Candle Magic for a Beginner Witch

The magic of fire can be a powerful tool to help center us in the moment to focus our intention on what we need and where we need to navigate. It is as though the flame dancing in front of us kindles our inner flame, as well. The beauty of the elements—earth, air, fire and water—is that the essence and full potential of their power resides in even the smallest manifestation of them. While a roaring bonfire is deeply satisfying, the fire atop a single candle still carries within it the full power and potential of the sacred flame.

Start by choosing a candle that aligns with the medicine you need right now. Interior decorators have long understood the power of color. There is vibrational energy in color and that energy affects us and the magic we do in different ways. Keep these color correspondences handy so that you can choose the candle that aligns with your intentions:

Red: sex, love, physical energy, or health

Orange: communication, ideas, relationships, motivation, attraction

Yellow: creativity, friendships, concentration, memory, self-expression

Green: stability, money, emotional balance, new growth, tranquility, harmony

Blue: clearing negativity, protection, spirituality, travel

Indigo: purification, intuition, psychic development

Violet: meditation, learning, intuition, psychic development, spirituality

Pink:  love, loyalty, integrity, good intentions, self-healing, self-love

Magenta: letting go of the past, self-respect, self-esteem, confidence

Brown: security, property, real estate, making amends, healing magic for animals

White: purification, protection, clearing negativity; can be used in place of other colors

Black: drawing out negative energies, finding truth, uncovering secrets

Silver: inner growth, intuition, the arts, beauty

Gold: abundance, prosperity, grand undertakings, new directions or opportunities

Once you have chosen your candle, it is important to begin by cleansing it of any negative energy it may have picked up on its way to you. There are four options for doing this. With your intention clearly in mind:

- Hold the candle over smoke, from incense or an herbal smoke bundle.

- Cover the candle fully with sea salt and leave it for a full day or overnight.

- Leave the candle outdoors under moonlight overnight.

With the candle cleansed, it is time to dress—or anoint—it, again with your specific intention in mind. There are a vast number of oils available that have been designed specifically for this purpose. Virgin or extra-virgin olive oil works well, but you can kitchen witch it and use whatever is available to you. Be sure to bless the oil itself before using it to dress your candle by pouring a little bit off into a separate container and saying, as you feel inspired, something along the lines of, “I bless this oil and consecrate it for [your intended purpose or goal]. My intentions are good and I seek divine protection for me, this oil and my goal.” End with an expression of gratitude that feels authentic and appropriate, in the form of words, a gesture or both. You can also use an essential oil perfume you love, or skip the step entirely if it doesn't call to you.

With the oil now consecrated for your purpose, take the oil and your candle to a place that can handle some oil being dropped on it. If the weather permits and you’re able, doing this outdoors is a good option. As you focus clearly on your intentions for the candle, rub oil onto your hands. Next, hold the candle at the middle and rub oil from the middle upward toward the top of the candle. It is important to rub the oil upward only. You are infusing the candle with your intentions as you do this and you may want to repeat a simple affirmation or otherwise speak your intentions aloud during this process. Once you have dressed the top of the candle in this way, repeat this with the lower half of the candle, running oil from the middle to the base. There are various traditions with variations on the dressing procedure and you should research these and incorporate one that aligns with your ancestral practices if you feel inspired to do so. If for any reason you are unable to use oil for this, water may be used. In this case, follow the same procedure using the water, or you can sprinkle water on the candle—using your right hand—with water from a bowl, or by misting it with a spray bottle. It is still critically important that you do so with focused intention.

Consecrating your candle (optional)

An additional option to add power to your candle magic is to consecrate your candle. This is done before dressing it. Ideally using a knife that is reserved for this purpose alone, you will carve a design into the side of your candle, near the bottom, that aligns with your goal and your ancestral practices. A common choice is a pentagram—and ancient symbol of protection and balance. It might also be something as simple as a heart if the candle will be used to attract love, for example. The most important thing is that the symbol you choose is carved with clear purpose in mind.

Your candle is now ready for magical use! You may prefer to write your own spell, but if you are looking for some inspiration, we offer you this spell for tuning in to your inner flame and your inner compass. Once you have prepared the candle as outlined to this point, with the intention to tune in to and align with your intuition, sit comfortably in front of the candle and breathe deeply until you feel grounded and fully present. We recommend you have a pen and journal next to you to capture insights. Light the candle and speak the following, aloud if possible:

Repeat this as many times as feels appropriate. With the candle still burning, meditate with the calm intention of listening to your inner flame—your intuition—in regard to what it wants you to know about your path forward. Capture any thoughts, feelings and insights that come to you. Since the candle has been prepared for this purpose, you can use it as many times as you like to repeat this exercise for inner-compass check-ins.

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