What are and How to use Double Action Candles (aka Dual Action Candles)

How to use DOUBLE ACTION CANDLES~~~

Hello Everyone,

This post may not sound very interesting but I have been getting questions about this.   I’ve been asked by several people that on my “Revised Candle Colors and their meaning” Page, since I’ve revised it I’ve now  included Double Action Candles.

And the question is “What are they used for? How do you use it?”

Well it seems to me from what I was taught that they assist through the use of one long burn to help reverse a negative situation and then bring in a good energy to replace the negative.  

As I understand it before these candles were developed, it was not unusual to do a reversing ritual or spell, and I’ve seen my Granny and her Ladies do it, but they use to have two candles one black and the other a different color, now this was when colored candles had been developed, most of the time the color was just an outer dipping and the rest of the interior color was white, eventually they made it less expensive to have the same color going through the entire candle.  

I remember that black candles if they were offered especially around Halloween, Granny and her ladies would load up on them.   But once they became more plentiful it became easier to find, but still somewhat seasonal.

But in doing a “same time action” (aka dual or double action) on something they would have used two taper candles one black and one the other color, each dressed for what they were going to do.   First the black taper candle would be burned to banish the negative energy and then when it burned out the color one would be burned to draw the positive energy in.   You can still do that today if you don’t have a chance to buy a double action candle.

But the principal is still the same, the use of double action on the same situation, Why?  Well in a way it’s based on the principal that “nature abhors a vacuum”.  

This is a concept in physics called horror vacui, or plenism, and is commonly stated as "Nature abhors a vacuum." It is a postulate attributed to Aristotle, who articulated a belief,” that nature contains no vacuums because the denser surrounding material continuum would immediately fill the rarity of an incipient void.”  Even for me that’s a mouthful.  

What it means is if you have a physical empty space it would immediately be filled by something.   Aristotle based his conclusion on the observation that nature requires every space to be filled with something, even if that something is colorless, odorless air.

Trust me in my house once I get my desk cleared off of papers and bills (all neatly filed away) the next thing I discover on my empty desk is more papers and bills and where they come from even with my understanding of magic I’m not sure.  So it’s the same principle.

Well this principal has been argued by philosophers and scientists for millennia but it’s obvious like  when you see that there’s an empty lot someone eventually builds a hideous parking garage on it,  Now haven’t we’ve seen that?   

O.K. I’m not going to get into physics, but on the spiritual aspect it basically means when you get rid of the bad it’s important to fill it in with the good, Negative out, Positive in.   It’s the natural dual action of spiritual energies.   But in our lives we do have to work at it or we’d be nothing more than empty shells looking for a purpose.

But that is the spiritual meaning and practice of “dual or double action” spell work.

Now some spiritual supplies manufacturer got smart and to expand his product line and created double action candles.  These candles come in 3 dual colors,  black and white, black and red and black and green.  

I’m not sure how far back the manufacturing of these candles go, but most of the time I’ve seen them offered or manufactured by Indio Products or Wisdom products.   But they seem to make them in reverse with the color candle on top and the black part on the bottom.  Which never made sense to me.

Personally I didn’t start seeing my granny or her ladies using these candles until the mid-1960’s so maybe that is when they were being manufactured.   But even Granny and her ladies thought they were made “goofy”  why have the color on top it’s like having all the good leaving you and only having bad left,  it didn’t make sense to them.  And I agree with that.

But upon inquiring (cautiously I might add) they were told that the color part on top was to drawn in what you want and then the black part would then burn and banish what you don’t want that is to reverse it and write on the black part “backwards” what you want reversed. 

So it was to first draw in the good and then 2^nd reverse the bad.   

But to Granny and the ladies it would seem that one is working backwards, that really you want to first banish the bad and then bring in the good to fill in the vacuum left by the banishing,  the other way felt as if things would simply get mixed up.   It would be like having a brand new clean carpet and then throwing dirt on it.  It just didn’t make sense

Well they first tried it the way they were told to try it (this was for one of them for more income) but it just seemed to make things worse.  Bills would get lost, or they’d get double billed for something or get short changed in transactions.  It seemed that more money was going out than coming in.  

