The Lowdown on Candle Magick

Candle magick is a very basic form of spellwork. The essential idea is to charge a candle with a specific intent, using a much or as little ceremony as you're comfortable doing, and then burning it all of the way down to activate the spell's energy and send the magick out to do your will.  It's very easy and powerful.

Any candle will work! I have used birthday candles with great results, but chime candles, votives, tea lights, pillars and tapers work as well. Try to choose a color that corresponds to your intention (red or pink for love, green for money, ect) but white is universal. I also try to pick a manageable size if I intend to burn it all in one go. (You can, however, burn in increments; just use safe practices! Also, many traditions say not to blow out the candle --use a candle snuffer instead -- so that part is up to you!) I will generally opt for votives or chimes, since there is plenty of surface area but not overly -long burn times.

Why did I mention surface area? For two reasons: sigils, and dressing & dusting. Allow me to address sigils first. A sigil is a personal sign created for and charged with your intention. There are many excellent free resources to get you started with creating them. The easiest method is to write out your intention as a simple statement, cross out vowels and repeat letters, then rearrange the forms and shapes of the remaining letters until you like what you see. I charge mine by visualization and energy. You choose your method! Why do you need a sigil carved into the candle? It's not necessarily a "must," but it sure adds more punch to the spell! Once you've carved the sigil into the candle, it's a good practice to hold it for a while. If you're drawing or attracting with your spell, roll the candle towards you. Do the opposite for banishment work. This begins to create the flow of energy for the spell.

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Next, it's generally best practices to dress and dust your candle. This means that you'll annoint it with an oil and roll it through herbs/spices/ect that match your intention. I like to blend my own oils, but you can buy great ones on Etsy or another retailer. Sun's Eye makes great ones, and they're on Amazon. Again, if you do this step, be conscious of directionality! Rub the oil root to tip for attraction energy, or tip to root for banishment. I usually sprinkle my "dust" on a plate or piece of foil; it helps mitigate mess. Roll the candle (remember directionality!) through the "dust" and you're ready to burn. Or, you can choose to wait. I once let a love spell "marinate" through a full moon cycle and when I burnt it on the following full.moon... WOW. Also, be aware that because of the herbs and oils, the candle flames may do some cool things. It's EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to use SAFETY AT ALL TIMES, because herbs bits combined with magick can be relatively explosive! There are many resources on the internet for interpreting the flame. I read them and use my gut.

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You can also burn the candle on a day that corresponds to your intention (for example, burn a love spell on a Friday), or as soon as you like. Use safe burning practices AT ALL TIMES (I put mine on an old cookie sheet). You can choose to use as much ritual or ceremony as you like. I always speak my intention aloud before lighting up, and express gratitude after. Once the candle is spent, the spell is fully activated.

​It can also be useful to examine the wax before discarding or re-purposing it. It's a bit like seeing the man in the moon... The shapes and forms that the wax takes can tell you about the success you achieved with the spell.  Again, remember to allow the candle to burn down and out by itself. This ensures that the magick is worked with intention, but also in a way that naturally flows with the Universe. Below is a sample candle magick spell for you to try; safe spellwork and happy blessings!

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Clear Communication Spell

White or blue candle
Carving tool (I use a manicurist's dotting tool)
Paper & pen
Oil of choice (self-blend: safflower or other oil with sage & eucalyptus essential oils)
Mugwart for insight & vision
Sage for clarity and anti-negativity
Rosemary for good memory
Hawthorn for courage to speak your heart
* If you're trying to sweeten up communication, add sugar!

Directions:
Use the pen and paper to write your statement of intent, such as: "I have clear communication with my coworkers." If we cross out all vowels and repeat letters, we are left with: h, v, l, k & s. They consist of vertical lines, angles, and curves. Play with arranging the lines, curves, and angles until you have a symbol that represents the intention; this is your sigil. Using your tool, carves the sigil into the candle. (Don't fret if it's not perfect.) Spend some time holding the candle, sending energy into it through your hands and sigil. Then put some annointing oil on your hands, and rub it all over the candle (remember directionality!). Set the candle down on a protected surface. Wash your hands. Sprinkle the herbs (a little goes a long way) on a plate or something similar, and roll the candle on its side through them. The idea is that the oil allows the herbs to stick to the candle so that they lend their magick to yours. Roll towards you to draw good, clear communication your way! Now, you can let the candle sit until you wish to burn it, such as before a big meeting at work or on a Wednesday for Oden/Mercury. Or, burn it right away with whatever ritual or ceremony you wish. Be sure to say thank you when it burns out!

If you wish to read the wax, look for shapes and symbols appearing in the wax pools, puddles and waves. You may see couples embracing, hearts, entities, faces... I once saw a duck! These symbols have the same meanings in wax as they do in dreams or divine messages. For example, if you do this Clear Communication Spell, and you see lots of figures touching, that's probably a good omen! But if they're leaning away from each other, you may need to do more work. If there appears to be figures that have larger  ones looming over them, that could mean that someone is spying or interfering!
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If you read this, and do a candle magick spell of your own... Post it on Instagram and tag both Silfren Circle and me! We can use the hashtag #myfirstcandlemagick and support each other. Comment "Blessed be!" or " It is so! " to enforce each other's magick!
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Blessings and Magick,
Witchwriter                                                                                                                Author: Witchwriter of Silfren Circle

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