Ever seen a set of colourful candles with fruits, sweets and maybe one or two slaughtered chickens at the beach?
I’ve seen a lot of people with mixed emotions about this, is it right? It’s a public space, isn’t it?
Okay! The truth is, most Africans believe in God, Ithonga or Idlozi (Ancestors) and with that comes a responsibility to acknowledge them and connect with them from time to time.
This can be done in many different ways, for instance the burning of Impepho (incense), coupled with the use of certain candles that have different meanings.
I’m not saying people should not clean up after themselves after performing a ritual in a public space but it’s also vital to know and understand the basics, the reasons behind the symbols and how they help certain people with their spiritual journeys or life in general.
Today, I will mainly talk about candles that are used to connect with Ancestors and God, as they are often used for prayers and to ask for guidance.
Candles help to channel and invoke the energies that surround us and open us up to the spirit world, allowing our Ancestors and spirit guides to connect with us.
So here is what each colour means:
White: This candle stands for purity. It’s often a balancing candle and represents light, peace or ukukhanya!
Blue: Represents the holy spirit or isithunywa sentaba. This candle must always be included if you seek to connect to the Supreme Being that is God.
Yellow: This candle helps us connect with the ancient great spirits or abantu abadala! It also helps our inner being and our life force.
Pink: The pink candle helps us to attract pure love and is often associated with izithunywa zabantwana, a softer side to your spiritual self.
Purple: It helps us connect with our higher consciousness, our divinity. Purple can be used to connect with the Holy Spirit and angels, and also abalozi spirits.
Red: This helps us ground our energies, and connects us with earth and water energies. Perhaps you feel you do not have enough to sustain your physical needs, light a red candle, and reinvigorate your ability to provide for yourself.
Orange: This helps us tap into our creative, desirability and sexual energies. When our creative abilities are strong, we are able to manifest our dreams and visions better than before, and the intentions of our spirit guides. This is the colour of isithunywa samanzi.
Green: Although some people believe this candle attracts money and good fortune, this candle also amplifies mother earth’s energy.
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