Black Candle
Absorbs heavy energy and ends cycles, with Obaluaê and the guardians of the left
Black Candle
7-day candle · stays lit for 7 days7 dias
Few colors scare those who arrive at the counter as much as the black candle, and almost always the fear comes from outside the religion. In Umbanda, in Candomblé, and in Quimbanda, it is not a candle to cause harm. It is a candle of pulling: it collects the weight of an environment, of a bad phase, or of a disease that left a mark, and returns everything to the earth, which knows what to do with it.
The foundation passes through Obaluaê, whom many houses call Omulu in his older face. Lord of the earth, of disease, and of healing, he wears straw, receives popcorn, and has Monday, which is also the day of the souls and of Exu (Eshu). The guardians of the left use black almost always together with red, and in the calunga line, the black candle is the color of the house, not an exception.
Inside the house, the black candle requires more discretion than the white ones. It works well for a specific cleansing, after a fight, a heavy visit, or a period of illness. What it does not do is ritual work of cutting with foundation, firmeza of a guardian, or anything linked to the cemetery: that has an owner, and the owner is the terreiro.
What is it for
What the Black Candle Is Used For
Black collects light instead of returning it, and that is what makes the black candle the candle of absorption. Obaluaê and the guardians of Exu respond for it, which appears in the descarrego of the house, at the end of a cycle, in a health request, and, by the hands of the zelador, in the cutting of a demanda.
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Clear the house after a heavy weight
A nasty fight, a visit that left the air charged, moving to a property with a history. Lit in the laundry area with a glass of water, it collects what remained stagnant.
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Cut what is tied
When you feel that a matter has stalled and is not moving at all, the black candle enters to loosen the knot. The real cutting of a demanda, however, is done by the terreiro.
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Ask Obaluaê in illness
It is the color of Omulu, who knows illness from the inside. Light it to ask for strength during a treatment or after a hospitalization, always alongside medical care.
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End a cycle that is already heavy
End of a relationship, grief that does not settle, attachment that became a burden. The black candle marks the final point and helps let go of what has already served its time in your life.
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Set the guard of Exu
The guardians receive a black candle, almost always with a red one beside it. The request is for protection of the door and the path, never for an attack on another person.
Who rules this candle
Orixás and spirits of the Black Candle
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Obaluaê (Omulu)
Lord of the earth, of illness and of healing
Black, white and red are the colors of Obaluaê, and Monday is his day. As the owner of the earth that receives the dead and transforms what rots, it is to him that the black candle takes what needs to be collected.
Know Obaluaê (Omulu) -
Exu
Guardian of the paths and the passages
Exu wears black and red and is also greeted on Monday. The black candle sets his guard at the door of the house and at the crossroads, ensuring that what was taken does not return through the same path.
Know Exu -
Exu Caveira
Guardian of the calunga
In the cemetery line, black is the color of work, and Exu Caveira is one of the most remembered guardians from there. Setting up a candle or offering for him is a matter for the terreiro, with guidance from those who know the calunga line.
Also settled for
- Guardian Exus
- Pombagiras
- People of the calunga
- Line of the souls
- Pretos Velhos
Prayer to light
Black candle prayer to Obaluaê and the guardians
“My father Obaluaê, owner of the earth and the straw, I light this black candle to deliver what I can no longer carry alone. Collect the exhaustion, the illness, the envy and the sadness that gathered in this house and in me. Take everything to the ground, where what is rotten becomes seed again. I do not ask for anyone's evil: I only ask that the weight leaves and that its place remains clean. Guardians who care for my door, stand at the entrance and do not let back what left today. May this flame burn until the end and may I wake up tomorrow lighter. Atotô, my father! Laroyê!”Light the candle and pray
Step by step
How to set the Black Candle
- 1
Take a cleansing bath (banho de descarrego) first
A ritual bath of guiné or arruda, from the neck down, removes from you the load that the candle will collect from the house. This way, you do not light the prayer request carrying the same weight.
- 2
Choose a corner outside the bedroom
Service area, backyard, or near the back door. The black candle works better away from where you sleep, on a ceramic or stone surface, without wind.
- 3
Place the water with salt nearby
The glass with water and coarse salt stays next to the saucer during the entire burning. It holds what the flame releases. At the end, this water goes to the ground or to the outside drain.
