To come by something you desire, make a wish as you blow out a candle on your birthday. To cut ties with someone you despise, tie a cord around two candles and burn it. To draw in your lover, light a red candle steeped in the oil of patchouli during a waxing moon.
Something about candles just feels innately magical. They’re convenient and versatile, and as a host to a flame, they become natural beacons for working any kind of spell—candles are a witch’s best friend!
There are zillions of ways to incorporate candles into your magical practice. In this blog, we’ll be exploring the basics of candle magic, how to craft an effective candle spell, and which candles are best for working which spell.
Table of Contents
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What Is Candle Magic?
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Candle Color Meanings in Witchcraft
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Can You Use Scented Candles in Witchcraft?
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Which Candle for Which Purpose?
What Is Candle Magic?
Candle magic, by nature, is one of the simplest and most accessible forms of spellcraft. In fact, most folks perform candle spells without realizing it—every birthday wish or flame in the darkness is carrying a little touch of magic, whether it’s manifesting a desire or driving the shadows away.
Candle magic uses the power of fire to enact your personal will, with the flame acting as a focal point for your intention or spell to be released into the world.
While fire itself is the crux of candle magic, there are a few other core elements that can contribute to an effective candle spell: candle color, herbs and oils, carvings or inscriptions, and timing. All of these personal touches ultimately help to strengthen the potency of your working.
In a pinch, though, all you really need to perform a candle spell is a bit of wax with a wick, a clear idea, and an ability to concentrate on it.
Candle Color Meanings in Witchcraft
In many magical traditions, colors are believed to carry different qualities that can be harnessed for a variety of purposes depending on your working. Selecting a candle with a particular color isn’t necessary for an effective candle spell, but it can certainly be helpful!
Below is an outline of what each color of candle is typically used for. If you can’t find a candle of a particular color, you can always use white as a stand-in.
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Black: Protection, warding, banishing, binding, endings
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White: Cleansing, purification, healing, peace, new beginnings
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Grey: Balance, neutrality, resolution, wisdom, patience
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Brown: Grounding, stability, security, home, nature, nurturing
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Red: Power, passion, anger, love, sex, confidence, vitality, quick action
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Orange: Motivation, creativity, ambition, career, confidence, joy
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Yellow: Personal power, memory, intelligence, clarity, happiness
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Green: Love, luck, prosperity, growth, success, health, nature, renewal
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Blue: Communication, inspiration, intuition, creativity, harmony, friendship
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Purple: Psychic powers, divination, awareness, wisdom, spiritual connection
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Pink: Love, friendship, romance, healing, harmony, intimacy, joy
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Silver: Intuition, dreaming, spiritual wisdom, divination, healing, lunar energy
- Gold: Prosperity, wealth, personal power, abundance, success, solar energy
Can You Use Scented Candles in Witchcraft?
The short answer is YES, but you’ll need to pay special attention to the ingredients.
If the scent in your candle is simply labeled as “fragrance” or “parfum”, this indicates the use of synthetic chemicals to manufacture the aroma, many of which are derived from petroleum or petroleum byproducts. While there are lots of reasons to avoid synthetic fragrances, suffice it to say that when it comes to witchcraft, these chemicals probably aren’t adding anything useful to your magical working.
The chemicals that ARE adding something useful to your spellwork come straight from the witch’s most trusted companion: plants! If you’re looking for a scented candle to use for your magical workings, candles made with essential oils are your best bet. Not only do these candles offer a clean-burning scent, they also come infused with all the properties of the plants themselves.
Essential oil candles craft a scent that counts. With plants packing in a host of magical energies, an essential oil candle makes for an outstanding magical companion.
Which Candle for Which Purpose?
Candles for Cleansing & Purification
Colors: Blue, grey, silver, white
Herbs: Cedar, fir, lavender, rosemary, thyme
Crystals: Amethyst, citrine, clear quartz, moonstone
Timing: Waning moon
Essential Oil Blends for Cleansing & Purification
White Lodge, made with cedarwood and fir needle—a clarifying blend that draws on the mist of Pacific rainforests to purify your space while imbuing a grounding energy into your space.
Herbal Renewal, made with lavender and rosemary—a feel-good cleansing blend that combines the soothing magic of lavender flowers with the purifying powers and mental clarity of fresh rosemary.
Waning Moon, made with lavender, cedarwood, bergamot, and white thyme—aligned with the best lunar phase for driving energy out, this herbal blend harmonizes to create an effective cleansing candle.
Candles for Meditation
Colors: Blue, brown, grey, purple, silver
Herbs: Fir, lavender, patchouli, star anise
Crystals: Amethyst, black tourmaline, clear quartz, sodalite, smoky quartz
Timing: Dark or new moon
Essential Oil Blends for Meditation
Hermitage, made with patchouli, lavender, and orange—a grounding blend that transports you into a secluded sanctuary among the foxes and heather, quiet enough to hear your inner wisdom speak.
New Moon, made with lavender, patchouli, and fir needle—a soothing blend that pulls you into the stillness of a midnight forest in the snow, where the seeds of new intentions emerge for planting.