They were ready to go back to using two candles again but then they decided to do it differently and it took a little work but with a serrated edged knife they cut off the wick on the color end and flattened it so it would stand up in a bit of sand in a bowl, then they took off the end of the black color part and sort of carved it to a point and had that become the wick end. 

And from what I’ve been seeing on the internet it seems that a lot of other folks got the same idea and passed the idea on to the next generation.   

Now they call that “Butting” the candle,  and the way it’s done makes perfectly good sense.  On Esty you will find hand crafted candles that are designed the correct way with the black end on top and the color end on the bottom, they cost a little more if you don’t want to go through the trouble of butting the candle.    But that’s up to you.

Now these double action candles are a bit wider than your usual candles so you’ll have to have special candle holders for these, especially since you “butt” the one end.  Now I have used those candle holders that have a small spike in the center to hold pillar candles so they don’t get knocked over, and they seem to work for me.  But some people prefer to find a holder that will work for them.

So before doing any ritual work you have to take time to prepare the candle before you start the ritual work,  much like assembling one’s pots, pans, bowls and ingredients before baking a cake.

Once your candle is prepared then you can start your ritual.

So O.K. you know that the black end is to banish but why only 3 color ends, white, green and red?  

Those colors basically cover most conditions that people are concerned about.

Red (in combination with black) is used for Love and Relationship problems or situations such as marriage problems, clearing away a divorce, getting over a broken heart or relationship(this is healing), removing bad or damaging personal habits for starting a new relationship or even a job, working on family matters, anything dealing with relationships and family.

Green (in combination with black) is for financial situations, money or job/employment types of workings, this can include changing bad or irresponsible financial handlings, worry about money, getting yourself back together after doing a bankruptcy, trying to survive without alimony, lawsuits dealing with money including getting alimony or child support,  worries or concerns about the job you’re in, hunting for a job, unemployment, re-financing a loan, almost anything dealing with finance and/or business.

White (in combination with black) is pretty much all purpose for everything else from healing, banishing negativity in thought, word or deed, banishing an annoying person, a lot of more non-specific things, the miscellaneous etc.

Remember I said that butting the candle (ie flattening the pointed end) is like putting your pots and pans for cooking together or lined up, this is all before you start the ritual, no one ever said that doing the work was glamorous witchy stuff with green and purple lighting flowing from your finger tips (but you can envision that if you want), no it’s hard work.

So after you butt the candle, then you start the work, writing on the black half (ie carving) what you want or remove out of your life, it can be a short sentence, a list of things to banish, names and you can write (carve) it around and around the black part.

Now some folks say you need to write it backwards, I have no idea if that’s true, I know Granny and her ladies always said “If you know what you want or don’t want, then say so and write it plainly”. 

Next on the color part carve in the good things you want to invite into your life it can be simple such as good health, or improve finances,  getting a job etc.

On the Black part of the candle anointed with a removing evil or banishing oil, there are many types to choose from, use downward motion or strokes while you say your banishing or removal petition out loud,  just be care to not get any of that oil on the white or color side.

Then wash your hands because you don’t want to mix the oils up, you want your hands clean when you apply the positive oil on the color or white half of the candle this can be a blessing or healing oil or one of them for bringing love, or wealth or even fast luck, say what it is you want as you anoint the color or white half and apply the oil in an upward motion

Now there will be wax drippings from the black part of the candle and I’ve found that many people will remove the black wax drippings and any remnants or puddles once the black half of the candle is burnt down,  just be careful to not accidentally tip over the candle or burn yourself.  

Now I’ve been told that with this type of candle it’s traditional to remove the black drippings etc. because the black candle represents what you’re getting rid of and you don’t want any trace of it.  

If you don’t remove it then the black wax will mix in with the white or color wax of the candle muddying up the spell work, so you don’t want that, you want the white or color wax to be clean and pristine.

