Candle Magic
Candle magic is one of the simplest forms of casting. The principles are easy. First, decide upon your goal, then visualize the end result. Focus on your intent and manifest your result. Now the size of the candle is entirely up to you. Personally, I am a fan of smaller candles like votives. Keep in mind the longer the candle, the longer it takes to burn out, and using brand new candles in your spell work is most effective. This isn’t a strict belief system, it’s just encouraged because in some magical traditions, once a candle is burned it picks up vibrations from things around it. Which is why votives are what I encourage. I try to keep a variety of colors on hand, but you can never go wrong with a plain, white candle because often times it can be used as a substitute for other colors.
Red: Courage and health, sexual love, and lust.
Pink: Friendship and sweet love.
Orange: Attraction and encouragement.
Gold: Financial gain, business endeavors, and solar connections.
Yellow: Persuasion and protection.
Green: Financial gain, abundance, and fertility.
Light Blue: Health, patience, and understanding.
Dark Blue: Depression and vulnerability.
Purple: Ambition and power.
Brown: Earth-related or animal-related workings.
Black: Negativity and banishment.
White: Purity and truth.
Silver: Reflection, intuition, and lunar connections.
Once you’ve selected your candle, you’ll want to anoint yourself and the candle with oil into order to psychically connect yourself to it and exchanging energy. Often times grapeseed oil is used as an anointing oil, but you can honestly use any kind of carrier oil like almond oil or jojoba oil. (Please do not use essential oil without mixing it with a carrier oil first. Essential oils are very concentrated and can burn or irritate your skin.) Begin at the top of the candle and rub the oil downward to the middle. Then, begin at the base of the candle and rub the oil up towards the middle, ending where the first coating of oil left off. In some traditions, the anointing is done just the opposite way; start in the middle and work your way towards the two ends. If your work calls for herbs to be used as well, roll the oiled candle in the powdered herbs until it is coated all the way around.
The most basic form of candle magic is to take a piece of paper and writing utensil and write down your intent. Using colored paper or ink in correspondence with the candle and spell used is encouraged. Once you've written down your goal, fold the paper, concentrating on your intent the whole time. Some people like to say a small incantation as they do this. If you're one of those people, this is a good place to do it. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Place one corner of the folded paper into the candle's flame and allow it to catch fire. Hold the paper as long as possible (without burning your fingers) and then place it in a fire-safe bowl or cauldron to burn the rest of the way on its own. Allow the candle to burn out completely. When the candle has burned out completely, dispose of it, rather than saving it to use again for another working. Usually there's not much left of a candle except a stub of wax, and you can either bury it outdoors or dispose of it in whatever manner you choose.