Candle Making for Candle Magic: 7 Tips for Beginners and Advanced Practitioners

Irrevocably intertwined with the image of witchcraft, candle magic calls to mind all the allure of a classic ritual in cold, full moonlight.

A flaming chorus of smoldering white pillars dripping wax on an altar loaded with esoteric gemstones and a gigantic, leather-bound tome has so solidified itself in popular imagination, it’s all but a pagan Pinterest cliche.

Of course, the convenience of pre-made candles makes a quick, last minute ritual possible, especially when juggling family, work and fun.

But for your ultra-special magical projects, nothing beats the personal touch of a handmade or modified candle.

There are tons of tutorials on making every variety of candle, from ice candles to milk carton candles to using elaborate molds and crafty touches.

The article below is intended to help you select your materials to match your intent. So take this ideas and apply them to almost any candle-making tutorial.

Choose an Appropriate Color

For beginners: Work with single colors at first. Learn their moods.

Just as a painter begins by working with primary colors before learning to blend custom hues, taking it one color at a time gives you a chance to isolate the energy and vibration.

Start by applying the basics of color magic to candle magic.

For advanced practitioners: Try designing spells with custom color blends.

For example, use red and yellow candles to conjure summer love, or blue and green to encourage a calm mind in money matters. Use one candle of each color, or make your own spell candle and blend the colors into one candle. Try this marble swirl technique.

Choose an Appropriate Scent

For beginners: Always try to find candles with natural materials and ingredients. Choose or make a candle scented with essential oils or herbs. Or, if they seem too expensive, simply purchase an unscented version and roll them in your own oils and herbs.

For advanced practitioners: Make the most of your deep knowledge of herbalism by working with local, hand-gathered or wild-crafted herbs from your nature walks. The closer to the earth, the better!

Incorporate gathered materials into your candle-making process any way you want to. Grind them in a mortar and pedestal, steep them in oils or ring the base with them during ritual.

Choose an Appropriate Wax

For beginners: Choose a natural wax appropriate for your project. Consider practical things first, like whether the wax works better for pillars or container candles.

But also consider incorporating the wax’s magical properties. For example, beeswax smells like summer and makes lovely altar candles for Litha.

Or, try bayberry wax for winter rituals!

For the advanced practitioner: Go to the source by visiting a local bee farm to learn about the process of farming beeswax for candles.

Ask questions about the natural variations in wax, how to choose high quality wax and the best way to source it for your project.

Choose an Appropriate Shape

For the beginner: Working with molds is a challenging project for a beginner.

Fancy, witchcraft-oriented molds certainly exist. They’re out there, and you can buy them. But you don’t necessarily need witchcraft-specific mold in order to incorporate shape and form into your candle.

For example, a standard cube candle from a beginner’s milk carton mold symbolizes solidarity, a firm foundation and rational thought—all perfect qualities for a financial or career spell.

For the advanced practitioner:  Get fun and creative by choosing increasingly more challenging shapes to work with. The more energy and attention you put into your spell candle the better.

And yes, the energy for correcting mistakes counts!

As you get better, you can even design your own custom molds and bring to life a vision not yet thought. Bonus points if you start selling them on Etsy!

Enchant Your Wick

For the beginner: Try anchoring your wick with a gemstone that correlates with your spell. Anchor a wick for a love spell candle with rose quartz, or a candle for tranquility in the home with a piece of lapis lazuli.

For the advanced practitioner: Challenge yourself by working with more advanced wicking techniques, like using wooden candle wicks (<—-affiliate link) to add an earthy, smokey vibe to your spell candles.

Decorate

For the beginner: Keep it simple to start. Some easy ideas include:

-Carving symbols in your candle that mean something to you or your ritual.

-Stenciling a pillar candle with a Tree of Life, Celtic knots or symbols from your tradition.

-Tying dried flowers or herbs on jar candles with rough twine for rustic look.

For the advanced practitioner: So many possibilities!

-Press fresh herbs into the sides of pillar candle. Then, coat lightly with melted wax to seal them in.

-Soften the surface of your candle. Then, embed rhinestone detailing in the sides in meaningful patterns.

-Draw on detailed mandalas.

Anoint Your Candle

For the beginner: Before ritual use, coat your fingers in a natural oil (like olive, coconut or jojoba oil) and gently stroke the sides of your candle until lightly coated.

For the advanced practitioner: Customize your anointing oil with an appropriate essential oil, blend of essential oils, or by steeping ritually-appropriate herbs in a base oil (like olive, coconut or jojoba oil).