Parafin (Gulf Wax will do - it's available in any grocery store)
Quart size Freezer Bags (must be sealable)
Wicks (# 1 and 2 work best)
Wick weights (available from Hobby Lobby or recycle from old candles)
Containers ( we use everything from old yogurt containers to toilet paper rolls)
Dye (Ritz dye works well)
Scent ( We use essential oil perfumes from the Dollar Store)
Candy thermometer
Large pan 3/4 full of water at 150 degrees

Process

Allow about 1/2 pound wax for each baggie.  Add about one teaspoon dye to baggie.
Close baggie and put in water.  Allow wax to melt.  While waiting, set up containers with wicks.
Make wicks about one inch longer than the top of the container.  Center wick if necessary, holding in place with a toothpick or something similar.

When wax is melted, add scent if wanted.  (about a capful if using perfume oil)  Pour from baggie into container.  Allow to cool, straightening wick as necessary.

Approx. 4 hours later, unmold.  (peel paper if using or cut plastic away from candle).  Burn and enjoy.

We use this method to make our alter candles of the appropriate color.

This is not only fun, but because of the lower temperatures and the baggie system its clean to work with.

 
The Magic of Color
By Fiona Blackwolf

Color is often a key factor in Candle Magick. However it is important to remember to use the color that feels right to you for your purpose even if it may not be the candle given in the written spell you are using. Think carefully about what you need and what you want o accomplish when choosing the color that is right for your needs.

Red – Strength, health, energy, power, the will, attracting power, lust, conquer fears, moon blood, courage, survival, sex, passion.

Pink – love, friendship, harmony, affection, tenderness, spiritual love, caring, loving yourself, healing emotions, good will.

Yellow – intellect, concentration, creativity, inspiration, thinking, memory, learning, communication, new beginnings, logic, and the mind in general.

Orange – quick changes, luck, attracting positive energy, energy building, fun, and energy for goals. The color Orange is a combination of Yellow and Red, therefore both energies are present with less intensity.

Green – money, business, fertility, good fortune, growth, abundance, healing, and success. Green has both Male and Female energies so it is a very balanced color. It is associated with Venus and Mercury.

Blue – truth, peace, protection, calm, creativity, soothing, cooling, bliss, spiritual well being, healing, and truth. Blue has a female energy to it, and is associated with the moon, Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter.

Purple – the spirit, spirituality, luck, protection, wisdom, understanding life’s mysteries, expansion, knowledge, reaching your higher self and highest potentials.

Brown – earth, stability, solid foundations, study, healing the earth, material needs. It is also associated with the hearth and home.

Black – reversing, protection, banishing, binding, absorbing, endings, justice, and endings.

White – spirituality, purity, wholeness, the goddess, balance, protection, healing, raising vibrations. White is also associated with the Moon and female energy. The color white is a combination of all colors, therefore it be used for any purpose.

 Candle Flame Meanings:

As the candle burns, examine how it burns.  The way your candle burns tells something about the task.  Candles change things, but also tell you what will and is happening in the way they burn.  It can tell how the request is going, being received, will turn out, and how hard it is to achieve. 

Did the glitter or wax stick to the glass?  Meditate on the shapes and colors left there.  Can you see any forms or symbols in the wax left on the glass?  Maybe your request is not so straightforward or maybe it's a sticky situation. 

How did your candle burn?  Did it keep going out?  Did it burn slowly or quickly?  Did the flame flicker?  Did it burn cleanly or give off soot?  Again, meditate upon what message you get about how it burnt. 

As a general guideline - think positively first.  What a candle does is not a "bad" sign.  That may be hard to do faced with any emotional issue:
* If it gives off soot, you are burning off the negativity and obstacles surrounding your issue.  Keep burning a candle about the issue until it burns cleanly. 
* If it flickers, your candle is working hard.  Perhaps there is some vacillation in the progress or even in your own mind.

* Did it burn slowly or go out?  The task may require a slow and careful process.  Or there could be numerous obstacles to overcome and the candle is laboring with all its might.  It may also be indicating that you need to reassess the way you are thinking about your request.  Maybe things have changed since you started the candle.  Maybe you are not thinking of the highest good of all parties involved.  Candles can, in those circumstances, go out.  If this happens, it is part of your symbolic work to relight it and think about the issues at hand.  Spiritual work takes participation.  The candle may need your help to keep working and overcoming obstacles.  You might need to dig wax out or dislodge the wick.  This might require carving down the outer sides of the candle.  Never pour off the center, it creates a bigger hole in which to drown your wick.  Keep lighting it and working with it. 

Sometimes, a candle keeps going out and it is reflecting a bigger process at hand.  There may be an issue of your fate and more at hand than your wish.  Perhaps, you do a candle to keep your job and it keeps going out.  The candle could be indicating what is happening.  The bosses are deciding to fire you.  A single candle sometimes cannot overcome massively dire circumstances that may be part of propelling you into evolving.  Keep in mind that your candle may not give you the specific wish, but it will take care of you.  Even if you cannot see the good in whatever happens, know it will come.  Have faith.