How many times have you returned home after a long, stressful day, lit a candle in your bedroom, and immediately felt more at ease? Chances are, quite a few times. Have you ever stopped to think that maybe, there’s a bit of magic behind this ritual of lighting a candle and resetting the vibes of your space?
Candles have been used as tools in spiritual ceremonies since the Stone Age, and are utilized by countless theologies to this day. For magick practitioners, different candles are used for a variety of rituals, spells, and charms—all of which hold the power to call upon (or dispel) positive and negative energies, wishes and goals, and so much more.
“What I love about candle magick is that it's a way to focus your intention,” says Sarah Potter, tarot reader, psychic medium, and professional witch. “You really don’t need anything outside of yourself to make magic happen. But when we have these tools, it enhances these intentions, it supports us, it gives us something to focus on… The candle becomes the vessel for the intention.”
Meet the experts: Sarah Potter is a tarot reader, psychic medium, and professional witch. Frankie Castanea is an Italian-American folk witch and author of Spells for Change: A Guide for Modern Witches.
It might be a storied practice, but incorporating candle magick into your everyday routine is actually a lot easier than you may think. In fact, you might be doing a little bit of candle magick already without knowing it. From candle magick basics to the meanings behind each color, here's everything to know about crafting your first candle ritual and (literally) igniting your candle magick journey.
What is candle magick?
Any time you use a candle to meditate, manifest, or set an intention, it’s candle magick. In terms of traditional witchcraft practices, however, candle magick is when a candle becomes your primary tool to work a spell. How you cast that spell, of course, is up to you.
Witches will use different kinds of candles based on their practices. According to Frankie Castanea, Italian American Folk Witch and author of Spells for Change: A Guide for Modern Witches, for example, “it's very traditional to get glass-encased prayer candles and pray over them or do them with a nine-day prayer.”
But if you’re more into eclectic witchcraft or are just starting your magickal journey, you might use chime candles—colorful, skinny little candles that are easily accessible and inexpensive online and in just about any metaphysical shop you come across. That being said, it’s all about finding what works best for you. Other candle styles you might choose to use are tapered candles, pillar candles, votives, tealights, and even candles with intricate shapes that hold special meanings.
“Candles are like batteries: the bigger the candle and the longer it burns, the more energy is going to be put toward your goal,” says Castanea. “You can use it as part of a spell, you can do a candle by itself, you can use a candle to represent a person or a thing, you can use a candle to absorb negativity—the options are limitless.”
What are the different candle color meanings?
Depending on the kind of spell you’re looking to do, the intention you’re trying to set, or the energy you’re trying to invoke, you’ll want to use different colored candles, each with their own magickal meaning. Here’s the rundown, according to Potter and Castanea:
White
White is all about new beginnings: You may choose to light a white candle any time you’re about to embark on uncharted territory in your life. White candles are also your best friend when it comes to cleansing and purification. Because white is somewhat of a blank canvas, these candles are also universal when it comes to spellwork—but more on that later.
Black
While white can be used to bring in positive energy, you’ll use a black candle to release negative energy or do any sort of banishing spell. Just as white represents beginnings, black will be the candle you reach for when it comes to endings, healing, and loss. When in doubt, always keep a black candle on hand for protection charms or to dispel negative energy.
“Take a black candle and then burn it every time you feel the evil eye is around or that someone has put an evil eye on you,” says Castanea. “Black will absorb that negativity.”
Red
Red is one of the most intense colors in the rainbow. Representing the element of fire, red can be used for spells that have anything to do with protection, strength, and courage. Red also represents passion, lust, and sex, as well as power. “Red is really great if you want a promotion at work or if you want to exhibit authority,” says Potter.
Blue
Blue represents the natural element water, and has everything to do with healing, tranquility, and peace. Dark blue will also represent honesty and truth. Therefore, you may wish to light a blue candle to find clarity in a situation.
Yellow
Courage, success, and confidence all come to mind with the color yellow, but what you’ll really want to hone in on with a yellow candle is joy. “I always think yellow is a good one on your birthday to celebrate that solar return and bring in all of that good energy,” says Potter. Yellow candles will represent the element of air, and can be utilized for spells related to intellect or focus.
Brown
The color of the natural element earth, brown candles can be used for any spells dealing with matters of the home, as well as any and all material things. Lost something? Potter suggests lighting a brown candle to help you find it. That discontinued tube of lipstick that you lost three months ago will come back real quick. Brown will also be the candle to reach for when it comes to animals, or when working a spell for your pets.
Green
Money, money, money. Green is all about finances, prosperity, and luck. For any money spell, a green chime candle is the go-to. Green also represents growth and may be used for spells dealing with fertility, setting new intentions, and health. “We can always use more green,” says Potter. “Green is abundance in all of its forms.”
