Candle & Color Magic

One of the oldest and well known types of magic is Candle Magic. What I love most about Candle Magic is how versatile it is to be used for any situation or need. I’ve put together everything I know about Candle Magic to help you when crafting and creating your own spells, which are always the best kind.

Types of Candles:

• Taper Candles: Traditional candles typically used with glass or metal candlestick holders used exclusively for spell work. Great to use during formal rituals and a wonderful choice to represent the God and Goddess.
• Large Pillar Candles: Reserved for “big bang” spells, when you need to “go all out”, these candles are great when you are working a multi-day spell requiring a large amount of energy and intention.
• Votive Candles: These candles are great for those who do spell work regularly or spontaneously but often. They can also be used for 3 day spells and snuffed between uses.
• Tealight Candles: A thrifty option and easy to buy in bulk, these candles work great for the quick “one and done” spells. They’re a great option if you perform spell work multiple times a week or month.
• Beeswax Stick Candles: My personal favorite for performing any and all spell work. Between color options and flexibility they are the best option (in my opinion). Easy to anoint and dress, a short but effective burn time, and endless mixable options for those who like to get creative with their spell work.
• 7 Day Glass Jar Candles: The go to option for those needing magical results that build over time or need a lot of continuous energy. Typically used in spell work to remove curses, build prosperity, and aid with healing.

Candle Color Meanings:

