Candle Magic

Candles · Ritual Guide

A flame, a sentence and a scent that means something. The simplest ritual there is.

By Kristin Scott · Spitfire Girl, Los Angeles

What is an intention candle?

Any candle can be an intention candle. What makes it one is the job you give it. The flame gives your attention somewhere to rest, and the scent anchors the moment in memory. Light the same candle every time you return to the same intention and the ritual gets easier to drop into.

The Potion ceramic candles skip the guesswork: each is named for its intention and poured into a ceramic vessel with a celestial planetary lid, so the ritual looks as good as it feels.

Which Potion candle should you light?

Love$42 · 15 ozProtection$42 · 15 ozFortune$42 · 15 ozGoddess$42 · 15 ozSeduction$42 · 15 ozBlack Moon$42 · 15 ozWhite Moon$42 · 15 ozSuper Sun$42 · 15 oz

• Love ($42): Connection. Light it for date nights, self-love evenings, or when writing to someone you miss.
• Protection ($42): Boundaries and calm. Benzoin resin, osmanthus, ylang-ylang and red sandalwood. Light it after guests leave or before a hard day.
• Fortune ($42): Opportunity. Burn it on your desk the week of a launch, pitch or interview.
• Goddess ($42): Self-worth. Light it while you get ready.
• Seduction ($42): Magnetism. The after-dark candle.
• Black Moon ($42): Beginnings in private. The new moon candle.
• White Moon ($42): Release. The full moon candle.
• Super Sun ($42): Energy and courage. Light it in the morning.

Not ready for the full 15 oz? Each intention comes in a travel size ($22), or try several at once with the Potion Votive Candle Gift Set ($62).

The 6-step ritual

1. Choose the candle. Match the candle to one intention. One candle, one intention. Stacking five wishes onto one wick scatters the focus.
2. Clear the space. Open a window, tidy the surface, and set the candle on a heat-safe base. Some people pass a little sage or incense through the room first.
3. Write the sentence. Present tense, specific, short. My work is seen and paid well. Tuck the paper under the candle's base or beside it.
4. Light and focus. Light the wick and watch the flame for three to five minutes. Read your sentence aloud, then just breathe in the scent.
5. Let it burn, safely. Stay in the room while it burns. On the first burn, let the wax melt to the edges of the vessel so it doesn't tunnel. Never leave a flame unattended.
6. Close and repeat. Snuff (don't blow) the flame and say thank you, or simply it's done for today. Relight on the following days until the intention feels complete.

Candle rituals by moon phase

Autumn is the season people turn inward: longer nights, altars, ancestors. It's the natural time to start a moon-by-moon candle practice and keep it through winter.

Double the ritual: candle plus perfume

Every Potion candle has a matching Potion eau de parfum. Light the candle while you set the intention, then wear the perfume out into the world, so the room and your skin carry the same cue. See The Art of Layering and our Intention Perfume Guide.

Other candles for the altar

Potion Votive Candle Gift Set$62Crystal Candle - Clear Quartz XL$49Golden Hour Triple Wick$68No. 5 Stormy Black Fig$32

• Crystal Candle - Clear Quartz XL ($49): a clear quartz statement candle for the center of the altar.
• Eternal Gaze Triple Wick Candle ($68) and Golden Hour Triple Wick ($68): big-room candles for full moon gatherings.
• No. 5 Stormy Black Fig and No. 4 Patchouli wood candles ($32): moodier scents for the rest of the house.

After the last burn: keep the vessel

Once the wax is gone, the ceramic Potion vessel becomes a keeper. Pour in warm water to lift the last of the wax, then use it as a ring holder, a crystal cup, or a place to store the intention papers from every cycle. More ideas in What to Put in a Trinket Dish, and wick-care tips in Candle Care Secrets.

Questions, answered

Keep reading: Intention Perfume Guide · Candle Care Secrets · The Beginner's Witches Corner