Candle Color Meanings: What Every Candle Color Means in Candle Magic

Candle color meanings are the oldest shortcut in candle magic. You choose the color that matches what you want, and the color does part of the work before the wick is lit.

Here are the thirteen candle colors in one line each:

• White is for cleansing, blessing, and any purpose at all.
• Black is for protection and banishing.
• Red is for passion and courage.
• Pink is for affection and self-love.
• Orange is for opportunity and drive.
• Yellow is for confidence and a clear mind.
• Green is for money and growth.
• Blue is for peace and truth.
• Purple is for intuition and spiritual power.
• Brown is for home, stability, and justice.
• Gold is for success, silver is for the moon, and grey is for neutral ground.

Jump to a color: White · Black · Red · Pink · Orange · Yellow · Green · Blue · Purple · Brown · Gold · Silver · Grey

Or jump to: Colors by Day of the Week · How to Choose a Color · FAQ

Candle Color Meanings at a Glance

This table gives the core meaning of each candle color and the kind of working it is burned for.

Where Candle Color Meanings Come From

Candle color meanings come from three sources that were blended in the twentieth century: the old symbolism of color, the planetary correspondences of ceremonial magic, and the candle-burning traditions of Hoodoo and, later, Wicca.

• Color symbolism. Color symbolism is ancient. Red is blood and fire everywhere. Green is the color things turn when they grow. Purple meant rank for centuries because Tyrian purple dye was worth more than gold.
• The planets. Ceremonial magic tied each color to one of the seven classical planets. That is why gold belongs to the Sun, silver to the Moon, red to Mars, and green to Venus.
• Hoodoo. Henri Gamache recorded the candle practice of Hoodoo workers in his 1942 Master Book of Candle Burning. Hoodoo candle work is best learned from practitioners within the tradition.
• Wicca. Raymond Buckland carried the system into Wicca with his 1970 Practical Candleburning Rituals.

Lists differ from one book to the next. The meanings below are the ones the main traditions agree on.

White Candle Meaning

A white candle means purity, clarity, and blessing, and it can stand in for any other color when you don't have the one you need.

White holds every color of light, which is why it is the universal candle. If you keep only one color in the house, keep white candles.

Burn a white candle for:

• Cleansing. It clears a room, a tool, or yourself before other work.
• Blessing and new beginnings. It suits a new home, a new year, a new baby, or a fresh start.
• Truth and peace. It calms a space and invites honesty.
• Remembrance. White is the color of mourning in many cultures, and a white candle lit for someone who has died is an old and widely shared custom.
• Any purpose at all. It replaces a color you don't have.

White candle correspondences:

• Day: Monday, the Moon's day, and the night of the full moon.
• Planet: The Moon.
• Chakra: The crown.

Black Candle Meaning

A black candle means protection, banishing, and endings, and it is burned to absorb negativity and send away what you no longer want.

A black candle is not evil, and burning one is not bad luck. Black absorbs every color of light, and in candle magic it absorbs in the same way.

Burn a black candle for:

• Protection. It guards a home or a person against ill will.
• Banishing. It removes a bad influence, a run of bad luck, or the residue of a bad visitor.
• Breaking a habit. It is burned to end something you are done with.
• Closing a chapter. It marks an ending so that something new can start.
• Honoring the dead. Black is burned at Samhain for the ancestors and the dark half of the year.

Black candle correspondences:

• Day: Saturday, and any night of the waning moon.
• Planet: Saturn, the planet of limits and endings.
• Pairs with: A ring of black salt around the candle strengthens protection work.

You'll find them in our black candles collection.

Red Candle Meaning

A red candle means passion, courage, and raw energy, and it is burned when you want something to move fast and feel strongly.

Red is blood and fire. It works quickly and burns hot, so it is used for what you want now. Green or pink is used for what you want to last.

Burn a red candle for:

• Desire and physical love. This is what sets red apart from pink.
• Courage. It steadies you before a confrontation or a hard decision.
• Willpower and stamina. It suits an athletic goal or a long push at work.
• Fast action. It speeds up a working that has stalled.

Red candle correspondences:

• Day: Tuesday.
• Planet and element: Mars, and the element of fire.
• Chakra: The root, the seat of survival and vitality.

You'll find them in our red candles collection.

Pink Candle Meaning

A pink candle means affection, friendship, and self-love, and it is burned for the gentle side of love where red is burned for the passionate side.

