Learn how you can use this ancient art form and spellwork to enhance your life. Remember, we provide the tools, but only you can do the magick.
Beginner’s Guide to Candle Magick
Used in a variety of religious and spiritual traditions over many, many centuries, there’s something particularly unique about the dance of the flame and pull of the wick. When it comes to candle magick, you’re tapping into an ancient source of power – but manifesting that power essentially comes down to one thing: your intention.
At the brick-and-mortar Enchantments store, you’ve probably noticed us carving spell candles for customers in the back area, surrounded by blended oils, hand-mixed incense, and an assortment of witchy tools. And we get a lot of the same questions surrounding this topic, so we decided to write the basics here to help guide you in your own practice.
If you've purchased a candle from us here's a basic outline for what to do:
1) Take a sea salt bath to cleanse your energy.
2) Raise your energy (you can do this by chanting, dancing, singing, praying, meditating – it's entirely up to you because it's your practice).
3) Focus your intention and be specific as possible.
4) Light the candle.
5) The candle will burn for 5-7 days straight. If you put out the flame, simply re-focus your intention when you light it again.
6) When the candle gets towards the end, set the glass in a small dish of cool water to protect it from cracking/overheating.
7) Recycle the glass when the flame goes out. Your spell is complete.
Whether you’re a newcomer to the world of candle magic or a seasoned practitioner with many burnt wicks in your tool kit, here are three more things you need to know.
How does candle magic work?
Anyone can do candle magic. The only supplies you really need are a candle and a match or lighter (some spellbooks, however, recommend you only use a lighter when doing magic). The rest is up to you to customize: you can add herbs to your candle, add essential oils, carve sigils or symbols, or personalize it with your name and star sign, etc.
One veteran witch at the shop, Coleman, uses a great analogy when describing candle spells to customers. “It’s like we’re Betty Crocker and we put together all the ingredients together for you. But you have to go home and actually bake the cake.”
Some people like to dance, sing, chant, or write down their intention before lighting the candle. Remember, magic is an individual practice so the more personalized the better. It’s a conversation between your higher self and the Universe (or deity if you work with various Gods and Goddesses). No one can truly tell you the “right” or “wrong” way to do a candle spell. What you send out
will come back three folds, so if your intentions are pure and focused, you’ll reap the outcome either way.
For specific herbs and their magical uses, try Scott Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs.
What’s the “most powerful spell”?
A lot of people tend to ask this question when they come into the shop. And we always say the same thing: It’s not about which one is more powerful, it’s about which one resonates with you the most, according to your needs, energy, and will.
It all comes down to your intention. The more specific and focused your intention the more “powerful” the spell – but there’s no one spell that’s more powerful than another.
Manipulative Magic vs Empowerment Magic, or the difference between “I want to invite new love into my life” and “I want him/her/them to come back to me.”
Here’s the thing: anytime you impose your will directly on someone else and force them to do something is considered manipulative or black magic. We don’t do that. And we won’t help you do that either.
Our candle spells are meant to empower – not manipulate. One of the first rules in all magical work is “Do what thou wilt, but harm none.”
The difference between inviting new love in your life and forcing an old ex to come staggering back to your front door is big one – one spell uses your own energies to shape/craft your own path and create room for new love in your life and the latter is a way of forcing someone else to act against their will (i.e. harming). So, yeah, the difference is big.
But don’t worry – it’s easy to feel confused after a breakup or series of painful life events. It’s infinitely better to refocus/ convert/ retune that negative energy and turn it into positive magic for to better your own life (and yes, you have the power within you to do that). After all, change begins with you.
When it comes to love, we have several candle spells to assist you in your journey: Love Uncrossing, Key to the Heart, Empress, Catch a New Love, Love & Happiness, Love Ouanga, Love Healing, and more. We also use custom-blended incense and oils tailored to your specific love needs (e.g. Love Success oil, Love Healing oil, Love Uncrossing incense, Happiness incense, Aphrodite incense, Goddess of Love oil, etc.).
Check out the History of the Fire Element here.