Pai Benedito das Almas candle
Forgiveness, relief from old hurts, and the gentle counsel of a Preto Velho from the Linha das Almas
Pai Benedito das Almas candle
7-day candle · stays lit for 7 days7 dias
Pai Benedito das Almas is a Preto Velho, one of those spiritual grandfathers who arrive at the gira hunched over, ask for a stool, and call everyone my child. His candle is votive, with the grandfather's label, and it is lit when a person carries a weight they do not know how to let go: a remorse, a family fight that remained without conversation, a mourning that still hurts. It is used in Umbanda and at home, by those who have already been attended by him or by some grandfather from the same line.
The surname says where he works. In most houses today, the Linha das Almas is the line of the Pretos Velhos, greeted with Adorei as almas and linked to Monday, which popular Catholicism already had as the day of the souls. The most cited colors for them are white and black. As for the regency, houses diverge: some put the grandfathers under Oxalá (Obatala), others under Obaluaê, and many speak of both. Who defines it in your terreiro is the leader.
At home, this candle asks for little: a quiet corner, a glass of water, sometimes a cup of coffee. It does not cut a spiritual attack (demanda) by force or open paths in a hurry. Pai Benedito's ritual work is slower, that of one who listens first, and what is expected from him is peace to see the problem with other eyes.
What is it for
What is the Pai Benedito das Almas Candle for?
White on top and black on the bottom, the candle of Pai Benedito das Almas carries the two most registered colors for the Pretos Velhos. It serves to ask for forgiveness, release guilt and resentment, receive advice in difficult times, and to set the Monday prayer in the Linha das Almas.
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Ask for forgiveness and release guilt
For those who wronged someone and cannot forgive themselves. The prayer with this candle helps to own the mistake without sinking into it, and often opens courage to apologize.
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Let go of the resentment of those who hurt me
When resentment has occupied the head for years. Pai Benedito does not erase what happened, but the candle lit in his name helps to stop ruminating and to move forward more lightly.
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Advice for a difficult decision
The vovôs are known for the right word. Light it on Monday, tell the dilemma in a low voice, and stay attentive in the following days: the answer usually arrives through conversation or a dream.
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Light for those who have already left
Because it belongs to the Linha das Almas, the candle also accompanies the prayer for a relative who died. It asks for rest for those who left and consolation for those left with the longing.
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Peace in a divided family
Siblings who do not speak, an inheritance that turned into a fight, mother and son distanced. A week of candlelight helps to lower the tone at home and to wait for the right time to talk.
Who rules this candle
Orixás and spirits of the Candle of Pai Benedito das Almas
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Pai Benedito das Almas
Preto Velho da Linha das Almas
The candle is his by name and by colors. Pai Benedito works in the Linha das Almas and, like the other vovôs of that line, usually attends while seated on a stump, with prayer and benzimento. Devotees light the white and black one for him on Monday, when they ask for forgiveness, counsel, or relief.
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Oxalá
The father of the white cloth, under whom many vovôs descend
Already in the book by Leal de Souza, from 1933, the spirits of pretos appear with devotion in the line of Oxalá, and he remains among the most cited regents of the vovôs. The white of this candle recalls this connection, and requests for peace and humility also pass through his axé.
Know Oxalá -
Obaluaê (Omulu)
Lord of the earth, of healing, and of passage
Many houses place the Linha das Almas under Obaluaê, who has Monday as his day and cares for the passage between life and death. He enters when the prayer to Pai Benedito is for health or for a deceased person. It is not a rule in every terreiro.
Know Obaluaê (Omulu)
Also settled for
- Pretos Velhos
- Linha das Almas
- Pai Joaquim de Aruanda
- Vovó Maria Conga
- Vovó Catarina de Angola
- Pai Maneco
Prayer to light
Prayer of the candle of Pai Benedito das Almas for forgiveness
“My Pai Benedito das Almas, I arrive at your stump with my head bowed and my heart full. I bring what I did wrong and what they did to me, and I no longer know how to separate one from the other. Sit with me for a while, vovô. Teach me to apologize without shame and to forgive without keeping score. Take from my chest the resentment that I have been watering for so long and put your patience in its place. For the souls that have already departed, ask for rest. For those who stayed, ask for consolation. May this white and black light burn the entire week, carrying my prayer to your Aruanda. Adorei as almas!”Light the candle and pray
Step by step
How to set the Candle of Pai Benedito das Almas
- 1
Start on a Monday
Monday is the day of the souls and the Pretos Velhos. Choose a low and quiet corner of the house, as vovô likes, away from movement and curtains, and line it with a clean cloth.
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Arrange the place like a stump
A saucer with the candle in the center, the glass of water on one side and the coffee cup on the other. The rue branch lies in front, pointing toward you, like someone waiting for a blessing.
