As a savvy business person, you’re probably aware of many of the benefits to having candles in your product mix: they’re great for eye-catching and colorful displays, they make great gifts, and they are consumable, so loyal customers will always come back for more. But as a spiritual business owner, there is something extra that you can share with your clients that big box stores and online behemoths will never be able to give their shoppers – the magic of candles!
Candles are magic! Take a moment and think about what a candle represents. It is a way for us to bring fire, in a very controlled way, into our home. Who else used fire magically? Oh, only our oldest ancestors. More than a million years ago, long before our Homo sapiens great-great-grandparents were even a twinkle in Homo erectus’ eyes, hominids began controlling fire. Every time we light a candle, we open ourselves up to the awe and wonder of the power of fire that our ancestors experienced. No wonder candles are incorporated into so many spiritual practices.
As business owners, part of our job description is also to be an educator. Our customers love us because we make recommendations and teach them how to use products in ways they may not have thought of before. The customer who walks into your store or checks you out online might think of a candle as a pretty decorative item, but you have an opportunity to show them that candles can be so much more.
So, what are some of the ways that you can teach your customers that candles are more than a lovely gift for that hard-to-shop-for friend? Invite them to think of candles as an important part of their spiritual practice. No matter what kind of customer you serve, there is a candle practice that they can fall in love with. Check out these different spiritual practices with candles and give them a test drive so that you can share your knowledge with your clients.
FOR A CUSTOMER WHO LOVES TO MEDITATE
If you have a client who is having difficulty focusing during their meditation practice or just wants to try something new, teach them how to do a candle gazing meditation. While most meditation is done with the eyes closed, candle meditation is done with the eyes open and focused on a candle flame. For meditators who have trouble with their mind wandering, this can be a game-changer and the steps are simple.
Choose a candle that is enticing and appealing
You want to get entranced by your candle, so choosing one that smells amazing and looks beautiful can help center and focus you. You might want to direct your customers to candles that have aromatherapeutic benefits or colors that invite stillness and calm – like blue or lavender.
Select a large candle that you are going to use for meditation only
Having a dedicated candle for your practice will get you into a meditative mindset every time you use it. Make sure it’s large enough that it will burn for several sessions so that you can build up a relationship with it.
Light your candle in a dim room and set it on a table at about eye level
Sit on the floor and set your candle on a table so that you don’t have to crane your neck up or down to view the flame comfortably.
Stare at the candle and let the flame be the focus of your attention
As you gaze at the flickering flame, you’ll find that it begins to become the sole mental and visual focus. The room around you will begin to fade, the flame will captivate your attention and you’ll find your thoughts quieting down.
FOR YOUR LAW OF ATTRACTION FANS
If your customer is one who knows the law of attraction inside and out, turn them on to a new way to bring focus to their intentions. One of the most challenging parts of manifesting is to keep your focus on your good outcomes and to do it repeatedly. A simple daily candle ritual can amplify your intentions, reminding you to keep you focus on your goals.
Start with a candle that aligns with your intention
Choose a candle with a clear intentional focus, such as a candle that says “Healing,” “Love,” or “Luck.” These candles have essential oils, fragrance, herbs, or colors that align with your manifestation.
Set the candle in a place where you will see it often
A candle on an end table, in your bedroom, or in a high-traffic area of your home or workplace will be a reminder of your intention and of your practice.
Create a positive, confident phrase that encapsulates your goal
There are some great guidelines for this: Write a short sentence. Keep in the present tense. Let the phrasing be bold and optimistic. For example, “I have a great new job” or “My new relationship is perfect for me.”
Light the candle daily and speak your positive intention out loud
The daily practice of speaking your positive phrase aloud will reinforce your intention and add juice to your manifestation. Choose a special time of day and try to keep your practice consistent to that time. For example, lighting the candle first thing in the morning or while you are sitting at your desk.
FOR YOUR BRAND-NEW WITCHES
It seems like everywhere you turn you are running into newly-minted “baby witches” who are looking for resources on how to do witchcraft. Lighting candles for spells is witchcraft 101 and if someone is coming into your store, you can teach them a basic format that will work for most of their spell work. And, if your customer wants to dive deeply into candle magic, you may want to suggest a spellbook to them.
Choose a candle that is in a color that corresponds to your spell
Reinforce your spell by choosing a candle in a color that corresponds to your spell. For example, if I were to ask you what color would be good for a love spell, you might say “red” or “pink. Or for money magic, you might choose green or gold. Or you might choose a color based on the chakra system. If you aren’t sure what color to pick, this handy chart will give you some guidance.
Candle colors and their corresponding intentions:
- Green – Prosperity, money luck, growth, fertility, gambling luck, business, career.
- Red – Passionate love, energy, action, attraction, sexuality.
- White – Cleansing, clarity, blessing, healing, connection to spirits or the spiritual world.
