Candle Magick

To make your own candles, please see the previous post. This particular post will teach you how to use candles, but it is up to you as to whether you wish to make your own (which creates stronger magick) or simply use a store bought candle.

I highly recommend one of my earliest learning sources:  Lucky Mojo's Candle Magick article. But I feel that there is much more to add to what you can learn there.

CHOOSING & ENHANCING YOUR CANDLE(S)

If you choose to use a store bought candle, it's recommended that you "cleanse" it from any taint passed on to it in the making or selling of the candle. After all, other people have handled that candle and may have had other intents for it. It's up to you to make that candle yours and dedicate it properly.  So if you are planning on using a purchased candle, pass it through sage smoke or burn some sandalwood or rose incense and pass it through that as you pray over it and dedicate it to your purpose.

Now that you know how to make your own candle, consider adding to it.  For a great list of magickal herbs and their uses, go to Teen Witch Herbs. Some examples include:

Love (PINK or RED): Add ground up rose petals, basil, and / or cardamom
Healing or Peace (BLUE): Add dried camomile
Money (GREEN): Add rue and / or rosemary, and anise never hurts (it's an enhancer)
Ending a Curse or Jinx or reversing bad luck (BLACK): Add hot pepper, sea salt, and a pinch of graveyard dirt (to "bury" the curse)

Sometimes adding additional ingredients makes the candle burn poorly. Here's an example of one of mine that went wrong today. I had added hot pepper seeds, smoked sea salt, and graveyard dirt and it caused the candle to burn too rapidly:

DRESSING THE CANDLE(S)

Therefore, if you wish to skip adding something to the candle, consider annointing it, instead. You can purchase various oils from Wiccan shops, or you can make your own by combine the herbs you wish with a little oil and spreading the mixture on your candle.  Pray over the candle as you do this, and as you pray, be positive! Don't dwell on the negative: Be grateful and expect that your prayers will be answered.

If your candle is a jar candle, add a few drops of oil to the top of the wax as you pray over your candle.

MARKING THE CANDLE(S)

For most spells, take a knife or sharp pair of scissors and write what you desire on the candles. Add your name to it if it's a positive spell (such as a request for love, money, etc.)  If it's a spell to counteract negativity and you are using a black candle, I recommend that you write the name(s) of your enemies backwards on the candle, if you can. If you don't know the name(s) of your enemies, just write the word "ENEMY" or "ENEMIES". You could also write "BAD LUCK" or "JINX" if you're trying to end a run of bad luck.

If you're using a jar candle, write on the outside with a permanent marker. I also print my own paper labels and glue them to the jar - I've seen warnings that this can be flammable, but I've never had a problem with it in any way.  You can also enhance them by gluing pictures or illustrations to the outside of the jar to remind you of what you're praying for.

You can choose to write in your own language, or you can mark your candle with runes.  For a wonderful list of runes, go to Serena's Guide to Runes.

PRAYING OVER YOUR CANDLE(S)

I believe in always lighting a white candle along with the others. It signals purity, and is a great reminder to thank God for what blessings he's already sent your way. It also reminds you to get your heart right before you move forward.

Start by praying over the white candle, then move to the next one(s). Pray for what each one signifies. Some people are content to pray once and leave the candles burning for the next 3 or more hours, periodically returning to them to pray more.  I prefer to start out by praying 7 times over each candle (which is relatively common) and then refreshing my prayers as time goes by.

SNUFFING THE CANDLE(S)

It is commonly believed that you should always snuff out a candle rather than blow it out. Snuffing it out will allow the spell to continue, but blowing it out signifies the end. Of course I don't believe this is a hard-and-fast rule and if you accidentally blow it out, just light it once more and pray over it again!  God understands - He is all-wise and all-powerful and hardly rigid, or he wouldn't have made and loved US!


DISPOSING OF THE CANDLE(S)

When your candle has reached the end of it's life, you can simply dispose of it in the garbage. I've sometimes heard it recommended that you bury it, but I find that to be completely impractical and most Wiccans agree with me, from what I can discover. With the amount of candles that I burn, my backyard would look as if it had a colony of prairie dogs!

A WORD ABOUT RECYCLING

Although recycling is good for many things, you cannot recycle a spell candle into a new one. Start fresh: You don't want former karma or associations to travel with you.

WARNING

Of course only idiots need to be told to never leave a burning candle unattended, but as I'm sure an idiot might meander by this blog, let me emphasize this!