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What is Candle Magic?


Candles have been incorporated into sacred spaces and customs across many cultures and time periods. Candle magic is a versatile practice that can make a great addition to your spiritual work; the main ingredients are your own intentions and candles that correspond to them in color--more on that later--but this practice can be enhanced or potentiated with herbs, oils, sigils, and crystals. Candle magic is so potent because it gives you a way to combine the elements of color and fire.


Candles can also be a wonderful tool for meditation, as the flickering flame provides a focal point. You can also watch the candle burn and interpret the shapes that the flame takes and melting wax forms to receive insight into a situation and tap into the divine.



What Do Candle Colors Mean?


In magic, nothing is more powerful than your own interpretations and associations, but you can use this as a guide to help you get started. For your spell, pick the color that fits the most with your intention, keeping in mind the overlapping meanings. You can also combine multiple candles for a more nuanced or complex spell. The colors are there to help you fine-tune your intention and concentrate your energy and willpower.


  • Red: Personal power, energy, physical strength and stamina, passion, bravery, grounding.

  • Orange: Vitality, problem-solving, creativity, adaptability, joy, success, positivity, change.

  • Yellow: Focus, concentration, logic, communication, confidence, intellect, charisma.

  • Green: Abundance, money, new beginnings, nature, harmony, healing, affection, luck.

  • Blue: Meditation, calmness, kindness, wisdom, protection, sleep, peace, communication.

  • Purple: Psychic abilities, intuition, divination, expansion of consciousness, dream work, recognition.

  • Pink: Love, devotion, affection, sensitivity, joy, pleasure, selflessness, trust, reconciliation.

  • White: Unity, harmony, purity, protection, balance, friendship, peace. Can replace any color in a spell.

  • Black: Removing negative energy or curses, stopping bad habits, resilience, self-control, forgiveness.

  • Brown: Grounding, travel, longevity, comfort, decision-making, animal magic, centering.

  • Gold: Power, prosperity, confidence, success, manifesting, enlightenment, universal wisdom.

  • Silver: Intuition, balance, awareness, communication with ancestors, astral travel, dream work.


How to Do a Candle Spell?


1. The first thing to do is set an intention. Focus deeply on what it is that you want to manifest. It helps to phrase your intention simply, clearly, and in the present tense. Writing it down or creating a sigil relating to your intention brings your desire from the mental world to the physical one.


2. Pick a place to set up your ritual. You want it to be somewhere you can burn a candle for a prolonged period of time and keep an eye on it.


3. Use sound or herbs to clear your space; anything that fits with your beliefs and helps you get ready to work some magic. Call upon your deities, spirit guides, ancestors, the universe, or your own higher self; whoever helps you with your spiritual practice.


4. Dress your candle with appropriate herbs and oils. For example, a spell to enhance psychic ability could use a purple candle dressed with mugwort, or a spell for abundance could involve a green candle dressed with cinnamon. You can also surround your candle with crystals or carve a sigil into it.


5. Dim the lights to make the candle’s flame the focal point. This step is optional, but having the right ambiance can fine-tune your willpower to an even greater degree.


6. Meditate on your intention to really solidify it in your mind. Say it out loud.


7. Light the candle. Watch the candle burn for a while. You can continue to meditate on your intention or chant, if it feels right. Pay attention to how the flame behaves, how quickly the candle burns, the shapes the wax creates. Interpret these signs intuitively.


8. When you are ready, say thank you and close out your spell. Some people prefer to let their candle burn until it’s gone. If your candle is too large, snuff out the candle by placing something fireproof over it, rather than blowing it out. You can always re-light it with the same intention at a later time, or cleanse it and use it for another spell.


9. Be patient as you wait for results. Sometimes the universe takes time.

You can adapt this spell template to suit your practice and truly make it your own. Whether you create an elaborate ceremony or simply keep a candle burning to remind you of your goals, there is a level of candle magic for every sort of practitioner.




What is the Third Eye?


The third eye is a mystical eye located in the center of the forehead, between the eyebrows. Associated in Indian spiritual traditions with the sixth chakra (ajna), it is also mentioned in a variety of spiritual traditions and cultures worldwide, including Taoism, Zen Buddhism, and various Western and New Age philosophies. An open third eye grants perception and understanding beyond that which can be physically seen, access to higher realms of consciousness, spiritual communication, intuition, and insight. Think of it as a gateway to your innate psychic abilities.


On a more practical level, an open third eye can lead to a sense of decisiveness and purpose, a clear mind, and the ability to focus and concentrate on what matters. In addition to seeing life for what it is, it also helps you see yourself for all you are. Activating your third eye can help you break bad habits and move past creative blocks.


How Can I Use Meditation to Open My Third Eye?


Before attempting to open your third eye, make sure the rest of your life is in order. If chakras factor into your practice, make sure to work on your lower chakras before moving on to the higher ones. It’s also a good idea to become acquainted with grounding techniques, as opening your third eye can sometimes be intense.


Get into a comfortable meditation position, such as cross-legged or on your knees with a straight spine. Close your eyes, and take a moment to get into the right headspace by taking a few deep breaths and really focusing on the air traveling in and out of your body. Turn your focus inwards, to the place on your forehead where the third eye resides. It can help to lift your gaze--with your eyes still closed--to bring more awareness to your third eye. If that feels difficult, then visualizing your third eye can work well.


