Candle Magic: A Beginner’s Guide to the Basics

Candle magic is one of the oldest forms of witchcraft.

It’s also among the most accessible and affordable for people new to the art of the Craft.

With so many sizes, shapes, scents and colors, candles offer an infinite variety of choices to accommodate almost any spell.

Let’s take a look at how to incorporate this lovely, timeless magical tool.

Candles & Spirituality

Ancient Romans made candles from beef fat as early as 500 BC.  The Chinese used whale fat to make them just a few hundred years later.

And by the Middle Ages, Europeans considered candlemakers artisans. 

Slowly, candles evolved from a purely practical item that provided light to a spiritual item used in religions around the world.

In Buddhism, the candle symbolizes the impermanence of all things.   Christianity uses candles to represent the light of Christ.  

Wiccans light candles on the holiday of Imbolc to honor the return of the sun’s light.

In other forms of modern witchcraft, practitioners often incorporate candles for their symbolic colors, scents, shapes and the variety of ways to customize them according to the spell’s purpose.

Choosing Candles 

The very best candle to use in witchcraft is the spell candle you make yourself.

Making a candle from scratch allows you to customize the scent, shape, color and material you use, as well as impart your personal energy. 

It’s also a dreamy, meditative process that helps you to focus your intention.

However, if you have neither the time nor the will to make your spell candles from scratch, no judgement!  There are still lots of ways to customize store-bought candles for your spell’s purpose.

Love

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If you plan to use spell craft to attract love into your life, a candle spell is a go-to for many witches.

Color:  Pink or red are traditional colors for the love spell candle, with pink being geared towards softer, more long-term love, and red more appropriate for passion and fast-burning love.

Scent/Herbs:  Anoint love spell candles with cinnamon, rose and vanilla essential oils.

Symbols:  Carve any symbol that represents love to you—hearts or roses, for example–into a love spell candle.

Simple Love Candle Spell

On the night of the full moon, anoint a pink or red candle with vanilla essential oil.  Carve a love symbol into the candle, along with your birthdate or a symbol of your sun sign.

Surround the candle with dried rose petals.  Burn the candle.  Look into the flame and visualize love arriving into your life.

Extinguish, leave the candle on the altar, and repeat as necessary, changing out the rose petals to periodically revive the energy.

Abundance and Success

Abundance candle magic targets your worldly and material success.  Money-drawing and career spells are both forms of abundance magic.

Color:  Green or metallic gold.

Scent/herbs:  Patchouli or other earthy herbs and oils make a traditional choice for abundance magic.

Symbols:  Choose a symbol that represents your goal.  A dollar sign for increased wealth, or the logo of a company you want to work for, for example.

Simple Abundance Spell

On the first night of the waxing moon, surround your abundance candle with a handful of pennies.

Burn the candle for one minute each night until the full moon, visualizing your prosperity growing.  

Use the spell as a support for your more mundane efforts during the day, such as organizing your debt or submitting your resume.

Healing

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Healing candle magic serves to close emotional and spiritual wounds after a period of recovery.

Color:  Blue, white or pastel green candles work well for this type of spell.

Scent/herbs:  Rub lavender, lemongrass, eucalyptus or other soothing essential oil on a healing candle.

Symbols:  Depictions of a universal goddess or water are nice symbols to carve into or incorporate into healing spells.

Simple Healing Candle Spell

On the night of the waxing moon, draw a ritual bath.  Add whatever essential oils, herbs or infusions to the water that feel appropriate to the situation.

Place your healing candle on the bathroom counter, and surround the base with eucalyptus leaves.  Light it.

As you bathe, imagine whatever remains of your heart sickness or spiritual distress seeping into the water.

Remain in the bathtub as the water drains, visualizing your despair going with the water.

Repeat as necessary.

Psychic Awareness

Psychic awareness candle magic expands and enhances “second sight,” or your ability to see the invisible world around you.  Perfect for spirit communication, dream work and divination

Color:  Any shade of purple, lavender or violet.

Scent:  Lavender, mugwort or jasmine flowers.

Symbols:  An eye, a spiral or a triple moon.

Simple Psychic Awareness Candle Spell

On the night of the dark moon, place your candle on your bedroom dresser or other flat surface.  Surround the base with dried lavender and jasmine flowers.

Make sure to place any items you use in your psychic or dream work (such as your dream journal or deck of tarot cards) near the candle.

Before you go to bed, light the candle and meditate on the flame for at least a few minutes.   Feel the warmth of the candle awaking your Third Eye (the area between and just above your eyebrows).

Close your eyes and watch the residual light behind your eyelids, looking for any symbols or messages (as you would a scrying mirror).

Extinguish the candle complete.

Then, go to sleep and pay careful attention to your dreams. that night.

Banishing

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Banishing candle magic is the act of removing or banning a negative person, habit or thing in your life.

Color:  Black candles are a typical choice for a banishing spell.  If you’re not comfortable working with black candles for whatever reason, very deep purple or navy blue also work.

Scent/herbs:  Gently melt some wax and roll a stick candle in dried rosemary, clove or other protection herb for a banishing candle.

Symbols:  Carve an X symbol, along the name of the person, habit or thing you want to banish into your candle.

Simple Banishing Candle Spell

On the night of the waning moon, place a piece of paper with your target’s name written on it, or (even better) the person, place or thing you wish to banish underneath the base of your banishing candle.

Light the candle and visualize the target slowly receding away from you.  Watch them (or it) get smaller and smaller until they are a speck on the horizon, then disappearing completely.

Bury the rest of the candle somewhere far away from where you live.  Walk away and don’t look back.

Moody Moons School of Metaphysical Arts offers online courses in magical herbalism, beginning witchcraft, potion making and more!

Beginner's Guide to using candles in spells and magic. Candle magic for newbies.

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