Types of Candles

Candle Magick: Types of Candles for Ritual or Spellwork

How to Pick the Right Candle for the Job

Not all candles for magick are created equal — and in spellwork, the types of candles you use has an impact. Picking the right one can seriously boost your results. Whether you’re doing a quick intention setting or a week-long ritual, the types of candles you use matters. Each one burns differently, carries its own energy, and suits specific magickal goals. This guide breaks down the different types of candles, so you can choose your candle like a pro and get the most out of your spells. We’ll also discover what each candle colour means and which candle colours work best for which spells.

Image depicts an altar full of all different types of candles used in magick, ritual and spell work from Types of Candles page of The Witchy Guide.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

If you need a quick reference, you can jump to our Quick Guide — which matches the types of candles to spell types.

Spell Candles (Chime Candles)

What they are:

Spell candles, also called chime candles, are small — about 4 inches tall and half an inch thick. They burn fast, and they come in every colour you could possibly need.

Burn time:

2-3 hours

Common uses:

These are the go-to for quick spells. They’re perfect when you want a spell done in one sitting. You’ll often use them for colour magick, wish magick, and short spells.

Pros:
  • Cheap and easy to find.
  • No major mess — usually dripless.
  • Great for spells you want to burn all the way through.
Cons:
  • Burns out fast, not for long rituals.
  • Hard to carve anything detailed on them.
  • Needs a special holder or some wax melting to stand safely.

Best for:

Quick banishings, wish spells, simple spells, intention spells.

Taper Candles

What they are:

Taper candles are those long, skinny dinner candles you picture in an old-fashioned candlestick.

Burn time:

6-10 hours —They usually burn about 1 hour per inch, so an 8-inch taper could last 7–8 hours.x

Common uses:

Perfect for longer ceremonies, spells that take a few hours, or rituals where you want more atmosphere.

Pros:
  • Burn longer than chime candles.
  • Easy to carve and dress with oils and herbs.
  • Great for dramatic spell setups.
Cons:
  • They drip unless you buy dripless ones.
  • Need a candlestick to stand up properly.
  • Not ideal if you can’t watch them for hours.

Best for:

Ethical love/self-love spells, protection rituals, healing ceremonies, and longer banishings.

Pillar Candles

What they are:

Pillar candles are chunky, thick candles that stand on their own and burn for a long time.

Burn time:

Up to 75 hours — even the small ones can last 12 hours, big ones can burn for days.

Common uses:

Great as altar candles, for spell work that unfolds over several days, or spells that need repeated energy.

Pros:
  • Tons of burn time.
  • Easy to carve sigils, names, or spells into.
  • Feels powerful and grounding on an altar.
Cons:
  • Can tunnel if not burned properly.
  • Costs more than tapers or chimes.
  • Requires trimming and care if you want it to burn evenly.

Best for:

Altars, protection spells, long-term healing work, manifestation projects, and ancestral veneration.

Votive Candles

What they are:

Small candles about 2 inches tall, usually placed inside glass holders because they melt fully into liquid wax.

Burn time:

8-20 hours (depending on the size and wax)

Common uses:

Ideal for offering candles, short multi-day spells, or daily devotionals.

Pros:
  • Burns longer than a tealight
  • Small enough for tight spaces and altars.
  • Great for layering scents and colours into your spellwork.
Cons:
  • Always needs a holder.
  • Can’t carve much on them.
  • Scented votives might clash with your other spell components.

Best for:

Offerings, healing work, 2–3 day spells.

Tealight Candles

What they are:

Tealight candles are tiny candles in round metal or plastic cups. They burn quick and are widely available in many colours.

Burn time:

2–4 hours, then they’re done.

Common uses:

Best for quick spells, meditations, magick while travelling or setting up multiple candle grids.

Pros:
  • Super affordable.
  • Easy to find anywhere.
  • Safe, self-contained, and low mess.
Cons:
  • Short burn time.
  • Almost no space to carve.
  • Scented tealights can interfere with your spell scents.

Best for:

Fast cleansings, focus during meditation, quick spells, or multiple-candle setups.

Birthday Candles

What they are:

Yes, we’re talking actual birthday cakes candles here! Birthday candles are small, colourful, and burn really fast. Don’t let their size fool you — they’re surprisingly handy for spellwork.

