Welcome and well met to the seventh article of my brand new magickal series, “Candle Colour Magick 101“! Today, we’ll learn more about black candle meaning, magickal usages, and symbolism!
Contents
Black Candle Meaning & Magick
Often misunderstood, Black Candle is all too frequently linked to dark practices of malintent or to those which seek to render harm. What is less commonly known is that Black can actually be an incredibly strong protection and banishing colour that can be used for all sorts of “good” works or castings depending on the intent of the witch or caster.
What Do Black Coloured Candles Represent?
The magickal energy that radiates outward from the colour black and from black candles is often one far more closely associated in modern-day witchcraft with the positive, even necessary, attributes of life such as transition, change, and rest.
What Are Black Coloured Candles Used For?
Black candles are used to fight against evil as well as to provide protection from it. They are used to absorb or remove, to unblock your path or emotions, and for binding and unbinding spells.
They are quite often used in banishing workings especially during the New or Dark Moon and can harness strong repelling energies to aid in the reversal of both curses and hexes. Black candle magick is also used during uncrossing rituals, whenever a strong absorption or destroying of negative energies is needed. They can also be used to protect against or repel evil spirits or other bad energies which seek to do harm to you or others.
Black colour magick can serve to protect against plague or illness, remove confusion, rid oneself of bad or detrimental habits and addictions, as well as healing discord in relationships.
Black candles also lend their aid to any transitional workings, shapeshifting, and even restful meditation rituals particularly during winter or the “dark” time of the year.
But how can both black and white candles be used to protect from negative energies you ask? Why that’s simple really.
I, personally, have found that a fantastic general sort of “rule of thumb” is to use a white candle for whenever I wish to conjure a protective shield or barrier of positive energy around a person or place to repel harm and to use a black candle for whenever I wish to conjure a sort of “black hole” effect around a person or place which serves to not only absorb negative energies but to also, if I wish it so, reverse these harmful intentions and return them to their caster threefold. In short, white candles reflect – black candles absorb.
Simple Spells Using Black Candles
Remove Depression & Anxiety – Emotions Charm
This simple charm bag can be worn around your neck, kept in your pocket, or underneath your pillow at night and used to alleviate difficult emotions or feelings of depression and anxiety.
Please note, however, that neither this spell nor any other can serve as a replacement for genuine medical help or therapy and I encourage you to seek out professional help if your problems worsen or you feel like harming yourself or others.
Magickal Materials:
- 6x Whole Penang Cloves (regular spice cloves will do in a pinch)
- A Pinch of Dried Mugwort
- A Sprig or Two of Fresh Mint Leaves
- A Small Handful of Valerian Root
- 3-5 Drops of Juniper Berry Essential Oil
- 3-5 Drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil
- 1/4 Cup of Chamomile Flowers (or you can substitute the contents of a chamomile tea bag).
- Lavender Stems or Dried Buds
- Small Bowl for Mixing
- 1x Black Candle
- 1x Wooden Match (preferably no metal lighters!)
- 1x A Black Pouch or Sachet Bag
- Black or Dark Blue Thread
- 1x Sewing Needle
- 1x Clear Quartz (for boosting the power of the charm)
- 1x Onyx Stone or Obsidian
- A Pen or Marker with Black Ink and Parchment or White Paper
- A Small White or Black Feather (optional, however, very useful for helping the heart to feel light again and to soar!)
Magickal Method:
1. Begin this magickally mending spell by sitting quietly in your room or, if you prefer, go out and take a walk. Try to find someplace quiet where you can sit and be alone with your thoughts for a while and where you can work in peace.
2. Once you feel that you have found the perfect space to cast your spell and are completely relaxed and focused, it’s time to begin.
3. Place your black candle in front of you and carefully make sure that it is secure (especially if you are outdoors somewhere!)
4. Now, strike your wooden match and watch. Watch as the match burns for a moment, releasing it’s smoke into the wind and summoning the elements of Air and Fire.
5. Feel the Earth beneath your feet and slowly light your black spell candle calling upon the natural healing spirits of Water and remaining focused on your magickal intent and the desired outcome for this ritual.
