#magictheory

Hello beautiful souls ✨

You reach for lavender. Why?

Because it calms anxiety (medicinal property)?Because it attracts love (magical property)?Because it smells good and makes you feel peaceful (both)?

Here's the question nobody asks: Are medicinal and magical properties actually different, or are they the same thing described in different languages?

Today we're exploring herb magic—one of the oldest, most accessible, and most misunderstood practices in witchcraft.

We'll cover:

The history (how medicinal and magical herbalism diverged)

The Doctrine of Signatures (reading plants' "messages")

How medicinal properties CREATE magical associations

Why some correspondences make sense and others are arbitrary

The role of mythology, planetary rulership, and cultural use

Practical herb magic that respects both science and tradition

Safety considerations (some "magical" herbs are toxic)

This is Elements & Correspondences That Actually Make Sense—where we explain the logic behind magical associations.

Let's decode the plants.

THE SHORT ANSWER

Medicinal and magical properties are often THE SAME THING viewed through different frameworks.

Example: Chamomile

Medicinal property: Mild sedative, anti-anxiety, digestive aid (proven by science)

Magical property: Peace, calm, stress relief, sleep magic

Are these different? No. The magical use directly reflects the medicinal effect.

BUT— not all magical correspondences derive from medicine. Some come from mythology, planetary association, appearance, or cultural tradition.

The relationship is complex. Let's unpack it.

THE HISTORY: WHEN MEDICINE AND MAGIC WERE ONE

For most of human history, there was no distinction between medicinal herbalism and magical herbalism.

ANCIENT PRACTICE (PRE-1500s):

The village herbalist/cunning person/witch doctor:

Knew which plants healed which ailments

Accompanied medicine with prayers, charms, timing (moon phases, planetary hours)

Understood that healing involved body AND spirit

Used plants for physical healing AND spiritual/magical work

There was no separation. Giving someone willow bark (natural aspirin) for pain AND saying a prayer while preparing it were BOTH part of healing.

THE SPLIT (1500s-1800s):

The rise of "rational" medicine:

Physicians claimed authority over healing

"Scientific" medicine wanted to distance itself from "superstition"

Herbalism became associated with women, poor people, witches (derogatory)

Magical uses were dismissed as folklore; medicinal uses were "legitimized" (if they worked)

This created the false binary:

Medicine = rational, scientific, physical, real

Magic = superstitious, spiritual, psychological, fake

But the plants didn't change. Only how we talked about them changed.

MODERN REUNION:

Today, many practitioners recognize:

Herbal medicine works (science proves it—many pharmaceuticals derive from plants)

The psychological/spiritual aspect of healing also matters

Plants can be used for physical effects AND energetic/magical effects

These aren't contradictory

We're returning to a holistic view—with the added benefit of scientific understanding.

THE DOCTRINE OF SIGNATURES

One major link between medicinal and magical properties:

The Doctrine of Signatures is the ancient belief that plants' physical appearance, habitat, or characteristics indicate their medicinal/magical uses.

The concept: God/Nature marked plants with "signatures"—visual clues to their purpose.

EXAMPLES:

Walnuts look like brains → Used for brain health, mental clarity, headaches (medicinal AND magical)

Lungwort leaves have lung-shaped spots → Used for respiratory issues (medicinal) and breath/communication magic (magical)

Bleeding Heart flowers look like hearts → Used for heart health (medicinal) and love magic (magical)

Yellow flowers (like St. John's Wort) → Used for jaundice/liver issues (medicinal—yellow = bile) and solar magic, joy, depression (magical)

Plants with milky sap (like dandelion) → Used to increase breast milk (medicinal) and fertility magic (magical)

Red plants (like beets, hibiscus) → Used for blood health (medicinal) and passion, vitality, blood magic (magical)

DOES THIS ACTUALLY WORK?

Sometimes.

Walnuts DO contain omega-3 fatty acids beneficial for brain health. Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe ancient herbalists observed over generations that walnut-eaters had better cognitive function and created the "brain" signature to remember it.

Yellow St. John's Wort DOES help depression (proven—it's prescribed in Germany). The "solar" association and yellow color may have helped herbalists remember this use.

But sometimes it's wrong. Lungwort doesn't actually help lungs more than other expectorants. The spots are just spots.

The Doctrine of Signatures is:

Part observation

Part pattern recognition

Part mnemonic device (helping people remember uses)

Part projection (seeing what you want to see)

It created links between appearance and use—which then created magical correspondences.

HOW MEDICINAL PROPERTIES CREATE MAGICAL ASSOCIATIONS

This is the most direct link:

If a plant DOES something physically, it's assigned magical properties related to that effect.

LAVENDER:

Medicinal: Sedative, anti-anxiety, mild pain relief, antimicrobial Magical: Peace, calm, sleep, purification, love (the love part comes from the calming/attractiveness—you're more appealing when relaxed)

The magic mirrors the medicine.

PEPPERMINT:

Medicinal: Digestive aid, mental clarity, headache relief, cooling Magical: Mental clarity, prosperity (probably because trade in mint was profitable), cleansing, air element

The clarity and cleansing link directly to medicinal effects.