Pink
Contrary to the intensity and lustfulness associated with red candles, pink candles are all about tenderness. “If you want to have a new crush on someone, you’re going to reach for a pink candle,” Potter notes. “If you’ve been feeling down on yourself, grab a pink candle and invite in compassion, self-love, self-acceptance.”
Orange
Orange is the color of reconciliation and attraction. You’ll also want to reach for an orange candle when in need of a bit of creativity. This candle color is sure to get you out of a rut.
Purple
Purple is the most magical color in the rainbow, according to Potter. Representing the divine feminine, purple candles can be used for spells working with justice, mediation, healing, independence, and wisdom.
Silver
“Silver is a deeply introspective color,” says Potter. “It is the energy of the moon.” You’ll use a silver candle when it comes to spells related to intuition, purification, and healing. Keep some silver candles on hand if you can see yourself needing to invoke the powers of different celestial bodies.
Gold
Gold is the color of the divine masculine and represents the sun. Use a gold candle when it comes to spells dealing with wealth, prosperity, ambition, and luck.
How to do a candle ritual:
Now that you’ve got the lowdown on candle color meanings, it’s time to start your first candle magick spell. But before jumping into how to do a candle ritual, it's important to talk about fire safety. Always make sure to set your candle on a fire-proof surface, ensure there isn’t anything above or near your candle that could easily catch fire, and keep pets and children away from your candle setup. Finally, never leave a candle burning in your home unattended.
Got it? Now, let's get into the fun stuff.
Give yourself time and space to begin your ritual. This is key, says Potter. For all witches, it’s crucial to be in the right headspace when doing any type of magick.
Set your altar. An altar is what you make it: You can set your altar based on the seasons, as a shrine to different deities, for the new or full moon, or with talismans that represent your intentions for the spell. Your altar can be as simple as a singular candle on your bedside table.
Cleanse your space and your candle. There are countless ways to cleanse the energy of a room or an object, notes Potter. While her preferred method is with a selenite wand, you may choose to cleanse with smoke, aromatic mists, or even sound.
Dress your candle. Those herbs, oils, and crystals you learned about earlier? Now's their time to shine.
Breathe. This one is important: close your eyes and take a deep breath.
Speak your intention. You can quite literally speak your intention out loud while holding your candle, says Potter. Focus, and visualize whatever it is you seek.
Make the magick happen. “Feel that intention come to fruition in every fiber of your being, and light the candle,” says Potter.
Conclude your ritual. If you’re using a chime candle, you can let it burn all the way through. “You can experience that spell in an evening,” Potter says. If you’re using a tapered candle or pillar candle, you can light the candle for a few minutes each day over the period of time you’re manifesting.
Different candle rituals will yield different results. Your candle may even speak to you. “Black smoke or white smoke means negative influences or spiritual influences. The crackles and the pops usually mean something along the lines of someone trying to talk to you–you’re receiving messages,” Castanea explains.
Can you combine candle colors?
While most spells can be done with a singular intention in mind, others may require a bit of layering. In this case, you can certainly combine candle colors.
“I like to work with a black and white candle when I’m doing core cuttings, which is when we’re releasing energetic attachments,” says Potter. “When we get rid of something, we create space for something new so we want to be very conscious of what we are filling that space with. We use the black to help release that negative energy, but we also want to invite something new in.”
In terms of other candle pairings, you may choose color combinations such as green and pink for self-love, light blue and pink for harmony in the home, or blue and yellow if something in your life just isn’t making sense. “Yellow illuminates, blue clarifies,” notes Potter.
What if you only have a white candle?
Not to worry! Remember how white candles are sort of universal? If you only have access to white candles, you can use them to invoke… well, whatever you need. The experts suggest amping it up a notch by using herbs, oils, sigils, or crystals that represent the meaning behind your intention or spell in conjunction with lighting your white candle.
An easy way to go about this with a white chime candle is to anoint your candle with natural oils like eucalyptus for healing, mint for money, or cinnamon for passion. A good rule of thumb for anointing your candle? “If you’re trying to bring something in, you roll it towards you,” explains Castanea. “If you're trying to push something away, you roll it away from you.”
You may also choose to surround your candle with special herbs and crystals—like rosemary and obsidian for protection—or carve sigils into the candle wax. “A sigil is a visual emblem that you create through a direct intention,” notes Potter. “The more you do it the more of a language you’ll create. Thoughtfully carve them into the candle to imbue more magick.”
The key to any ritual, though (and whether you're using candles or not!), is to give yourself and your practice reverence and respect, says Potter. At the end of the day, these basics—and your own inner power—will get you where you need to go.
Aliza Pelto (she/her) is a rurally raised, NYC-based writer, Gemini, and iced coffee enthusiast. Her work has appeared with The National Organization for Women, Alma, and both in print and online at BUST Magazine. When she’s not reading, recording her podcast (Little Sleep//Much Reading), or doing something witchy, you can find her dissociating via TikTok for hours on end.
