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When we think of magic, often the simplest of tools are overlooked. Candles are magical not because they are sacrosanct, but because they are accessible. Most everyone can get their hands on one.

Practicing the art of candle magic is easy. There are a few guidelines around setting your inentions and how you light and extinguish the candle. You can incorporate other magical elements into your candle ceremony, such as runes, herbs, or oils. Candles marry the power of fire with the frequency of color into a profound practice that can move your life in the direction you wish it to go.

Together we’ll learn all about candle magic, and discover the nuances of the tools and colors surrounding this ancient practice. At the end of the article is a simple candle ritual you can try at home. Let’s get started, shall we?

What is Candle Magic?

I was sitting in a dark clay room, with a small candle lit in front of me. The shaman I had traveled to Mexico to study with had us sitting in a circle, each with our own little flame before us. He instructed us to focus on the flame with half-closed eyes, and notice our breathing. In. Out. In. Out. I struggled to keep my concentration on this movement. In. Out. In. Out. After at least 30 minutes of this, I brought the flame into full focus. A pervasive peace settled into my body, and my mind was at rest. The flame expanded, becoming a light within my mind, completely filling my awareness. The flame and I were one. This was the my first experience with candle magic, and it served as my portal into the art of conscious dreaming.

Often used for divination, sending out prayers, and honoring certain deities or ancestors, candle magic is an intuitive and ancient practice that is easy to access. The first candles were reeds or stalks of plants dipped in animal fat and lit like a torch. Over time, paper and tallow or natural waxes were used to create simple home candles. During the Tang dynasty, records show the Chinese making the first beeswax candles. The Romans are credited with making the first wicked candles, but this is under debate as some believe the Chinese discovered this as well. In the 18th century, the boom of the whaling industry led to most common households utilizing whale fat to light their homes. By the 1850’s paraffin wax was created, and to this day is the most common ingredient in candle making.

Candle magic is one of the most universal practices, finding its way into most mainstream religions as well as many indigenous & animistic traditions throughout the world. For modern-day pagans, the art of candle magic is central to most ceremonies. It brings in the element of fire in a way that, with deep intention & concentration, can produce an altered state of mind useful for achieving one’s magical purposes.

Herbal Candle Magic

For herbalists, incorporating dried herbs or herbal oils into your candle magic can amplify the energy of your spell or divination. In Earth Power, Scott Cunningham suggests mixing three herbs and sprinkling them around the base of your candle and in the melted wax if possible. You can also anoint your candle in an herbal oil, invoking a sweet scent and the power of the herb. He states that when in doubt, “…use Rosemary. This herb…is one of the most-used magical herbs, for its powers can be utilized for nearly every magical need” (pg. 113).

Here’s a list of other herbs you can try incorporating into your magical rituals:

Cinnamon: business, divination, healing
Angelica Root: purifying, healing, protection, fertility
Bay: prophecy, happiness, protection
Cedar: purifying, enhance psychic powers, strength
Chamomile: money, love, purification
Pine: purify, healing, joy, send spells back to the sender
Rose: love, grief, ancestors, fertility, sensuality & sex
Coltsfoot: love, peace, invoke goddess Brigid
Violet: emotional peace, rest, love, protection
Clove: mental powers, ward off illness, money

I could go on for days, and the reality of plant magick is the most perfect plants for you to use are the ones growing around you, calling you in. If you want to learn more about the traditional magical uses of herbs, check out my Learn More section down below with book recommendations on this topic.

Runes & symbols in Candle magic

Another powerful way to amplify your candle magic is to carve runes and symbols into your candle before lighting it. You can also write a symbol or rune onto a small piece of paper and place it under your candle holder or burned in the flame. Finding runes or symbols from your ancestral traditions will be the most profound way to use this magic, and we as humans have a rich history of symbology worldwide.

The symbols I am most familiar with are the Elder Futhark runes and the Ogham alphabet. The runic language Elder Futhark is a Germanic written language, developed sometime around the 1st century and used throughout the Nordic & Germanic regions for centuries. The Ogham alphabet was created by Gaulish Druids and spread throughout Western Europe and the British isles around the turn of the first century as well. Keep in mind that the concept of the Ogham as an ancient Celtic tree alphabet was likely invented by American wiccans in the 1970’s, and while fine for divination, is not an ancient practice. The original Ogham alphabet served a practical purpose, and like all things in ancient magic the practical and the magical were interwoven throughout everyday life in such a way that to separate one from the other would have made no sense to the ancient people from which we derive these practices.

The most important thing to remember when working with magic is that whatever you put out into the world comes back to you three times! Consider your intentions well.

