How to Dress Spell Candles: Candle Magic

Candle magic is a lovely way to focus your intent and enhance your spellwork. You can use candles you have made yourself, or you can use store bought candles and anoint them with oils, herbs, or crystals.

The first step in creating a spell candle is to choose your candle. You can use traditional taper candles or container candles such as tealights, votives, or jar candles. I often use small taper candles (also called chime or spell candles) because they are easy to work with and come in a variety of colors.

I frequently use color magic when working with candles, so I choose a candle color that corresponds to the spell I am casting. Alternatively, white or natural beeswax are considered all-purpose for spellwork.

Spell candles have lots of room for creativity. I often make taper candles dressed in herbs, but you can use moonwater, essential oils, dried flowers, carvings, and crystals. If you are looking for inspiration, you can check out my spell candles here.

ITEMS NEEDED

• candle

• sage or salt to use for cleansing (optional)

• anointing water or oil

• herbs, flowers, or spices to dress the candle

• paintbrush

• small pot to melt wax

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cleansing the candle: Before you begin, you need to cleanse your candle of outside energy. There are several ways to do this. I most often smudge my candles with sage, but you can choose any of the methods below.

• smudge the candle

• leave the candle out under the moonlight

• envision a cleansing light

• rinse the candle in river, ocean, or moonwater

• bury the candle in sea salt

2. Add carvings to your candle: This step is optional, but if you like you can carve intentions or sigils into the candle.

3. Anoint the Candle: To anoint the candle, you can use a carrier oil such as olive oil, sunflower oil, or safflower oil or you can combine the carrier oil with an essential oil that corresponds to your spellwork.

When anointing the candle, place some oil on your hands and then rub it into the candle as below:

• To bring something in: rub the oil from the top towards the middle of the candle and then from the bottom towards the middle of the candle. *If using a container candle, rub the oil clockwise on the container around the wick.

• For banishing: rub the oil from the middle to the top of the candle and then from the middle to the bottom of the candle. *If using a container candle, rub the oil counter-clockwise on the container around the wick.

4. Dressing the candle: Melt some wax from another candle in a small pot. Tip: If you are using a colored candle, then melt wax from another candle of the same color. Add any herbs, spices, or dried flowers to the melted wax. Dip the paint brush in the wax mixture and brush it over your spell candle.

Your candle is now ready for use! Tip: If I am not going to use my candles right away, I like to roll them in simple pieces of cloth I have smudged and set them in my candle box. I do this to keep them safe and to guard them from outside energies.