Green Candle
Health, abundance on the table, and the strength of the forest of Oxóssi (Oshosi) and the Caboclos
Green Candle
7-day candle · stays lit for 7 days7 dias
Those who look for the green candle almost always arrive with one of two requests: health for someone in the family or food that does not run out at home. It makes sense. Green is the color of what grows, of the plant that sprouts again after being cut, and of the forest that feeds those who know how to walk in it. In Umbanda, it is one of the most lit candles on the congá, alongside the white one, and it also appears in Candomblé houses and in the devotion of those who pray alone.
The owner of green, in Umbanda, is Oxóssi, king of the forests, hunter of a single arrow, who has Thursday as his day. Along with him come the Caboclos, spirits of indigenous people and woodsmen who work with leaf, ritual bath, and healing spiritual pass. In Candomblé, the reading changes a bit: many Ketu houses dress Oxóssi in light blue, and green stays closer to Ossaim (Osanyin), the lord of the leaves. It is worth asking how it is in your house.
At home, the green candle asks for little: a clean plate, some fresh leaves, and a sincere request. It does not cut heavy spiritual attacks nor ward off enemies; that function belongs to other colors. What it does is renew, like rain on dry land, and give breath to those who are tired of waiting.
What is it for
What the Green Candle Is For
Green is the color of the living leaf and the dense forest. In Umbanda, it belongs to Oxóssi, the hunter who never returns empty-handed, and to the Caboclos. It is lit to ask for health, abundance on the table, hope, and new air in a stagnant place.
-
Strength in the recovery of someone sick
During a treatment, before a surgery, or upon returning home after the hospital. The candle accompanies the family's faith and asks for strength for the body to follow medical care.
-
May food never lack on the table
Oxóssi is the hunter who brings food to the village. Light the green candle in the kitchen, near the stove, when the month gets tight and the pantry begins to empty.
-
New air in a stagnant house
A place where nothing moves, plants wither, and spirit fades. The green candle with fresh leaves nearby helps renew the environment without the force of a descarrego.
-
To thank the Caboclos of healing
After a passe, a prescribed ritual bath in the gira, or an improvement that came, return with a green candle to thank the Caboclo who worked for you.
-
Hope to start over
For those who lost a job, finished a phase, or are starting from zero. The green reminds us that a cut plant regrows, and asks for patience and focus to hunt the next step.
Who rules this candle
Orixás and spirits of the Green Candle
-
Oxóssi
King of the woods, hunter of a single arrow
In Umbanda, green is the color of Oxóssi, and Thursday is his day. He is the provider who brings the hunt home and knows the woods inside out; therefore, he receives requests for abundance, health, and knowledge.
Know Oxóssi -
Ossaim
Owner of the leaves and the secret of healing
Without leaf there is no orixá (orisha), says the people of faith, and the leaf is from Ossaim. He wears green and white, shares Thursday with Oxóssi, and receives the green candle when the request is for medicine and healing.
Know Ossaim
Also settled for
- Caboclos de Oxóssi
- Caboclas of the forest
- Caboclos curadores
- Spiritual doctors
Prayer to light
Green candle prayer to Oxóssi and the Caboclos
“Pai Oxóssi, lord of the forest and the bow, I light this green candle on your Thursday. You who know every trail of the forest, teach my body the path back to health and give strength to those who care for me. May your arrow hit what I lack and bring to this house the bread of each day, without waste and without greed. Caboclos of the forest, who work with the leaf and with the wind, pass your hands over me and over mine. May I have the patience of a hunter to wait and an attentive eye to recognize the right time. Receive this light as you receive the rain that wets the earth. Okê Arô, Oxóssi!”Light the candle and pray
Step by step
How to set the Green Candle
- 1
Prepare the place with leaves
Line the plate with fresh leaves, washed in running water. The living leaf is the ground of Oxóssi and the Caboclos, and shows where the candle is being offered.
- 2
Take a herbal bath before
If possible, take a ritual bath of guiné or rosemary from the neck down. Arriving clean for the prayer request helps to keep the head in place and the thought on what matters.
- 3
Hold the candle and say the prayer request
With the candle between your hands, speak softly to who it is for and what you need. If it is for another person, say their full name and, if you know it, their date of birth.
- 4
Light it on Thursday morning
Light with a match, place the candle in the center of the leaves and the glass of water beside it. Perform the prayer calmly and leave the fruit together, if you chose to take one.
