Photo by Magenta
When people talk about correspondences they’re talking about the objects or concepts that have a close connection, or equivalence, with each other. Working with magickal ingredients for spells means considering the different correspondences that might be used. Things like the properties that herbs have, which deities can be called upon for what things, and what crystals can do for you. The problem is there are so many different correspondences that are used in magickal practice, some are hundreds, even thousands, of years old that it might mean some correspondences have been appropriated from other cultures. For example, C.W Leadbeater first attributed seven colours of the light spectrum (as well as the human endocrine system) to 7 of the hindu chakras, then by the 1970s it was everywhere. So it becomes very complicated very quickly to unpack where correspondences come from and which ones are the right ones. If there even is such as thing.
Aleister Crowley published the ‘Liber 777’ with all the correspondences that the Golden Dawn believed were right.
This book has tables and explanations of the correspondence spanning many hundreds of pages.
No one can say it isn’t detailed…..but is it correct?
Photo by Magenta
At the risk of starting an all out magickal war here….The 777 isn’t our ‘go to’ for magickal correspondences, although we probably do use, coincidentally, a lot of the same ones. For example, we use correspondences that are based around the planets, the zodiac, the sun and moon etc. This means we choose the timing of magickal practice, or some of the ingredients for spells, based on the planetary correspondence. So did the Golden Dawn, but the Golden Dawn added in a whole bunch of other stuff we don’t use…like deities and the Kabbalah. See above for our cultural appropriation point!
Now, don’t all get mad but we choose to use the colours of the light spectrum combined with motivations found in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Not hindu chakras. Or the made up colours of the chakras. As qualified Humanistic Counsellors, Maslow’s Hierarchy means a great deal to us. It’s something we have studied at length, appreciate for it’s simplicity and use almost daily both in and out of magickal practice. So for example, for love spells involving candles, we’d use green for ‘esteem needs’ where we believe love and abundance resides…not a pink candle and definitely not a red one.
How many slammed the laptop lid in anger….?
Crowley described colours in the Liber 777 in order to correspond with the planets and the Zodiac, but the fact Venus (according to the 777) corresponds with love and small gains and the colour green is merely an accidental crossover for us.
Colours mean different things to different people and cultures. We totally get it that bright red love hearts on valentine’s cards would mean red is the colour of love for a whole bunch of people.
Another correspondence we probably deviate away from most people are the elements and the Tarot. Swords are Fire and Wands are Air, right?
Right?
Guys?
We know we’re probably a lone voice on that one….
An important thing to know about correspondences is if it works for you, then it is probably the “right” one. We also know there is more we can do to improve our knowledge even with our hundreds, if not thousands, of hours on research on where our correspondences come from. We encourage you to research where the correspondences you use come from, checking back in with yourself at all times whether they still work for you, magickally and ethically.
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