Creating Your WHE Working Candle

Working candles are a staple in many witches' practices, including mine. To separate our personal magick from the magick and work we do for Witches Healing the Earth, I encourage you to make a Witches Healing the Earth working candle. This ensures that the magick we perform personally does not interfere with the magick we perform as a collective, in the event our personal ethos doesn't fully align with the vision and mission of Witches Healing the Earth. An example would be a witch who performs hexes on individuals in their personal practice. Because the official stance of Witches Healing the Earth is that we do not hex individuals, we would not want the magick to cross over using the same working candle.

In this article, we will talk about what a working candle is and ideas on how to craft one. We will also have a synchronized crafting ritual event on the New Moon. The New Moon on July 20 will be in Cancer, if you want to harness water energy; you can also choose to wait until July 21 if you want to harness fire energy of Leo, as the moon will still be in the New phase. This ritual can be done at any time, however, but some witches like working collectively so we wanted to make an event of it as well.

A working candle is a candle which is crafted, empowered, and charged to the witch and their magick. It is ritually lit every time a witch begins work, whether it be spellcrafting, a ritual, or meditative work, and is ritually extinguished once the session is complete. Most witches use the flame from their working candle to light other candles in specific spells, rituals, or workings, so the origin of the magic is always tied back to the witch and working candle. Over time, the constant use and partnership with the candle deepens the bond and charge, similar to any other magickal tool you work with. When the candle has burned down completely, many witches will melt the remaining wax down to add to their next working candle to further empower their workings. In this way, the working candle is never "done," as it simply transfers into a new candle, similar to a phoenix.

Your Witches Healing the Earth working candle will be used in every working you do for Witches Healing the Earth, whether that is a meditation, a ritual, a spell, etc. The only time it wouldn't be used is if it is impractical to, for instance if the witches is a member of the Fire Realm and the work being done is participation in a rally where it would be impractical to carry around a lit candle. In these instances, the witch can light the candle before leaving home and sit with it and raise energy before extinguishing the candle and leaving, or allowing it to burn during the outing as long as someone is at home to supervise the candle.+

Items You Will Need

While it's not realistic for everyone, please try your best to use ingredients and items that are ethically sourced and harvested using sustainable practices. We will have more articles on that in the future and hope to find some suppliers we can support that meet these criteria.

• A candle, whether it is purchased from a shop or handcrafted yourself. You may choose a simple white or ivory candle, or you may choose a candle color which aligns with your chosen Realm(s). Please be mindful of the ingredients of the candle and if at all possible, try to use environmentally-safe, non-toxic candles that contain ingredients that are sustainably harvested and ethically sourced.

• A pin, pencil, or engraving tool.

• Oils of your choice, that align with your work for WHE. Feel free to choose these intuitively.

• A carrier oil, such as olive oil, almond oil, coconut oil, or apricot oil.

• Herbs and/or resins of your choice, that align with your work for WHE. Feel free to choose these intuitively.

• Other small decorative ingredients that call to you based on your work for WHE, to affix to the candle. Examples may be glitter, beads, coins, leaves, sand, flower petals, etc.

• Ribbon in the color of the Realm(s) you align with. (Earth is green and/or brown; Air is white and/or silver; Fire is red, orange, and/or gold; Water is blue and/or turquoise; Spirit is purple, silver, gold, white, and/or black. You do not have to stay within these ribbon colors. If you associate other colors with the elements, please use your personal power color(s), as the emotional connection to the candle and its meaning is of utmost importance.)

• A small bowl and spoon for mixing oils.

• A mortar and pestle or a small bowl and spoon for mixing dry ingredients.

Crafting

1. Open ritual space in your preferred format. Call in guides, guardians, and spirit allies. This post shares examples of how I connect with the spirits I work with as they partner with me for my work with Witches Healing the Earth.

2. Raise energy in your preferred way of raising energy.

3. Begin crafting. Using your engraving tool, engrave whatever you feel called into your candle. Remember that if the purpose is to increase that energy (like healing for the planet, healing for humanity), start from the base of the candle and work up; if the purpose is to decrease that energy (dismantling the patriarchy, dismantling greed), start from the top of the candle and work down. You may choose to engrave words, sentences, sigils, etc. As you engrave, focus on and think about your intention for your work for Witches Healing the Earth.

4. After you have finished engraving, dress your candle in a blend of the oils you chose. Interact with the ingredients as you would in any other spell. Again, be mindful of the direction you are rubbing the oil on, and basing it off your intentions.

5. Once the candle has been dressed in oil, do the same thing with the dry mixture (herbs, resins, glitter, sand, etc). Again, interact with your ingredients as your normally would when performing a spell and be mindful of the direction you are rubbing the herbs in.

6. If you have larger items to affix to the candle, such as coins, leaves, petals, etc., add those at this time.

7. Once your candle is dressed, we will knot-in the intentions with the ribbon. Intuitively select how many ribbons you'd like tied around your working candle, and visualize the intentions of your entire working being sealed into the candle as you knot your ribbons.

8. Once the ribbons have been added, it's time to light your candle! (Please note that if you are participating in the joint candle-making ritual with the group, we will not be lighting our candles until the Full Moon on August 3rd. Instead, please allow your candle to charge on your altar or in a windowsill for the waxing moon cycle.) Light your candle in the way that feels most appropriate to you, or consecrate it it in the way you would normally consecrate any other working candle while focusing on your WHE intentions.

9. When you are ready, close your circle, ceremony, or sacred space in the way you normally would.

10. Light your Witches Healing the Earth working candle any time you are working on spells, magick, ritual, or content for WHE.

+For safety purposes, never leave candles burning unattended.

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Charlie Nichols is the founder of WHE and a staff contributor. Charlie studied Journalism & Mass Communication, Marketing, and Psychology at Madison College in Madison, Wisconsin. She has practiced witchcraft for over two decades and is a certified spiritual empowerment coach, a certified ethical psychic, and a certified crystal healer. Charlie lives on the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin, USA with her partner, daughter, and animal companions.