Candles: How to Trim Carve Load Petition Pray Dress Arrange Light

[J Simulcik]

Traditionally, candle altars are separated by type of work. Personally, I place vigils toward the back of the altar to burn, and do more interactive work in front of them. Hope that helps.

[suzyparker]

Is this for one "job" or are you doing multiple candles for various work?

[Beach]

they're all for one job. well, I also lit a candle for a friend but it was more of a gesture than trying to accomplish serious work....

[JayDee]

I keep my vigil/novea candles in another room thats rather fire proof ( all brick) and it works well for me, just make sure to pay attention and to pray over it on the reg. when i was younger and with family i hid them away too and had no issues so my experience is it does not matter. the only time i put them in an order is if im burning them for the same purpose like rec candle with a love candle and a stay with me candle or something like that. good luck!

[AmaSarah]

Hi, I completed overdressed a vigil candle and the poor little flame is barely holding on. I've tried pouring out some wax and pushing away the oil and herbs but the teeny tiny flame looks like it's gasping for air. Then I threw a cardamon pod in there because I knew it was quite flammable (and love drawing - at least there was some additional intention behind the choice) and I thought it would help burn out some of the mess I created. But the pod snuffed out the wick and I had to fish out the pod and relight the candle. Then I took a leftover wick from another candle and put it in there hoping the two wicks together would burn a little hotter to help that little-engine-that-could. Of course I accidentally snuffed out the candle again in an attempt to get that in there. And then I snuffed it out again when I tried to remove some of the mess. It's lit now but it's crying for help.

Bottom line, I've made a mess. Do I throw this candle out and start over? I'm thinking I should probably let it burn but will it still have any effect? or have I just fiddled around with it too much and "contaminated" it. even if I let it burn, do I get another candle and start over? (It's a Come To Me candle if that makes any difference.)

thank you....

[starsinthesky7]

Personally, I would not have taken a wick from another candle, and put it with this candle. Hopefully the wick was for the same purpose and intention as this candle...if not it could possibly interfere with this candle. Furthermore, you drowned the candle in too many herbs and such so personally, I would start over.

You do not need to overload the candle with herbs, or use the whole bottle of oils or packet of powders. Less goes a long way. For vigil lights and any kind of candle you want to make sure that you cleanse the candle first. I do so with florida wash or ammonia. Other people do it with urine or other ways. But that is up to you. Then you need to poke holes into the wax with a hot nail or I use screw driver (cleansed of course) and make holes which you can make larger ones, and put my ingredients in the holes.

Anyways lesson learned. Start over and relax on the ingredients.

[MissMichaele]

I tend to burn tapers rather than vigil lights (glass candles) for precisely this reason. Personally, I think it might be possible to rescue this candle. Whether or not you do that or choose to start over, a few tips about vigil lights:

• Vigil lights, even when bare naked, often start slow and wimpy. Leave plenty of space around the wick and be patient for the first day or so.
• Listen to starsinthesky7. "Less is more" really does mean LESS. Seriously, a few grains of cinnamon or a couple of leaves of rosemary is enough for a vigil light. Total herbage should be no more than ONE pinch. Strew it around so the wick has plenty of room to breathe (you may know this; I'm playing to readers who might be new to magic )
• After the first day (or even the first few hours), you may find that the tiny flame is drowning in a puddle of wax. DON'T pour it off. Take something long and pointy -- screwdriver, icepick, chopstick -- and sink some holes at the edges of the wax puddle. It'll drain off and leave some room for your flame to grow. You may have to do this more than once until the flame stabilizes.
• Watch out for crooked wicks. This is the reason why candles explode, glass breaks, and labels scorch or catch fire. If your wick is off-center -- as they frequently are these days -- you can nudge it back toward the center by sticking a butterknife into the warmed wax and prying it toward the center. Yes, that is "manipulating events" -- and isn't what why you lit that candle?