ROSEMARY:

Medicinal: Memory enhancement (proven—compounds in rosemary improve cognitive function), circulation, antimicrobial Magical: Memory, remembrance, mental clarity, protection, fidelity (remembering commitments)

"Rosemary for remembrance" is both medicinal AND magical.

YARROW:

Medicinal: Stops bleeding (powerful styptic), fever reducer, wound healing Magical: Protection, courage (warriors used it to stop bleeding in battle), boundary setting, divination (historical use in I Ching)

The protection correspondence comes from literal physical protection (stopping wounds).

MUGWORT:

Medicinal: Mild sedative, digestive bitter, may stimulate dreaming (anecdotal), emmenagogue (brings on menstruation) Magical: Dreams, psychic ability, astral travel, divination, feminine power

The dream/psychic association likely came from observed effects on sleep/dreams.

PATTERN: The plant's physical effect shapes its magical use.

But not always...

WHEN MAGICAL PROPERTIES COME FROM OTHER SOURCES

Not all magical correspondences are medicinal. Some come from:

SOURCE 1: MYTHOLOGY & FOLKLORE

Bay Laurel (Bay Leaf):

Medicinal: Mild digestive aid, antimicrobial (not particularly powerful)

Magical: Victory, success, prophecy, wishes

Why the magical association?

Sacred to Apollo (Greek god of prophecy, sun, victory)

Laurel wreaths crowned Olympic victors

Pythia (Oracle at Delphi) chewed bay leaves during prophecy

The magical use comes from MYTHOLOGY, not medicinal effect.

Basil:

Medicinal: Culinary herb, mild digestive, antimicrobial

Magical: Love, wealth, protection (varies by culture)

Why?

In Italian tradition, women wore basil to attract suitors

In India (sacred to Krishna/Vishnu), used in spiritual protection

In African diaspora traditions, used for prosperity

Cultural tradition creates the correspondence.

SOURCE 2: PLANETARY RULERSHIP

Astrological herbalism assigns plants to planets, and the planet's qualities transfer to the plant.

Cinnamon:

Medicinal: Antimicrobial, blood sugar regulation, warming circulatory stimulant

Magical: Success, prosperity, passion, solar magic

Why?

Ruled by Sun (warming quality, gold color)

Expensive historically (prosperity through value)

Warming = passion

Combination of medicinal effect (warming) + planetary rulership (Sun) + economic history (expensive).

Rue:

Medicinal: Emmenagogue, antispasmodic, toxic in large amounts

Magical: Protection, hex-breaking, banishing

Why?

Ruled by Mars (aggressive, protective)

Bitter taste = drives away (doctrine of signatures through taste)

Historical use in protective amulets

Planetary association shapes magical use.

SOURCE 3: APPEARANCE (Doctrine of Signatures)

High John the Conqueror Root:

Medicinal: Mild laxative (not particularly notable)

Magical: Power, luck, success, masculine strength

Why?

Root looks vaguely phallic (masculine power)

Named for a folk hero (African American folklore—a trickster who outwitted enslavers)

STORY creates the power, not medicinal effect

SOURCE 4: SCENT/AESTHETIC

Rose:

Medicinal: Mild astringent, aromatic (uplifts mood through scent)

Magical: Love, beauty, divination, feminine power

Why?

Beautiful flower = beauty magic

Associated with Venus/Aphrodite (goddess of love)

Scent is romantic (cultural conditioning)

Five petals = pentacle = magical symbolism

Appearance + mythology + scent = magical use.

NOT primarily medicinal.

THE PROBLEM WITH CORRESPONDENCE LISTS

Most herb magic books give you lists:

"Lavender: love, peace, sleep""Basil: money, love, protection"

But they don't tell you WHERE these come from or if they're universal.

ISSUES:

1. CULTURAL VARIATION

Basil in Italian culture: Love, romance Basil in Greek culture: Hatred, bad luck (associated with scorpions) Basil in Indian culture: Sacred, protective, devotional

Which is "correct"? All of them—in their cultural context.

2. OUTDATED CORRESPONDENCES

Some magical uses come from medieval European herbalism and don't apply anymore.

Example: "Mandrake root for fertility" comes from its vaguely human shape (doctrine of signatures) + mythology. It's also TOXIC. Modern practitioners often use substitutes.

3. APPROPRIATED PRACTICES

Many "magical herb" lists appropriate from closed practices (hoodoo, Indigenous traditions, Ayurveda) without credit or context.

"White sage for cleansing" comes from Indigenous practices. It's overharvested and sacred to specific tribes. If you're not Indigenous, research alternatives and respect boundaries.

4. JUST PLAIN WRONG

Some correspondences have NO basis in medicine, mythology, or tradition—they're modern inventions or misattributions.

Always research. Don't just trust one book's list.

PRACTICAL HERB MAGIC: BRIDGING MEDICINE & MAGIC

METHOD 1: USE MEDICINAL PROPERTIES MAGICALLY

Chamomile tea for sleep:

Medicine: Drink the tea (mild sedative enters bloodstream) Magic: While brewing, visualize peace, say "I call peaceful sleep," charge the tea with intention

You're using the actual medicinal effect + adding magical amplification.