6. Once your black candle is lit, combine your herbs, petals, root, spices, flowers, and stones into your small sachet bag. Add the drops of juniper berry essential oil and tea tree essential oil and then gently give the bag a shake to wake up its vibrational energies with your own.
Now, carefully massage the contents through the fabric releasing their beautiful soothing aromas and imbuing the charm bag with their magickal properties.
7. Close your eyes and feel the warmth of your black spell candle’s flame. Breathe in the scent of your new charm bag, perhaps tie it to a leather cord and wear it around your neck. Allow this magickal scent to soothe you as you begin to let go of all of the hurt or frustrations or fear that you have been holding onto in your heart and in your mind.
If you’ve had your heart broken recently by a lover or dear friend, take this time to confront these unhealthy feelings and allow yourself the chance to cry or just to feel them before slowly letting go of them as well.
The key here is not to hide from these emotions – to face them head on, acknowledge them as something that scared you, something that hurt you or made you feel sad and then to let them go.
Banish them to the past and know that they can never return without your permission. They can only hold power over you if you give them the energy to do so…
8. Now open your eyes and take the black pen or marker in your hand. As clearly as possible, write out your truest desires on the paper. This step is completely personal to the caster however do try to be as specific as possible here. Really let your emotions flood onto the page. It can be as detailed as you need it to be or as simple as an affirmation.
Such as, “My heart is healed. The pain is gone.” or “Fear and Sadness have no power over me”.
Once done, add any symbols of love, healing, or protection that resonate with you personally and then fold the paper as many times as is necessary to make it fit neatly into the bag although preferably an even number making sure to fold the paper towards your body.
9. Add your spell petition to the charm bag and slowly close it.
10. Take your sewing needle and hold it over the flame of your burning black spell candle for a few moments, repeating your wish out loud or in your mind as clearly as possible.
11. Add the black or dark blue thread to the needle, then carefully sew your charm bag shut all the while picturing in your mind your spell’s completion and success as you recite the following words (or whatever comes naturally from your heart at this moment):
“That which brings me down I banish,
The negative in my life must vanish.
I no longer need it to hold me back,
With this magickal charm, I’ll be on track!
So I have said, So mote it be.”
* For added power, embroider any symbols or magickal sigils of your faith, healing, or protection onto the bag.
12. Allow your black candle to burn all the way down (make sure you do this someplace where you can keep an eye on the flame!) Finish your spell by placing this charm bag someplace special for safe-keeping such as on your person (around your neck or in your pocket) or somewhere in your bedroom, like on your nightstand, under your pillow, or better yet – on your windowsill where it can be charged by the light of the moon.
If ever you start to feel down or just in need of a boost of confidence, light another black spell candle and hold the charm bag over your heart. Recite your magickal chant once more and then return the charm to its safe place.
Allow the new black candle to burn all the way down if you feel a large amount of banishing energy is required or carefully snuff it out if you only felt the need for a little magickal pick-me-up.
You could also use this time to freshen up any herbs or other ingredients as needed in your charm bag before resealing it with intent and new thread.
Spell to End Unwanted Attraction
This spell serves to put an end to unwanted attraction and to bury any painful or unwanted feelings you may have for someone else. Whether it be because of an unrequited love, a toxic relationship that you wish to be free of, or whatever your reasons might be – this spell can help!
Magickal Materials:
- Two Black Candles That Share The Same Wick! (If you have trouble finding a set of candles that share the same wick, try taking a long taper candle and carefully cutting away the middle portion of wax, making sure not to cut the wick inside, this will form two candle halves joined together by a single strand).
- 1x Wooden Match (preferably no metal lighters!)
- 2x Candle Holders or Plates (any material is fine for this spell however, I prefer to use something cold like chilled stone or marble holders for spells where I am attempting to freeze or break something. In the case of this spell, that something would be your feelings for or connection with this other person. If you’d like to do the same, just grab a couple of stone or marble candle holders and pop them into the freezer for a few minutes!)
