Also called Fiery Wall of Protection oil, Fiery Wall spell, St. Michael circle of candles
A hoodoo protection formula and candle spell that pictures a ring of fire around a person or home, meant as a shield that keeps harm out without sending any back.
TraditionAfrican American hoodoo, folk-Catholic strand
RegionSouthern United States, probably New Orleans
Era20th century to present
Moon○ Full moon
DaySunday · Sun
ElementFire
Difficulty●●○ Moderate
Time1 hour, then candles burn down
Tonight's moon is read when the page loads.
The working
Set the tray on a stable heatproof surface and stand the white candle in the center. Carve your name or the word home on it.
Dress the white candle and the guardian candles with the oil, stroking toward yourself to draw protection in.
Place the guardian candles in a ring around the center candle, far enough apart that the flames cannot touch.
Sprinkle salt and the dried herb clockwise between the guardians to close the circle.
Light the center candle first, then the ring clockwise, saying Zechariah 2:5 (I will be unto her a wall of fire round about) or your own words asking for a wall of light that nothing harmful can cross.
If you are Catholic or simply drawn to him, ask Saint Michael the Archangel to stand guard; otherwise call on the protector of your own faith or on no one at all.
Let the candles burn down while you stay in the room, then keep a pinch of the leftover wax and herbs in a small bag by the door.
Take care: A ring of candles on one tray gets hot; space them well apart, use a metal tray, and never leave them burning unattended. Cinnamon and dragon's blood can irritate skin, so use only a pinch in carrier oil.
Versions across time and place
i
The Saint Michael candle circle
Catholic hoodoo, New Orleans area · 20th century
Yronwode learned the spell in a Catholic form that calls on Saint Michael and burns a circle of purple guardian candles around a white candle for the client. In its original use it could also include candles for an unwanted person, moved away over several days; this page keeps only the protective ring.
Uses: purple guardian candles, white figure or plain candle, Fiery Wall oil
Recorded in: Catherine Yronwode, Fiery Wall of Protection Spells, Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
ii
Laid-down supplies around the house
Hoodoo spiritual supplies · 20th century to present
Without any candle rite, the formula is used as oil on doorknobs, powder sprinkled in carpets and room corners, incense burned to set a shield, and bath crystals added to laundry rinse water. Commercial blends are said to contain herbs such as rue, sandalwood and black snake root.
Recorded in: Catherine Yronwode, Fiery Wall of Protection Spells, Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
History
Fiery Wall of Protection is one of the named condition formulas of 20th-century hoodoo, sold as oils, powders, incense and bath salts through spiritual supply companies. The image behind the name is biblical: in Zechariah 2:5 God promises to be a wall of fire round about Jerusalem. We could not find the date the formula first appeared in print, so its exact age is uncertain.
Catherine Yronwode, whose Lucky Mojo Curio Company has published hoodoo lore online since the 1990s, describes it as protection that harms no one, popular with people who want to keep their karma clean. Because the candle spell calls on Saint Michael, she suggests it probably grew from the folk-Catholic hoodoo of the New Orleans area, and she encourages people of other faiths to substitute their own protector.
