To Bless & Dress a Candle for Magical Working

Choose your candle in accordance with your beliefs and practice. Let it rest on your altar, hearth, or threshold for a night before the blessing. Cleanse it in your preferred way—smoke, breath, salt, or water—and speak to its spirits as you prepare your working space. When you are ready, hold the candle in both hands. Tell it the purpose of the working—clearly and aloud. Say:

Be thou not wax alone, nor wick unlit,
But will made flesh, and flame well-fit.
As this spell burns, so shall thou strive—
With breath of mine, I make thee live.

If desired, carve the candle with symbols, names, sigils, or intent. Declaring each mark as it’s made by saying something like: I mark you thus with witch’s will, that you may [say whatever you want the mark to accomplish]. Pour a few drops of oil[1] or blessed/infused water into your palm. Breathe into it. Dress the candle with the oil or water while chanting:

With sacred herb and oil/herb and water, thy skin I bless,
To bear my will with eagerness.
By root and leaf, by thorn and tree,
As I command you, it will be.

When you are ready to perform the working with your candle, announce your desire aloud and light the candle, saying:

Awake! Awake! Thou bearer bright—
Burn with will, with work, with might.
From wick to flame, from wax to will,
Thy spirit stirs, thy work fulfills.

If the candle is to be used in an ongoing working, keep wrapped in natural cloth when not in use and store it in a safe place. If not, burn it to completeness in as close to one sitting as possible (or according to your own beliefs and working).

[1] When dressing candles, it is important to remember that oil and added herbs will cause your candles to burn faster and their flames to be much bigger. Use caution when applying oil and herbs to any candle and make sure to place your candle on a flame and heat resistance surface. An alternative to oil and herbs is to anoint the candle with infused water instead.