Good luck and good magic,

Miss Michaele

[AmaSarah]

hahaha. if a pinch is all I need I think I have enough material in there for ten candles more! thanks for the tips. You contributors have TONS of patience with the never ending flow of us new people. so thank you.

[wraithklewn]

i should have asked this question quite some time ago... i had vigils burned for me a few weeks ago and i should have backed them up. but see the thing is some of the things i had done i dont currently have the oils for.

what is one to do in that kind of situation? i have candles but for oils i have nothing for what the vigils were. is it possible to use say ..olive oil to dress a candle and a petition of the same wording as for the vigil? or a petition of a "complimenting" nature.. such as to say " provide aid to such and such purpose/desire" this confuses me a bit.

i definitely do not want to make this kind of mistake in the future. i also do not doubt the abilities of any who light the vigils for us.

[J Simulcik]

You can use olive oil as sort of an "all-purpose in a pinch". It's tendencies are more toward the peaceful side of work, being used in holy oil in the bible. A common all-purpose candle oil is Special Oil #20, which many workers have on hand all the time. Keep in mind you also don't have to back up vigils with more candles; you can use powders, herbs, dollies, whatever.

[catherineyronwode]

Backing up the work can be seen either from the perspective of a worker backing up your work (e.g. you take the lead, work with dolls or hands-on powders or such, and the worker lights a candle for you), or vice versa -- the worker is taking the ead in the work and you are backing it up with baths, prayers, or a candle.

Special Oil #20 is your most economical choice for an all-purpose oil.

[Devi Spring]

And Special Oil #20 smells awesome! I absolutely love it.

[barat]

I love to burn novena candle incessantly on my altar.Can somebody teach me how to dress my candles so my prayers will be more effective?

[Devi Spring]

Search the forum - how to dress candles has been discussed many times before.

If you want personal mentoring, then find an AIRR member that offers magical coaching and hire them to teach you.

[Joseph Magnuson]

The search box is located in the upper right hand side of the forum page...it works very well! I am actually suprised how much better this search function is than on many other forums I have been a member of in the past!

Good Luck!

-Joseph

[jwmcclin]

Ill give you are little insight


If you are manipulating a person to DRAW something to you, take the oil and move from the base of the candle to the wick, rotating the candle until it is completely covered in oil.

use the opposite to banish or remove...

[Joseph Magnuson]

Ill give you are little insight


If you are manipulating a person to DRAW something to you, take the oil and move from the base of the candle to the wick, rotating the candle until it is completely covered in oil.

use the opposite to banish or remove...

I thought a novena was a 7-9 day candle encased in glass...would this advice still apply or am I way off?

I suggest the OP listen to the Hoodoo Rootwork Conjure Power Hour podcast dealing with candle work and dressing candles. All parties have their own way, but all discuss dressing the novena candles in detail...a powerful 'cast indeed!

-Joseph

[Flamethrower]

I love to burn novena candle incessantly on my altar.Can somebody teach me how to dress my candles so my prayers will be more effective?

recipes-for-dressing-vigil-candles-t419.html#p1989

Both the Candles and the Anointing Oils forums have loads of info, too.

Enjoy!

[MightyScorpio]

This is just my way that has worked well for me when working with glass encased candles...I rub the oil clockwise around the candle until I get to the wick If I want to draw something to me and counter clockwise if I want to banish something or send someone away from me.

[barat]

thank you for all your reply

[rjwcim]

There are numerous ways to dress candles, some would rub oil from the base to the top to draw, and top to base to banish, or run from the mid line outwards to draw and the opposite to banish. As for the Glass in case it also varies I have seen people poke a certain number of holes at the top, some make the holes deep to the bottom and others only part of the way, and they sprinkle herbs and oils over the holes they may even turn the candle in a certain direction when they do this clockwise to draw, counterclockwise to banish.

