reusing candles

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Ravenstar
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reusing candles

Post by Ravenstar »

I have heard you should never 're use candles. Why? I can't afford buying bunches of candles just to burns them for a bit. I also feel it's wasting them. I mean burning them all the way down... do you know how long that will take and also the safety factor.
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Firebird
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Re: reusing candles

Post by Firebird »

I come from the school of thought that candles can not be used for multiple spells.
Your Lamps of Art, which are used to illuminate your Altar, can be used over and over. You may assign different jobs for different candles, like I have a beautiful bees wax candle I use for meditation, and a green one I light to connect with the ancestors during ritual. But when working a spell it is important the candle is dressed for the purpose and then burned all they way down. I have found when there are interuptions like the wind blowing it out several times and you need to relight frequently, that there will be delays or other trouble with the spell. A fireplace works well for insured complete uninterrupted burning.
Many people get around the cost of buying many candles by using tea lights or birthday candles. The 99cent store is a good place for cheap candles. A church supply is a good place for 100% bees wax candles. I go strait to the candle factory, and get seconds...and supply to make my own.
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Siona
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Re: reusing candles

Post by Siona »

There are times when it's fine to re-use a candle. I light candles on my deity shrines when praying to them, but I don't use a new candle every time I go to pray, using the same ones for the same purpose until they're gone is fine. It's a similar thing if you're using a candle, say, to represent fire on your altar. It's okay to put it out and use it again for that same purpose.

That said, if you're doing something like candle magic, and involving the candle directly in the spell, I believe that you should not use that same candle in another spell. If you're using a candle for a spell, use it up, or dispose of the remains in another way. It's not a good idea to use half a candle in a prosperity spell, and then turn around and use the other half in a banishing ritual, for example, because the energies you put into the candle (so to speak) will carry over from one to another.

As was said, lots of people use tealights or smaller candles for things that require using the whole candle. Personally, I'm a fan of chime size candles for this sort of thing. You can get them in all sorts of colors, they're not super expensive, and they don't take anywhere near as long to burn down as a votive or regular size candle stick. I actually just bought a little kit for rolling your own miniature beeswax tapers, which only take about 40 minutes to burn down... which is good timing for a lot of workings. So there are a lot of options out there for that sort of thing.

And, of course, if it's still an issue, you can always just do workings that don't involve candles at all.
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Sakura Blossom
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Re: reusing candles

Post by Sakura Blossom »

This is probably where I'll differ from others here, but I reuse them. However, not for everything. If I do a spell where I carve the intent into my candle, I will never reuse that candle UNLESS it's for the same exact spell. If all I do is instill my will onto the candle with energy, then I may reuse it. I've found that a lot of my magick work has become very energy heavy and I'm starting to gain some interesting ideas/beliefs on that matter. If I don't carve it in, then it's not permanently etched onto the candle itself. If I merely instill energy, the energy can be removed (according to my personal beliefs, as others don't always believe the same thing of course!).

If I ever anoint a candle, it's only ever to represent my deity but if I do use something to represent my will then I will not use that candle again either, unless that oil will correspond with what I'm doing.

As with you, I can't afford to keep buying new candles nor do I have a car to take myself to get some. I try to be conscientious of what I'm using my candle for and if there's an opportunity for it to be reused.

That's just my two cents. (:
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1st Chosen

Re: reusing candles

Post by 1st Chosen »

I use 3" candles for spell casting. They last long enough that I get a good feeling for the spell but not so long that you would lose focus enough to start a fire by neglecting them.
Katiara

Re: reusing candles

Post by Katiara »

I re-use some candles. Like for like, and never ones that need to be fully burned (such as prosperity or banishment). I have similar beliefs as Sakura Blossom on this one. If a space can be cleansed, and ritual items cleansed, then so can candles in my book as they are just another tool to me. Unless I have crafted a candle specifically for a ritual or spell, I feel it can be reused. I do like what others have said though, if you are uncomfortable or don't believe this train of thought, then the Dollar Tree (or other 99 cent store) is a great place to find cheap votives/tea lights or even a cheap taper for something specific.
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YanaKhan
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Re: reusing candles

Post by YanaKhan »

I have my solution on reusing candles. I melt the remaining candles and make new ones - I believe that cleanses them from the energy of the previous spell. I also have candles I reuse for the same exact purpose like my altar candles for example.
Still, there are rituals that require burning the candles all the way down and yes, this takes time, but is also important sometimes. So if you are doing such a ritual, you may want to consider buying tea candles or make small ones to make sure it doesn't take forever to burn them all the way down.
eclectic witch

Re: reusing candles

Post by eclectic witch »

I reuse candles often. I'll smoke cleansr them if needed, but for the most part I use them for the same thing anyways. If I do need to burn an entire candle for a certain spell I make a colored (for whatever intent) tealight and burn it out.
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MsMollimizz
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Re: reusing candles

Post by MsMollimizz »


When I do a spell that involves a candle or two, I don't let them
burn all the way down for safety sake due to nosey cats; I will
burn the last of it in a voltive holder with words, I just watch.
Gentle Light
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it is the illusion of knowledge." Steven Hawkings
Dita_Aster

Re: reusing candles

Post by Dita_Aster »

The candle I use to represent "fire" on my altar I blow out and relight, no problem. But for me, personally, I don't re-use candles from spells. I'm of the school that you let the candle burn all the way out - or almost all the way out, if you want to save a little wax from it for a charm (which is what I call "mojo bags" and other spell items).

I use a lot of tea lights for small, daily spells that need to burn all the way out. For bigger spells and bigger candles, I call these "temple days." Fortunately I live alone, so I can consecrate my entire apartment with white sage as a temple for the weekend, and big pillar candles that I light on Friday night can be left burning until they burn out on Sunday. The times vary, I guess. I also don't have cats.

Generally I don't like to blow out candles used in candle magick spells because I think of the lit candle as "transmitting" the spell, and I don't want to interrupt the transmission. I also see incense as symbolically carrying the spell up and out as well, so I'll keep lit incense going as much as possible near a lit spell candle, or have a moonstone or relevant herbs nearby to "boost" it as well.

Just my own personal stuff :fairy:
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AnaisStar
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Re: reusing candles

Post by AnaisStar »

I dont reuse candles either.

Leaving a candle burning all the way down though can be time consuming and unsafe. So when I have to I will snuff out the candle (never blow it out) and then when I have the time to relight it, Ill again focus on the same spell and light it again. So one spell that Im working can take several days as I light and relight the candle until it burns out. But I would never use that candle for a separate and different type of spell.
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MsMollimizz
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Re: reusing candles

Post by MsMollimizz »


Don't get me wrong, I don't use them for other spells...
I bring them out here in front room with me and finish
burning them to finish the spell. Hubby can be quite
pissy at times and I don't want him near when I finish
the spell candles. Thanks, I need to give the poppet
a booster shot of nice !
:flyingwitch:
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it is the illusion of knowledge." Steven Hawkings
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SpiritTalker
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Re: reusing candles

Post by SpiritTalker »

Replying to an old post -

I’ve just read a suggestion on Pinterest. You heat a pin in a flame & push it thru the candle at a point that marks how long you want the candle to burn. Dress just that portion with a dab of oil to hold the psychic charge and the charge it with your intent. The pin drops when the wax melts, ending the spell. Snuff the flame and use the candle & pin method again for another spell. Sometimes one candle is all you have and do what you have to.

Or charge the one candle to support all intentions, mark the burn time with a pin, and put your Spell effort into a paper petition that is placed under the candle and gets burned after the pin drops.
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