Quick Specs
- Author: Charmaine Dey
- Format: Paperback, approximately 62 pages
- First published: 1982
- Best for: Practitioners of any tradition seeking a concise, foundational candle magic reference
Candle Magic Book by Charmaine Dey: A Tradition-Neutral Reference
Charmaine Dey published The Magic Candle: Facts and Fundamentals of Ritual Candle-Burning in 1982, and it has remained in print because it gives practitioners the foundational framework without locking them into any one religious or ceremonial tradition. Where Raymond Buckland’s Practical Candleburning Rituals operates within the Wiccan and Old Religion structure, and Henri Gamache’s Master Book of Candle Burning draws from Southern conjure and psalm-based hoodoo, Dey’s book is intentionally tradition-agnostic. She frames ritual candle burning as a psychic and psychological practice compatible with any faith or none.
At approximately 62 pages, the book covers candle color meanings, the basics of sympathetic magic as it applies to candle work, how to dress a candle with oils, how to carve symbols or words into wax, and how to set up a ritual space. Dey does not assume the reader is Wiccan, ceremonial, or trained in any one tradition. She explains the underlying logic of why candle magic works as a focus for intention, which lets practitioners from any path apply her system to their own ritual vocabulary. This cross-tradition utility is what has kept the book circulating since the early 1980s.
What Dey Covers
Dey’s central argument is that the practitioner’s preparation and mental focus matter more than the specific formula or words used. This emphasis on intention over script makes her method particularly adaptable, since it does not require the reader to use Buckland’s altar diagrams or Gamache’s psalms to get results. Practitioners who find rigid ritual scripts constraining will find Dey’s framework liberating, while beginners benefit from the clear and methodical explanation of why each step matters.
The color correspondence table she provides is one of the most-cited short references in candle magic, covering the standard spectrum from red for love and passion through white for purification and black for banishing, with clear explanations of the sympathetic logic behind each assignment. This makes the book a useful desk reference even for practitioners who already work within another tradition and simply want a second opinion on a color choice or a quick review of the basics before a working.
How to Use The Magic Candle
Apply Dey's fundamentals to any candle magic working with these three steps.
- Learn the Color Correspondences
Read Dey's color section before selecting a candle. She provides a concise table matching colors to intents: red for love or power, white for purification, black for banishing. Knowing these before you start focuses the working from the beginning.
- Dress and Prepare Your Candle
Dress the candle with oil and carve any words or symbols into the wax before lighting. Dey treats preparation as the most critical step: undirected fire produces undirected results, so intention must be set clearly before the flame is lit.
- Set the Working in Motion
Light the candle with your intention clearly in mind and allow it to burn per the ritual instructions. Dey argues that the practitioner's clarity of focus at the moment of lighting carries more weight than any specific words or formula used.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I stock three candle magic books in this category because they represent different traditions: Gamache for hoodoo and conjure, Buckland for Wiccan ceremonial, and Dey for the cross-tradition practitioner who wants the underlying framework without the tradition-specific ritual script. Dey’s book earns its place precisely because it is not trying to be comprehensive. It does one thing, explains the fundamentals clearly, and does it in 62 pages that a reader can work through in a single sitting. If you are pairing this with actual candle supplies, browse my candle collection for ritual candles, chime candles, and dressing supplies to put Dey’s framework into practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Charmaine Dey's The Magic Candle was published in 1982 as a concise guide to candle-burning fundamentals. It is widely cited for its brevity and tradition-neutral approach, making it accessible to practitioners across many backgrounds and paths.
Buckland provides thirty-seven Wiccan-framework rituals with altar diagrams for each. Dey focuses on underlying principles: color meanings, sympathetic magic theory, and candle preparation, leaving practitioners free to build their own ritual forms.
Yes. Dey frames candle magic as a psychic and psychological practice compatible with any faith or none. She encourages readers to adapt her methods to personal beliefs rather than prescribing a specific religious context for the workings throughout.
The book runs approximately 62 pages. Despite its brevity, it covers color meanings, oil dressing, carving, and basic ritual structure clearly enough to serve as a quick-reference companion alongside longer tradition-specific candle magic guides.
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