Ra'Shay

[merrygerry]

A few weeks ago I received my first dressed vigil candle from LM - of course from mailing, many of the herbs (and what looked like glitter?) were around the lip of the jar and I just lit it that way, didn't move anything down into the candle and I'm wondering if maybe I should've pushed them down into the glass rather than letting them sit around the lip - they pretty much remained in place through the entire burn. I was curious if it would be more appropriate for them to have been sitting on the candle when it was lit rather than on the container. In trying to think it through, it sort of seems like they need to be touching the wax to have the intended benefit, but I'm not sure if that's a correct assessment or not and welcome some informed insights on that question.

Also, I applied oils to the outside of the glass and am now wondering if the oils should've been applied to the top of the candle? Or maybe to both the outside of the container and the top of the candle?

I'm expecting another order in the next few days and want to make sure I'm handling the dressed candles in the way that they are intended and in a way that benefits the intentions of the work.

Would appreciate advice from those who have more experience - thanks!

[Devi Spring]

Yes, the herbs and oils are meant to sit on/in the candle as it burns. I wouldn't worry about it too much, though. Just gently knock them back in next time before lighting.

If the candle is already dressed there is NO need to add additional herbs and oils. Too much is not better, and it can mess with your burn. Just pray over a dressed candle and then light it. If you're dressing a candle, the oil goes onto the candle, though some practitioners may sometimes also apply some oil to the glass if it's appropriate for the case.

[starlitegirl]

I've read through the links to the various spells I have been considering, and it seems they all employ psalms and praying to the Lord. However, I don't believe in the Lord. I believe in the existence of one, but I have an aversion to praying to one because I don't believe he'll listen or answer or help in anyway. How do I pray over candles when I believe what I do and feel an aversion toward this God?

[Devi Spring]

Well, you can just concentrate on your intent very strongly and just pray it out to the universe in general if you don't believe in a Divinity that listens and hears, or just ask the spirit of the herbs/oils/etc to aid you. You can get good results that way.

Hoodoo is a Christian form of folk-magic, though. When I first began practicing conjure it I worked primarily with just the spirit of the herbs/oils/etc because of where I was in my spirituality at the time and because I was processesing past issues and experiences. Eventually I was able to embrace esoteric and folk Christianity, and so began working conjure in the traditional way - invoking the aid of God. I have to tell you that my level of results went up dramatically when I began using the system as it was intended. I had success before, but it was all ratcheted up to a whole new level once I was able to really accept and use the system in it's traditional context.

It may help you to studying folk Christianity and esoteric Christianity in order to get a different perspective on the tradition than you may be used to. It may help you appreciate the whole of conjure, rather than just then parts of it.

You may also wish to start serving your ancestral spirits and developing a relationship with them, as they can also really help empower your conjure further. Hoodoo is a spirit-working tradition, so you will sort of need to believe in the indwelling spirit and spirits throughout creation if you want to work this particular system successfully. If that is troublesome for you, then conjure is probably not the system of magic for you.

If you would like some book suggestions on esoteric Christianity or spirit work, feel free to PM me.

[Maljen]

Sorry to revive an old thread, but what was posted here really didn't answer a question I have and hopefully someone else might have some insight. I get the anointing bottom to top to draw something to you, and top to bottom to dispel or drive something away from you. However, my question is this, if I'm burning a candle on a vinegar jar for example, do I anoint top to bottom because I'm trying to drive two people away from one another? And what if I'm lighting candles with Commanding Oil to command my husband to go on the deployments with his crew? Top to bottom because I want him to go away from where he is, or bottom to top because I want him to actually fulfill his orders and his job?

[catherineyronwode]

You didn't understand the answer i gave -- which is that there are MANY ways to dress a candle, NOT just top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top.

They can be dressed up one side and down the other. with two oils (side by side or top and bottom), or by dripping oil into the palm, closing the fingers around the candle, and spinning the candle in the palm or working it up and down repeatedly.

In other words, you are asking for a reply is not a single answer!

[Maljen]

So in other words, just go with my intuition and 'gut feeling'?