So what do you do with the black wax, there are several ways of getting rid of it one way is to bury it far away from your property or at a crossroads,  or throw it into dumpster that is Not your own,  so do not put it into your own trash or recycling bins or containers.   Some folks will re-use this black wax in other removing spells, but I really don’t like that, I’ve always felt that once it’s banished it’s banished you don’t want it hanging around.

With the white or color wax remains there are several ways you can use it, put it into a mojo bag or a special bag amulet, keep it on your altar but the one I like best is to bury it by your front door to continue to draw the positive energy in.

Now if you do not use a double action candle but instead two candles then you don’t have to worry about picking off the black wax, just let it melt down (safely) and get rid of it by the methods suggested and you can do the same with the color or white wax putting it into mojo bag, etc.

Now here is another way of doing it but frankly I don’t recommend it unless you have a very safe place to burn it.  

I have seen like a large nail spike driven through a flat plank board and the candle has its color end butted, and it is prepared as I wrote above but then right at the area where the two colors meet the candle is pushed onto this tall nail so you can burn both ends of the candle at the same time, sort of as it is banishing the bad energy at the same time it is drawing in the good energy.  Now this can be done but it is dangerous as when the two flames meet in the middle there could be a big conflagration aka fire hazard or what could also happen is one end burns faster than the other burning past the middle and then the candle still lit will fall off and cause a fire.   

I’ve seen it done but the person who did it had a back yard fire pit where it could burn safely.   The other thing is you have to keep monitoring it for safety sake.  

So if you’re thinking of burning the candle at both ends---don’t---it is far too dangerous, just do it the normal way.

I hope this has been of some help.

Bright Blessings,

Ms. Q

How does one read the symbols in melted wax?~~~

“Dear Ms. Q,

When my candle melts down I’ve got these images at the bottom, they look like something, does it mean anything?”

Well We are right back to Candle magic which is one of the oldest types of magical workings, other than fire or water magic,  but candles can tell us the progress or possible results of what is working and not working in magical practices.

One of the more difficult things to interpret is the images left over from the melted wax from candles, now I am talking about free standing candles not ones in glass holders or those little metal cup tea lights,   I’m talking about those that are free standing in a candle holder and the wax that melts down and around it. 

First let’s talk about safety when working with a freestanding candle:

After you have ritually prepared it and lit it you have to make sure it is not going to set anything, anyone (human or animal adult or child) on fire, nor you home or apartment on fire.

Even though the candle is set in a candle holder, it should sit on top of a metal plate like the kind one would use to bake a small pizza, this should be placed in an area that is not reached by small children or pets, and far away from anything flammable, If you have a fireplace that you can’t use that is perfect, provided that you put a fire screen in front of it that a child or pet cannot knock down, some people will put it into a bath tub provided that it does not have any kind of plastic or cloth curtains near it in any way.   Another thing is to put a very large glass Hurricane shade around it and again away from anything flammable.

I’ve know people who do not have pets or children to use the middle of their kitchen table as a safe place,   some people will place it inside a bowl of water, which in a way kind of defeats the purpose but is still safe and can still be magically workable.   

Now some of you are wondering why am I harping or nagging or going on and on about fire safety, well two very good reasons----

The first reason of course is the practical side of it.

It’s too easy to become careless, and children and pets are curious creatures, and it doesn’t take much for something to catch on fire, including a living creature.

I have read of people burning candles in their closet thinking that is safe, but only to have their home burn down. 

I do know of one person who has a closet that she removed the rods and some of the shelves etc. and even removed the carpet out of it and since it was of fairly good size, she had that as her altar area and would burn her candles there, she also kept a good size fire extinguisher just outside the space for any emergencies, which made sense.

The second reason is spiritual magical workings that are being worked against you.

Yes, that is exactly what I said.  

That was because and I saw it happen myself, a friend of mine felt that something was being worked against her and was doing a protection ritual which involved candles, I was there to help her, and I saw one of the candles that I knew had been put solidly in its holder, slowly work itself out and tip over lighting the wool carpet on fire.   The good thing is that the carpet was wool and not any form of nylon, we were able to quickly put it out and extinguish the fire, and snuffed out the rest of the candles.   There was no way the candle could have worked itself out, it was like it was being slowly pulled out by something invisible.

