Candle Magic

Since humans discovered the ability to make fire, they have been fascinated by flames. Think of sitting in front of a real log fire and you probably think of words like ‘cosy’ and ‘romantic’. This is because the focus of your eyes softens, your heartbeat slows down and you feel content and full of love and well-being when in front of such a fire. This state of pleasurable warmth and relaxation is what candle magic is all about.

Forget images of scary sorceresses and evil warlocks lighting flames to bend the world to their wills. It is hard to get candle magic to work from a place of ego or mania. Real magic comes from relaxed but focused intent. Though, while we’re mentioning scary evilness, it may be best to get in a note on magical ethics here. There have been many books written on magical ethics and some traditions use ethical codes that basically say in a fancy way ‘what goes around comes around’. The tradition I subscribe to is much more concerned with responsibility so you can pretty much do whatever you want as long as you are prepared to take responsibility for it. It is usually best to do any magic from a positive place rather than from a place of desperate negativity.

Here’s an example: you’re madly in love with someone who doesn’t love you back. Should you do some candle magic to fix this? Yes. Should it be to get them to fall in love with you? No. Firstly, people are rarely so weak-willed that a spot of magic will get them to change their minds about what they feel. And if they are, do you really want someone so susceptible to being influenced? However, you can use candle magic to make yourself feel better about the situation or to attract the right love to you. Candle magic is wonderful for building self-esteem as when you spend a regular amount of time in contemplation of the more mysterious forces of nature, you become less obsessed with yourself or your imagined shortcomings. Get passionate about the mysterious world around you and everything else will fall into place.

The spells here deal with the most common things that people ask me to perform spells for but the really special thing about magic is that it is even more powerful when you are the originator of the spell. So while there is a spell here for bringing money into your life, there isn’t one to bring career success. If the latter is what you seek, try making up your own spell using the colour candles that feel right to you and adapting the spell to your own purposes. You could put the job advert for the position you want on your altar while you do the spell (though be careful to keep flammable things like paper away from the flame). Get creative and add your own touch to the spell. Just remember that magic often works so don’t ask for anything that you only feel half-hearted or confused about.

Safety note: Candles have a tendency to want to tip over and start dramatic fires for some strange reason. Make sure your candles behave themselves by keeping a close eye on them, keeping them away from paper or curtains, and ensuring that you don’t leave them unattended.

Moon phases: The moon is important to most magic as it affects all life on Earth. You should do attraction spells on a waxing moon (growing bigger) and binding or repelling spells on a waning moon (getting smaller).  Many diaries now tell you when it is a new moon or a full moon each month and a waxing moon is until the full moon and a waning moon is from the full moon to the next new moon.

Garden note:  It helps to have a garden in which you can bury the candle stubs. You can pick a particular spot just for spell work. If you don’t have a garden, how about a pot of soil for just this purpose? It doesn’t need to remain undisturbed forever, just long enough for the earth to absorb the energy you’ve put into it – about a month and then you can empty it and refill for future spells. In your garden, you can also dig up and dispose of any stubs once the spell has worked its magic.

What you will need:

Candles of the correct colour for the spell you’re doing: three is a good number of candles to have, avoid using an even number of candles in your workings (if you were to divide an even number by two, you’re left with nothing and that’s not what you want)

For love: red for passion, pink for romance, white for spells of faithfulness in love, blue for a wedding

For money: green, blue, gold

For binding (for example to stop an ex from hounding you): black

For spiritual insights: violet, purple

For health: orange, red, yellow, gold, natural beeswax

For a new home: grey, green, black

For a child: green, silver

For spiritual protection: white

Scented essential oil, mixed in with a base oil like almond. You don’t need lots of it as you’re just going to be using it to gently anoint your candle with your index finger.

For love: rose, gardenia

For money: basil, bergamot

For binding: cypress

For spiritual insights: frankincense, jasmine

For health: tea tree, lavender

For a new home: ylang ylang

For a child: patchouli

For spiritual protection: myrrh, clove

A sharp tool to carve with (this can be a sharpened pencil or a hat pin)

Some black or white cloth (for binding spell)

Some black ribbon or cord (for binding spell)

An altar (this can be any flat surface that you keep sacred, clean and just for magical work)

Preparation:

Check the moon phase is correct for your spell. So for example, drawing in a new home should be done on a waxing moon but getting bad neighbours to move away should be done on a waning one. Take a leisurely bath if you can to relax you before you do a spell. This makes the evening an excellent time for spell working but don’t worry if morning is the only time you can spare for it.