[catherineyronwode]

No, no, that's not what i said!

I want you to learn and study the traditions of conjure, not just to make things up as you go along.

Think! To make a break up jar, you cut the name papers in half to separate them -- so you want to separate the oil too.

Put oil on the tips of all your fingers and both your thumbs. With a pinching movement, hold the candle by the middle, and draw your fingers and thumbs APART, to the opposiste ends of the candle.

Good luck!

[Maljen]

Thank you, Miss Cat. I understand on the vinegar jar candles now. My apologies for being a bit dense tonight. However, I'm still unclear on something like the Commanding situation I mentioned. Top to bottom to draw the command down to the petition and the pictures under it, or bottom to top to send the command from me to the person/people I want to command?

[catherineyronwode]

Again, it need not always be top to bottom or bottom to top. Read some of the good old traditional books on candle dressing. Try "magetizing" a candle as described by Louis de Claremont. Right above, in this very thread, i wrote:

A hugely influential book on candle and herb magic in hoodoo is the 1936 "Legends of Incense, Herb, an Oil Magic" by Louis de Claremont.

De Claremont recommended burning each candle in a triangle and energetically "magnetizing" each candle with an appropriate oil by stroking halfway up on one side and halfway down on the other.

Please understand that you are asking me to tell you something i cannot and will not tell you -- the "one true way" you seek does not exist. I am trying to teach you to study our traditions and work with a variety of teachings within these traditions.

We are dealing with a system of magic that has been practiced by millions of people. There is no "one way" but there are less than a dozen recommended ways.

Study, try some variations, see what suits you best.

Do not think of hoodoo as a recipe you have to bake right now for tonight's dinner -- because that's not it. Think of it as a culinary course that will give you the ability to cook at need with almost any ingredients on hand -- 'cause that's more like what it is -- a system, not a recipe.

[catherineyronwode]

flamethrower asked:

Does anyone write their intentions and/or names with a nail on the candles for honey jars? From base to wick or top to bottom?

I use a needle on small candles rather than a nail.

Since honey jars are directed at people rather than the universe (unlike a job-getting or luck-changing candle, which might be directed at the universe), i write names. I was taught to write them spiral-wise, like the stripes on a barber pole. I have done them in barber-pole spirals going both ways, to make them cross like May pole ribbons. I have written many names on one candle.

On break-up candles, i write each name on one side of the candle -- and one runs up while the other runs down, both in straight lines.

On reversing candles, the enemy name is writen in reverse, the client is written forward, and the two names face away from one another.

On seven knob candles i put one intention on each knob or the same intention 7 times.

There are dozens more of these little tricks. Take my course and you'll learn a whole lot more of them.

[merrygerry]

Hi,

This morning I lit two LM fixed vigil candles - the wicks seemed really long so I cut them to about an inch, now both of them have gone out - I think maybe I cut the wick too short? Should I have just lit the wick as it was and figured it would burn to the length it needed to be?

And, should I scoop some of the wax out and re-light? I don't want to "un-fix" them but would like to figure out a remedy and go ahead and burn them. If I scoop out the wax, I'm assuming I should try to put any herbs and glitter back into the candle holder?

I've done two previous fixed vigils and in thinking about it, I thinkI just lit the long wick - both of them burned fine so am thinking maybe it was the trimming that was the problem.

Thanks for any advice!

[Devi Spring]

I trim the wicks on vigils, but to about 1.5". If you can get it to relight, then get something long and pokey, and poke holes down into the wax - that will help the melted wax pour down into them, keeping it from drowning. You may need to repeat this frequently until the candle is back in it's groove.

If that doesn't work, you may need to pour some wax off. What I do when I need to do that is take a tealight and pull the wick out of it (some tealights this is easier than others), then put the wick back into the center of the tin, and the pour the wax into that, effectively making a smaller candle which I can then light. That way you don't lose any of the candle from trying to save it.