Burn time:

Under 10 minutes

Common uses:

Perfect for simple, fast spells — especially wish spells (obviously!). You can also use them for experimental magick or layering multiple intentions without burning big candles. Birthday candles are also handy for spells while travelling, or stealthy spells you need to keep quiet. Just make sure they’re unscented and avoid glitter or metallic paint if you’re using them in serious magickal work.

Pros:
  • Super cheap and easy to find
  • Burn out quickly — great for time-limited spells
  • Come in lots of colours
  • Great for beginners or discreet practice
Cons:
  • Burn very fast — no time for complex rituals
  • Can melt fast and drip if not monitored
  • Limited space for carving or dressing

Best for:

Quick wishes or mini spells, stealth magick (easy to hide or explain), colour magick on a budget.

7-Day Candles (Glass Encased)

What they are:

Tall candles poured into glass jars, meant to burn continuously for a week.

Burn time:

7 days (continuous burning)

Common uses:

Serious spellwork like protection, healing vigils, manifestation over time, or spiritual offerings.

Pros:
  • Long, steady burn without fuss.
  • Glass keeps it safer and tidy.
  • Great for “set it and maintain it” types of spells.
Cons:
  • Can’t easily dress the candle unless it’s a pull-out type.
  • If it goes out early, it’s hard to relight properly.
  • Fire Safety – Like any flame, should not be left unattended.

Best for:

Deep protection work, healing prayers, uncrossing and banishing, attracting major opportunities.

Figure Candles

What they are:

Figure candles are moulded into specific shapes — people, animals, symbols, deities, even skulls or hearts. You’ve probably seen Goddess or God-shaped candles, as well as ones representing the human body for targeted spellwork.

Burn time:

Varies wildly depending on the size, shape and type of wax used.  

Common uses:

Used in spells where the shape adds symbolic meaning. For example, a female figure candle in a self-love spell, or a black skull candle for banishing intrusive thoughts. God or Goddess candles are often placed on altars as devotional offerings.

Pros:
  • Adds a visual and energetic focus to the spell
  • Easy to direct energy toward a specific person or intent
  • Great for deity work or poppet-style magick
Cons:
  • Often more expensive than basic candles
  • Some are mass-produced and still need to be prepped and anointed
  • Burn time and quality varies depending on the shape

Best for:

Quick Focused intention work (e.g. love, protection, banishing), deity-based rituals and offerings, healing or harm reversal on specific body parts, representation magick (yourself, others), working with masculine/feminine divine energy.

Quick Guide: Types of Candles to Use in Magick

Candle TypeBest For
Spell CandlesFast banishing, daily blessings, quick love or manifestation spells
Taper CandlesLove rituals, protection spells, longer ceremonies or healing rituals
Pillar CandlesHome protection, long-term healing, serious manifestation work, altar candles
Votive CandlesOfferings, devotionals, multi-day healing spells
TealightsMeditation focus, small quick spells, supporting larger rituals
BirthdayQuick spells, wish spells, stealth magick.
7-Day CandlesHeavy-duty protection, deep healing, long-term manifestation, spiritual vigils
Figure CandlesDeity rituals, focused healing, representation spells, masc/fem energy work

Candle Colours & Spell Types

What Each Colour Is Best For

The colour of your candle isn’t just for show. In spellwork, colour acts like a signal to the energy you’re working with. Each shade has its own vibe and intention, and using the right colour can help focus your spell and speed things along. Here’s a no-nonsense guide to what each common candle colour is best used for.

🤍 White Candles

Used for:
  • General-purpose spells
  • Cleansing and purification
  • New beginnings
  • Healing (especially all-body or spiritual)
  • Protection in a pinch
  • Standing in for any colour (white can be used for any spell)

🖤 Black Candles

Used for:
  • Banishing and cord-cutting
  • Reversals and uncrossing
  • Shadow work
  • Psychic protection
  • Binding or warding rituals
  • Breaking bad habits or toxic ties

❤️ Red Candles

Used for:
  • Passion spells
  • Lust or sex magick
  • Courage and confidence work
  • Fast action or motivation spells
  • Energy-boosting rituals
  • Protection with a fiery edge
  • Root chakra work related to physical/material needs