- Black – Cursing, banishing, protection, reversing, freedom from evil.
- Blue – Harmony, peace, calming, ideas, joy, kindly intentions, healing.
- Pink – Romantic love, friendship, sweet feelings, heart connection, affection.
- Purple – Empowerment, success, controlling, commanding, mastery, power, ambition.
- Lavender – Healing, calming, tranquility
- Yellow – Optimism, prosperity, happiness, gambling luck, attraction
- Orange – New opportunities, success, new ventures, change of plans, opening the way
- Brown – Justice, balance, grounding, legal matters.
- Gray – Neutralizing negativity, invisibility, working in “gray areas”
Inscribe your wishes or intentions into the candle
Using a nail, knife, or candle inscriber, write pertinent names and keywords into the sides of your candle.
Dress the candle in a spiritual oil
Use a prepared magical oil blend or create your own. Essential oils of magical herbs diluted in a carrier oil such as sweet almond oil can be rubbed into the palms and then applied to the surface of the candle.
Sprinkle light and leafy dried herbs or powdered herbs around the candle
Set the candle in a candle holder or on a tray and sprinkle small amounts of powdered dried herbs on or around the base of the candle. Use a good magical herb book to choose plants that support your spell.
Speak your words aloud and light your candle
Strike a match and speak your spell words aloud as you set the wick alight.
Allow your candle to burn while you are at home and awake
If you go to sleep or leave the house, snuff the candle out to pause your spell work.
Ritually dispose of your candle spell remains
When the candle has burned completely, the spell has been cast. Wrap up your candle wax remains in a paper bag or piece of cloth. If the spell is something that you want to bring to you, you can keep the remains until your spell manifests. If the spell was to get rid of something, take the candle remains to a trash can far from your home and dispose of it.
FOR THOSE WHO CONNECT TO SPIRIT GUIDES AND ANGELS
For clients who love to connect to deities, guides, saints, angels, ancestors, or other positive spirits, candles can be an integral part of a dedicated home altar. This altar can be a place to build a relationship to your spirits and spend time with them, as well as petition them for help or make offerings.
Find a place for an altar
Choose a small area to dedicate as your altar. This can be an end table or tray table, but could also be a shelf, ledge, or windowsill. You can even create a portable altar out of a cigar box or shoebox.
Set an image of your spirit up on your altar
This can be a photograph or illustration set attractively in a frame. You might want to use a figurine or statue or an object that represents the spirit of your spirit. For example, you might use an apple or a seashell to represent Aphrodite.
Choose a candle for honoring your spirit
White candles are considered general, all-purpose candles for spirit work, but you might want to choose a color associated with your spirit or a candle in a glass holder with an image of the spirit on it.
Select a larger candle that can be lit over the course of many days
Unlike a candle spell where the goal is to burn the candle to completion, a spirit altar candle is ongoing. When one candle ends, you begin a new one, so getting a larger candle for ongoing work is simpler and more economical. A novena, sanctuary, or seven-day candle in a glass jar works well for this purpose.
Add offerings to the altar
Different spirits may want different things. Those who were once living, such as ancestors or those loved ones who have departed, may want a little bit of something they enjoyed in life. Offerings such as fruit, tobacco, candy, flowers, or alcohol can be placed in a bowl or glass for them to enjoy. Deities and saints may want particular offerings. For example, St. Expedite enjoys an offering of pound cake, Shiva likes saffron, honey and ghee, Isis appreciates milk, flowers, honey, while St. Barbara and Persephone are both associated with pomegranates. A beautiful bowl or glass of water is always welcomed by all spirits.
Burn incense along with your candle
Incense is especially nice for setting a mood, cleansing a space, and connecting with the spirit world. Lighting incense or burning herbs before your light your candle can be an excellent beginning to your ritual of meeting with your guide.
Light your candle on a daily basis
Similar to the Law of Attraction manifesting ritual, you may want to light your spirit candle on a daily basis. Chant, sing, or just have a chat with your spirits as you light the candle. Sit with the candle and speak to your guides or sit in companionable silence as you visualize meeting with them.
Try out these beautiful non-denominational ways of connecting with candles yourself and then share them with your customers. They can be incorporated into any spiritual practice and adapted to any religion. Have an exchange with your clients and discover the ways that they have used candles to connect spiritually and you may discover some new ideas that you can add to your bag of candle magic tricks.
Author: Madame Pamita
Madame Pamita is a Tarot reader, spellcaster, teacher, author, and a Maker of Magic, music, and mischief. She is the author of The Book of Candle Magic recently published by Llewellyn, and Madame Pamita's Magical Tarot published by Weiser Books. She is also the owner of an online spiritual apothecary, the Parlour of Wonders and lives in Santa Monica, California. You can find her at:
Website: https://www.parlourofwonders.com