• Black: Acceptance, Afterlife, Anger, Authority, Banishing, Beginnings, Binding, Black Magic, Boundaries, Challenges, Crone Magic, Crossroads, Death, Defense, Dignity, Divination, Dreamwork, Endings, Enmity, Fear, Fertility, Grief, Grounding, Hexes, Justice, Karma, Knowledge, Life, Limitations, Loss, Negativity, Nightmares, Protection, Psychic Abilities, Rebirth & Renewal, Release, Return to Sender, Revenge, Reversals, Secrets, Sleep, Spirituality, Transformation, Truth, Uncrossing, Underworld, Wisdom
• Blue: Angel Magic, Astral Travel, Business, Calming, Change, Communication, Confidence, Devotion, Dreamwork, Emotions, Fertility, Fidelity, Forgiveness, Freedom, Friendship, Guidance, Harmony, Home Blessing, Hope, Inspiration, Intuition, Justice, Loneliness, Loyalty, Luck, the Mind, Nightmares, Obstacles, Optimism, Order, Pregnancy & Childbirth, Patience, Peace, Problems, Prosperity, Protection, Purification, Purpose, Relationships, Skills, Sleep, Spirituality, Stress, Transformation, Truth, Visions, Well-Being, Wisdom
• Light Blue: Balance, Calm, Compassion, Creativity, Dedication, Devotion, Gentleness, Growth, Happiness, Harmony, Healing, Inspiration, Kindness, Patience, Peace, Prosperity, Well-Being
• Brown: Agriculture, Animal Magic, Balance, Beginnings, Concentration, Courage, Deceit, Decision Making, Family, Fear, Focus, Friendship, Grounding, Guidance, Healing, the Home, Honesty, Increase, Influence, Justice, Longevity, Loss, Money, Nurturing, Order, Problems, Protection of Familiars/Pets, Rebirth & Renewal, Stability, Success, Travel, Truth
• Gold: Abundance, Astral Travel, Attraction, Awareness, Beauty, Confidence, Connection with the Divine, Consciousness, Creativity, Dispelling Darkness, Divination, Friendship, Happiness, Healing, the Home, Illumination, Increase, Influence, Intuition, Knowledge, Light, Money, Power, Prosperity, Protection, Security, Solar Energy, Strength, Skills, Success, Wealth, Well-Being, Wisdom
• Gray: Authority, Balance, Challenges, Dreamwork, Endings, Energy, Imagination, Influence, Learning, Loneliness, Loss, Negativity, Otherworld, Patience, Peace, Problems, Psychic Protection, Quests, Secrets, Sorrow, Spirits, Stability, Visions, Wisdom
• Green: Abundance, Acceptance, Accomplishment, Action, Adaptability, Attraction, Balance, Banish, Beauty, Business, Challenges, Changes, Charity, Community, Compassion, Courage, Creativity, Deceit, Dragon Magic, Energy, Envy, Faery Magic, Faith, Favors, Fertility, Generosity, Goodness, Grounding, Harmony, Healing, the Home, Independence, Justice, Kindness, Life, Longevity, Love, Luck, Marriage, Money, Nature Spirits Magic, Nurture, Optimism, Peace, Prosperity, Protection, Rebirth & Renewal, Relationships, Self-Work, Sleep, Strength, Success, Sympathy, Trust, Wealth, Well-Being, Wisdom, Youth
• Orange: Abundance, Action, Adaptability, Affection, Ambition, Attraction, Authority, Balance, Beginnings, Business, Changes, Communication, Confidence, Control, Courage, Creativity, Discipline, Encouragement, Energy, Fear, Freedom, Goals, Goodness, Healing, the Home, Illumination, Intelligence, Justice, Kindness, Life, Luck, Memory, the Mind, Money, Needs, Optimism, Order, Pleasure, Power, Pride, Problems, Reconciliation, Relationship, Reversals, Stimulation, Strength, Success, Support, Transformation, Travel, Warmth, Well-Being
• Pink: Acceptance, Activation, Affection, Angel Magic, Anxiety, Attraction, Awakening, Balance, Beauty, Calm, Compassion, Creativity, Cycles, Emotions, Fidelity, Friendship, Generosity, Gentleness, Happiness, Harmony, Healing, Honor, Increase, Inspiration, Intuition, Life, Love, Marriage, Morality, Nurture, Passion, Peace, Romance, Security, Self-Work, Sensuality, Sorrow, Stress, Sympathy, Unity, Warmth, Well-Being, Youth
• Purple: Accomplishment, Astral Travel, Authority, Awareness, Banish, Blessings, Clairvoyance, Consciousness, Crone Magic, Dedication, Devotion, Dignity, Discipline, Divination, Emotions, Enlightenment, Freedom, Growth, Healing, the Home, Independence, Influence, Inspiration, Intelligence, Intuition, Justice, Luck, Manifestation, Negativity, Optimism, Passion, Power, Problems, Prophecy, Protection, Psychic Ability, Release, Security, Self-Worth, Sex Magic, Skills, Sorrow, Spirit Communication, Spirituality, Success, Transformation, Truth, Visions, Wealth, Wisdom
• Red: Action, Ambition, Anger, Assertiveness, Attachments, Battle/War, Changes, Concentration, Courage, Creativity, Crossroads, Danger, Death, Defensive Magic, Desire, Destruction, Determination, Emotions, Encouragement, Energy, Enmity, Fertility, Freedom, Guidance, Healing, Justice, Leadership, Life Vitality, Longevity, Love, Loyalty, Lust, Marriage, Messages & Omens, Motivation, Otherworld, Passion, Power, Pregnancy & Child Birth, Problems, Protection, Rebirth & Renewal, Relationships, Reversals, Romance, Sex Magic, Sexuality, Stimulation, Strength, Truth, Willpower, Wisdom, Wishes
• Silver: Ambition, Ancestor Communication, Astral Travel, Awareness, Beginnings, Challenges, Clairvoyance, Clarity, Consciousness, Creativity, Defense, Divination, Dreamwork, Enchantments, Energy, Fame, Healing, Influence, Insight, Inspiration, Intuition, Money, Moon Magic, Negativity, Power, Psychic Ability, Psychic Protection, Purification, Purity, Spirituality, Stability, Success
• White: Activation, Angel Magic, Astral Travel, Awakening, Balance, Battle & War, Beginnings, Blessings, Calm, Changes, Clarity, Compassion, Concentration, Consecration, Consciousness, Creativity, Death, Divination, Enchantments, Endings, Energy (Receptive), Enlightenment, Fidelity, Gratitude, Grounding, Guardian, Guidance, Happiness, Harmony, Healing, Higher Power, Hope, Innocence, Inspiration, Life, Light, Love, Moon Magic, Nightmares, Optimism, the Otherworld, Passion, Peace, Problems, Protection, Psychic Ability, Purification, Purity, Self-Work, Sex Magic, Sexuality, Spirits, Spirituality, Strength, Truth, Unity, Visions, Willpower
• Yellow/Natural Beeswax: Action, Astral Travel, Awareness, Changes, Cheerfulness, Clairvoyance, Clarity, Comfort, Communication, Community, Concentration, Consecration, Controlling Anger, Creativity, Deceit, Dedication, Devotion, Dreamwork, Energy (solar), Faith, Friendship, Gentleness, Grounding, Happiness, Higher Power, the Home, Imagination, Inspiration, Intelligence, Intuition, Knowledge, Learning, Light, Memory, the Mind, Nurturing, Optimism, Protection, Psychic Ability, Purification, Self-Work, Shyness, Skills, Spirit Contact, Stimulation, Support, Visions, Warmth, Willpower, Wisdom, Wishes
• **NOTE** White candles and natural beeswax candles can be programmed and used for any intention.