Green Fairy, made with pure star anise—a sweet scent that dances along the hedge between worlds, beckoning you to step into the ether and explore the boundless magic weaving the universe together.
Candles for Divination
Colors: Black, blue, purple, silver, white
Herbs: Cinnamon, clove, lavender, rosemary, star anise
Crystals: Amethyst, black obsidian, blue apatite, labradorite, lapis lazuli, sodalite
Timing: Full or dark moon
Essential Oil Blends for Divination
Quoth the Raven, made with orange, cinnamon, and clove—a blend of power that acts as an enchanted torch as you travel through worlds, protecting your energy while amplifying your natural abilities.
Herbal Renewal, made with lavender and rosemary—an invigorating infusion to sharpen your mind, alleviate anxieties, and center your spirit so that you can work your divinations with your full capacity.
Green Fairy, made with pure star anise—a plant long since used to enhance psychic powers while warding off unwanted energies—a perfect companion for consulting the cards or swinging the pendulum.
Candles for Love and Romance
Colors: Green, orange, pink, red, white
Herbs: Cinnamon, clove, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, orange, patchouli, rosemary, ylang ylang
Crystals: Amethyst, chrysoprase, garnet, green aventurine, jade, moonstone, rhodonite, rose quartz
Timing: New, waxing, or full moon
Essential Oil Blends for Love and Romance
Waxing Moon, made with lemon, rosemary, and orange—aligned with the best lunar phase for growth, this zesty blend is blossoming with tantalizing potential, ready to unfold its magic into your world.
Hermitage, made with patchouli, lavender, and orange—a sensual scent that sets a romantic mood made for two, this blend invites intimacy, safety, and trust while the foxes get frisky!
Full Moon, made with grapefruit, ylang ylang, litsea, and cedarwood—this beguiling blend harnesses the height of the moon’s power, an energy as rich as a blackberry bush ripe and heavy with fruits to sink your teeth into.
Quoth the Raven, made with cinnamon, clove, and orange—packed with passion, power, and creative ideas, this blend is made for fire and spice and everything nice.
Candles for Clarity and Focus
Colors: Blue, grey, silver, white, yellow
Herbs: Cedar, coffee, fir, lavender, rosemary
Crystals: Amethyst, citrine, clear quartz, lapis lazuli, tiger’s eye
Timing: Any
Essential Oil Blends for Clarity and Focus
White Lodge, made with cedarwood and fir needle—a cleansing blend that brings the grounding force of the forest into your home, supplying emotional clarity and peace of mind to help you focus.
Herbal Renewal, made with lavender and rosemary—a comforting, herbaceous blend that creates a relaxing atmosphere while clearing your mind and heightening your discernment for sustained concentration.
New Moon, made with lavender, patchouli, and fir needle—a tranquil blend crafted to nurture the stillness and spaciousness needed to settle in for a meaningful day’s work or an evening of gentle focus.
Mabon, made with coffee, vanilla, bergamot, cedarwood, and spices—a seasonal blend inspired by crisp autumn days when a steaming mug of coffee is the only way to wake your mind from slumber.
Candles for Prosperity and Abundance
Colors: Gold, green, orange, white, yellow
Herbs: Bergamot, cedar, cinnamon, clove, grapefruit, orange, patchouli
Crystals: Carnelian, citrine, green aventurine, jade, peridot, tiger’s eye
Timing: New, waxing, or full moon
Essential Oil Blends for Prosperity and Abundance
Waxing Moon, made with lemon, rosemary, and orange—a juicy, succulent blend that channels the power of the moon in its phase of growth to nurture the seeds of wealth and success.
Full Moon, made with grapefruit, ylang ylang, litsea, and cedarwood—a summery blend ripe with lunar magic in its phase of culmination and fruition, emanating the energy of abundance into your spell.
Samhain, made with cinnamon, clove, frankincense, orange, patchouli, and rosemary—a warm, earthy seasonal blend imbued with spices that draw prosperity and protection while accelerating the momentum of your working.
10oz candle / 3oz mini candle (Out of stock? Try Quoth the Raven 10oz candle / 3oz mini candle)
Candles for Protection
Colors: Black, brown, gold, silver
Herbs: Cedar, cinnamon, clove, lavender, patchouli, rosemary, thyme
Crystals: Amethyst, black obsidian, onyx, or tourmaline, labradorite, smoky quartz, tiger’s eye
Timing: Waning or dark moon
Essential Oil Blends for Protection
Waning Moon, made with lavender, cedarwood, bergamot, and white thyme—a robust, earthy blend rich with cleansing and protective plants to help you drive away unwanted energy.
White Lodge, made with cedarwood and fir needle—a purifying blend that calls on the grounding roots of the forest to draw around you a shield raised directly from the Earth itself.
Quoth the Raven, made with cinnamon, clove, and orange—this fiery blend of winter spices enhances your working with its potent protective powers, delivering unwavering spiritual support in the times when you need it most.
