Aries, Divine Masculine, Kali, and Candle Magick

Written By Shawn Engel

Spring has sprung, Mercury Retrograde is over, and we are all feeling refreshed with the fire of Aries. As the zodiac wheel begins again, a new approach is taken with vigor to accomplish our desires.

Aries, the ram, is the first sign in the zodiac, beginning the wheel with a focus on number one. Highlighting the sector of independence, appearances, and self, it rules our outward approach to life, as the house it rules also determines our rising sign, commonly referred to as the mask we wear to the world. As a Fire sign, Aries season is all about creation and destruction, and being ruled by warrior planet Mars, we’re doing so with gusto. It is time for us to charge ahead on our desires, leaving a flame behind us with what we don’t wish to carry any more.

Ruling the 1st house of self and identity, Aries asks us to take the self exploration we did while under the fog of Pisces and hold it high above our head with confidence. This season asks us to stand proudly on our feet and know exactly who tf we are. With their Tarot card being The Emperor, we are called into boss energy, and we must use our divine masculine to carry out the necessary measures to achieve our dreams.

As the sign that begins the entire zodiac wheel and the start of spring, Aries cardinal quality is quite fitting. We are starting anew with a spark of passion and creativity, so get ready to conquer!

Divine Masculine

There is a bit of confusion when it comes to the energies of divine masculine and feminine, and I’m here to dispel that it is not gendered, though it’s origins are. As divine feminine energy is of an essence, being the vessel who is already full and complete, waiting to be fertilized with ideas and energy in order to give birth to innovation, life, and otherwise, divine masculine is the source of fertilization.

To break this down, while the idea of divine masculine is phallic, it is also energetic. Divine masculine is aligned with aggression, domination, passion, and ambition. In order to go forth and fertilize, one must actually move, and that is what divine masculine is all about. It is the pursuit. It is of action. 

While feminine energy is to “be,” masculine energy is to “go,” and that is what Aries energy calls out. Being that fire is aligned with masculine energy, both destroying what lies in its path and creating warmth for life to grow, masculine energy is certainly needed or we would never have movement. The two energies work harmoniously, but as we experience feelings in Pisces season and let them drift about our spirits in a profound way, Aries has us take them and actually do something with the knowledge.

Kali

The warrior goddess Kali is the perfect picture of how divine masculine can exist in a feminine figure.

Being fierce in battle, she embodies the planet Mars, and as her first appearance in folklore comes on the battlefield, we see that she was brought in when there was a need for decisive action. As her army would lose against a powerful foe that multiplied with every drop of blood that was spilled, she drained the enemy and devoured his clones to ensure victory.

Lesser known qualities, however, describe Kali as a mother figure. She is nurturing, caring, and kind. Destructive, yes, just as mother nature casts tornados, earthquakes, and tsunamis, but ultimately supportive in the reality of life cycles. She is worshipped as a harbinger of death, as life is much more special with the respect of it. 

Kali has a dual nature within her, as a fast acting, devouring creature with the ability to mother all around her. She is all and defined by no one, but herself with her own decisions.

Candle Magick

Candle Magick is one of my favorite forms of magick because it uses creativity and fire to carry out an intention. It can be as simple or as complex as you desire, but as long as you pay attention to the flame, it will work for you.

When aligning your intention with a candle’s color, you can amplify your magick. For example, black is excellent for protection, where pink and red are great for self love and passion respectively. Green candles are often used in money magick for obvious reasons. White can always be used as a stand in in lieu of the correct colors.

Dressing a candle is quite a ritualistic experience. If using a glass covered pillar candle, I often like to draw a sigil, or magickally charged symbol, on my candle before sprinkling it with herbs and oils that increase the energy I’m working with. Dressing is simply the act of accessorizing your spell, and you can do so in whichever way you prefer.

The flame of the candle is the most important part when working with magick. Lighting it in your spell should be done when you know you can let it burn all the way down, so keeping it in a safe space where you can watch it’s behavior is imperative. The flame will speak to you, and it is up to your intuition to hear it. Generally, however, large, long flames mean the spell is working fast, while shorter burns indicate a longer return. Flickering flames indicate blocks, and so on and so forth as you watch your candle dance.

Celebrating Self

For this spell, we are going to increase a sense of self confidence so we need not be defined by others. We are one and whole, and this spell will create permanence in that fact.

What you’ll need:

• Cleansing tool of choice (bells, smoke, etc.)
• An orange pillar candle
• A lighter

• A dowel
• A lemon
• A sharpie
• A safe place to burn

How to perform:

1. First, clear the area in which you’re performing your ritual. This will help give you balanced energy in which to work.
2. Call in Kali's energy by (either aloud or in your head) asking for her presence as you perform this ritual.
3. Take your sharpie and write your name (or preferred confidence sigil) on your candle
4. Poke four holes at the top of your candle with the dowel.
5. Cut your lemon in half, and (avoiding the wick) squeeze the lemon juice into the holes
6. Light your candle, and focus in on the flame until you reach a meditative state
7. Start to grow a yellow light right under your rib cage, at your solar plexus, invoking self confidence
8. Link this yellow light to an orange light in your pelvic region, highlighting your sacral chakra and invoking creativity and action
9. With these two centers joined, affirm that you are excellent at taking action when needed and slowly focus back in on the flame and notice how it is behaving
10. When you feel ready, place your candle somewhere safe to burn all the way down (I suggest the tub or shower to prevent fires)
11. Take the feedback from the flame and recognize what you must do next within yourself to carry out your desires.

This ritual will help to invigorate you, because you are both the vessel and the fertilizer. Whatever blocks you may have, you will move through them when you begin to take steps.

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