Candle Magick is one of the easiest and most effective ways to honor your Higher Power, call your Corners, meditate, change the energy of a space, cast a spell, contact your Spirit Guides, or simply set the mood for a ritual. It can also be used for Divination.

Candle Magick, (whether called that or not) crosses nearly all cultures and religions. It is found in Wicca, Neopagan, Southern Hoodoo, Voudoun, Judaism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christian Traditions. Candle uses are many and varied, and there are many wonderful books written that go into great detail. This Guide is meant to cover the basics of candle burning as a Magickal tool. For more detailed information, I recommend getting a book written for your particular purpose or Tradition. If you need a recommendation, just email-I am happy to help!

All that basic Candle Magick requires is a candle and your will to make it work. It can take 7 minutes or 7 days to work full candle burning rituals, and candle burning Magick is very easy to do! There are as many ways to do a candle burning spell or ritual as there are people who do them. They are charming and simple, and can stand alone or be a small part of a larger, more elaborate undertaking.

The first step in creating your personal candle ritual is choosing your candle. Any size or shape candle will work, but it should be a “virgin” candle-that is, one that has never been used. I recommend keeping a good selection of different candles on hand in a special cabinet or box reserved for your Magickal use-grabbing the leftover one from last nights dinner really is not the best way to approach things!

A few suggestions:
•       4 inch or 6 inch chime candles, and small tapers-suitable for any ritual
•       Seven knob candles-burn one knob a day while focusing on your intent.
•       Skull candles-uncrossings, bring clarity, love
•       Human figure candles-sympathetic magick (love spells and healing)
•       Witch candles-luck
•       Seven African Powers candles-prayer and devotion, meditation
•       Cross candles-psychic work and protection
•       Cat candles-luck  and reversing spells
•       Mummy candles-uncrossing, jinx removing, repel dark forces
•       Devil candles-repel dark forces, reverse spells

Before doing any sort of candle burning ritual, I cleanse the space in which I will be working. This can be my outdoor altar, a windowsill, or a temporary space consecrated for Magickal use. Sage smoke or a Mugwort wash is a great way to do this. I then set out my tools. These can vary greatly by person or ritual being performed, and might include a candle, candleholder, incense burner, incense, candle scribe, parchment paper, sea salt, oils, herbs or other items.

Once you have your work space ready, cleanse your candle. Physical cleansing can be accomplished once again with the Mugwort wash or even rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball. Gently rub your cleansing solution upwards around the candle, envisioning any impurities and negative energy moving up and out the top of the candle. Then take your athame or finger and lightly trace a banishing pentacle, envisioning white light shooting into the candle to remove negativity or impurity. To make a Banishing Pentacle, start at the lower left corner, move to the top point, down to the lower right point, up to upper left, across to the upper right, down to the lower left, and circle it counter clockwise.

Next, empower your candle….all Magick is based on willpower and intent, so set your purpose in your mind, and focus on it while you are charging your candle. Everyone approaches this differently, but a good way to empower a Magickal object is to first, ground yourself by setting your feet firmly on the ground and feel your connection to the Earth.
Draw your power from the Earth and Air around you. If you only set your will from your own internal power source, the Magick will be limited. There is far more power in the elements around is than there is within! Hold the candle in your hand (I prefer my left hand, my “non-working/writing” hand) and focus your energy on the purpose of your candle Magick.

Once you have fully empowered the candle, trace an invoking pentacle with your athame or finger. The invoking pentacle is the exact reverse of the banishing pentacle: Start at the top point, move to the lower left corner, up to upper right, across to upper left corner, down to lower right, up to the point, and make a clockwise circle. You now can inscribe your candle with words, sigils, runes, or whatever you need to carve to fit the purpose of your ritual.

It is now time to seal your candle. Keep your focus on your intent, and rub the oil that matches the purpose of the candle ritual along the candle. Rub the herb or resin that matches the intent into the carving (only a pinch is needed of herb, and a drop or two of oil-you do not want it all to catch fire!)
To seal in the focus and intent, after you have finished  your spell or ritual, repeat aloud ; “This spell is set, three times three, as I will, so mote it be.” Clap your hands to seal the Magickal intent and break any cords of energy leading from your hands to the candle. Finish your ritual in whatever way you choose with the lighting of the candle and whatever else it requires.

EXAMPLE: This is simply my way of doing a basic candle spell. It works for me, but yours may be very different. When you find a way that works, use it!

After setting out my tools, cleansing, charging, inscribing and anointing the candle, I light a tea light candle with a match. I have a supply of clamshells that I use as candleholders. Once the tealight has enough melted wax (usually only takes a minute or so), I drip a tiny bit of the melted wax into the shell. I set my spell/ritual candle into the melted wax quickly, which holds the spell candle nicely in place.

I am of the mind that it is an affront to a Magickal candle to take a lighter and melt the bottom of it to make it fit in a holder or stick to a shell! I prefer the 4 or 6 inch chime type candles for spellwork-easy to use and just right for inscribing.

I then add a few teaspoons of sea salt that have been mixed with the proper herbs or oils in the base of the shell (you will see why this is useful in a moment). I light the incense stick I have chosen that matches the purpose of my ritual from the tealight, then light the candle with the incense stick. I wave the incense stick lightly over the candle to extinguish the flame and let it begin to smolder, placing it in a ritual incense holder near to the candle. If I have written a spell on parchment, I often fold it small and put it under the sea salt, to “set” the spell in the candle. Be careful when doing this-you do not want it to catch on fire as the candle burns down! I then finish my ritual, and then go about my business.

After the candle has burned down, I have a nice little neat package….the wax and wick have melted into the sea salt, so the whole spell is contained in the clamshell! I then place the cooled wax, wick, and salt all contained in the shell in my garden near my outdoor altar. The Winds carry my intent out to the Universe, and the seashells around my roses and outdoor altar are a tribute to the Goddess. Being a Pisces, I am highly connected to Water elements anyway, and the shells are a source of comfort and beauty to me.
 

Again, this is simply my way….I encourage you to find your own way of working your Candle Magick!

Blessed Be,
Mama C