The Master Book for Candle Burning
Lighting candles for magical purposes has grown in popularity since the original 1942 publishing of Henry Gamache’s book “The Master Book of Candle Burning”. This book describes ways of using not just candles, but hoodoo condition oils, Psalm reading, and incense burning to work many kinds of rootwork from love and passion to cursing. This book gives a strong baseline for using candles in the conjuring arts. If you are unfamiliar with candlemagic in the tradition of Hoodoo and Conjure, it is a good baseline to begin from.
Preparing to Burn
When casting a candle spell you don’t just grab the candle and burn it, but the candle itself must be made part of something bigger, powerful and glorious. Start by making a name paper for your magical desires. Take a 3×3″ square of paper and scribe on it your desired goal 3, 7, 9, 11 or 13 times (depending on your desire). Then turn it 90 degrees once (to the right) and write your name the same number of times – this signifying your dominance of the idea. dab the corners of the slip with an appropriate hoodoo conditioning oil that corresponds to the goal you wish to achieve. Then fold the paper by hand, do another 90-degree turn, fold it again, then do it one last time. If you are attracting someone or something, fold the slip towards you. In the same way, if you are pushing something away, fold the slip away from you. Place the paper under the candle figure while it burns. Before setting the candle, take the figure candle and write your desire in the wax with a nail. As an example, on one side of a Large cross white candle you can inscribe “Bless me with understanding” and on the other side, you would inscribe your full name. If you are working with many candles you should write the names of the targets on the candles.
After completing this step you should put the appropriate dressing oil over the candle. A few drops on your fingers and stroking towards you (top to bottom) to make things come to you, or away (bottom to top) if you want to push them away. Lastly, hold it in your hands, think about what you wish to happen and pray with your heart and passion, tell the candle what you want as an outcome. Put it all in your candle, then put it on top of the paper and light it up. You just cast your candle spell!
Candle Magics Basics
When starting a candle spell, there are various things that entail it. Keep in mind what your goals are, and use the appropriate color, and candle for that spell. In most traditions, White Candles are used for Blessings. Choose a white female figure candle or white male figure candle, depending on the sex you are targeting. Try a Large cross candle if you are targeting your whole family for a blessing candle spell, for example. The same idea follows for all other kinds of rootwork, like with a small red cross candle if you want to craft a spell to return passion to your marriage, or a Large cross black candle and a black male figure candle if you really want to make sure your cursing spell sticks to the target ( Just remember to do a second spell with a small cross white candle to cleanse yourself after doing cursework).
Size and imagery matter to most rootworkers and spellcrafters, and with this you have to keep in mind the magnitude of your spell. As an example; if you need some quick enlightenment to pass your upcoming test, you might want to use a small cross blue candle in your work for quick results. But if you want to make sure you finish the semester of calculus or some topic especially challenging for you, using a Large cross blue candle and a Blue female figure candle (or blue male figure candle) might be more appropriate. If your magic requires you to step away from the candle burn, then using a smaller candle would be the best option, unless you wanted to spend the whole day watching a huge candle slowly drip wax. (never leave a candle spell burning unattended!)
And lastly, think of all the imagery you want to attach to your magic. If you want to do a reconciliation spell to soothe a split relationship you could use two candles, one for you and another one for your significant other. You can use a pink male candle a pink female candle unless the partners are of the same gender then use same gender candles. Dress them with the appropriate oils and herbs, say any prayers or intention and then light them up. Burn the candles a little each day over the course of 7 days while slowly moving the candles towards each other until they end up burning together, and their wax merges and becomes one. Or, if you needed to cause some inflammatory confusion to someone that has wronged you, you can use a black female figure candle, black male figure candle, a Large cross black candle and dress them both in the appropriate oils, carving their appropriate names in the figure candle, then burning them close to each other to the point their heat affect one another in a chaotic way.
There are plenty of ways to do this kind of magic, each one more complex than the one before it, but these are some of the basics. Now go and set some lights!