Magical correspondences form the foundation of many magical practices and traditions. These correspondences are the symbolic relationships between various natural elements, celestial bodies, colours, and other aspects of our world. Understanding magical correspondences can enhance your magical practice and help you align your workings with natural energies.

Understanding Magical Correspondences

The system of magical correspondences works through several fundamental principles of magic. When we work with magical correspondences, we’re tapping into ancient wisdom that connects different aspects of the natural and spiritual worlds.

Sympathetic Magic

The principle of sympathetic magic is key to understanding how magical correspondences work. It operates on the principle that “like attracts like” or “like affects like.” This can work in two ways:

1. Homeopathic (Imitative) Magic: Using items that resemble what you want to attract or affect. For example, using a red candle for passion because red is associated with fire and heat, or using a plant with yellow flowers for solar magic. These magical correspondences work through similarity.
2. Contagious Magic: Using items that have been in contact with or were once part of what you want to affect. This might include using someone’s hair in a healing spell or using water from a specific sacred well for blessing work. These magical correspondences work through connection.

The Principle of Correspondence

“As above, so below; as below, so above” – This Hermetic principle suggests that there are meaningful connections between all things in the universe. These magical correspondences create a web of relationships that we can work with in magic. For instance, the way the moon affects the tides mirrors how it might influence our emotions and intuitive abilities.

Resonance

When we work with magical correspondences, we’re essentially creating a harmonious frequency or vibration that aligns with our magical intention. Like tuning forks vibrating at the same frequency, combining correspondences that align with your purpose strengthens your magical work.

Personal Associations

While traditional magical correspondences provide a tested framework, your personal associations and cultural background may create equally valid connections. For example, while lavender is traditionally associated with peace and sleep in European traditions, you might have a different cultural or personal association that is just as magically viable.

Elemental Correspondences

The four classical elements form the foundation of many magical practices:

Earth

• Direction: North
• Season: Winter
• Time: Midnight
• Colours: Green, brown, black
• Qualities: Stability, grounding, abundance, prosperity
• Tools: Salt, stones, plants, pentacle
• Zodiac Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

Air

• Direction: East
• Season: Spring
• Time: Dawn
• Colours: Yellow, white, sky blue
• Qualities: Intelligence, communication, travel, freedom
• Tools: Incense, feathers, wand, bells
• Zodiac Signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Fire

• Direction: South
• Season: Summer
• Time: Noon
• Colours: Red, orange, gold
• Qualities: Passion, transformation, courage, creativity
• Tools: Candles, athame, sun symbols
• Zodiac Signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

Water

• Direction: West
• Season: Autumn
• Time: Dusk
• Colours: Blue, silver, purple
• Qualities: Emotion, intuition, healing, love
• Tools: Chalice, seashells, mirror
• Zodiac Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Planetary Correspondences

Sun

• Day: Sunday
• Colours: Gold, yellow, orange
• Metals: Gold
• Stones: Citrine, amber, tiger’s eye
• Herbs: Sunflower, marigold, St. John’s wort
• Magical Uses: Success, confidence, vitality, leadership

Moon

• Day: Monday
• Colours: Silver, white, pearl
• Metals: Silver
• Stones: Moonstone, pearl, selenite
• Herbs: Jasmine, mugwort, white rose
• Magical Uses: Intuition, dreams, emotional healing, cycles

Mars

• Day: Tuesday
• Colours: Red, scarlet
• Metals: Iron
• Stones: Ruby, garnet, bloodstone
• Herbs: Dragon’s blood, nettle, thistle
• Magical Uses: Courage, strength, protection, motivation

Mercury

• Day: Wednesday
• Colours: Purple, yellow
• Metals: Mercury, aluminium
• Stones: Agate, opal, aventurine
• Herbs: Lavender, marjoram, fennel
• Magical Uses: Communication, learning, travel, divination

Jupiter

• Day: Thursday
• Colours: Blue, purple, royal blue
• Metals: Tin
• Stones: Lapis lazuli, sapphire, turquoise
• Herbs: Sage, nutmeg, dandelion
• Magical Uses: Abundance, wisdom, growth, good fortune

Venus

• Day: Friday
• Colours: Green, pink
• Metals: Copper
• Stones: Rose quartz, emerald, jade
• Herbs: Rose, yarrow, vanilla
• Magical Uses: Love, beauty, harmony, pleasure

Saturn

• Day: Saturday
• Colours: Black, dark purple
• Metals: Lead
• Stones: Obsidian, onyx, jet
• Herbs: Myrrh, cypress, mullein
• Magical Uses: Boundaries, banishing, wisdom, stability

Moon Phase Correspondences

New Moon

• Themes: New beginnings, setting intentions, fresh starts
• Magical Uses: Planning, preparation, cleansing

Waxing Moon

• Themes: Growth, increase, building
• Magical Uses: Attraction spells, abundance work, healing

Full Moon

• Themes: Completion, illumination, power
• Magical Uses: Divination, charging items, powerful spellwork

Waning Moon

• Themes: Release, decrease, letting go
• Magical Uses: Banishing, breaking habits, ending cycles

Dark Moon

• Themes: Rest, hidden knowledge, shadow work
• Magical Uses: Introspection, ancestral work, deep transformation

Colour Correspondences

White

• Purity, protection, peace, truth
• Good for cleansing and meditation

Black

• Protection, banishing, grounding
• Useful for absorption of negative energy

Red

• Passion, courage, strength, vitality
• Enhances love, power, and protection spells

Blue

• Peace, healing, truth, wisdom
• Excellent for communication and healing work

Green

• Growth, abundance, fertility, success
• Perfect for money and prosperity magic

Yellow

• Intelligence, confidence, communication
• Great for study and mental clarity

Purple

• Spiritual power, psychic abilities, wisdom
• Used for enhancing magical abilities

Pink

• Love, friendship, self-love, emotional healing
• Gentle energy for matters of the heart

Brown

• Grounding, animal magic, home protection
• Connected to earth energies and stability

Silver

• Intuition, dreams, psychic abilities
• Associated with lunar and feminine energies

Gold

• Success, prosperity, masculine energy
• Connected to solar and abundance work

Crystal and Mineral Correspondences

Clear Quartz

• All-purpose amplification
• Clarity, programming, energy work

Amethyst

• Spiritual awareness
• Protection, healing, peace

Rose Quartz

• Love, self-love
• Emotional healing, relationships

Black Tourmaline

• Protection, grounding
• Negative energy absorption

Citrine

• Abundance, success
• Manifestation, confidence

Moonstone

• Intuition, feminine energy
• Moon magic, emotional balance

Selenite

• Cleansing, charging
• Spiritual connection, clarity

Working with Magical Correspondences

When planning your magical work, consider combining magical correspondences that align with your intention. For example, a love spell might incorporate:

• Venus planetary energy
• Friday timing
• Pink or green colours
• Rose quartz crystal
• Rose petals
• Waxing moon phase

These magical correspondences work together to create a harmonious and powerful magical working. Remember that these correspondences are guidelines rather than strict rules. Trust your intuition and personal associations when working with these energies. Your personal connection to certain elements, colours, or materials may be different from traditional magical correspondences, and that’s perfectly acceptable in your practice.

The power of magical correspondences lies in their ability to help us focus our intentions and create meaningful connections between the physical and spiritual realms. They serve as a magical language that helps us communicate our intentions to the universe. Use this guide as a starting point for developing your own system of magical correspondences, always remembering that magic is both a science and an art – there’s room for both tradition and innovation in your practice.

Blessed be

Eva x