🩷 Pink Candles

Used for:
  • Heart chakra work (as well as green) related to love, self-love and healing
  • Self-love rituals
  • Romantic attraction spells
  • Friendship and harmony work
  • Emotional healing
  • Reconciliation or forgiveness spells
  • Gentle heart-opening meditations

🧡 Orange Candles

Used for:
  • Career and success spells
  • Attracting opportunities
  • Business or job spells
  • Creative inspiration
  • Breaking through blocks
  • Spells to be seen or noticed
  • Sacral chakra work related to sexual desires and creativity

💛 Yellow Candles

Used for:
  • Spells for focus or concentration
  • Memory and study support
  • Confidence and creativity boosts
  • Happiness or joy spells
  • Public speaking or exam prep spells
  • Spells that require The Sun’s power (e.g. to melt away obstacles)
  • Can also be used for money spells if you don’t have green/gold available
  • Solar Plexus chakra work related to self-worth and personal power

💚 Green Candles

Used for:
  • Money spells
  • Luck and prosperity work
  • Fertility rituals
  • Job offers or promotions
  • Physical healing spells
  • Nature and earth magick
  • Grounding spells
  • Heart chakra work related to love, self-love and healing

💙 Blue Candles

Used for:
  • Peace and calm rituals
  • Deep emotional healing
  • Truth and trust spells
  • Communication spells
  • Sleep or dream work
  • Long-distance healing
  • Protection and boundaries
  • Throat chakra work related to communication and truth

💜 Purple Candles

Used for:
  • Psychic development
  • Intuition and third-eye work
  • Divination spells
  • Spiritual connection or meditation
  • Wisdom and insight
  • Manifesting power or status
  • Indigo: Third eye chakra work related to clarity, insight and psychic abilities
  • Violet: Crown chakra work related to awareness and wisdom

🤎 Brown Candles

Used for:
  • Home and property spells
  • Justice and fairness work
  • Pet or animal magick
  • Stability and grounding rituals
  • Lost item recovery
  • Earth-based offerings

💛 Gold Candles

Used for:
  • Success and achievement spells
  • Wealth attraction and abundance magick
  • Solar energy and confidence work
  • Personal power and recognition
  • Spells for fame or career growth
  • Invoking masculine divine energy or sun deities

🩶 Silver Candles

Used for:
  • Intuition and moon magick
  • Dream work and psychic connection
  • Feminine energy and goddess rituals
  • Emotional clarity and reflection
  • Lunar cycles, esbats and new moon spells
  • Protection in spiritual realms or astral work

🩵 Light Blue / Aqua Candles

Used for:
  • Emotional release and healing
  • Soothing anxiety
  • Forgiveness work
  • Sending peace to others
  • Cooling emotional flare-ups
  • Inner calm and reflection

💚 Light Green Candles

Used for:
  • Gentle healing spells (especially emotional or heart-based)
  • Growth and renewal rituals
  • Spells for new beginnings or fresh starts
  • Peaceful abundance and steady financial growth
  • Fertility work with a nurturing tone
  • Reconnecting with nature or personal balance

🩶 Grey Candles

Used for:
  • Neutralising conflict
  • Transition or closure spells
  • Breaking indecision
  • Shadow integration
  • Hex reversal without aggression
  • Blending opposing forces

🌈 Multicoloured Candles

Used for:
  • Complex spells involving multiple intentions
  • Chakra balancing and energy healing
  • Spells for clarity in confusing or layered situations
  • General-purpose rituals when you want to cover all bases
  • Spiritual transformation, alignment or integration work

Final Thoughts

The types of candles and the colours of candles you pick can shape the energy of your spells. You don’t need fancy candles for every single ritual, but in spellwork the tool should fit the task. when you match the candle to the task, you set yourself up for stronger, smoother magick.  A tiny chime candle might not carry a month-long healing spell, and a giant 7-day candle is overkill for a five-minute intention. Part of growing as a practitioner is learning to pick the right types of candles for each spell (or decide you don’t need one at all!). Keep this guide handy next time you’re planning a ritual or shopping for candles. With this knowledge, you’ll feel more confident picking the perfect candle type for your next banishing, protection, healing, or manifestation spell. Happy casting, always stay candle-safe, and may your candles burn bright!