I can still see Grandma standing over the stove with a handful of my Crayola crayons, melting the wax down so she could read it. She'd use white candles most of the time, but when she wanted to see something, she'd get into my crayon box and go to work. These days I don't melt crayons, I just grab whatever's in the birthday candle box, because they burn fast and come in every color you'd ever need. So let's talk about candle colors, the simple way.
Grandma's Way
White was Grandma's go-to, plain and simple, and she didn't fuss much past that. Where she got particular was the wax itself. She'd melt down whatever crayons I had on hand and read what the melted wax told her, the same idea as reading tea leaves or hot wax dropped in cold water, just done with what was sitting in a kid's crayon box instead of anything bought special for the purpose.
I lean the other direction. I keep a box of birthday candles around because they're cheap, they burn down quick, and they already come in every color of the rainbow. When I need a color for a working, I go digging through that box before I go digging through anything fancier.
Common Candle Color Meanings
Candle color gives a working somewhere to point. The color isn't the power, it's the direction you're aiming the power in, a focal point for the intention you're already holding. Here's how I break the colors down.
What Actually Matters
Color helps you focus, but it was never the whole working. What you put into that candle, the intention you're holding when you light it, does the real lifting. White covers you when you don't have the "right" color sitting around, and honestly, most of the time it's the only color you need.
You can also stack colors for something bigger. Green and gold together for money coming in. Red and pink for matters of the heart. There's no rulebook that says you're only allowed one candle per working.
A Few Notes
- Birthday candles work just fine. They burn fast, they come in every color, and there's no shame in reaching for what's already in the kitchen drawer.
- If you don't have the color you think you need, white will always cover you.
- Don't let the color do the work your own intention is supposed to be doing.
"Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house."
Matthew 5:15 (KJV)