the quietest corner of the cottage

today, I call in the Light.

Heyyyyy Spirit.

so you want to light a candle with purpose 🕯️ okay let's talk about candle work because it's genuinely one of the most accessible entry points into witchcraft and also one of the most misunderstood. people either treat it like decoration or they overcomplicate it into something that requires a seventeen-step certification. neither is it. here's the deal: **candle magic works on sympathetic principles** — the idea that like affects like, and that physical actions done with deliberate intent create a channel for that intent to move outward. the flame is transformation energy. it *literally* converts one state of matter into another. you're not doing a trick. you're doing a metaphor made physical, and metaphors have power when you mean them. --- **🕯️ the extremely unglamorous materials list** - one candle (we'll talk color in a sec) - something to light it with - a fireproof surface (a plate, a holder, a jar lid — i've used a saucer from a mug, zero shame) - optional: something to carve with (a toothpick, a bobby pin, a literal nail) - optional: oil to dress it (olive oil works. i know. i know. it works.) - optional: herbs that's it. that's the whole supply list. you do not need the fancy stuff to start. --- **🎨 color as correspondence — the short version** color correspondences aren't rules handed down from on high, they're a *shared symbolic language* that a lot of practitioners use because it helps the brain get into the right headspace. if a color means something different to you personally, lean into YOUR meaning. but here's the common shorthand: - **white** — all-purpose, clarity, new beginnings, "i don't have the right color" (yes, white covers everything) - **black** — protection, banishing, uncrossing, absorbing negative energy (NOT evil, please retire that take) - **red** — passion, vitality, courage, action - **pink** — self-love, friendship, gentle healing, warmth - **green** — abundance, growth, healing, money work - **blue** — calm, communication, truth, peace - **yellow/gold** — confidence, intellect, success, solar energy - **purple** — intuition, psychic work, spiritual connection - **orange** — creativity, motivation, change **apartment/closet substitution:** birthday candles are VALID. tea lights are VALID. a white candle you colored with a marker works fine — the intent is in YOU, not the object. --- **⏰ timing — does it actually matter?** short answer: it helps, it's not mandatory. here's the logic. moon phases are another layer of sympathetic correspondence: - **waxing moon** (new → full): use for drawing things IN — growth, abundance, new starts - **full moon**: peak energy, amplification, anything you want to really charge up - **waning moon** (full → new): use for releasing, banishing, letting go - **new moon**: deep rest, shadow work, planting seeds that are still secret day of the week also carries planetary energy if you want to go that deep (monday=moon, tuesday=mars, wednesday=mercury, thursday=jupiter, friday=venus, saturday=saturn, sunday=sun) but honestly? **the best time is when you have privacy and focus.** that beats any calendar alignment. --- **📝 how to actually do the thing** 1. **cleanse your space** — open a window, burn some rosemary, clap your hands in the corners, put on music that shifts the energy. whatever gets you out of "tuesday afternoon" brain and into "i'm doing something intentional" brain. 2. **hold your candle and set your intent** — not a wish, not a hope. a *clear statement*. "i am calling in opportunities to grow my creative work." "i am releasing the anxiety that keeps me from speaking up." be specific. vague input = vague output. 3. **carve if you want** — a word, a symbol, your name, a sigil. this is you writing your intent into the object.