This is the most effective approach—you're working WITH the plant's nature, not against it.

METHOD 2: SYMBOLIC/ENERGETIC USE (When you're NOT ingesting)

Cinnamon stick in your wallet for prosperity:

Not medicinal (you're not eating it) Magical: The symbolism, scent, and cultural association work psychologically and energetically

This relies on:

Your belief in the correspondence

The cinnamon's energetic signature (if you believe in that)

Scent triggering positive associations

Symbolic reminder to attract abundance

It's not medicine—it's symbolism and energy work.

METHOD 3: SMOKE/INCENSE (Energetic + Aromatic)

Burning dried rosemary for clarity:

Medicinal-ish: The scent may enhance alertness (aromatherapy—mild effect) Magical: Smoke carries intention, scent shifts consciousness, historical use for cleansing

Borderline between medicine (scent affects brain) and magic (intention/energy).

METHOD 4: BATH MAGIC

Lavender bath for calm:

Medicinal: Lavender absorbed through skin? Minimal. But scent affects mood. Magical: The ritual, the scent, the visualization, the intention

Mostly psychological/magical, slightly medicinal (aromatherapy).

METHOD 5: CHARM BAGS/SACHETS

Rose petals in a love sachet:

Not medicinal (you're not consuming) Magical: Scent, symbolism, intention, carrying physical reminder of your spell

Purely symbolic/energetic.

SAFETY: SOME "MAGICAL" HERBS ARE TOXIC

Just because a plant has magical uses doesn't mean it's safe.

COMMONLY USED BUT TOXIC HERBS:

Belladonna (Deadly Nightshade):Magical use: Astral travel, flying ointments, Hecate/underworld work Reality: DEADLY. Causes hallucinations, respiratory failure, death. DO NOT USE.

Mandrake:Magical use: Fertility, prosperity, protection Reality: Toxic. Causes hallucinations, delirium. Modern practitioners use substitutes (like ginger root shaped to look like mandrake).

Hemlock:Magical use: (Historically) baneful magic, Hecate offerings Reality: DEADLY. Killed Socrates. DO NOT USE.

Foxglove:Magical use: Fairy magic, protection Reality: Toxic. Source of digoxin (heart medication in controlled doses). Can cause heart failure. Do not ingest or handle without care.

Rue:Magical use: Protection, hex-breaking Reality: Can cause photosensitivity, miscarriage. Safe in tiny amounts; toxic in larger doses.

Pennyroyal:Magical use: (Historically) abortion, hex-breaking Reality: Toxic. Causes liver failure. Abortion attempts with pennyroyal have killed women. NEVER USE INTERNALLY.

Wormwood:Magical use: Psychic ability, spirit work, absinthe Reality: Contains thujone (toxic in large amounts). Absinthe is regulated for this reason. Small amounts in tinctures okay; large amounts dangerous.

THE RULE:

NEVER ingest an herb for magical purposes unless you've researched its safety thoroughly.

Safe magical use options for toxic herbs:

Use imagery/artwork instead of actual plant

Use safe substitutes (many traditions have substitute lists)

Work with the plant's spirit/energy without physical contact

Use in tightly sealed charm bags (never opened)

When in doubt, don't use it.

CREATING YOUR PERSONAL HERB GRIMOIRE

Don't rely on books alone. Build your own knowledge base.

FOR EACH HERB YOU WORK WITH, RECORD:

1. BOTANICAL NAME (Common names vary; botanical names are precise)

2. MEDICINAL PROPERTIES (Research from herbalism books, scientific studies)

3. TRADITIONAL MAGICAL USES (From multiple sources—note which tradition)

4. SAFETY INFO (Toxic? Interactions with medications? Pregnancy warnings?)

5. PLANETARY/ELEMENTAL CORRESPONDENCE (If applicable—note the source)

6. YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE (How does it smell/taste/feel to you? What results did you get?)

7. SUBSTITUTIONS (What can you use if you don't have this herb?)

Over time, you'll build a grimoire that combines tradition, science, and personal gnosis.

ETHICAL & SUSTAINABLE HERB MAGIC

ISSUE 1: OVERHARVESTING

White sage, palo santo, sandalwood—all overharvested due to magical/spiritual demand.

Alternatives:

White sage → Garden sage, rosemary, mugwort, bay leaf

Palo santo → Frankincense, copal, cedar

Sandalwood → Cedarwood, vetiver

Or buy from Indigenous-owned businesses that sustainably harvest and have permission to sell.

ISSUE 2: CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

Smudging with white sage is a specific Indigenous practice. If you're not Indigenous, it's appropriation.

Alternatives:

Call it "smoke cleansing" (not smudging)

Use herbs from your own ancestry/region

Learn your local plant allies

ISSUE 3: WILDCRAFTING RESPONSIBLY

If you harvest wild plants:

Take only 10% of what you see

Never harvest endangered species

Leave enough for wildlife and reproduction

Thank the plant

Know what you're harvesting (misidentification can be dangerous)

When in doubt, buy ethically sourced dried herbs.