[merrygerry]

OMG, Devi, you're a genius! That worked perfectly on both scores - used a chubby kebab skewer to poke holes AND poured off the wax - and making a tealight worked perfectly, the wick was attached to a little metal base, just pulled the candle up, stuck the base w/ the wick back into the holder and poured the wax w/ the herbs and glitter into it and now have a mini "Return to Me" vigil - thank you SO much - never would've thought of either of those things in a million years - would've reheated the wax and strained it to get the herbs out probably making a huge mess of a strainer in the process. Am amazed and totally appreciative - thank you!

[Devi Spring]

Glad you found it useful!

[Maljen]

Thank you again, Miss Cat. Guess I know what's going to be on the next order......several books! I already have started devouring yours, now time to read the others.

My concern about candle anointing stems from a trick I did that 'should' have worked, but didn't. There may be unseen forces at work, and not necessarily against me in this situation, according the reading I got from one of the AIRR members, but I just wanted to rule out an error on my part as to why the trick didn't work.

Okay, I'll stop being 'wacky' now......I think I'll start using the 'magnetizing' approach when I could argue with myself for both top to bottom or bottom to top. Once again, my thanks Miss Cat.

[ShadowyEmbrace]

I started a candle last week petitionn I made was for seven days. The first few days the candle kept going out by itself and I had to relight it several times plus I was putting it out during the day but by thursday or friday it was burning really good is the fact I did that going to mess anything up? Further more I can't remember if I lit it on monday or tuesday I'm pretty sure I did it monday as that was the day it arrived in the mail... What should I do?

[jwmcclin]

When you say 'put it out' are you saying that you snuffed or pinchedit out...please do not 'blow' it out. Its ok to relight it at night even as a 7 day candle can be light and allowed to go out on its own.

[ConjureMan]

I don't personally snuff out vigil candles, but rather leave them to burn out. However, if a candle is going out look into a few factors that could be causing it. Either you have put too much oil in it, two the wax is drowning it, or three there is a spiritual cause. Look at the previous before choosing the latter.

The lovely Devi has recommended using a screw driver or similar tool to drive holes into the wax to help drain off the excess liquid wax and to keep the flame from going out. Try doing that and see that helps your problem.

Also, vigil candles may take more than 7 days, the point is to burn them all the way down. Good luck.

[jwmcclin]

...and sometimes less than 7 ...there are a lot of factors involved...but follow ConjureMan's advice its great.

[Devi Spring]

I find most "7-day candles" burn out in about 5 days. Sometimes they take more or less, but just keep that in mind.

[Shiva2500]

1.) Does one put both the other person's and your own personal concerns on top of the name/ petition paper under love drawing vigils such as Follow Me Boy, Love Me, Bewitching etc.?
2.) Is there a favorite number (3,5,7 or 9) amongst you all that one should write the names?
3.) Does one fold-up the name/ petition paper placed under such vigils?
Thank you!

Best Wishes,
Shiva2500

[starsinthesky7]

1)Depending upon what the personal concerns are. I usually fold them into the name paper when it comes to love-type vigils. So if they are hairs, I tie them together (if possible and long enough) or I just put them inside the name papers, and fold them towards me. If they are pictures, I face the pictures toward each other , and put them under the candle with the name paper on top or bottom. It does not matter with pictures, business cards. If its like underwear I fold them inside the name paper.So if you can fold it inside the name paper that would be great if not then you can put them on top of the name paper under the candle.
2)You can use any of those numbers. I like to use 7 with vigils just because I know they typically burn for 7 days.
3)Yes.

[Shiva2500]

Hello Starsinthesky7,
I love your to the point explanations! Thank you for your help and clarifications

Best Wishes,
Shiva2500

[starsinthesky7]

Youre welcome and best of luck to you.

[Rainbow95]

i've been burning a figure candle and road opener candle but didn't cleanse it before i burned it. i only did this because i wasn't instructed by my reader to cleanse it before burning.

will this effect my work? i read that not everyone will cleanse candles......but now im worried
i want to do all my work properly as i can and the best that i can to get successful results

can i burn a white candle dressed with olive oil along side the other candles for cleansing?

