Candle Color: What Do Different Colors of Candles Mean?

Candle color meanings can be powerful.

When you’re trying to set the mood, candles provide the perfect boost.  

Romantic? Candles.  

Relaxing? Candles.  

Casting a spell? Yep. You guessed it. Candles.  

But, if you’re truly looking to enhance the energy of the experience you are creating with your candles, it can pay off tremendously to understand the power of the color you use.  

The right candle color holds a great amount of weight when you burn it because, if you understand it, then you are imbuing your experience with that much more energy. It’s basically color therapy.

If you don’t understand them, or you don’t care, you can burn any candle you like, on a whim. Oftentimes, in fact, how you feel about a candle can mean even more than what some witch on a witchy spiritual site has to say.  

It’s true.  

The Power Is in Your Belief 

The same is true of crystals, numerology, astrology, tarot, and any other energetic or divination tool in existence.  

Everything on earth, indeed in the universe, only has the power we give it.  

If you believe it’s all useless – it is.  

If you believe magic is not real – it isn’t.  

That is the joy of the human experience. We each get to decide upon and hold our own truths.  

The nice thing for us spiritual witches, however, is that we are working with meaning and energy that has been in existence since the very first village witch in the very first civilization.  

The meanings behind objects, events, and energies, are ancient, for us. So they hold enormous power, and we know how to bring upon our own good luck. 

And the really cool thing is that everyone is welcome to tap into this magic anytime they wish.  

The more you tap in, the more knowledgeable you become, the more magic you practice, the more powerful you become.  

All of that to say that for witches, energy is everything, colors included.  

So, once you learn the symbolic meaning behind colors, you can channel the energy of those meanings for your own purposes.  

How to Work with Candles 

Before we get to candle color meanings, let’s talk about candles and how to work with them.  

Candles are a magnificent tool for a variety of occasions, and they are always representative of the fire element in the physical world.  

Fire is one of my favorite elements because it’s like the shape shifter among the elements. And it is a powerful tool.

Fire can be used to create – in the form of a meal or a warm beverage.  

It can be used to destroy – in the obvious ways of burning something down, but also in cases of a fever that burns away illness or boiling water that kills toxins and contaminants.  

And it can be used to transform – think of creating glass from sand or steel from iron ore.  

Thus, when we burn candles, we can use them for all purposes. Whether we are trying to create something new, let burn what no longer serves us, or transform something, candles will support our work.  

It also lends a ritual quality to anything we do.  

Setting candles in a circle, a pyramid, or a pentagram, or even just lighting candles all around the house is soothing and it helps you prepare for what’s to come. It gets you into the frame of mind to practice your magic.  

Remember that fire represents our passions, compulsions, zeal, creativity, and motivation.  

“Light a fire under it!” 

Be mindful that the element of fire is further boosted by air energy as oxygen fuels fire. So if you are seeking intense magic with your candles, leave a window open.  

Set the Intention 

Before you even think of buying candles, set your intention.  

If it’s a birthday party, how do you want the birthday person to feel?  

If it’s romance, what are you seeking with this specific encounter? Physical intimacy? Emotional closeness? Set the specific intention.  

If it’s cleansing, be very clear on what you are cleansing and clearing away.  

You get the idea.  

If you go candle shopping without intention, your guiding system may feel fuzzy, and you may end up frustrated.  

Sit with the Candle 

When you work with candles, be sure to sit with the candle first, before you buy it. This is obviously best done in person as it can be harder to channel or read energy online, especially if you are not experienced in picking up energy from objects, events, and people.  

It is ideal to hold the candle in your hand and get a feel from it. Does it resonate with you and your purpose?  

It may not.  

As with anything, the power is in you, the color magick is already in you. If you feel like this particular candle will not serve its purpose, put it down.  

It may not be the color, it may be the material the candle is made from or the manufacturer of the candle that is just not clicking with you.  

The key is to candle shop for as long as you need to until you feel this candle, or these different candle colors call to you. That’s how candle color meanings impact your life. 

Set the Stage 

Anytime you work with candles, you want the environment to be clean and clear and ready for you to imbue it with your energy, ready for new beginnings and get rid of any bad habits.  

Physically clean the space with soap and water, or whatever cleaning products you use.  

Sage the area to clear out any old and residual energy from previous experiences or spells you may have cast.  

Organize the space so it is not cluttered with chaotic energy.  

And place clean dishes or holders strategically around the area to hold your candles.  

Finally, open a door or window to allow air to release negative energies and to energize your candles even more.  

Candle Color Meanings 

Now, you get to pick the color of the candle! 

Don’t be afraid to mix and match, either.  

You can combine clarity with emotional closeness, purity with transformation, grounding with growth, and so on. The possibilities are endless.  

Also note that candle colors correspond to the chakras, so if you are doing chakra work, and we’re all pretty much always doing chakra work when we are practicing magic, these candles will connect directly to its corresponding chakra color.  

White Candles

A white candle works for purity, new beginnings, protection, truth, peace, harmony, and calming. They work well with clear quartz crystals and should be burned in all ceremonies celebrating birth or rebirth, transformation, and cleansing.  

It can be helpful to wear white and burn white candles under a full white moon with a fresh bowl of moon water in your environment.  

Black Candles

Black candles are best used for protection, banishing, repelling, or putting an end to something. A candle in the color black should be burned close to a window or door or even spread out around all windows and doors to clear out the area entirely.  

Write out a spell for banishing, something short and sweet, and burn your candles at high noon to allow for the sun to burn off all negative energy and wash it through your space for the entire day.  

Red Candles

Passion! Red candles are great for romance and confidence in relationships, increasing your creativity and confidence and driving your forward.  

Burn these candles at dawn if you are creating something or at dusk if you are inviting romance.  

Pink Candles

A pink candle speaks to our unconditional love, romance, friendship, self-love, happiness, forgiveness, and emotional healing.  

Burn pink candles for a light, soft, lovely experience like a reunion with a flame or friend or to create space for yourself to let go of anger at someone.  

Purple Candles

A purple candle heightens intuition and healing, which makes sense as the two intuitive chakras, the crown and the third eye are both shades of purple.  

Burn these when you are seeking answers and listening for them from the divine in meditation.  

Blue Candles

Blue candles encourage intense focus and communication. They also invite good fortune, peace, wisdom, and memory, like remembering dreams.  

Burn these candles when you are in the peak of a project or seeking a beneficial outcome on something. You can also burn them before bed to remember your dreams.  

Green Candles

Green candles are for money, spiritual growth, success, earth energy, grounding, prosperity, health, and expansion.  

Burn these candles when you are in growth phase but have felt block. Perform a ritual around your blockage with a spell and a ceremony that allows you to release whatever is holding you back.  

Orange Candles 

Orange candles are for intellect, networking, social interactions, legal affairs, joy, stimulating energy, justice, and legal matters. The have a ton to do with humans and human interactions.  

Burn these candles when you are meditating on how to work with or interact in a social or political situation.  

Yellow Candles

Yellow candles work for learning, breaking mental blocks, gaining insight or clarity, finding new ideas, accessing psychic powers, and enhancing logic.  

Burn these candles when you are feeling vague, fuzzy, or foggy on an issue or just life in general.  

Gold Candles  

And finally, gold candles are for wealth and personal power, success, enlightenment, and manifestation.  

Burn these candles when you plan to level up and go big! 

In the end, the most important step with candle color meanings you can take is to set the intention, feel your way through your candle selection, and then create a ritual or ceremony around the burning that solidifies your intention. From there, you will be unstoppable.  

Happy manifesting!