Candle Magick

Candles and fire have been used for centuries by Witches all around the world to evoke many different emotions and states of mind, as well as to set the mood. They have also been used to invoke spirits and entities, and to perform transformational magick.

The Mystical Power of Candles

Candle flames give off mystical power. This fact has been known by magicians and other similar practitioners for many years. They can be used cast a spell, perform divination, meditation, and healing, set the mood for a ritual, or banish or summon various entities. There is also great symbolism, from a magickal point of view, in creating light out of darkness.

The candle can also be seen as mystical in regards to the human body. Each part corresponds to a part of the body: the wax is the physical body, the wick is the mind, the flame is the soul.

Candle Colors

Colors are very important in candle magick. Science tells us that each color vibrates on a specific frequency, and magick tells us that these frequencies attract different spiritual influences. While this article cannot deal with color in detail, the following are some candle colors and their general meanings:

• Black: banish evil and negativity, absorbing energies, meditation
• Green: fertility, money, ambition, counteract jealousy
• Purple: psychic power, healing the aura
• White: consecration, meditation, divination, peace, spiritual strength

Candle Shapes

In candle magick, the shape is also important. There are many shapes available, and each has their own purpose. Many times, these purposes are combined with the color of the candle. The term ‘shape’ can also be used to indicate the symbols that may be carved into the candle, as it can often be difficult to find a candle in the specific shape desired.

Moon-shaped candles are burned to add power to magicks performed during the Full Moon, or to invoke the Goddess. Oftentimes, human-shaped candles are used to represent the person or persons the spell is directed at. Any phallic-shaped candle (which could be simply a taper candle, if needed), can be used for sex magick.

There are other shapes which are more difficult to find. Mummy-shaped or devil-shaped candles, used for Egyptian and Voodoo magick, respectively, are incredibly hard to find, and usually just carving Egyptian or Voodoo shapes upon a standard candle is easier. Skull-shaped candles are easy enough to find at Halloween, but rare outside that, and can be used in séances.

Probably the most commonly used candle in magick, apart from your standard candles, is the seven-knob candle. It has seven balls of wax strung together with one wick, and are generally used for spells which last seven days, where one ball is burned each day. During the burning, the goal is focused upon, and it is believed that after the seventh day, the spell will manifest.

Performing Candle Magick

Once the appropriate color and shape has been chosen, or at least the symbols necessary carved onto the candle itself, the candle must be prepared. This is generally done by consecration. Consecrating a candle can be as simple as anointing it with consecration oil, or as complex as performing a full ritual just for the purpose of consecrating the candles.

Once the consecration has been performed, the practitioner must clear the mind, and gaze into the flame until a trance-like state is attained. At this point, what happens differs. If the purpose is divination, typically the practitioner would stare into the flame during this trance, awaiting images or symbols that might connect to the purpose of the divination. If a spell is to be worked, then after consecration would be the time to do this.

Candles are a powerful tool for modern magickal practitioners, whether Witches, magicians, shamans, or anything else. They have many uses and applications, and their ease of use increases their popularity constantly.