Mark Green's Atheopaganism Blog

One of the more characteristic “witches’ tools” used in rituals is the candle. There are many ways we can work with them to create psychologically powerful and effective rituals.

Candles provide a “magical” atmosphere for many reasons. Low light conditions tend to provoke a spooky desire on the part of people to be quieter, possibly as a result of our roots as diurnal animals afraid of nocturnal predators. Flickering golden light provides a soft, hushed ambience that works perfectly on a Focus (or altar) and which is conducive to the brain’s Ritual State (aka trance, or “flow”). And after all, lighting candles is a rather “magical” act, in that it creates dancing heat and light out of (apparent) nothing.

Candles are readily available and easy to do rituals with, so let’s talk a bit about the activities we can do with candles in a ritual context.

Here are steps you can take to “consecrate” your candle or candles to the ritual purpose you intend. Remember that you will want to concentrate on your goal for your ritual throughout these activities.

Safety. First, consider fire safety. The sleeves of the woman in the picture above aren’t a good choice for working with fire. Make sure you have a fire extinguisher or bucket of water available to douse a fire if one gets started, and be smart about what kinds of objects and materials you place in proximity to fire.

Color. Choose the color for your ritual candle based on what kind of intention you have for your ritual and what color you find best associated with that goal. If your ritual goal is a complex one, you may want to use more than one candle, of differing colors.*

Inscription. Carving a word, a symbol or sigil into a candle is another way to “charge” it with associations for your ritual purposes. If you have one, use a ritual knife, or one you have ritually consecrated to the purpose.

Anointing. Dressing a candle with scented or “blessed” oil is a common way of making a candle “special” and unique. Choose a scent that you associate with your ritual intent: if your purpose is passionate, you might use a spicy oil such as carnation, juniper or yew, or even cinnamon. Other scents may strike you as calming, or dreamy, or energizing, or associated with a particular memory. Rub the oil up and down the candle until a smooth, even coating is applied throughout.

Smoke blessing. Additionally or alternatively, you can pass a candle through smoke from burning incense, herbs or leaves. Choose those that reflect the associations with which you want to imbue the ritual candle (but be certain that you avoid burning toxic leaves such as hemlock, camphor, oleander, etc.) You can also roll an oiled candle in powdered herbs so they will burn along with the candle.

Ritual lighting. Lighting a ritual candle can be the moment of “igniting” the power of the ritual, or there can be further steps. To me, it is more powerful and evocative to light a candle with a wooden, strike-anywhere match than with a lighter. Speak your intention as an invocation over the candle as you light it. 

Wax sealing. After your candle is lit, you may want to use it to create a “spell note” or sachet. This is done by writing your ritual intention as a phrase on a small square of paper of the same color as your candle. Then fold each of the corners of the square into the center of the square, resulting in a smaller square. Glue the points of the paper down by dripping wax from your candle to form a seal, hiding and “locking in” the ritual’s intention. You can add to the sense of “sealing” and ritual by impressing a signet ring, envelope seal, or other textured item into the candle wax. The sachet can go on your Focus to remind you of your intention.

Ceromancy. There is a form of “divination” using the shapes formed by wax as it is dripped from a burning candle into water. Prepare yourself by meditating or contemplating your candle’s flame until you feel calm and centered. Then drip wax into a bowl or chalice of cold water. Look for shapes that form; our brains’ propensity for pareidolia causes us to see recognizable forms in such random stimuli. Look for symbols, objects or animals: what do they mean to you? How does that meaning relate to your life at this time?

Candle rituals can be impactful, meaningful…and fun! Give one a try as a part of your ritual practice and see how it works for you. Don’t forget the most important part of every ritual: acting in accordance with your intention for the ritual after it is completed!

*Remember, what is important in a ritual is what something means to YOU. If you associate orange with peace and quiet, use orange for that! See theAtheopagan Table of Correspondences.