COMMON HERBS: MEDICINAL + MAGICAL BREAKDOWN

LAVENDER

Medicinal: Calming, sleep aid, pain relief, antimicrobial Magical: Peace, love, sleep, purification, protection Connection: Direct—medicinal effects create magical uses Safe: Yes

ROSEMARY

Medicinal: Memory, circulation, antimicrobial Magical: Memory, mental clarity, protection, purification Connection: Direct—memory link especially strong Safe: Yes (avoid large amounts if pregnant)

PEPPERMINT

Medicinal: Digestive, mental alertness, headache relief Magical: Prosperity, mental clarity, purification Connection: Mostly direct; prosperity may come from trade value Safe: Yes

CINNAMON

Medicinal: Blood sugar regulation, antimicrobial, warming Magical: Success, prosperity, passion, lust Connection: Warming = passion; expensive = prosperity; solar rulership Safe: Yes (can irritate skin in large amounts)

MUGWORT

Medicinal: Dreams, digestion, emmenagogue Magical: Dreams, psychic ability, protection Connection: Direct—dream effects well-documented anecdotally Safe: Avoid if pregnant; can cause allergic reaction

CHAMOMILE

Medicinal: Calming, sleep, digestive, anti-inflammatory Magical: Peace, calm, prosperity, sleep Connection: Direct—calming effects dominant Safe: Yes (rare allergies exist)

BASIL

Medicinal: Digestive, antimicrobial, culinary Magical: Love, money, protection (culturally variable) Connection: Indirect—mostly cultural/mythological Safe: Yes

BAY LEAF

Medicinal: Mild digestive Magical: Wishes, success, prophecy, protection Connection: Indirect—mostly mythological (Apollo, laurel wreaths) Safe: Yes

YARROW

Medicinal: Stops bleeding, wound healing, fever reduction Magical: Courage, protection, love, divination Connection: Direct—protection from bleeding = magical protection Safe: Yes (avoid if pregnant)

THYME

Medicinal: Antimicrobial, expectorant, cough relief Magical: Courage, purification, health Connection: Direct—medicinal strength = magical strength Safe: Yes

THE BOTTOM LINE

Are medicinal and magical properties different?

Often, no. They're the same thing described in different frameworks.

Medicinal herbalism says: "Lavender contains compounds that bind to GABA receptors, reducing anxiety."

Magical herbalism says: "Lavender carries peaceful vibrations that calm the spirit."

Both are describing the same plant producing the same effect.

But sometimes magical correspondences come from:

Mythology and folklore

Planetary rulership

Appearance (Doctrine of Signatures)

Cultural tradition

Arbitrary assignment

For effective herb magic:

Understand the plant's actual effects (medicinal)

Research traditional magical uses (cultural)

Notice your personal response (experiential)

Use safely (some magical herbs are toxic)

Source ethically (don't contribute to overharvesting or appropriation)

The best herb magic works WITH the plant's nature, not against it.

Lavender for love makes sense (it calms and attracts through scent).Lavender for aggression makes no sense (it's calming, not stimulating).

Know your plants. Respect their medicine. Honor their magic. They're often the same thing.

YOUR TURN

Do you work with herbs magically, medicinally, or both?

What's your favorite herb and why?

Have you noticed connections between a plant's medicinal effects and its magical uses?

Let's discuss. Herbalism is one of the most personal, experiential practices—we learn from each other's gardens.

Blessed be 🌿

Hello beautiful souls ✨

You light a green candle for money. Does it work because green "vibrates at the frequency of abundance," or because you've been conditioned to associate green with money?

You wear red to feel confident. Is that the color's inherent power, or psychology?

You paint your room blue to feel calm. Energy or expectation?

Here's the answer: Both. And the distinction might not matter as much as you think.

Today we're diving into color magic—one of the most accessible, widely-used, and least-understood aspects of witchcraft.

We'll explore:

How color actually works (light, wavelength, perception)

The psychology of color (proven, measurable effects)

The energetic theory of color (vibrational frequency, chakra correspondence)

Cultural variations (why green = money in the US but not everywhere)

Practical color magic that works regardless of mechanism

How to develop your personal color language

This is Elements & Correspondences That Actually Make Sense - where we explain why correspondences work, not just list them.

Let's decode color.

WHAT COLOR ACTUALLY IS (THE PHYSICS)

Before we get mystical, let's get scientific:

Color is light.

Light is electromagnetic radiation traveling in waves.

Different wavelengths = different colors.

THE VISIBLE SPECTRUM:

Red: Longest wavelength (~700 nanometers), lowest frequency, lowest energy

Orange: ~620 nm

Yellow: ~580 nm

Green: ~550 nm

Blue: ~470 nm

Indigo: ~445 nm

Violet: Shortest wavelength (~400 nm), highest frequency, highest energy

Beyond visible:

Infrared (longer than red—heat waves we can't see)

Ultraviolet (shorter than violet—what gives you sunburn)

KEY INSIGHT:

Different colors literally carry different amounts of energy. Violet light has nearly twice the energy of red light.

This isn't mystical—it's measurable physics.

Does this mean violet is "more powerful" magically? Not necessarily. But it means color differences are REAL on a fundamental level, not just perception.

