Quick Specs
- Brand: Sonavi
- Type: Hand-rolled beeswax candles
- Wax: Natural beeswax
- Color: Purple
- Height: 8 inches
- Base: About 1 inch across
- Set: 5 candles
Deep Purple Honeycomb Candles for the Reading Table
The purple is deep and rich, close to grape or eggplant, with the honeycomb cells forming dark facets that catch a glint along the ridges. The white wick stands out against it. At this height, one candle works well on a reading table. It rises above the cards, the cloth and the small objects around them, so the flame sits at the edge of your attention. A candle that tall also gives you time: the same one can be lit before each of a week of daily readings, or kept for a longer spread that takes the evening. Each candle comes off the roll a little different: the seam, the ends and the pattern shift from one to the next. Five candles mean one for each of five sessions, one to give a friend who reads, or a spare to keep standing on the altar between readings. The depth of the color also pairs well with the metallic and cream objects that share many reading tables, such as a brass bell, a white cloth or a pale crystal, and against them the purple reads as the richest note.
Candle guides give purple the sensitive end of the spectrum: divination, intuition, psychic work, spiritual growth and wisdom. Others add empowerment, truth, personal power or ambition, and some link it to the crown chakra. The range runs from the inward, such as intuition and meditation, to the outward, such as authority and ambition. The readings are traditional, they vary by author, and none is a guarantee. What they share is attention: purple is the color for sitting with a question, and a tarot spread asks exactly that of you. One guide suggests lighting a purple candle during tarot readings, scrying or pendulum work. A candle in this color marks a space where the question gets your full attention, and that is the part of divination you control. If you read for other people, the candle also gives the sitting a shared focus: light it as the sitter arrives, keep it burning through the reading, and snuff it when the last card is turned, so you both can see where the session begins and ends.
Practical Ritual Applications
Light a candle before a daily tarot draw and snuff it when you’ve written down the card. For a longer spread, light it before the first shuffle and keep it lit while you read. Place it on the far side of the cloth, at least a foot from the cards, notebooks and any paper, since cards burn. For pendulum work, scrying or journaling about a dream or a decision, the same candle makes a steady point of light. A set of five covers a week of weekday readings, with a spare. Choose a holder with an opening wide enough for the base, and measure the opening against the candle before you buy; my taper holders are a good place to compare sizes.
How to Burn a Purple Beeswax Candle Beside a Tarot Spread
Three steps set a purple candle up for a reading and put it out safely afterward.
- Place the Candle Away From the Cards
Seat the candle upright in a holder or on a flat heat-safe dish at the far edge of your reading cloth. Cards and journals burn, so keep them at least a foot from the flame, and check that nothing hangs or leans over the candle. Shorten the wick to roughly a quarter inch before you light it.
- Light It Before You Shuffle
Light the candle, take a breath, and name the question or the day's focus in a sentence. Shuffle and read with the flame in the corner of your eye, and keep sleeves and loose paper clear of it as you reach across the table. Stay with the candle for the whole reading.
- Close the Reading With a Snuffer
When you've written down your cards, snuff the flame before you clear the table, and before you leave the room. Wait for the wax to set before you move the candle. Keep the other four in a cool place away from direct sun, and trim the wick again before the next reading.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
Purple is a natural fit for a shop that sells tarot, and the tall candle suits a reading table because it stands above the spread. I stock these as a boxed set so you can keep a purple candle for readings and have candles left for other workings. Each candle is rolled and wicked, so it goes straight into a holder or onto a dish. If you want to learn how color and candle practice fit into divination, my candle magic books are the next stop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Candle guides recommend it. Purple is the color they give to divination, psychic work and intuition, and one suggests lighting a purple candle during tarot readings, scrying or pendulum work. The advice is traditional, and many guides accept white or blue in its place. What matters at the table is that the flame sits well away from the cards and the cloth.
Leave open space above the flame, and don't burn a candle under a shelf, because heat rises. Fire-safety guides say to keep candles at least a foot from anything that can burn, and enclosed shelves can leave soot on the surfaces above. With a tall candle the flame sits at the top, so measure from there to the nearest shelf, lamp or hanging decoration.
Guides use the names loosely. One lists purple and violet together, and another treats blue, indigo and white as stand-ins for purple. Shade matters to some authors: lavender is read as gentle intuition, medium purple as balanced spiritual power, and deep violet as the strongest, most mystical work. These candles sit at the deep end of that range, but go by how the color strikes you.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet