Santa Marta 7 Day Glass Candle
She Argued with Jesus. She Tamed a Dragon. She Will Handle Whatever You Need Handled.
In the Gospel of John, when Martha hears that Jesus has finally arrived four days after her brother Lazarus died, four days after she sent word and he did not come. She does not weep at his feet. She walks out to meet him on the road and she says, directly, without softening it: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And then, in the same breath, she makes the declaration of faith that is one of the most theologically significant statements in the entire Gospel: I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you. Martha is the one who argues and believes at the same time. She is the one who works while others sit. She is the one who runs the house, feeds the guests, manages the practical reality of things and who, when the moment comes, speaks with more theological clarity than almost anyone else in the New Testament.
And then there is the other story, the one that is not in the Gospel but that the folk tradition has carried for centuries. After the resurrection, Martha traveled to Provence, in the south of France. There was a dragon there — the Tarasque, a creature of terror that had been devouring the people of the region and that no army could defeat. Martha walked out to meet it alone. She sprinkled it with holy water. She bound it with her girdle. She led it back to the town, tame as a lamb, and the people killed it. Martha tamed the dragon with water and a belt and the authority of a woman who was not afraid of anything.
The Santa Marta 7 Day Glass Candle carries both faces of this extraordinary woman the practical, faithful, theologically bold sister of Bethany, and the dragon-taming Dominadora of the folk tradition.
Traditional Petitions
- Taming the unruly and difficult — the dragon-tamer; petitioned when something or someone refuses to yield and needs to be brought to heel
- Love domination and keeping a partner — one of the most widely used candles for compelling a straying partner or bringing someone back
- Commanding and compelling — petitioned when you need someone to do what you say and stop resisting
- Household authority and domestic power — the mistress of the house in Bethany; petitioned for authority in the home
- Cooks, servers, housekeepers, and those who work in domestic and hospitality settings
- Practical matters and getting things done — the sister who worked; petitioned for the energy and authority to handle what needs handling
How to Work This Candle
Be clear and be specific — Santa Marta responds to precision. Write your petition naming exactly who or what you need to dominate: the person’s full name if you have it, the situation in detail, the outcome you require. Do not be vague. She tamed a dragon; she can handle specifics. Place the petition beneath the candle. Dress the top of the glass with Santa Martha oil, Commanding oil, or Bend Over oil the classic domination blend of the hoodoo tradition. Her colors are green and white, sometimes with red; her image shows her with the tamed dragon at her feet and the girdle in her hand. In some traditions, a length of cord or ribbon is tied around the candle as a symbol of binding — the same way Martha bound the Tarasque. Her feast day is July 29th. Light the candle with the calm authority of a woman who has already tamed the dragon. The situation you are facing is smaller than that. She knows it. Now you do too.
Each candle is approximately 8 inches tall and burns for up to 7 days.