So we had to do a complete cleansing of her house and property and re-new her shields/wards, and with the help of someone else we were able to find out who was working against her and this time the ritual went perfectly and the person who was trying to harm her was “neutralized”. 

That is why I harp, nag, constantly repeat myself on fire safety.

Now about the symbols as read in the wax,  a lot of it is what you may want to interpret, but when I was starting out I had a hard time, my Granny said that in a way the symbols have to be read like one reads tea leaves or coffee grounds.

The candle is the center of your being so any symbols close to it means it will manifest any time between a few days to a week,  the symbols further away means it will manifest later in time anywhere from a month to a year, depending on what type of spiritual calendar you put on it, but usually, I would say a month.

Some people look at the candle like a clock a 12 hour clock, but you have to decide which side is “Zero Hour”   that is why I prefer candle holders that have a handle, because the handle can be “Zero hour” then moving in a clock wise direction go 1, 2, 3 etc. and ending at 12   each house represents the month 1 is January, 2 February etc. to 12 which is December, again closest to the candle soon, further away later.

Now this is in reverse of reading it in a tea cup but I’ve found that it works that way for me, because the candle is the activation. 

O.K. now about the symbols, here I have to be very honest with you deal readers, there are so many with so many meanings, it would take me a month just to write it all out, BUT I’m am not going to leave you guess on it.

I have found several web sites that give a very clear interpretation of the symbols, now I’ve found that the 2^nd web site includes arrow directions and a few other things to the meanings, so I suggest that you all print the meanings out for your own person books, and compare them to make definitive notations for yourself.

It does mean a lot of work but you should see my manual on it, it takes an entire binder, but it’s how I interpret the meanings, I’ve found that it’s best for each individual through their own experience as well as their own psychic ability to develop it.

So here are the Web sites for you and I hope you will find them useful. 

A Dictionary Of Symbols - Divination by Tea Leaves [http://www.divinationbytealeaves.com/a-dictionary-of-symbols-a.htm_green]

www.divinationbytealeaves.com/a-dictionary-of-symbols-a.htm

Glossary of Tea leaf Symbols & Meanings - Explore All Things Psychic [http://www.alwayspsychic.com/tea-leaf-symbols.html_green]

www.alwayspsychic.com/tea-leaf-symbols.html

A-Z Tea-Leaf Reading Dictionary - Auntyflo.com [http://www.auntyflo.com/tea-leaf-dictionary_green]

www.auntyflo.com/tea-leaf-dictionary

And I do this because I’m not going to be around forever, so please build up your personal Library.

Bright Blessings,

Ms. Q

About Skull Candles~~~~~~

Hello Everyone,

This is Ms. Q.

This post is going to be specifically on Skull Candles, they are an unusual figure candle and I was asked by one of my readers about if I would do a post on them and something a bit more specific on how they could be used which I will repeat here.   

 The Question was asked:

“Dear Ms. Q,

 One thing that has always stumped me about this spell is the wording of the idea you carve onto the candle that you want to influence your target with. For example, would you carve "Mary is perfect for you" or "I am perfect for you"?

My response was : 

“Frankly I would not do either because that is interfering with someone’s life path, or being manipulative. Instead I would write “Mary think about (your name here) and see if (he/she) is right for you”

That way instead of completely influencing the person you still give them the freedom to make up their own mind, you still give them free will. And that is very important  in matters of Love.

My Granny use to say that “The wanting is always greater than the having” Why? Because once you realize what it is then you become disenchanted.

Remember Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, she was wishing for what was over the rainbow, but when she got there all she wanted to do was go home.   So manipulating someone is really not good in a way.”

And I really stress that primarily in Love matters, but in areas of justice, having a good working or home environment, gaining employment or having money returned to you or even healing, that is completely different, one is trying to bring about happiness, peace, contentment and a balance in life.