- 4
Say to whom the candle is going
Light it with a match and say in a low voice: this candle is for Obaluaê, or for the guardian of the house. Say the prayer, and speak of what you want to see leave, without mentioning anyone's name.
- 5
Close with a white candle
When the black one finishes, many houses light a white one to settle the peace in the clean place. Do not blow out either of them. The leftover wax is wrapped for the outside trash.
Precautions before lighting
- A black candle is not a candle for revenge. Requesting illness, imprisonment, or the fall of another person goes against what it is, and whoever asks answers for what they asked.
- Always light it on a ceramic saucer or alguidar, away from cloth, curtains, and wood, and never leave the house with it lit. Children and animals stay away.
- Cutting a spiritual attack (demanda), guardian rituals, and any calunga work are for the leader of your terreiro. At home, stick to simple cleaning.
- In a health prayer request to Obaluaê, the candle accompanies the treatment and never replaces it. Always follow what your doctor instructs.
Ceromancy
What the Black Candle flame shows
Traditional terreiro reading. Before interpreting, check if there is no wind, crooked wick, or poor quality candle.
- Good sign
Dark smoke at the beginning that later clears
It is the most common reading in the black candle: there was a charge, the flame pulled it, and the environment began to ease. A sign that the cleaning did what was expected of it.
- Good sign
Low and constant flame
Many houses read the low and quiet flame as absorption ritual work in progress, without haste. Let it burn until the end, keeping an eye on the saucer.
- Attention
Flame that crackles and releases sparks
It may indicate resistance from what is being removed. Before reading, check if the wick is not dirty. If the crackling always returns, repeat another day with a ritual bath before.
- Observe
Wax that drips entirely to one side
Almost always it is wind or a crooked surface. Some houses look at where the wax ran, but the first thing is to level the saucer and close the window.
- Attention
Black saucer with soot several times
When every candle leaves a lot of soot, the charge may be greater than a house cleaning can resolve. This is the moment to seek a trusted terreiro.
Ritual bath and smoke cleansing (defumação)
Herbs that combine with the Black Candle
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Rue
Ruta graveolens
A cutting herb that many houses link to Exu. A branch next to the saucer or the ritual bath before lighting reinforces the cleaning that the black candle will perform.
See the herb -
guiné / Tipi
Petiveria alliacea
The leaf of spiritual cleansing par excellence. The guinea hen weed ritual bath from the neck down prepares the body before setting the black candle at home.
See the herb -
Pepper tree (aroeira)
Schinus terebinthifolius
Plant linked to Obaluaê in the terreiros. Used in a strong cleansing ritual bath and in the smoke cleansing of the environment before lighting the candle.
See the herb
Virtual Candle
Light the Black 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 Black Candle
Is the black candle black magic?
No. The black candle absorbs and collects, it does not attack. The idea of black magic was attached to Afro-Brazilian religions by those looking from the outside. In the terreiro, black is the color of the earth, of the night, and of what needs to return to the ground.
Can I light a black candle inside the house?
You can, for a simple cleansing, preferably in the service area or in the backyard, with water nearby and away from the bedroom. Cutting rituals, guardian consecrations, and anything linked to the calunga stay with the terreiro, because they require proper foundation.
What is the best day to light the black candle?
Monday, the day of Obaluaê, of Exu, and of the souls in most houses of Umbanda. The most used time is after sunset. Some lines of the left work at midnight, but that is terreiro guidance, not for the home.
Can I blow out the black candle before it finishes?
The ideal is for it to burn until the end, which is why the taper candle is the most indicated. If you need to leave, smother it with a saucer or a snuffer, without blowing, and light it again when you return, repeating the prayer request.
What to do with the wax and water from the black candle?
The leftover wax does not go back inside the house: it goes wrapped in paper to the outside trash. The salt water is poured onto the ground or into an external drain, and the cup is washed thoroughly before returning to use.
What is the difference between the black candle and the black and red candle?
The black alone collects and cuts. The black and red joins absorption to the force that moves and is the most used for Exu and Pombagira. For house cleaning, the black is enough; for firmeza of a guardian, the bicolor is more common.
Does the black candle attract bad things to the house?
No. It pulls what was already there, like a drain takes the dirty water that was already in the sink. What attracts problems is the intention of the person who lights it. With a clean request and care with the fire, it only removes weight.
