Pai Joaquim de Aruanda candle
Patience, advice, and comfort in mourning with the Preto Velho of Aruanda and the Almas line
Pai Joaquim de Aruanda candle
7-day candle · stays lit for 7 days7 dias
The Pai Joaquim de Aruanda candle is made for those who want to speak with a Preto Velho. It features the Pai Joaquim label and the two colors that Umbanda gives to this line: black, which pulls the weight down, and white, which returns peace from above. It is lit on the home congá, at the Preto Velhos point of the terreiro, and on the table of someone going through mourning, family conflict, or a fatigue that will not pass.
Pai Joaquim is a name of a spiritual legion (falange), not of a single man. Each terreiro has its own Pai Joaquim, with its own manner, ponto, and history, and the "of Aruanda" refers to the spiritual home of the spirit guides, not an African nation. The line works under the Almas, which most houses link to Obaluaê and some to Oxalá (Obatala). Monday is the most cited day, and bitter coffee is the offering that no house refuses.
At home, this candle asks for time. Preto Velho does not work with haste: he listens, advises, and slowly unties the knot. It is not a cutting candle or a demanda candle, and it is not used to force anyone to return or change their mind. What it offers is company in difficult times and the calm to see the next step.
What is it for
What is the Pai Joaquim de Aruanda Candle for
The candle of Pai Joaquim de Aruanda is black at the bottom and white at the top, the two colors of the Pretos Velhos. It serves to request patience, consolation in loss, advice in family disputes, and a gentle cleansing, under the line of the Almas.
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Consolation in the loss of a loved one
In the weeks after a passing, the candle accompanies the longing and the prayer for the soul that departed. It does not erase the pain, but helps cross through mourning with support.
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Patience with family disputes
For siblings who do not speak, a worn-out couple, or a distant child. Ask Pai Joaquim for calm in your part of the conversation, without wanting to impose your will on the other.
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Advice when I do not know what to do
Before a difficult decision, light it, make the prayer request, and stay in silence for a while. Many people say that the answer comes later, in a conversation or in a dream.
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Gentle cleansing of the house and the body
For the weight that remains after a heavy environment or a bad week. With arruda and water by the side, the candle cleanses slowly, in the way of the Pretos Velhos, without shaking anything.
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Strength to move forward with humility
When pride blocks forgiveness or exhaustion makes you want to give up. The candle reminds you of the lesson of the line: to endure with dignity and continue, one day at a time.
Who rules this candle
Orixás and spirits of the Candle of Pai Joaquim de Aruanda
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Pai Joaquim de Aruanda
Preto Velho of the pipe and of counsel
He is the owner of the candle: his label goes on the glass and the prayer request is made in his name. In the gira, he sits on the stump, smokes the pipe and listens calmly before speaking, and it is this listening that the flame asks for.
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Obaluaê
Lord of the earth and of the line of the Almas
In most Umbanda houses, the Pretos Velhos work under the irradiation of the Almas, which belongs to Obaluaê. The preto of the candle speaks of this earth that he receives, transforms, and heals.
Know Obaluaê -
Oxalá
Great Father of peace and of charity
Some terreiros place the Pretos Velhos under the vibration of Oxalá, for the peace and the charity that they teach. The white at the top of the candle is his part, and houses differ regarding this regency.
Know Oxalá
Also settled for
- Pretos Velhos
- Linha das Almas
- Vovós of Aruanda
- Pai Joaquim de Angola
Prayer to light
Prayer of the candle of Pai Joaquim de Aruanda to the Preto Velho
“Adorei as Almas! My Pai Joaquim de Aruanda, I come to sit a little near your stump. I bring this lit candle and a coffee without sugar, which is the little I have and what I give from my heart. You who crossed captivity without holding onto hatred, teach me to carry what weighs without becoming bitter inside. Look over my house and over those who live in it. Where there is fighting, put patience; where there is longing, put comfort; where I am lost, put a word of yours. Take from me haste and pride, and let me listen. May the smoke from your pipe carry away what is not mine, and may I know how to wait for the right time of things. Hail the blessed Almas. Adorei as Almas!”Light the candle and pray
Step by step
How to consecrate the Candle of Pai Joaquim de Aruanda
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Arrange a low and quiet corner
Preto Velho likes to be close to the ground. A wooden stool, a low table, or the foot of the congá serve, away from drafts and from the path of children.
- 2
Strain the coffee and serve first
Before the flame comes the offering. Place the cup of bitter coffee next to the saucer and the glass of water on the other side. The coffee is the conversation; the water receives what is cleansed.
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Hold the candle and tell the problem
With the candle in your hands, tell what is happening as you would tell a grandfather, without embellishment. Say the name of Pai Joaquim and your own, and ask for help for that specific thing, not for everything.
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Light and pray without haste
Light it with a match, leave the arruda at the foot of the saucer and say the prayer. Then stay silent for a few minutes. In the line of the Pretos Velhos, silence is also part of the prayer.
