around?
In short, you took what was at hand, you bought what you could, made what you could, and went without for all the rest. So much of what we cosider "old world" in our symbolism and tools (iron knives, cauldrons, broomsticks) were just everyday items at that time. Maybe a little of that kind of thinking would prevent some of the bloated magical stashes witches are so prone to brag about. Keep the basics basic and splurge on the big things.
Also note that each of these colors, though simple, have a variety of meanings. Ancient Egypt associated black with the fertile soil after the floods. To them it was a deeply fortunate, protective, prosperous color. Red is universally seen as the color of life and death, being connected to that most essential component of life: blood. White is the page with no words, the light with no form. It's open and unattached. What kinds of magic can we do just by beginning at these associations?
The answer, it turns out, is everything.
In short, you took what was at hand, you bought what you could, made what you could, and went without for all the rest. So much of what we cosider "old world" in our symbolism and tools (iron knives, cauldrons, broomsticks) were just everyday items at that time. Maybe a little of that kind of thinking would prevent some of the bloated magical stashes witches are so prone to brag about. Keep the basics basic and splurge on the big things.
Also note that each of these colors, though simple, have a variety of meanings. Ancient Egypt associated black with the fertile soil after the floods. To them it was a deeply fortunate, protective, prosperous color. Red is universally seen as the color of life and death, being connected to that most essential component of life: blood. White is the page with no words, the light with no form. It's open and unattached. What kinds of magic can we do just by beginning at these associations?
The answer, it turns out, is everything.
Black
Deep, mysterious, and full
- the future unknown
- Protection
- Luck
- Fertility
- Magnetism
- Sleep
- Spirituality
- Money
Red
Active, excited, and vital
- the present
- Success
- Business
- Love
- Revenge
- War
- Power
- Work
- Courage
- Happiness
- Lust
- Safety
- Vitality and Strength
White
Untouched, Constant, and Stoic
- the unchangeable past
- Healing
- Hex-breaking
- Harmony
- Meditation
- Peace
- Purification
When these simple colors are combined with the usual accompanying boosts--like carving, name papers, dressing/dusting, loading, and others--they can easily rival or even surpass spells cast with that perfect, particular shade of lavender. When you really excel with the basics, you become a stronger, more aware, and more adaptable spellcaster.
Note, too, that these associations are my own and may not reflect how you were taught. The way to understand them for your own magical practice is just as simple: contemplation, experimentation, and time.
Images from:
colbysperfectlyimperfect.blogspot.com/2016/05/healing-candle-spell
hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Colour-Use-in-Wicca-and-Candle-Magic
hdimagesnew.com/candle-wallpapers-hd/
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