Candle Color Meanings

Candles marry light and color, and the color of the candle used imparts magical meaning and strengthens the work that you are doing. You can choose colors intuitively, but having some understanding around the traditional meaning of certain colors is helpful for safety and focus. One tradition that bears mentioning is to counter-balance a black candle with a white candle when doing divination, as black candles represent the void and have a deep attracting energy that can bring in unwanted negative energies into your psychic space.

Here’s an overview of some color associations that might prove useful for focusing your magic into a specific area or intention.

Green: healing, money, abundance, health, fertility, plant magic, earth magic
White: protection, peace, truth, lunar magic, new beginnings, purity, divination
Pink: love, emotions, friendships, harmony, empathy, emotional healing
Yellow: clarity of mind, sun energy, divination, learning, intellectual pursuits
Red: sex, love, passion, energy, courage, willpower, strength, determination
Purple: power, radical healing, enhancing psychic ability, wisdom, secrets, ancient knowledge
Blue: healing, meditation, tranquility, communication, speaking up, water element, truth
Orange: strength, courage, authority, attraction, career, legal matters, joy
Black: dispelling unwanted energy, ending unhealthy patterns or relationships, protection, unblocking stuck energy
Brown: the physical, earth medicine, animals, home, grounding, trust, access animal/plant guides

Try not to get too attached to the perfect candle color. Oftentimes in the herb store I work in, people come in looking for a candles of a certain color and become completely undone if we don’t have it in stock. The most powerful factor in your ritual or ceremony is YOU, and channeling the tradition of the ancients of using what is available and abundant is the most important principle of all.

A Candle Magic Ritual

Working with candle magic can be as simple as the meditation I described earlier. There are some basic principles of candle magic that should always be followed when engaging in this practice. The first is common sense: place your candle in a heatproof non-flammable holder in such a way that there is no way it can fall over. Remove all flammable bits around the candle so you don’t get an extra spicy ritual that results in your house burning down. Typically in candle magic, the flame is allowed to burn until the candle goes out naturally. If you need to put it out before this happens, be sure to snuff it with your finger or a snuffer, do not blow it out.

Here’s an easy candle ritual that you can tweak to your purposes and the time of year. Utilizing the lunar cycle or sacred days from your cultural traditions can be very fun, but any time and any place that you can fully focus and relax is wonderful.

Create a beautiful space to place your candle in its holder. For added protection add stones or other magical items. This is a good time to burn herbs to clear energy if you enjoy doing so. Turn all other lights off.
Settle yourself before the altar you’ve made, and take take at least three deep breaths, setting clearly in your mind your intention for the ritual. If you wish to add herbs or symbols to your ceremony, do so now.
Light your match or lighter, hold it up in the air and bring it down slowly, lighting your candle or candles. If using a match, do not blow it out but snuff it out safely.
Sit or lie down before your candle, allowing your gaze to soften as you observe the flame. Trust your intention and do your best to think only of the flame and your breath.
Remain here for as long as you can, ideally until the candle burns out on its own. If you extinguish the flame, do so with your finger or a flame-resistant object.
To complete your ritual, thank the fire and any guides that accompanied you on your journey.
Slowly ground, wiggling your fingers and toes, rubbing your arms and legs; have a grounding snack and a refreshing drink.
Jot down any insights or inspiration into your journal, so they don’t get lost to the wind.
Move on, and do not ruminate on your intention. Trust that it is so, and patiently wait for it to come to fruition.

Tada! Magic really is as simple as that. If you have any stories, questions, or thoughts about candle magic, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below! What you have to say just might be the spark that ignites another person’s fire.

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Thanks for reading, Green Blessings!

Learn More

If you want to dive more deeply into the art of candle magic, these are books that I have either found useful for information or are on my wish list!

Practical Candle Magic: Witchcraft with Wick & Wax

By: Rachel Patterson

learn more

Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs

By: Scott Cunningham

learn more

Witch’s Book of Candle Magic

By: Cerridwen Greenleaf

learn more

Sources

Earth Power by Scott Cunningham
A Druid’s Herbal by Ellen Evert Hopman
Tradition, History, and Development of Candles — Waxmelters
Your Guide To The Different Candle Color Meanings — Pagan Grimoire
Candle Magic 101 — Enlighten

This information is of an educational and general nature and should not be construed as legal advice. You should consult appropriate written and professional sources to answer questions related to your individual situation. Exercising one's rights often entails some element of risk, and you should verify all information relevant to your situation before acting; the author and publisher disclaim any responsibility or liability for any loss incurred as a consequence of the use of any information herein.

How To Practice Candle Magic