HOW WE PERCEIVE COLOR (THE BIOLOGY)

Your eyes contain three types of cone cells, each sensitive to different wavelengths:

L-cones: Sensitive to long wavelengths (red)

M-cones: Sensitive to medium wavelengths (green)

S-cones: Sensitive to short wavelengths (blue)

Your brain interprets the combination of signals from these cones as color.

IMPORTANT POINTS:

1. Color is constructed by your brain.

The wavelength exists externally, but "red" as an experience is created in your visual cortex.

2. Color perception varies between individuals.

What you see as "blue" might be slightly different from what I see as "blue." We just learned to call the same wavelength range by the same name.

3. Cultural/linguistic categories affect color perception.

Some languages have dozens of words for different blues. Some have one word for blue and green. This actually affects which colors people easily distinguish.

MEANING: Color is both objective (wavelength) and subjective (perception/interpretation).

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOR (PROVEN EFFECTS)

Color affects human psychology in measurable ways.

This isn't mystical—this is peer-reviewed science.

RED:

Psychological effects (proven):

Increases heart rate and blood pressure (measurably)

Enhances attention to detail (in some contexts)

Associated with danger, urgency, excitement

Can increase appetite (why restaurants use red)

May enhance physical performance (studies show athletes in red win more often)

Associated with passion, anger, love, violence

Why: Red signals danger in nature (blood, fire). We're evolutionarily wired to respond to it.

BLUE:

Psychological effects (proven):

Decreases heart rate and blood pressure (calming)

Associated with trust, stability, calm

Can suppress appetite (why diet advice says use blue plates)

May enhance creativity (some studies suggest this)

Associated with sadness ("feeling blue")

Why: Blue is the color of calm water and clear sky—safety signals in nature.

GREEN:

Psychological effects (proven):

Associated with nature, growth, health

Reduces stress (measurably—even looking at green plants lowers cortisol)

Represents money in cultures with green currency

Associated with envy, sickness (cultural)

May improve reading ability (some studies suggest green backgrounds help)

Why: Green dominates nature—it signals life, food sources, safe environments.

YELLOW:

Psychological effects (proven):

Grabs attention quickly (why caution signs are yellow)

Can cause eye strain if too bright (fatiguing)

Associated with happiness, optimism, anxiety

May stimulate mental activity (some studies)

Babies cry more in yellow rooms (overstimulating)

Why: Yellow is highly visible—sunlight, flowers, warning colors in nature.

PURPLE/VIOLET:

Psychological effects:

Associated with royalty, luxury, spirituality (cultural—purple dye was expensive)

Rare in nature (creates sense of "special")

Can feel calming or mysterious depending on shade

Why: Rarity creates value. Purple appears infrequently in nature, so it stands out.

BLACK:

Psychological effects:

Associated with power, sophistication, death, mystery

Can feel heavy or oppressive in large amounts

Slimming (why people wear black to look thinner)

Authoritative (judges, priests, executives)

Why: Darkness signals the unknown, night, absence.

WHITE:

Psychological effects:

Associated with purity, cleanliness, simplicity, emptiness

Can feel sterile or cold

Increases perception of space (why small rooms are painted white)

Why: Cleanliness, snow, light—signals of safety and clarity.

THESE EFFECTS ARE REAL, MEASURABLE, AND CROSS-CULTURAL (with some variations).

This means color magic has a psychological foundation regardless of whether you believe in energetic vibration.

THE ENERGETIC THEORY OF COLOR

Now the metaphysical perspective:

Many magical traditions hold that color carries specific vibrations or frequencies that affect energy bodies, chakras, and consciousness.

THE CHAKRA SYSTEM (Hindu/Tantric Origin):

Seven main chakras, each associated with a color:

Root (Muladhara): Red - survival, grounding, physical body Sacral (Svadhisthana): Orange - creativity, sexuality, emotion Solar Plexus (Manipura): Yellow - power, will, confidence Heart (Anahata): Green (or pink) - love, compassion, connection Throat (Vishuddha): Blue - communication, truth, expression Third Eye (Ajna): Indigo/purple - intuition, psychic ability, vision Crown (Sahasrara): Violet/white - spiritual connection, enlightenment

The theory: Each chakra responds to its corresponding color frequency. Using that color (wearing it, visualizing it, surrounding yourself with it) balances or activates that energy center.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: This is a Hindu/Buddhist system. If you're not practicing within those traditions, acknowledge the source and use respectfully (see our post on cultural appropriation and energy anatomy).

COLOR AS VIBRATION:

The metaphysical claim: Different colors vibrate at different frequencies, and those frequencies interact with human energy fields (auras, subtle bodies).

Red: Low, slow vibration—grounding, physical, primal Orange: Slightly higher—creative, flowing, generative Yellow: Mental frequency—thinking, analyzing, clarity Green: Heart frequency—balance, healing, growth Blue: Communication frequency—expression, truth Indigo/Purple: Psychic frequency—intuition, vision Violet: Spiritual frequency—transcendence, connection to divine

This parallels the physics: Red actually has lower frequency than violet. The metaphysical system mirrors the physical spectrum.

Coincidence? Observation of natural law? Or metaphysics invented to match physics?

We can't prove the energetic effects scientifically (yet). But practitioners report consistent results.