But there is more to working with skull candles than just what was posted here. 

Skull candles specifically are associated with the human head/mind or mental workings, they are used to penetrate anothers' thoughts and make them think a certain way.  But because many people relate skeletons and skulls with sickness and death, some practitioners also use these candles to bring health to the sick or on the negative side to curse their enemies with sickness until they are dead.

But to do that take a lot of energy and determination, and if that other person has protections up, then one may not be successful.  I’ve never made anyone sick to death, but I have upon request made someone ill to help another person get free, which is a bit different---granted it’s a bit grey but doing the work is never black and white just various shades of grey. 

O.K. so back to Skull Candles---- They come in these basic colors:

White: healing, protection, uncrossing, removing negativity, legal matters and white magick

Green: money, luck, gambling, prosperity and justice

Red: love, passion, lust, friendship and happy marriage

Black: cursing, hexing, break up lovers and black magick

Sometimes especially during Halloween one can find them in other colors like purple or blue or brown, even yellow and pink  if you do find them in other colors Load up on them because you never know what will come up where using a skull candle in that color will be perfect.

Just remember those more unusual colors also relate with what I described in my colors section and candle colors section so check those posts to see how skull candles would relate to those colors.

In some cases, a practitioner would use a skull candle to act in a similar manner to a voodoo doll. For example, some folks have been known to hollow out the mouth of the doll and fill it in with alum or tobacco to stop the individual from gossiping. In other cases, the eye sockets are filled in with wax, or stick pins in them, to prevent a person from noticing them either visually or psychically, or in other cases to give them migraine headaches by sticking pins into the area above the eyes.

Some people prefer to work with skull candles when the moon is in the sign of Aries, which rules the head, or when the moon is in the sun-sign of the person one is doing the work upon that is if one happens to know the month that person was born in.

To prepare your candle, one should hollow out the base and load it with the individual's personal concerns if you happen to have saved anything, a little bit of hair or nail clippings, a used Kleenex, or a tiny snippet of thread from something they wear, or a sample of their handwriting.   It doesn’t take much.

One can carve the individuals name across the forehead or the back of the neck. In the case of a reversing spell, one would write the name reversed (as it would appear in a mirror).

When done, dress the candle with the appropriate oil and place your written petition underneath. If you want, you can also sprinkle any herbs and/or powders over the skull.  Then light the candle and make your prayer or petition. Some folks will even talk to the skull as if it were the actual person in question, either saying “You will return to me the money I loaned you” or even shouting curses at them to be failures.

You can then leave the candle to burn itself out or burn it for a few minutes a day over a period of a week.   Just remember if it’s something you want to be brought to you or returned to you when you write out your petition paper, fold the paper towards you, if it’s something you want to banish then fold the paper away from you.

Once the ritual is complete burn the petition paper and dispose of it and the remains of the skull candle and any pins, etc. in the appropriate manner according to the spell working.

There was one fun thing I discovered and that I why I love to shop around Halloween,  sometimes you’ll find those glass or ceramic candle holders that is in the shape of a skull and they come in handy if you can’t find or don’t have time to find and buy a skull candle, so just get a regular candle such as a vigil candle about 2 inches tall in the appropriate color and dress it as if it were a skull candle if you don't have a skull candle on hand and place your petition under the ceramic or glass skull candle holder. 

Once you’re are done with the ritual complete it by doing the same thing, burn the petition to ashes and set aside, and then soak the glass or ceramic skull candle holder in very hot water to soften up and loosen the remaining melted candle and remove the left over wax, then dispose of the ashes and wax in the correct manner according to the spell.   Be sure to wash out the glass or ceramic holder with dish soap that has lemon added to it to completely clean it from the previous ritual, just in case you want to use it for a different skull ritual. 

That’s why I just LOVE Halloween, you never know what fun things you can find that is very usable for folk magic and yet look harmless. 

There are some more specific rituals using skull candles and as I come across them I will post them here.

Bright Blessings,

Ms. Q