Quick Specs
- Brand: Sonavi
- Type: Hand-rolled beeswax candles
- Wax: Natural beeswax
- Color: White
- Height: 8 inches
- Base: About 1 inch across
- Set: 5 candles
Cream-White Honeycomb Candles, the All-Purpose Color
These are the quietest candles in the range: a pale cream white, with the honeycomb cells showing as soft shadows, and a white wick at the top. On a dark cloth they glow; on a pale one they nearly disappear until the flame is lit, which makes them a good fit for a minimal altar. Each candle stands 8 inches tall on a base about 1 inch across. The height gives them a job of their own: a tall white candle is a presence, a pale column that frames the objects around it. Because white asks nothing of a space, you can set one at the center of a table, between two other candles, or behind a bowl or a deck, and the arrangement keeps its shape. That quietness also helps in a room that already has strong colors: set a white candle between a red one and a blue one and it steadies the group. The rolling is done by hand, so each candle has a slightly different seam and finish, and a set of five gives you spares for the workings you haven’t planned yet.
White is the color guides reach for when the purpose is still open. Candle writers give it purity, clarity, new beginnings, cleansing and spiritual growth, and some add blessing, protection or connecting with ancestors and spirits of the deceased. White leaves a working open to any purpose, which is why it’s the one color the guides accept as a stand-in for any other color. It also marks beginnings and clean slates in nearly every list of meanings: a blank page, a first day, an open question. The lists vary by author, and no list can promise a result, so the meaning you give the candle counts most. For many people that openness is the appeal. A white candle asks you to supply the purpose, and choosing one in a single sentence is part of the working. That sentence can be as short as a name, a date or a question. It’s also a sensible first candle to own, because one color covers every purpose until you know which colors you prefer.
Practical Ritual Applications
Keep one for the purposes that come up unexpectedly. At the start of a new notebook, a new deck or a new month, light one while you write the first line, and treat the unmarked wax as a blank page. Before a reading, light one to mark a clean start for the table. Before you sort a problem on paper, light one and write the question at the top of the page. Five candles let you use white as the center of a larger arrangement, with colors around it, and a single one is enough for a quiet evening with no purpose beyond the light. Put the flame out with a tool made for it: my snuffers and accessories include several styles.
How to Light a White Beeswax Candle for Any Purpose
White takes its meaning from your intention, so these three steps start with naming it.
- Name the Purpose First
Because white fits many workings, give it one. Say aloud or write down what the candle is for: a new start, a clear head for a decision, remembering someone. If it's standing in for another color, name that color too. Then shorten the wick to a quarter inch and seat the candle upright on a dish or in a holder.
- Light It and Give the Flame a Minute
Light the wick and read your sentence aloud once. Give the flame a quiet minute, then turn to whatever the candle is for: the first line of the notebook, the first card of the reading, the photograph on the altar. Keep the flame out of drafts, don't leave it unattended, and keep paper clear of it.
- Snuff and Store Away From Sun
Snuff the flame when your purpose is done, and before you step away. Let the wax harden before you move it. Store the unused candles in a cool place out of direct sun and away from heat, in the box or wrapped in a cloth, so the pale wax stays clean and ready for the next purpose.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
White is the foundation of a color collection, since it covers any purpose and stands in when another color is missing. I stock the tall version as a set of five, rolled and wicked, so the box holds a base candle for several different workings. Cream-white beeswax also reads cleanly beside the other colors I carry, so a white candle can anchor a mixed arrangement. For wider reading on how the colors fit together, my candle magic books are a good place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Candle color guides say yes. White is described as holding every color of the spectrum, so many writers accept it as a substitute for any hue. Color helps you focus. Name the color and the purpose aloud when you light a white candle in its place, so the intention is clear even though the wax is a different color.
Beeswax ranges from nearly white to brownish, and it's most often a shade of yellow, depending on purity and the plants the bees visit. White beeswax is made by bleaching or filtering the yellow wax. The cream-white of a rolled candle sits at the pale end of that range, and the tone can differ a little from candle to candle.
Candle writers recommend it. White is the color given to connecting with ancestors and with spirits of the deceased, and one guide suggests lighting it on an ancestor altar when you want to remember someone. Keep the candle on a heat-safe dish or in a holder, away from photographs and cloth, and snuff it when you finish and before you leave the room.
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