- 5
Close by returning to nature
Do not blow out the flame. When the candle finishes, the leaves and the fruit go to a garden, a pot, or the foot of a tree. The leftover wax goes to the trash, wrapped in paper.
Precautions before lighting
- Dry leaf catches fire easily. Keep the leaves away from the wick, use a ceramic plate and never light the candle near curtains, children or pets.
- The green candle accompanies health treatment and never replaces it. Medicine, exams and consultations follow your doctor's guidance.
- Oxóssi's assentamento, head obrigação, or Caboclo ritual bath recipes are matters for the zelador of your terreiro. The candle at home is prayer, not fundamento.
- Abundance is not greed. Ask for what is yours by right and by effort, without wishing for anyone's loss or using the candle against another person.
Ceromancy
What the Green Candle's flame shows
Traditional terreiro reading. Before interpreting, check if there is no wind, crooked wick, or poor quality candle.
- Good sign
Living and stable flame until the end
Reading of an accepted prayer request and an open path. Many houses say that the forest heard and that now it is time to keep doing your part, with care and constancy.
- Good sign
Flame that grows and crackles
The crackles are usually read as movement: something that was still has started to move. In a prayer request for abundance, it is a common sign that news is coming.
- Attention
Low and weak flame
It may indicate tiredness of the one who asked or a prayer request that will still take time. Rest, pray again with more calm and repeat the candle next Thursday.
- Attention
Wax dripping all to one side
First check if there is wind or if the candle is crooked. With no visible cause, many houses ask to review the prayer request calmly and light another on the following Thursday.
- Observe
Darkened glass of the 7-day candle
Before any reading, look at the wick: a long wick always produces soot. If the candle is good and the glass darkens significantly, a cleaning of the environment is worthwhile.
Ritual bath and smoke cleansing (defumação)
Herbs that combine with the Green Candle
-
guiné / Tipi
Petiveria alliacea
A hot cleansing herb, which several Umbanda houses also link to Oxóssi. A ritual bath of guiné before lighting cleanses the path of the prayer request.
See the herb -
Rosemary
Rosmarinus officinalis
Brings joy and clarity. A branch next to the green candle helps with prayer requests for hope and the spirit to start over.
See the herb -
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus spp.
Scent of the forest and clean air. Eucalyptus leaves on the plate or in a light smoke cleansing (defumação) accompany prayer requests for health and house renewal well.
See the herb
Virtual Candle
Light the Green 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 Green Candle
What is the best day to light the green candle?
Thursday, which is the day of Oxóssi and also of Ossaim. Preferably in the morning. In an urgent prayer request for health, however, no one needs to wait for Thursday: light it on the day the need appears and pray with faith.
Is the green candle for Oxóssi or for Ossaim?
It depends on the house. In Umbanda, green belongs to Oxóssi and the Caboclos. In many Ketu Candomblé houses, Oxóssi wears light blue, and green and white belong to Ossaim, owner of the leaves. The two are close and share Thursday, so the candle serves both.
Can I light a green candle for a sick person?
You can, and it is one of the most common uses. Say the person's full name when lighting it and ask for strength for the treatment to go well. The candle is a support of faith for the family and never takes the place of the doctor or the medicine.
Can I blow out the green candle and light it again?
The ideal is to let it burn until the end. If you need to leave, smother the flame with the glass lid or a saucer, without blowing, and light it again when you return. In many houses, blowing is seen as undoing the prayer request itself.
What to do with the leaves and the leftover wax from the candle?
The leaves and the fruit return to nature: a pot, a garden, or the foot of a tree. The water from the cup goes to the earth. The leftover wax can go into the common trash wrapped in paper, and the glass from the 7-day candle can be washed and recycled.
What is the difference between green, light green, and dark green candles?
The common green is for Oxóssi, for health and abundance. The light green speaks of the sprouting leaf and of new beginnings, closer to Ossaim. The dark green recalls the dense forest and usually goes to the Caboclos for longer healing requests. If in doubt, the common green serves well.
Can I light a green candle at home without being from a terreiro?
You can. The green candle is for prayer and for requests, and Oxóssi gladly receives those who arrive with respect. Just do not confuse it with the consecration of an orixá done in an obrigação: that is inside the terreiro, with the guidance of the zelador.