It could be a good idea to incorporate a mantra. “Om” is the classic mantra for third eye meditation, but you can use your own. Keep it simple, short, and in the present tense; something like “I am aware” or “I trust my intuition”. Try to meditate for 5-10 minutes at a time, going for longer stretches once you get in the habit.


How Can I Use Crystals to Open My Third Eye?


Crystals can be a lovely tool in meditation. It’s often more pleasant to meditate with a focal point, especially if you are new to the practice or are getting back into it after a period of stepping away. You can hold the crystal while you meditate, wear it as a necklace, or craft it into a piece of jewelry that sits on your forehead with the crystal resting between your eyebrows.


If you wish to use multiple crystals, it could be a good idea to lay them out in a crystal grid: an intentional arrangement of crystals based on their metaphysical properties. Crystal grids often follow sacred geometry, so you can draw or print out an image that resonates with you--a mandala, for example--and arrange your crystals upon it. Meditate with the crystal grid in front of you, focusing on your intention to open your third eye.


Which Crystals are Best for Opening My Third Eye?


Blue and purple crystals evoke a dreamy or psychic state and are wonderful for third eye activation. Many of the crystals that can help with opening your third eye have other metaphysical properties; remember, everything in your physical and spiritual body is connected. Experiment with different combinations to see what resonates with you the most.


  • Amethyst is associated with both the third eye and crown chakras, and is great for clarity, healing, and protection. The violet shades of amethyst quiet your mind for sleep or meditation, enhance intuition, and connect to your higher consciousness.

  • Azurite stimulates psychic abilities, inner strength, and helps with balancing emotions and figuring out which parts of yourself you need to heal. A great choice for all the upper chakras, azurite removes energetic blockages and connects you to your inner vision.

  • Fluorite comes in many colors, and is known for its ability to clear your mind and provide you with spiritual energy. Purple fluorite promotes peace, protection, and spiritual communication.

  • Labradorite links to creativity and mysticism. Often blue with shimmering striations that catch the light, labradorite activates your imagination and grants you the ability to access different states of consciousness.

  • Lapis Lazuli is great for tapping into your inner wisdom and working towards spiritual enlightenment. Beloved by ancient civilizations, this stone can help you become more self-aware and access a sense of clarity and stillness in a hectic world.

  • Moonstone encourages comfort and harmony while deepening your psychic abilities. It helps process new beginnings, as well; a good choice for the start of a new chapter in your spiritual journey.

  • Sodalite reminds you to trust your instincts and intuition. It also strengthens the connections between the upper chakras and enhances your spiritual perception and understanding.







What is Kundalini Energy?


Kundalini energy is a form of divine feminine power (Shakti). Its name is derived from the Sanskrit word “kundal”, meaning “circular” or “coiled”, referring to the shape of this energy, which can be pictured as a coiled snake residing in the root chakra at the base of the spine, slumbering until it is roused upwards. It is a potent, latent power that everyone has, but it usually takes certain steps and training to access and experience. Kundalini energy was first mentioned in the Upanishads--sacred Hindu texts--in the 9th-7th centuries BCE. Initially, the meditations and practices associated with Kundalini were private, but reached mainstream knowledge in the 20th century.


What is a Kundalini Awakening?


A Kundalini awakening is a form of spiritual awakening, associated with spiritual liberation and the bliss that follows. During such an awakening, the Kundalini energy is roused to rise upwards, passing through all the chakras, as if turning them on or making them bloom and building upon different levels of spiritual experience. It has been described by those who have experienced it as something akin to an electric current running along their spine. When this energy reaches the crown chakra at the top of the head, an intense transformation and expansion of consciousness takes place, including the realization and understanding of one’s own soul, the understanding of the nature of reality, feelings of freedom, a clear mind that is unbothered by old problems but ready to tackle new ones, surging creativity, and compassion for all.


Additional physical manifestations of a Kundalini awakening can include strong feelings of energy or vibrations moving throughout the body, sometimes causing involuntary movements; involuntary vocalizations; feelings of sensory overload; intense changes in body temperature; panic; issues with sleep; insights or visions; and sensations of bodily pleasure. The physical sensations are part of the telltale signs of a Kundalini awakening versus other kinds of spiritual awakening, which are often more emotional rather than physical.


This may sound overwhelming, but Kundalini energy is not inherently dangerous. It is, however, a very potent force, and causes experiences that can be perceived as pleasant or unpleasant. Kundalini awakening is different for everyone, and the energy is only able to flow freely and find its way upwards if one’s chakras are clear and balanced.


How to Awaken Kundalini Energy?


There are several methods that can be used to induce a Kundalini awakening. The active approach involves specific yoga sequences, hand movements (mudras), meditation, concentration, visualization and pranayama breathing techniques--preferably guided by an experienced teacher or guru. The passive approach involves spiritual transmission from guru to student, as those who have experienced a Kundalini awakening can induce it in others.


How to Handle a Kundalini Awakening?


In order to be able to handle and integrate this fundamentally transformative rush of spiritual energy, one should preemptively undergo a period of purification and strengthen one’s body and nervous system through yoga and meditation.


It’s possible to experience a Kundalini awakening without being ready for it; in this case, it’s important to stay grounded afterwards by resting (including taking a break from intense spiritual practice), exercising, spending time in nature or in bodies of water, and reaching out to family and friends. Be mindful and focus on positive physical experiences and a sense of safety.







Am Shanti Tarot and Psychic Reading, NYC
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