Candle Magic: Meaning, Colors & How To Do Rituals

Candle magic is a form of ritual or spellwork that calls on the element of fire to bring greater energy and power to the working. It’s a process by which we focus and store energy and our intention within candles, then burn those candles to release that energy into the physical world. 

It’s this process of taking the unseen (thoughts, emotions, wishes, intentions, etc.) and making them seen (a physical candle set to fire) that breathes life into candle magic.

Of course, every witch has a different perspective on what makes candle magic meaningful to them. We find our power within ourselves, and each of us burns with a different light.

This guide is meant to lend you perspective, not to tell you what to do. Think of it as the beginning of your path to get you going in the right direction and to help you use the tools you learn to forge your own way.

Always look within to find the answers. Trust what your heart tells you is true, and bring that truth into your candle magic. 

Candle Magic Colors & Meanings

Candle magic is unique because the colors of the candles themselves can hold deep meaning in your craft. Each spell you cast and ritual you perform can be accentuated with a spell candle of a certain correspondence.

White Candle Meaning

Aids in the destruction of negative energy, promotes peace, truth and purity.

Black Candle Meaning

For protection, absorption and destruction of negative energy and also repelling negative energy from others.

Blue Candle Meaning

Helps in meditation, healing, forgiveness, fidelity and opening lines of communication. Also great for calming, cleansing and truth seeking. Brings the lighter energy side when working with water 

Orange Candle Meaning

Improves joy, energy, education, strength attraction and stimulation.

Red Candle Meaning

Brings passion, energy, love, lust, relationships, sex, vitality and courage.

Yellow Candle Meaning

For realizing and manifesting thoughts, improving confidence, bringing plans into action, mental clarity and clairvoyance.

Green Candle Meaning

Draws money, fertility, luck, abundance and overall health & success.

Purple Candle Meaning

Increases spiritual awareness, wisdom and tranquility.

Pink Candle Meaning

Allows positive self-love, friendship, harmony and joy to abound.

Candle Spells

So you may be wondering “how do I actually do candle magic?” at this point. You may not like this answer, but there is no single correct work of candle magic. 

As with all magic, it is you that gives life and power to your spellwork, so always keep that in mind as you learn new spells and workings. 

This guide is meant to give you a brief foundation in the common practices that many witches partake in, and I highly recommend that you avoid using it as an instruction manual for witchcraft.

Make your own way and trust your intuition as you learn. Go where your heart leads you and make sure that every action you take is meaningful to you and your higher self.

Here are some common ways witches use candle magic in their spells and in their witchcraft:

Dressing A Candle

Again, there’s no single right way to do this, but the steps below represent a possible routine you may want to use. Feel free to pick and choose which ones work for you to make your candle dressing your own.

1. Focus on your intention

Intention is key to all of your magickal workings, but in candle magic it plays a central role. Your whole goal is to charge the candle with your will and power, and that all begins by being clear about what you want in your mind in a meaningful way.

2. Bless & cleanse 

Some witches skip this step, but I find it essential for my work. Bless your candles with gratitude and maybe a chant or two. As you do this, light a smudge stick of your choice and cleanse the candle as well as your working space to clear away negative energy.

3. Make your petition

A petition is simply a formal request made to the universe or whatever power you are working with. Many like to physically carve this petition into the side of the candle, which is great because it ties the unseen with the seen and brings your will into physical terms.

4. Add oil

Oil has been used in rituals since forever. It can act as a conduit for your intention to become reality in this physical world, or can simply be just another step in your process. Ritual oil has an essence of its own because it is often infused with herbs and fragrances that hold their own energies. Correlate these energies with your candle magick to boost your spell success.

5. Add herbs

Herbs are a huge part of many witches’ practices since they are of the earth and resonate with the energies of the earth’s mother. After you add ritual oil to your candles, add herbs that accentuate your desire for the spell.

How To Charge A Spell Candle

To be clear, the entire process of dressing your candle is also a way of charging it. “Charging” simply refers to the process by which we infuse our conscious and intangible desire into a tangible object–in this case, a candle.

Holding the candle, adding oil, herbs, crystals etc. definitely charges the candle, but what we’re specifically talking about here is charging your candle by way of intentional energy transfer. 

Spellwork works very well when we can transfer intense emotion into intentional workings. In the case of candle magick, we transfer our emotional intention directly into the candle. 

Sometimes this looks like placing two hands at the top and bottom as we infuse our intention, other times it may look more like a candle in its holder with your hands surrounding it with that powerful intention. 

The choice is yours. Make your own way here, but as you do your candle magic, think of that transfer of energy from you into the candle. 

As it burns, it releases that energy and your intention then manifests. 

That’s the simple version, but powerful magic is often simple magic.

Black Candle Spells

Black candles, as we learned above, are generally used for protection, absorption and destruction of negative energy and also repelling negative energy from ourselves and others.

Certain spells also fit these outcomes as well, and a black candle is used to accentuate the petition for protection, etc.

White Candle Spells

White candles are really unique because they can be used on their own to bring about the destruction of negative energy, peace, truth and purity, or they can be used to represent any other candle color. 

It’s the intention that binds a candle to your will, not simply the color, so if you find yourself lacking a colored spell candle, don’t panic. White can be used to accomplish any spell you require. 

Also, many witches like to use a white working candle, as it’s called, to light at the beginning of the purification process and snuff when the spell is complete.

Your call.

Candle Flame Meanings

In candle magic, it’s sufficient to seal your intention within, then simply light and burn, but some witches find deep meaning in the candle flame itself.

As you work your candle magic, you may find yourself also wondering “why is it burning so bright?” or the quite common “what does it mean when my candle goes out?”.

Let’s talk about just a few of the most common candle magic flame situations and what they might mean for you.

The Clean Burn

A clean, natural burning candle is a good sign that your spell is working as intended. There is the right amount of energy in the spell and it will come to pass when the time is right. No news is good news!

The Big Flame

A big flame is indicative of a spell that is working quickly and confidently to bring about a petition and that there is power in the spell.

The Little Flame

A little flame that is burning evenly, but lowly, means that your spell may be working very slowly, but it is working. You might be facing some heavy opposition or that your request will need more time to work than you thought.

The Struggling Flame

A struggling flame, meaning one that is low and on the point of drowning out in its own wax, is not generally a great sign in candle magic. The timing of your spell could be off, or your energy is too small to be working right now. If the flame drowns, you can be pretty sure something’s not right and you should adjust the timing, request, or power behind the spell.

The Dancing Flame

A dancing flame seems not to know where to remain. This is possibly a sign that your spell will come to pass, but in a way, you may not have desired or dreamed of. The sporadic movement suggests sporadic energy within the spell–the kind that can have unforeseen outcomes.

The Flickering Flame

The flickering candle flame is often regarded as a signal to you that spirits are present. This is generally a good thing, as it means your petition has been at least noticed.

The Popping Flame

A popping flame is a good indication that someone is speaking to you or about you. Either the spirits are trying to talk to you or the target is talking about you. Try to decipher the message with the context of the spell itself as well as the other flame actions to come.

The Candle Goes Out

A candle that goes out isn’t always a bad sign, but it most often means that something has put an end to it for one of two reasons. 1.) The spell will not come to pass and a force opposes you, or 2.) The spell or petition has already come to pass.