[cabriellenil]

since you've already started your work, don't worry about it and let the work do its job, which is the important part. just cleanse the candles next time.

[starsinthesky7]

Well, it is a nice practice to do. I cleanse my candles with ammonia, or florida water. In an extreme pinch some people use their urine, and i have even done it with rubbing alcohol. This is an important step because sometimes the candles are literally dirty. But this is important because I want to cleanse it from any negativity or anything else , and make sure its a "clean slate"

In your case, I would just continue your work,and you can go back light a vigil light to back up the work.

[Rainbow95]

I know I'm not going to let get get me depressed but i should've cleansed it. i have some ammonia even :/

a vigil light is a good idea any specific color? like should i still light a white vigil?

thanks stars

[Miss Bri]

i've been burning a figure candle and road opener candle but didn't cleanse it before i burned it. i only did this because i wasn't instructed by my reader to cleanse it before burning.

will this effect my work? i read that not everyone will cleanse candles......but now im worried
i want to do all my work properly as i can and the best that i can to get successful results

can i burn a white candle dressed with olive oil along side the other candles for cleansing?

It is not necessary. It is considered a "best practice" but if you didn't do it, it will not make or break your spell work.
good luck,
Bri

[Rainbow95]

lol nevermind about that candle question stars. i got what you meant about the vigil lol

[Rainbow95]

lol nevermind about that candle question stars. i got what you meant about the vigil lol

[Dxyz2010]

i was wondering ,would vinegar jar work ? if we put targets hair and targets friends name and romantic rivals
as in my case my ex is getting lots of attention from her guy friends and unknown romantic rivals that i dont know
so she is not giving me enough attention that she should give me,
some of guy friends are trying to get her and influence her, so would freezer jar work for this situation or vinegar jar?
so was thinking if i make vinegar jar for souring her relationships with guy friends and some romantic interests
then she would automatically turns it to me for attention as honey jar is already going on but this people occupying her mind
is that good idea making vinegar jar or freezer jar?
or any other thing anyone suggest?

[starsinthesky7]

This thread is about a cursing candle. There is a long thread going about the vinegar jar. In addition, we have discussed how to use a freezer jar as well. You can go and do a forum search to see how they have been used in the past. If you know the actual targets names then I would go for the vinegar jar to sour the relationships. In this case, I would go for both the vinegar and freezer jar.

Please take a look at the forum and do a search as we have discussed many situation that are similar to yours. In addition, just because you eliminate these rivals does not mean she is going to automatically turn to you. You will still have to do the adequate work to get her to come to you.

[perezdavidangel]

Cat, would you please teach me your method of dressing jar candles aka vigil lights? because When I dress mine I fell like im not doing it right and Its getting in the way of my spells beaing succsesful, if you dont mind of course. And if anyone eles got any suggestions please share, Thank you

[catherineyronwode]

You may find this excerpt from "Hoodoo in Theory and Practice" useful:

http://www.luckymojo.com/candlemagic.html#dressing

I teach this subject in greater depth in my course. It is far too complex to give here. There are many methods, and i like my students to learn them all, because there are different traditions and different ways of working for different situations.

If you buy dressed candles from us, you will at least see the physical way we work. The rest is more a matter of styles of prayer.

[thelightfantastic]

One method would be to use a wooden skewer or heated screw driver to create holes in the wax. After the holes are created, you can dress the candle with oils or herbs by adding them into the holes in the wax. Be sure not to overdress (ie drench the candle in oil and herbage) the candle or it won't burn properly.

You might also want to look into LM dressed vigil candles. They're very convenient and take the guess work out of doing it yourself.

[perezdavidangel]

Cat, Could you at least teach me the physical part, please

[catherineyronwode]

Read the page -- the information is there!