We’ve all seen spell candles on the commercial market, and many of us have even purchased some of them. They’re often more gimmick than actual power, to be quite honest, and more-often-than-not, they’re rather expensive. Making your own spell candles at home eliminates the need for expensive commercial spell candles, and saving money is always a good thing. Making your own spell candles also puts your own energy and intent into the creation, which lends to a more powerful spell as an end result!
What you need:
A candle
A fireproof dish/pot
A nail, needle or other sharp pointy object
Oils/powders of your choice
Assorted herbs/flowers
Choose a candle
You can get candles pretty cheap if you’re not too picky, especially if you’re not buying some gimmicky candle with a designer label. Dollar stores, thrift stores, estate sales and even Walmart are good choices for cheap candles — and you can find just about any color and scent! Some witches like to stick to color associations, but if you’re on a budget and can only find/afford certain candles, don’t let the colors control your spell-casting. You can do as much good with a black candle as you can with a white one. For this how-to post, I’ve chosen a cornflower-blue pillar candle, which only cost me around 25 cents at a yard sale.
For the sake of “tradition,” I’m going to go ahead and try to stick with the association of this color. In witchcraft, the color blue is often used to symbolize forgiveness, domestic harmony, better communication and psychic clarity. So I’m going to dress this candle with these associations in mind.
Choose a fireproof receptacle
Since you’re going to be dressing a spell candle, you’re going to need something to hold any of the materials that fall off of it. A fireproof cauldron or pot will suffice, or you can simply use a jar (or a jar-candle).
Carve your intent
Using the nail or needle, carve your intent into the candle of your choosing. You can carve your own sigils into the candle, or you can write in Theban if you’re into that sort of thing. Whatever you choose to carve into the candle, you should also focus on what you want the outcome to be when you use this candle in a spell. If you’ve chosen a candle to find true love, then focus on the feeling of true love and what it feels like to have those butterflies while you carve your intent into the wax. You can choose to carve sparingly, or you can cover the entire surface of the candle with your intent if you so wish.
Dress your candle
Smear your choice of oils and powders over your candle to “anoint” it with more energy. If you’re intending on casting a love spell with your candle, you can smear it with “Come to me” oil or your own romantic blend. Covering the candle with rose petals or other dried herbs and flowers is another nice touch.
From here, your candle is ready to be used in whatever spell work you’re planning to approach.
A note on timing and other associations
If you’re wanting to follow traditional guidelines, then familiarize yourself with the magical associations of the materials you use. That includes finding the right time to create your spell candle. If you follow moon phases with your spell-casting, you may choose a certain phase of the lunar cycle to carve and dress your spell candle, depending on whatever your intent might be. Otherwise, do whatever feels comfortable to you, and make this experience your own. The more personal your spell candle is, the more likely the following spellwork will successfully manifest.