Love spell:

Take a candle of the appropriate colour and anoint with the specified oil, working from base to top. Using a sharp pencil or hat pin (watch your fingers!) carve your name gently from base to top of the candle on its side. While doing this, you should hold in your mind an image of you happy in the sort of relationship you’ve always dreamed of having. Try to give the image (or day dream) as much detail and colour as possible. What shoes are you wearing? What’s your partner wearing? Does they have blonde, red or dark hair? Give the image as much emotional resonance as possible. On the other side of the candle score it so that you divide it into seven roughly equal parts, leaving the base part as the largest. Then light the candle. You can also light some incense to put you in the mood. Sit in quiet contemplation of all the good things about being in love while the candle burns down.  You should let it burn to the first score mark if you possibly can. If this takes some time, feel free to read a book or turn your attention elsewhere, but don’t leave it to burn unattended. Once it has burnt down to the first notch, blow it out, saying ‘thank you’ to whatever divine power you recognise.

For the next six days continue to burn the candle down one more notch each night, always concentrating on the positive elements of what love means to you. In this week watch romantic comedies, read famous love letters, clip out any images you see of loving couples. Don’t let negative thoughts like ‘oh I’m not as pretty as the models in these pictures’ or ‘I’ll never experience love like that’ intrude into your mind. If they do, say ‘I cancel that’ and continue concentrating on good things. Once the candle has burnt down to its stub, bury the stub in your garden placing a little food like a sliced apple or something else appropriate on top of where you’ve buried it for garden wildlife to enjoy.

Finally, and most importantly, put yourself out and about a bit. The universe helps those who help themselves so don’t be shy, get out there and meet people.

Money spell:

The process for a money spell is the same as that for any other spell but you should write ‘abundance’ on the side of your candle. I have had some folk say that this seems like you’re burning away abundance and will be left with nothing but this is not the case. You see the candle by burning carries the wish out into the ether so whatever you write is what you attract. The reason the love spell has your own name is that once you love yourself, attracting someone else to love you is very easy. So carve what you want on the side of your candle.

You should hold the image in your head of you having a bank statement that is very healthy or of you going to an ATM and seeing your balance on screen as a large one. You can even hold your wallet in front of you and imagine that it is chock full of money. Whatever image comes easiest to you. Remember to do an attraction spell on a waxing moon but one to get rid of debts on a waning moon.

Again, it should be done for seven consecutive nights. Always remember to put a little food on top of where you’ve buried your candle.

Binding spell: Binding spells are the ones you have to be most careful with.  They are very potent and should only be undertaken if you’ve exhausted all other avenues. If done well, they will not cause physical harm to the person being bound but will make situations arise that get that person out of your sphere – usually forever. Here it is best to write ‘peace’ on the candle as this is what you want. There are other binding spells that use photos or the signature of the person in question but this is a simple one. Do this only over three days so pick a fast burning candle and divide it into three or use three black tea lights and carve ‘peace’ into the top. As it burns, imagine the person happy and content but far away from you. If need be, imagine the two of you sat back to back with a toy globe between you. Once the candle (or candles) is burnt down, wrap in a black or white cloth and tie tightly with a black ribbon or cord. Then bury this. This is the only spell for which you should not put any food out.

Spiritual insight spell:  Don’t carve anything on your candle for this spell, just concentrate on opening a channel to divine light and energy. If you keep a journal, have it beside you to record any insights that come. You can do this one across all moon phases and you can even do it as a daily practice with 28 notches on a long burning candle or with no notches, replacing the candle whenever you need to. Always put bird seed or some food on top of the stubs from this candle that you bury.

Other spells: By now, you’ll have got the general technique for how to use candles to bring different things into your life or remove other things from it. The more of your own innovation you can put in, the better. Some people believe the most powerful spells are done with candles you make yourself but I don’t feel this is necessary. For example you can still have a pretty fantastic experience dancing to music created by other folk so why not doing magic with candles created by other folk? If you get a very ‘industrial’ or mass manufactured feel from any candle you buy, just bury it in rock salt for one night before you use it and that will take away that energy from it.

May all your hopes and dreams come true and may the wonder of magic never fail to dazzle you!