CULTURAL VARIATIONS: WHY GREEN ≠ MONEY EVERYWHERE

Here's where it gets complicated:

Color symbolism is partially universal (based on nature/biology) and partially cultural (based on learned associations).

GREEN:

In the US/many Western countries: Green = money (because dollar bills are green)

In China: Red = money, prosperity, luck (traditional significance)

In Islamic cultures: Green = paradise, spirituality, prophet Muhammad

In Ireland: Green = national identity, luck (St. Patrick's Day)

MEANING: If you're American doing money magic with a green candle, it works because of cultural conditioning. If you're Chinese, red would work better for you.

The "vibration of money" isn't universally green—it's whatever your culture associates with money.

WHITE:

In Western cultures: Purity, weddings, innocence

In many Eastern cultures: Death, mourning, funerals

In hospitals (Western): Sterility, cleanliness

MEANING: The same color can have opposite meanings depending on cultural context.

RED:

Nearly universal: Passion, danger, blood, fire

But specifics vary:

Western: Love (hearts, Valentine's)

Chinese: Luck, prosperity, celebration

Indian: Marriage, fertility (wedding saris)

Some African cultures: Death, mourning

MEANING: Biological associations (blood, fire) are consistent. Cultural specifics vary.

FOR MAGIC, THIS MEANS:

Your cultural conditioning affects your color magic. A green candle works for money in America because you've been trained to associate green with dollars. That psychological link is REAL and POWERFUL.

You can't just apply "universal color meanings" from a book without considering your own cultural context.

SO WHICH IS IT: PSYCHOLOGY OR ENERGY?

Answer: Both. And here's why the distinction might not matter:

SCENARIO 1: IT'S ALL PSYCHOLOGY

Color affects your mood and mindset through learned associations and biological responses.

When you use a green candle for money magic:

Your brain recognizes green = money (conditioning)

This activates "abundance mindset" (psychology)

You feel more confident, notice opportunities, act differently (behavioral shift)

Results manifest (because your behavior changed)

The magic worked through psychology. That's still real magic.

SCENARIO 2: IT'S ENERGETIC VIBRATION

Color carries specific frequencies that interact with your energy field and the broader energetic matrix of reality.

When you use a green candle for money magic:

The green light frequency resonates with heart chakra and abundance vibration

This aligns your energetic signature with prosperity

The universe/field responds to your energetic state

Opportunities manifest through energetic attraction

The magic worked through energy. That's real magic.

SCENARIO 3: BOTH WORK TOGETHER

Color affects you psychologically AND energetically, and these reinforce each other.

When you use a green candle:

Psychological association activates abundance mindset

This shifts your energy field/vibration

Shifted energy opens you to opportunities

Opportunities manifest through both changed behavior and energetic alignment

This is the position most practitioners actually hold, even if they emphasize one side.

THE IMPORTANT POINT:

You don't need to prove which mechanism is "real" for the magic to work.

Use color intentionally. Notice results. That's what matters.

PRACTICAL COLOR MAGIC (WORKS REGARDLESS OF MECHANISM)

BASIC COLOR CORRESPONDENCES:

I'm giving common Western associations—adjust for your culture:

🔴 RED:Magical uses: Passion, courage, strength, lust, vitality, power, protection (aggressive), war magic, blood magic, fire element Avoid for: Calming, peace, subtlety

🟠 ORANGE:Magical uses: Creativity, success, attraction, enthusiasm, stimulation, legal matters, career success Avoid for: Calming, introspection, seriousness

🟡 YELLOW:Magical uses: Mental clarity, communication, learning, confidence, joy, inspiration, air element, solar magic Avoid for: Grounding, emotional depth, night/moon work

🟢 GREEN:Magical uses: Money (US), growth, healing, fertility, nature magic, earth element, heart chakra, balance Avoid for: Banishing, endings, aggressive action

🔵 BLUE:Magical uses: Healing, peace, calm, truth, communication (throat chakra), water element, dreams, psychic work Avoid for: Passion, urgency, physical energy

🟣 PURPLE/VIOLET:Magical uses: Psychic ability, spirituality, power, wisdom, ambition, crown chakra, spirit element Avoid for: Grounding, practical/mundane matters

🟤 BROWN:Magical uses: Grounding, stability, animals, home, earth magic, foundations Avoid for: Transcendence, ethereal work, quick action

⚫ BLACK:Magical uses: Banishing, binding, protection (through boundaries), hex-breaking, shadow work, mystery, endings, Saturn energy Avoid for: Beginnings, light work, if you find it depressing

⚪ WHITE:Magical uses: Purity, cleansing, universal substitute (white can stand in for any color), new beginnings, crown chakra, full moon Avoid for: Shadow work, earthiness, if it feels sterile

🩷 PINK:Magical uses: Romantic love, friendship, self-love, gentle emotions, youthful energy, compassion Avoid for: Passion (use red), aggressive action

🩶 SILVER:Magical uses: Moon magic, feminine energy, intuition, reflection, goddess work, psychic ability Avoid for: Solar work, masculine energy, fire element

🟡 GOLD:Magical uses: Sun magic, masculine energy, success, wealth, confidence, god work, authority Avoid for: Lunar work, feminine energy, water element

REMEMBER: These are GUIDELINES based on common Western associations. Your mileage may vary.

