How I Prepare a Candle Ritual, Step by Step
By Haggath ·
People ask me, mój drogi, what actually happens when I cast for them. No secrets here — I will tell you how I prepare a candle ritual, the same way I have done it for many years.
First, the room is cleansed
Before any candle is lit, I sweep the floor toward the door, open the window, and pass mugwort smoke through the room. You would not cook in a dirty pot. You do not cast in a dirty room either.
Beeswax, never paraffin
My candles are beeswax, from a beekeeper two villages over. Beeswax is alive in a way that factory wax is not. It burns slowly and honestly, and it smells of summer.
Dressing the candle
I rub the candle with oil — towards me to draw something in, away from me to send something off — and roll it in crushed herbs that suit the work: lovage for love, rue for protection, dill seed for money.
The words
Then I speak, plainly and slowly, with your name and what you asked of me. No grand theatre. The flame carries the intention and the words give it a road to walk. I sit with the candle until it has done its work.
Would you like me to cast for you?
Every spell in my shop is cast this way, by hand and by candlelight. Browse my spirit & energy spells to see what I can light a candle for.
See spirit & energy spellsResults vary. A spell is a spiritual practice, not a guarantee, and never a substitute for medical, legal or financial advice.
More from the journal
- What Is Slavic Folk Magic? A Village Witch's Guide to Polish Spells
A plain guide to Slavic folk magic from a village witch near Kraków: herbs, salt, bread, thread, spoken charms, the ritual year, and what a spell can and cannot do.
- How to Prepare Before Ordering a Spell, and What to Do Afterwards
A practical guide to preparing before you order a spell from Haggath, what to write, what happens during casting, and sensible things to do afterwards.
- Ancestor Veneration in Polish Tradition (Dziady) and Ancestor Blessing Spells
Dziady, the Slavic feast of the dead, its customs, how it lives on in All Saints' and All Souls' Days in Poland, and how ancestor blessing spells honour the family.