Having a root doctor set lights for you is a traditional part of Hoodoo. These days, the most common type of candle that is burned on a clients behalf is a 7 day vigil candle. I have put this FAQ together to give you an idea of how vigil candles are set and what you can expect.
What the Conjure Doctor Does:
Using a glass encased vigil candle, the traditional practitioner will dress the candle with BOTH herbs and oils. Most rootdoctors will ask for you to send them a picture, your full name and your birthdate, along with pictures and names for anyone else that you have named on your petition.
They will attach your picture and your petition to the candle. Some rootworkers will create the petition for you, others will ask that you send the petition to them in your own words. The candle will then be set on their altar, and light with prayers and blessings for your work. It is expected that anyone who is setting lights on behalf of a client, have a dedicated altar space to do the work on.
The candle may take up to 7 days to be set depending on how the worker schedules their work. The candle will burn on average 7 days, though some burn in 5 and some in 9 days. The rootworker will then contact you via phone or email with a 'report' of how the candle burned. The report should include a general divination of the work; indications of sucess, failure, restrictions and possible outcomes. A candle report is never as detailed as a tarot card reading, but a good candle worker will read divinatory signs in the candle.
A candle report MAY take up to 3-4 days to be prepared. For instance, I do not do my reports as soon as the candle finishes. I may make notes as the candle is burning, but I wait until its finished for a final read. Depending on how each person does the report, it can take up to 30 mins to read the candle and write the report.
Will the candle "do the job"?
First off, you must understand that most rootworkers consider a single vigil candle to be an opening or introductory stage of work. That is to say, it is not the same as doing a full ritual or spell. Therefore, results are often relevent to this. Some rootworkers specialise in certain kinds of work, such as love, money, court case, blessing, healing, etc. My specialties are money and court case work.
Having a vigil candle set for you is an excellent place to start for most kinds of work. In many cases, a single vigil will get movement on the situation. The opening price of a set on altar vigil is often MUCH less then hiring a rootworker to perform a full spell. A good candle worker will be able to read the candle and give you divination on the candle burn, guiding you to what may be additional steps needed to address the condition.
However, you should not expect a single vigil candle to solve the problem. Often times they will positively effect the situation, but they should not be expected to be a final solution.
What did my consultant mean by "backing up the work"?
One of the very best applications of a set on altar vigil is to "back up the work". When you are doing work on your own, such as a reconciliation spell, or a money drawing spell, you can have your rootworker set a candle on your behalf to support the work you are doing. If you beleive you have been crossed up and are going to be doing a series of uncrossing baths, it is good to have an uncrossing candle burned for you.
Shop Wisely
When shopping for someone to "set lights" for you, keep in mind the following things:
- Does the worker have pictures of their altar space that you can see?
- Do they have a phone number where you can call and talk to them? (Lots of good workers do work via email only, such as Karma Zain, but if you have never had this done before, look for someone who will let you talk to them. There are a lot of scam artists out there.)
- Do not pay more then $25 for this kind of work. Many workers put a lot of time and money into creating the candle artistically, and they should be rewarded for their work, however if you do not receive the candle, there is no way of knowing if that work was done on YOUR candle.
- Read the article on Black Gypsies by Lucky Mojo. Do a search for "lucky mojo black gypsies" in google.
Be Realistic, Be Reasonable
I have seen truly specatular results from a single vigil candle. I have seen complex situations be effected by long term use of vigil candles. I had a client who asked to have a candle burned for her trip to a casino. When she called me back after she had gone for the trip, the results of what happened were clearly present on the candle. She had won, and then kept playing and lost it all. Or the lover who was reconciled -- until the client picked a fight and the love left again. Uncrossing candles that helped for a few days, until it was made clear they were still being actively worked against.
How often should I burn candles?
Clients who are considering burning more then one candle often ask how often they should have a candle burned. There are a lot of different opinions on this. Firstly, consider that most rootworkers will tell you that it will take up to three weeks to see movement on a situation. So burning candles "back to back", i.e. every week, could be a waste of money -- that first candle may have been all that was needed. Burning a second candle before you've gotten the divination of the first candle may also be a waste of time -- what if the divination shows there is something completely different going on?
I had a money candle burn for steady work, and the divination said clearly showed that it was the HR director who was the problem, and working against the client. I recommended switching to either a honey jar spell, or a control/compel candle.
Yet, in certain situations, uncrossing work, hotfoot work, reconciliation, reversing ... in cases that are long standing, seperated by distance, or reconciliation work in general -- repeated burns are often called for. Not necessarily because it will take that long to solve the situation, but because the cause of the situation is ongoing, and the vigils are "keeping the work hot".
In Closing
- Having a vigil set for you is a good place to start when you have a need that must be addressed by magical means. Consider a vigil BEFORE you pay hundreds of dollars on spell casting.
- Having a vigil set for you by a qualified root worker is an excellent way to receive divination on the situation before you jump into spell kits or spell work.
- Shop carefully and look for a worker who is willing to make a connection with you. For most of us, it is about being a SPIRITUAL WORKER, not magicians.
Hope this helps,
Lara
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