HOW TO USE COLOR IN MAGIC

METHOD 1: CANDLE MAGIC

The most common use of color in witchcraft.

Choose candle color based on intention. The candle burning releases the color's energy/vibration/psychological association toward your goal.

Example: Pink candle for self-love spell. Light it, focus on self-love, let it burn.

METHOD 2: CLOTHING

Wear the color you want to embody.

Need confidence? Wear red or gold. Want to be approachable? Wear blue or green. Doing shadow work? Wear black.

This works even if you don't believe in energy—psychology alone makes you FEEL and ACT differently in certain colors.

METHOD 3: ALTAR CLOTHS & TOOLS

Color-code your altar based on working:

Red cloth for passion spells

Green for money magic

White for cleansing/general work

Black for banishing

Or keep different colored candles, stones, cloth for different spell types.

METHOD 4: VISUALIZATION

In meditation, energy work, or spell casting:

Visualize colored light surrounding you, entering your body, or filling an object you're charging.

Example: Visualize green light filling your wallet for abundance. Visualize blue light soothing an injury. Visualize white light cleansing your space.

This taps into both psychological color association AND (if you believe in it) energetic frequency.

METHOD 5: ENVIRONMENTAL COLOR

Change your space's color to shift energy.

Paint a wall

Change bedding

Add colored lights

Place colored objects strategically

Example: Blue bedroom for better sleep. Red dining room to stimulate appetite and conversation. Green office plants for focus and calm.

METHOD 6: BATH MAGIC

Add food coloring or colored bath salts to ritual baths.

Red bath for passion/courage

Blue bath for healing/calm

Green bath for money/health

(Use skin-safe colorants. Test first.)

METHOD 7: SIGIL WORK

Draw sigils in specific colors based on intention.

Love sigil in pink/red ink. Money sigil in green. Protection sigil in black.

METHOD 8: CORD MAGIC

Use colored string/yarn/ribbon for spells:

Binding with black cord

Love-knot spell with red cord

Cord-cutting with whatever color represents the thing you're releasing

DEVELOPING YOUR PERSONAL COLOR LANGUAGE

Here's the advanced move: Create your OWN color correspondences based on personal experience, not books.

EXERCISE 1: COLOR MEDITATION

For each major color:

Sit with the color (candle, cloth, visualize it)

Notice what emotions/sensations/memories arise

Journal: What does THIS color mean to ME?

Your red might feel passionate. Mine might feel aggressive. Both are valid.

EXERCISE 2: TRACK COLOR EFFECTS

Keep a color magic journal:

What color did you use?

What was the intention?

How did you FEEL while using it?

What happened afterward?

Over time, you'll see which colors produce which results FOR YOU.

EXERCISE 3: CULTURAL INVENTORY

List colors and their meanings in YOUR culture/upbringing:

What did colors mean in your family, your region, your religion?

Those associations are STRONGER than book correspondences because they're personal.

Example:

If your grandmother always wore purple and represented wisdom/love to you, purple might be YOUR color for ancestral work or love magic—even though books say purple is for psychic ability.

Your brain's wiring matters more than universal lists.

WHEN COLOR MAGIC WORKS BEST

IDEAL SCENARIOS:

Candle magic (color + fire + focus = powerful combination)

When you have strong color associations (if green MEANS money to you deeply, green candles will work)

Subtle, background influence (paint a room to shift energy over time)

Combined with other methods (color + herbs + words + visualization)

LESS EFFECTIVE:

When you have weak/conflicting associations (if you don't connect green with money, forcing it won't help)

As sole method (just lighting a green candle without intention, energy-raising, or follow-through rarely works)

Against strong opposing forces (a pink candle can't fix an abusive relationship—you need to leave)

THE BOTTOM LINE

Is color magic psychology or energy?

Both.

Color affects you psychologically (proven by science—it changes heart rate, mood, perception, behavior).

Color might also carry energetic frequencies (metaphysical claim—consistent with physics of light, but unproven by conventional science).

For magical purposes, it doesn't matter which is "true."

What matters:

Color has measurable effects on consciousness and body

Cultural conditioning creates strong associations (green = money in US)

Personal associations are STRONGER than book correspondences

Using color intentionally in magic produces results

How to practice:

Learn common correspondences as a starting point

Adjust for your culture

Develop your personal color language

Track what works for YOU

Use color as one tool among many

Don't get dogmatic about "correct" colors

Color is light. Light is energy. Energy affects matter—including your body and mind.

Whether through wavelength, psychology, cultural conditioning, or metaphysical vibration—color magic works.

Now you know why. Use it accordingly.

YOUR TURN

What's your experience with color magic?

Do you follow traditional correspondences or have you developed your own?

Which colors work most powerfully for you, and for what intentions?

Let's discuss. The more we share, the more we learn about what's universal vs. personal in color work.

Blessed be 🎨

Just my thoughts on 'talent' in art while I do a picture in my new style. Actual paint time was 1hr but I sped it up to match the audio. Sorry if it's a litt...

This seems like it's about art, but it's actually about a lot of stuff. Including Magic. Think about the importance of copying, setting standards, and especially about the difference between practice and performance.