Carving, Anointing & Dressing Candles

Once you have set your intention, decided on your timing, and chosen your candle type and color, you can then choose what anointing oil and herb dressings to add to your candle(s), if you choose to use them. If you are working with a candle you may choose to first carve your intention into the candle, or a name, including your own name, or a single word or phrase associated with your intention. Examples: Happiness, Success, Return to Sender, Money, etc. If you are working with a jar candle you can write on the outside of the jar or write out your intentions (petition) on a sheet of paper and place your jar candle on top of or next to the paper. You may also choose to write or carve a pentacle or other symbols and/or runes into your candle, you can do this on the bottom of your candle or in the center.

Next select your corresponding anointing oil and herbs. You can anoint the candle by putting the oil in your hand and rolling the candle between your palms to raise energy or by simply using a finger to rub the oil on your candle. If your intention is to manifest something, anoint your candle from the top to the bottom of the candle to draw the manifestation inward. If your intention is to banish something, anoint your candle from the bottom to the top to send the energy away. There is also a school of thought that all candles should first be anointed from the middle of the candle up to the top, then from the middle to the bottom, I have been unable to get an explanation as to why this way would be done. If using a jar candle, using your finger to anoint the top of the candle works best.

Next you can roll the candle in the corresponding herbs, sprinkle them on top of your jar candle, to arrange them around the candle encircling it. If using a jar candle, hold the candle in your hands while focusing your energy and intention to infuse and empower the candle. Again, if not using a jar candle, this step can be done while rolling the candle between your palms and/or while anointing the candle with your chosen oil.

Ritual & Disposal of Candle Magic Remnants

Finally, prepare for your ritual and focus all your energy and intention, then light the candle. When doing candle magic, while the candle burns, it helps to meditate and focus on the feeling, emotions, and energy of the desired outcome of your spell work . If you have used any oils and herbs during your spell work be sure to thoroughly wash your hands, some herbs and oils are toxic and should not be ingested or linger on your skin too long. Do your research! Always stay with a burning candle and keep it in eyesight to avoid any accidents.

Depending on the candle type you are using, try having fun with candle wax divination, see what shapes and messages you can see in the melted and pooled wax. The last part of candle magic is disposal of your remnants, depending on what type of spell and candle(s) used, (see our spell remnants disposal post here) consider cleaning and recycling your glass jars either in the recycling bin or sage (or use our Clear and Protect Spray) to clear and reset the energy of the jar for future spell work. You can also get creative and turn the jar into a spell jar aligned with the original intention of your candle magic.

Use great caution when burying glass jars, place some sort of marker of where it was buried, or be certain the area will never be disturbed; broken glass can be dangerous to animals and children who may come across it later. If you move, for example, you may need to unearth the jar to take it with you, or you may want to reverse and undo the spell at a later time. Knowing where all your spells are buried could be helpful in the future.

Beeswax Stick Candles

Beeswax stick candles are my preferred candles to use for spell work. They are easy to anoint and roll in herbs but also you can create different color combinations to combine intentions. These types of candles are flexible and easy to twist or braid together. Here are some ideas for color combinations:

• Yule / Winter Solstice: Red, Green, White
• Imbolc / Candlemas: Dark Blue, Light Blue, White
• Ostara / Spring Equinox: Light Blue, Pink, White
• Beltane / May Day: Green, Pink, White
• Litha / Summer Solstice: Orange, White, Natural
• Lughnasadh / Lammas: Red, Orange, Natural
• Mabon / Autumn Equinox: Red, Green, Orange
• Samhain / Halloween: Orange and Black
• Reversing: Black and White or Black and Red
• Prosperity: Green, Natural, White