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The candles that you work with, the most suggested are tapers that are about three inches tall, about a couple inches in diameter. Bigger candles would take much longer to burn down, and there would be a lot of candle wax mess. Tea lights and votives may work as well, though it is harder to carve into a tea light than it is to carve into the taper.

In order to have a main focus for a candle, after you have selected what or who it would be for, and what color it is, do not just light it. First, with a stylus (it can be anything that will draw into the candle - it doesn't have to be really sharp, like a knife, could be something safer), write as best as you can, in short, what/who this candle is going to be for. If you like, write down little symbols or runes - or, for example, if it's love, draw a heart. Next, anoint the candle with an essential oil (certain ones could be called for, depending on the purpose of the candle) or a general altar oil, which is a blended oil for anointing and other ritual work. What I do is I dab a bit of altar oil onto a small patch of red cloth (red to attract the purpose), start at the center of the candle, and work my way first up, then down, going clockwise. As you are doing this, start to visualize the candle's purpose in your head. Then hold the candle either in both hands, or with your power hand (usually it's the hand you write with). You are embodying this candle now with the essence of the purpose, the candle becomes the person or the goal.

If you want to work in a closed circle and call in the Quarters and the Gods, you may do so, but a full ritual is not necessary. If you had called the Quarters and Gods in and closed the circle (hoping that you have all of what you need in the circle with you), set up the candle in a suitable candle holder in the center of the altar - if the altar has a pentacle on it in the center, place the candle on or near it. If you have anything relating to this certain goal or purpose - a picture of the person the candle's for, a handwritten message from yourself what goal is wanted, etc. - place it near the candle. Sit down in front of the candle and light it, then meditate on how the changes should come around, what goal you want to reach. Visualize and send energy forth for what you want to happen; (depending on what color) money coming in, someone new walking into your life (or into someone else's life), etc. If you have herbs that would help it along, very carefully sprinkle them onto the flame of the candle (example, for a candle for love, sprinkle dry rose petals).

This is important: When you are done meditating and well-wishing, you can dismiss the Quarters and Gods when you are ready, and open the circle, but you MUST let the candle burn all the way through. If there is a situation where you can't leave it burning, snuff it out with a candle snuffer (do NOT blow it out), and come back to light it. Things take effect once the candle fully burns out.

Here's a spell involving three candles:

- Place a board, cookie sheet, or anything flat on your altar or other work space, covered with aluminum foil.

- Free-stand three candles; a black, a gray, and a white (again, use the same small candles I mentioned - you don't have to carve symbols or anoint them), on the foil-covered surface, by lighting a candle and melting the bottoms of each one, then placing the candles in the small pools of melted wax.

- Using sea salt, draw a circle around the candles, and draw an arrow at the end, next to the white candle.

- On a piece of paper, write down something that's negative in your life, and then write down how you'd want this thing to turn positive. Place the paper, folded up, next to the arrow.

- Light the candles.

- Meditate on how you want this situation to turn positive. You can also send out energy by chanting, drumming, whatever.

- Do NOT blow out the candles. Let the candles burn down and out by themselves. You don't have to stay for the whole burn-down of the candles, though you shouldn't be too far away from them - do not leave the candles unattended (and that goes for any work you do with candles).

- After the candles have burned out, carefully take the foil off the surface, with the candle remains, salt, and paper included. Bundle all that up, and find a place to bury it in the ground, ie: a safe place in your back yard, a nice wooded area.


This spell doesn't have to be for you in general. It could be for someone else (with their permission), or for something global, like world peace. It's for taking something that's negative and changing it to positive.