This is why 9/10 times when people see me playing at my shop, it looks like garbage, but then I can show up at something "more important," like a tournament, and my game looks totally different.

I used to not do this intentionally, but over the past several months I've been play-testing with a willingness to make mistakes, or playing looser, or allowing myself to fall into uncomfortable in-game situations. This is not to say I'm intentionally making mistakes, but playing at a speed and paying a level of attention to the game where they inevitably occur. The reason for this is three-fold.

One: when I practice, my focus is so far-flung from what my focus is like under pressure that acting like they're similar or trying to focus like I would in a tournament feels like a kind of false god. By making mistakes and playing loosely/instinctively, I can up my investment in a match by finding new ways to play from behind. When I'm invested, my drive to win goes up, which helps recreate a situation of pressure. In addition to being more invested, I've gotten very, very good at playing from losing positions, but more importantly...

Two: Before I show up for an event, I want to have already made as many of the mistakes I can possibly make. I've discovered that any mistake I've made and identified as a mistake is one I'm extremely unlikely to make again. I'll isolate some particular line which made me lose a game, like being able to do things other than crack fetches with a Miracle trigger on the stack (such as cast Vendillion Clique to rob them of the counterspell you know they have). Once I've isolated and extracted the core of the mistake (in this case, being able to play at instant speed during times which you're not normally accustomed to doing so), I can slow down during a real match and take this new line (or conversely, avoid this old mistake), and not lose the game on the spot.

Three: If you are practicing with a focus on experiencing new situations, even if they're losing ones, your knowledge accumulates much faster than it does if you play with the intention to win every practice game from the outset. Magic is a loser's game: it is most often decided by the player who makes the most mistakes as opposed to brilliance from the winner. (Most brilliance in Magic is simply not making a mistake that was hard to avoid, anyway.) If you can identify a plethora of ways you can lose a game of Magic, that knowledge is going to help you improve far more than doing anything else, like getting really good at exploiting your opponents' mistakes. You'll eventually get to a point where your opponents make infinitesimally few mistakes, and then where will your strategy be? Conversely, imagine being a player who knows how not to make mistakes in a meta defined by players who prey on mistakes. That would be an extremely good position to be in.

This is not to undervalue the importance of exploiting mistakes, but when you know how to not make your own, taking advantage of someone else's missteps is usually trivial.

What do y'all think?

<3

"What about decks without good, proactive plans? The much-loved Mono-Black Control archetype jumps to mind. Mono-Black Control was a powerful deck during the era of Torment when it had access to cards like Mind Sludge, Nantuko Shade, Cabal Coffers, and Skeletal Scrying. I played Mono-Black Control in that Block format, and my deck had an exceptionally powerful game plan of using Mind Sludge to tear my opponent's hand apart followed up by using the mana generated with Cabal Coffers to chain Diabolic Tutors with Mirari and bury my opponent under card advantage and card selection.

That's why Mono-Black Control was good then—it had a cohesive, powerful, and, most importantly, proactive game plan that was good no matter what the opponent was doing. A deck full of Mutilates and other removal may seem like a good idea in a creature-heavy metagame, but how does its plan hold up when it plays against anything else? What is its plan, even? Mike Flores touts the "Destroy All Monsters" school of thought, but that's not a realistic plan in anything but the most tightly defined fields. Your deck needs to be working toward something rather than just answering what your opponent does.

I was toying with Mono-Black Control toward the end of the last Standard block, using a plethora of removal and discard to try to keep myself alive and eventually win with something like Sorin or Griselbrand, but I frequently lost games that seemed under my control simply because my deck didn't do anything. Too many of the cards I drew were entirely reactive in nature, and many of them could line up poorly with my opponent's threats. My "plan" boiled down to trying to survive until I could play Griselbrand, which wasn't consistent or realistic enough. A far cry from the days of Mind Sludge and Cabal Coffers. Compare this to a more recent incarnation of Mono-Black Control, the deck played by Conley Woods to a Top 16 finish at Pro Tour Gatecrash. While I'm not sure if the deck is actually any good, he had a much more proactive plan. Instead of focusing on using all of his cards to answer what his opponents played, he planned on using Crypt Ghast to power out huge threats early like Griselbrand and Rakdos's Return. His plan relied on a very fragile 2/2 creature for four, so it may not be stable enough to work in the long run, but at least he had a vision in his head of what he wanted his deck to do and built toward that." -Brian Kibler, from a recent Premium article, linked here: http://www.starcitygames.com/article/25833_The-Number-One-Rule.html

Kibler is brilliant, and the rest of the article has made its way into my library of resources. As usual, I can't espouse enough the value of Premium, blahblahblahfanboying.

That being said, he makes a truly phenomenal point succinctly here. I myself have struggled with the Mike Flores School of Monster-Slaying. It feels like it should work; it just does: but it doesn't. Kill All Monsters is a naive plan in a complex metagame, and the reason for this is it's not a proactive gameplan, and it doesn't have the resources to become proactive. Kill All Monsters doesn't have a goal in life: it just sort of rolls with the punchs until it dies or until it wins. And that's not good enough, most of the time.