The Big Book of Practical Spells: Everyday Magic That Works - Judika Illes 2016

Colors
Magic 101

Repeat after me: There are no bad colors. There are no inherently negative or positive, good or bad colors. Each radiates with its own power and energy. There may be colors that you prefer over others. There may be colors that resonate most deeply for you. There may be colors that are more or less beneficial for you personally, but colors themselves are neutral in value. Each has its place in the cosmos. Each has its place in magic. It's important that you have an understanding of the powers that radiate from each color, so that you'll know which to choose for your own personal spells. All colors have a protective aspect, although each may be most effective protecting different areas. Each color also serves as a magnet for different gifts. Need to burn a money candle? You need a green candle, right? But what about a justice candle? Choose colors for candles but also for color-baths, crystals, gemstones, clothing, surroundings and amulets.

A specific color may mean something special to you. A color may have associations that resonate only for you. It's your magic: allow your instincts and intuition free reign.

Black: Comfort. Associated Element: Earth.

Black indicates fertility, the promise of the richest, most powerfully fertile Earth. Black is the color of regeneration and life eternal, indicating potential for future growth. The Egyptians painted statues black to indicate the immortality of the subject. Black absorbs and blocks pain and evil, providing a protective cloak of comfort and safety.

· Harness the power of the color black for fertility spells and for petitions to heal those who are chronically ill. Black candles are considered the most beneficial for repelling evil intentions while black crystals create psychic shields.

Blue: Protection. Associated Elements: Air and Water.

Blue protects, heals and relaxes. Blue provides peace and tranquility. Blue soothes psychic and emotional pain, in particular, traumatic stress. Blue is not only for boys; traditionally it's the color associated with the power of the Great Mother, from Mary's cloak to Yemaya's beads.

· Blue is traditionally the most important protective color, particularly in regard to thresholds. A blue bead worn at your throat protects you from saying “the wrong thing.”

· Borrow a household custom familiar from the Himalayas to Native North America, the Middle East to the Mediterranean: Paint your doors, window frames and/or ceilings blue for spiritual protection.

· Blue assists in breaking the chains of bad habits. Burn blue candles to reinforce your commitment to terminate a detrimental addiction.

Brown: Stability. Associated Element: Earth.

Earth comes in an endless palette of colors, from pure black to red to pink to yellow to pure white. However, Earth most typically appears in some variation of brown as does skin, bark and fur. Brown is a color of tremendous force and potency. Brown is the color of stability and gravity, the literal kind, the kind that keeps you attached to Earth. Brown is the color that embodies hard reality; it's an essential color for those who practice extensive psychic or intellectual work because it keeps you grounded. Brown heals, nurtures, empowers and is the color of creative potential.

· Surround yourself with brown energy to preserve and reinforce your personal power in the midst of long, draining projects.

· Brown is the color of justice. Brown candles are traditionally burned for assistance during legal procedures.

Green: Growth. Associated Elements: Earth and Water.

Green indicates fertility, prosperity and growth. Green also has the power to heal. It has close associations with blue and there are many ambiguous shades, such as teal or aquamarine that blend their energies. However, while blue is used to soothe psychic and emotional trauma, green is resolutely physical. Its power is often invoked for healing serious physical ailments including cancer.

· Use green candles, baths and crystals in spells for employment, to get cash and, in general, for anything that you wish to increase in your life.

Purple: Power. Associated Element: Fire.

Purple is the color of royalty and spiritual authority. Long ago, natural purple dye was painstakingly coaxed from murex snail shells along the Mediterranean coast. Rare and expensive, the color purple was reserved for royalty or for those held in the highest esteem, the high priestess of a spiritual cult, for instance. Today, anyone can wear purple to bolster and enhance psychic energy.

· Purple is also associated with sexual pleasure. If you can't decide what color silk sheets to buy, you might consider purple. Purple candles are used in the most amorous of love spells.

Different colors are associated with specific spiritual entities. Here are a few examples:

BLACK: Baron Samedi (Haiti), Kali (India), Lono (Hawaii), Min (Egypt)

BLUE: Tanit (Berber), Yemaya (Yoruba)

BROWN: Babalu-Ayé (West Africa), Ochossi (Yoruba)

GREEN: The Green Man (England), Neith (Egypt), Wadjet (Egypt)

PURPLE: Dionysus (Eurasia), Maman Brigitte (Haiti), Oya (Yoruba)

RED: Pele (Hawaii), Set (Egypt), Shango (Yoruba)

WHITE: Artemis (Greece), Ix Chel (Maya), Mami Waters (West/Central Africa), Obatala (Yoruba), Poliahu (Hawaii)

YELLOW: Amaterasu (Japan), Aine (Ireland), Laka (Hawaii), Lakshmi (India), Oshun (Yoruba)

Red: Luck. Associated Elements: Fire and Earth.

Many consider red to be the most profound magical color. Certainly, it's the color most associated with luck. Red is the color of birth and death. In Western culture, red is often associated with men and with violent imagery: blood indicating injury and death. Yet red belongs to the female principle most of all as the color of blossoming life. Red is the color of primal female power, of menstrual blood, whose arrival indicates that the gates of fertility are open. Babies arrive amidst blood, although no injury exists. Red indicates strength, vitality, health, passion, courage and sex. Red beseeches the blessings of the Earth Mother as well as your personal ancestral spirits. Red is a defiant color, proclaiming survival and demanding attention.

· Harness the power of red to enhance your personal power, your vitality and to protect as you transition over thresholds, particularly those having to do with marriage, birth and children.

· Pink demonstrates red's gentler aspects. Pink is especially beneficial for spells involving children and new romance.

White: Creativity. Associated Elements: Air and Fire.

White is a color, not the absence of color, in magical terms. White is, in fact, a very intense color, the color of bone, the color of extended exposure to the hot sun as well as the color of ice, snow and intense cold. Just as a white piece of paper beckons your creative instincts, white offers you the power of a blank slate upon which to project your desires and dreams.

· White is especially beneficial for candles and spells to initiate new projects. Keep a healthy stock of white candles on hand for spontaneous spells, as white may also be used for any purpose in candlework, substituted for any other color, if necessary. If you don't have the time to run out and get a purple candle, for instance, use a white one.

· White is traditionally the color of the moon. Use white crystals, candles and clothes when you wish to draw down some moon magic.

Yellow: Romance. Associated Elements: Earth and Fire.

Yellow is the color of the sun. It's a joyous, happy color indicative of growth, communication and intellect, a color of wealth and spiritual harmony. In ancient China, the color yellow was reserved solely for the emperor. The yellow dye obtained from saffron is used to indicate spiritual maturity in Asia.

· Yellow is associated with romance as it's the color most frequently associated with the most powerful spirits of love. Harness the power of yellow for romantic enchantments. A yellow candle will kindle new love. A yellow color bath can help you learn to love yourself.