- 1x Piece of Paper or Parchment (or better yet a Photograph of the Person)
- 1x Pen with Black Ink or Preferably a Charcoal Pencil
- Something to Carve the Wax (sewing needle, bobby pin, small pocket knife, etc).
- Small Heat-Proof or Fire Safe Bowl (I love to use one of my little cast iron cauldrons but as long as it is fire safe anything will do really!)
- Sea or Rock Salt – for Protection.
- 5-6 Drops of Black Cat Oil
Magickal Method:
Witchy Tip: For the most potent results, choose to cast this spell on the night of the New/Dark Moon or during a time when the moon is in its waning phase as these are the times which most magickally correspond to banishing or cleansing spells and rituals.
1. Begin this banishing spell by sitting quietly in your room or sacred space with the door and windows shut completely and all lights extinguished. Create a large circle around yourself and your work or sacred space with the sea salt in order to create a protective barrier.
This step may not always be necessary however, it is a good magickal habit to develop especially when working with spell castings that involve altering a state-of-mind or deep emotions. Such work can inadvertently cause the caster to become energetically vulnerable to dark influences if proper steps are not first taken to ensure that they cannot get in.
2. Take your very special single wick black candles and one by one carve into their sacred wax symbols or sigils which you feel best to embody first yourself and then the person or persons you wish to break away from. For this spell, one half of the candle set shall be used to magickally and symbolically represent you while the other half shall serve to magickally and symbolically represent them.
3. Once you are finished carving your spell candles it is time to dress them and imbue them with your intent. Take a couple of deep breaths and clear your mind of all distracting thoughts. The time has come to focus intently on what it is that you want your magick to accomplish and who it is you wish to banish from your life forever.
4. Think of the person that you wish to no longer possess feelings for. Picture them clearly in your mind as you begin to anoint the candles with the black cat oil. Once finished, place the candles in their holders in front of you so that their shared wick stretches between them. Do not light them yet!
5. Now, take your charcoal pencil or black ink pen and as you focus on this person and all the reasons for your desire to be free from them and your feelings, begin to write their full name over and over again on the parchment paper or over the face of the person in their photograph if using one.
6. Once you have covered their face or the parchment paper with their name, begin crossing it out with the charcoal or ink with a forceful and deliberate motion. As you cross out their name picture them leaving your life through their own free will. This part is important!
If you do not want to harm anyone or bring bad karma upon yourself you must not allow any sort of negativity to enter during this phase of the spell. Picture only them leaving you alone and your feelings for them fading away gently, clearly, and without harmful intent. May they seek happiness elsewhere and you both be free.
7. Strike your wooden match and carefully, intently, light the shared wick of your black spell candles at its very center and watch as it flickers to life, burns for a moment, and then breaks – severing the connection between the two of you for good. As you watch the spell flames flicker and burn quietly yet clearly recite these words:
“(Name of the person), you no longer hold a special place in my heart.
We were not meant to be – It is time that we part.
I set us both free, with this magickal art.
And bury my feelings – May we both get a fresh start!”
8. Fold up the parchment paper of photograph making sure to fold away from your body and then set it on fire with the now separate flames of each spell candle before placing it in the fire safe bowl to carefully burn down to ash.
9. Once the parchment paper or photograph has completely burned to ash, snuff out the candle which symbolically represents yourself and gently blow out the candle which served to symbolically represent them. Gather up the ashes of your spell petition and take them someplace far away from your home where you can bury them in the cold soil of the earth.
As you bury the ashes, focus on the sense of freedom and relief that you now have. If you like, you may choose this time to repeat your incantation. Now all that is left is to move forward!
Your spell is cast, the work is done. You are now free from the torment of those unwanted emotions forever. Blessed Be.
And there you have it my dears! The meaning of black candles and a couple of my more beginner-friendly spells to harness the more protective and banishing properties of Black Colour Magick! I hope that you enjoyed this article and that it helps you along your magickal journey.
And if you liked this one, just wait until you see what’s coming next in the Candle Colour Magick 101 series!
See you there!
Clear Skies & Bright Moons,
Naia Moonbrook