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Pass the candle over the body
Hold the candle and perform a spiritual pass over the head, shoulders, and chest, thinking about what hurts. It is a gesture of surrender: you show vovô the weight before asking him to help carry it.
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Light and converse
Light it with a match, hail Adorei as almas and pray an Our Father and a Hail Mary. Then speak with him as you would speak with a grandfather: slowly, without hiding anything and without demanding a deadline.
- 5
Return every late afternoon
During the week, renew the water and sit for a moment in front of the candle, preferably at six in the evening. You do not need to repeat the entire prayer request: a word of remembrance is enough.
- 6
Finish without blowing
Let the flame end on its own. The water goes to the soil of a pot, the coffee to the base of a plant, and the dry rue to the trash. The remaining wax follows wrapped in paper.
Precautions before lighting
- The votiva stays lit for days: use a firm saucer, away from fabric, children, and animals. When leaving home for a long time, smother the flame and relight it upon your return.
- Pai Benedito works through charity. Do not light his candle to harm someone or force a reconciliation: forgiveness cannot be imposed on anyone.
- Every house has its own way of caring for the Pretos Velhos. Assentamento, bead necklace, and the medium's firmeza are with the leader of your terreiro, not with the house candle.
- If the prayer is for health, the candle accompanies the treatment and never replaces it. Continue following what your doctor instructed.
Ceromancy
What the flame of the Pai Benedito das Almas Candle shows
Traditional terreiro reading. Before interpreting, check if there is no wind, crooked wick, or poor quality candle.
- Good sign
Low, quiet, and constant flame
It matches the way of the Pretos Velhos: slow and firm. Many houses read this gentle burning as a request welcomed and ritual work happening without haste.
- Good sign
Glass clean until the end of the week
When the votiva ends with clear glass, the most common reading is of a prayer well received. It is a sign that the firmeza ran without stumbling until the last day.
- Attention
Glass completely darkened
Many houses read this as a sign of a heavy load being burned. Wash the glass, take a ritual bath of arruda and, if it happens again, ask for guidance from a trusted terreiro.
- Attention
Crackling flame that releases sparks
Some houses understand that the request moved something that still resists, like a grudge that does not want to leave. It is worth insisting on the prayer calmly, without losing heart.
- Observe
Wax that drips down only one side
Before any reading, check if the candle is straight and away from the wind. If everything is correct, some read it as one side of the issue that still needs attention.
Ritual bath and smoke cleansing (defumação)
Herbs that pair with the Pai Benedito das Almas Candle
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Rue
Ruta graveolens
The herb that the Preto Velho holds to bless. Leave one branch next to the candle and use another in the cleansing bath (banho de descarrego) before consecrating.
See the herb -
guiné / Tipi
Petiveria alliacea
A strong cleansing plant, very used by the vovôs in blessings. A guinea hen weed (guiné) ritual bath from head to toe before lighting helps you reach the prayer feeling lighter.
See the herb -
Rosemary
Rosmarinus officinalis
After the spiritual cleansing (descarrego), a rosemary (alecrim) ritual bath restores energy. It pairs with this candle when a person is tired from carrying the same pain for so long.
See the herb
Virtual Candle
Light the Pai Benedito das Almas Candle now
Choose the type, write your request, and pay by PIX. The flame stays on the altar and you follow along through the link.
Place on the altarFrequently asked questions
Questions about the Pai Benedito das Almas Candle
Is Pai Benedito das Almas the same as Saint Benedict?
That cannot be stated. Pai Benedito is a Preto Velho, a spirit who works in Umbanda, and Saint Benedict is the Black Catholic saint. The statue of the saint appears frequently on the vovôs' altar, but no research consulted links the name of the Preto Velho to the saint.
What is the best day to light the Pai Benedito candle?
Monday, which is the day of the souls and the Pretos Velhos in most houses. Many people light it at six in the evening. In gratitude after a consultation in the gira, any day works, and May 13, the day of the Pretos Velhos, is highly sought after.
Why is the Preto Velho candle white and black?
Because they are the two most registered colors for them and for the Linha das Almas, including in offerings at the cruzeiro. There are houses that prefer only the white candle for the vovôs, and both forms are accepted. Follow what your terreiro uses.
Can I light a Preto Velho candle at home without being a medium?
You can. Praying to a Preto Velho and lighting his candle does not require being a medium or attending a terreiro. What remains for the house leader is what requires a medium's foundation, such as to set an assentamento, cross a bead necklace, or perform an obrigação.
Can I blow out the 7-day candle of Pai Benedito?
Avoid it. The correct way is to let it burn until the end, without blowing. If you need to travel or be away for many hours, smother the flame with a saucer and relight it when you return, saying a short prayer to resume the request.
What to do with the coffee and the leftover candle?
The coffee and water go to the earth, at the foot of a plant or in a garden bed. The glass can be washed and reused at home, and the leftover wax goes into the common trash wrapped in paper. You do not drink the coffee that was offered.