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Collect the offering with respect
Do not blow out the flame. When the candle finishes, the coffee and water go to the soil of a pot or the backyard, and the dry rue goes with them. The remaining wax goes in the trash, wrapped in paper.
Precautions before lighting
- The 7-day candle stays lit day and night: place it on a deep saucer, away from fabric, curtains, and animals, and never leave it with the house empty for a long time.
- Preto Velho is a spirit guide of charity. Do not ask for harm to anyone or for someone to return by force; the line does not work that way and the prayer request will not be followed.
- Consultation, spiritual pass, and blessing with Pai Joaquim are with the medium and the leader of the terreiro. The candle at home is a prayer, it does not replace the gira.
- A prayer request for pain relief or for someone's health goes along with the treatment. Always follow the doctor's guidance and do not interrupt medication.
Ceromancy
What the flame of the Candle of Pai Joaquim de Aruanda shows
Traditional terreiro reading. Before interpreting, check if there is no wind, crooked wick, or poor quality candle.
- Good sign
Low, calm, and constant flame
It is the most common way for a Preto Velho candle to burn. Many houses read this as a prayer request accepted and ritual work proceeding slowly, without stumbling.
- Observe
Wax dripping from only one side
It is almost always wind or a crooked candle on the saucer. Straighten it carefully and protect it from the wind before looking for any sign in the dripping wax.
- Attention
A lot of dark smoke at the beginning
It is usually read as a charge being burned right from the start. Keep water nearby, pray again and, if it persists in several candles, speak with a terreiro.
- Attention
Flame that crackles and releases sparks
Some houses understand this as resistance to the prayer request or a conversation yet to be had. Review what was requested, with more humility, and light another candle on another Monday.
- Good sign
Glass that ends clean
When the 7-day candle ends and the glass remains clear, without soot, many houses read it as a completed cleansing and a lighter path for the one who made the prayer request.
Ritual bath and smoke cleansing (defumação)
Herbs that combine with the Pai Joaquim de Aruanda Candle
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Rue
Ruta graveolens
The herb that the Preto Velho holds to bless. A branch at the foot of the plate during the burning, or a ritual bath of arruda before lighting, helps with spiritual cleansing.
See the herb -
guiné / Tipi
Petiveria alliacea
Firmly cuts the weight of the environment. Good for the head-to-toe ritual bath of someone arriving from the street burdened before sitting before the candle.
See the herb -
Rosemary
Rosmarinus officinalis
Brings lightness after the spiritual cleansing. A smoke cleansing (defumação) of rosemary at the end of the candle week returns joy to the house that went through mourning or a fight.
See the herb -
Coffee leaf
Coffea arabica
Links the candle to the most beloved offering of the Pretos Velhos. Some leaves around the plate reinforce the served coffee and the prayer request for protection.
See the herb
Virtual Candle
Light the Pai Joaquim de Aruanda 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 Joaquim de Aruanda Candle
What is the Pai Joaquim de Aruanda candle for?
It serves to ask for patience, comfort, and counsel from a Preto Velho. It is lit in mourning, in family fights, in difficult decisions, and for a gentle cleansing of the house. It does not bind anyone nor guarantees results: it accompanies the prayer and helps you cross the phase with more calm.
What is the best day to light a candle for Pai Joaquim?
Monday, which is the most cited day for the Pretos Velhos and the souls. May 13 is the annual date of the line, and there are those who defend November 20. In times of need, the candle can be lit on another day, with the same respect.
Why is the Preto Velho candle black and white?
Because they are the two most recorded colors for the line. In the reading of many houses, black speaks of the earth and the souls, which absorb what is heavy, and white speaks of the peace and the light of Oxalá. In the bead necklace of Preto Velho, the color changes from house to house: there are terreiros that use only white and others that alternate black and white.
Can I light a Preto Velho candle inside the house?
You can, and it is one of the most common offerings in a home congá. Just a low, clean, and safe corner, with the coffee and water nearby. For a consultation or proper ritual work with Pai Joaquim, the path is the gira of a trusted terreiro.
Are Pai Joaquim de Aruanda and Pai Joaquim de Angola the same?
They are similar names of Pretos Velhos who present themselves in different houses, and each terreiro knows its own. Aruanda is the spiritual dwelling of the spirit guides, not a country. In Goiânia, a house of Pai Joaquim de Angola was born from another dedicated to Pai Joaquim de Aruanda, which shows how the two names go together. The candle serves both; say at the time of lighting which Pai Joaquim you are addressing.
What to do with the coffee and the leftover candle?
The coffee and water go to the earth, in a pot or in the backyard, and the cup is washed. The wax that remains on the glass can go into the common trash, wrapped in paper. A cemetery is not a place for a Preto Velho offering, so do not take the leftovers there.
Can I blow out the 7-day candle and light it again?
The ideal is not to blow it out. If you need to leave for many hours, smother the flame with a saucer, without blowing, and relight it upon your return, repeating the prayer request. In Umbanda, blowing out the candle is seen as undoing the prayer with one's own breath.