Pink softens whatever it touches.

Burn a pink candle for:

• New romance. It suits the early, tender stage of love.
• Friendship. It draws friends and mends friendships.
• Reconciliation. It softens both sides after a quarrel.
• Family harmony. It eases a tense household.
• Self-love. It is burned to be kinder to yourself.

Pink candle correspondences:

• Day: Friday.
• Planet: Venus.
• Pairs with: Pink is the standard candle burned on top of a honey jar spell.

You'll find them in our pink candles collection.

Orange Candle Meaning

An orange candle means opportunity, creativity, and drive, and it is burned to open a blocked road and get things moving.

Orange sits between the force of red and the brightness of yellow, and it takes something from each. In Hoodoo it is the road-opening color.

Burn an orange candle for:

• A job search or career change. It opens doors that have stayed shut.
• A stalled creative project. It restarts momentum.
• Motivation. It is burned against procrastination.
• Attraction of opportunity. It draws the lucky break, the introduction, the opening.

Orange candle correspondences:

• Day: Wednesday for opportunity, and Sunday for success.
• Planet: Mercury, with the Sun's influence.
• Chakra: The sacral center, the seat of creativity and pleasure.

You'll find them in our orange candles collection.

Yellow Candle Meaning

A yellow candle means confidence, mental clarity, and success, and it is burned when you need your mind sharp and your spirits up.

Yellow is the color of the sun at noon and of the element of air, which rules thought and speech. That makes it the student's candle and the speaker's candle.

Burn a yellow candle for:

• Exams and study. It supports focus and memory.
• Interviews and presentations. It helps you find the right words.
• Writing and communication. It clears a muddled message.
• Optimism. It lifts a heavy mood in a house.
• Friendly attention. It draws goodwill and new acquaintances.

Yellow candle correspondences:

• Day: Sunday for success, and Wednesday for communication.
• Planet and element: The Sun and Mercury, and the element of air.
• Chakra: The solar plexus, the seat of will.

You'll find them in our yellow candles collection.

Green Candle Meaning

A green candle means growth, money, and luck, and it is burned for prosperity and for anything you want to increase steadily.

Green is the color of living plants and, in the United States, of paper money. Both meanings hold.

Burn a green candle for:

• Money and steady income. It suits a raise, a business, or a savings goal.
• Luck. It is the general good-fortune candle.
• Growth. It suits a garden, a project, or a skill you are building.
• The heart. Green also belongs to compassion and to love that is rooted and lasting.

Green candle correspondences:

• Day: Friday and Thursday, during the waxing moon when the goal is increase.
• Planet and element: Venus, and the element of earth.
• Chakra: The heart.
• Pairs with: The four-candle money spell puts green candles to work.

You'll find them in our green candles collection.

Blue Candle Meaning

A blue candle means peace, truth, and calm communication, and it is burned to quiet a situation or to bring honesty into it.

Blue is the color of water and open sky, and it cools what red heats.

Burn a blue candle for:

• Calm after an argument. It settles a tense room.
• A hard conversation. It supports honest, even-tempered speech.
• Forgiveness. It helps you let a grievance go.
• Restful sleep and good dreams. It is burned at the bedside and snuffed before you sleep.
• Loyalty. It steadies a bond between people.

Blue candle correspondences:

• Day: Thursday, and Monday for emotional calm.
• Planet and element: Jupiter, and the element of water.
• Chakra: The throat, which is why blue is tied to speaking truthfully.

The shade changes the meaning of a blue candle:

• A light blue candle means tranquility, patience, and gentle calm. It is the shade for a child's room, for grief, and for meditation.
• A dark blue or royal blue candle means wisdom, authority, and protection through truth. It is the shade for legal matters, for leadership, and for cutting through confusion.

You'll find them in our blue candles collection.

Purple Candle Meaning

A purple candle means intuition, spiritual power, and mastery, and it is burned for divination, psychic work, and any working where you need command of a situation.

Purple was the color of kings because the dye was rare, and it kept that meaning of authority. In Hoodoo it is the color of power over your own circumstances, which is why High John the Conqueror candles are purple.

Burn a purple candle for:

• Divination. It suits tarot, scrying, and pendulum work.
• Dream work and meditation. It deepens both.
• Contact with guides and ancestors. It is the color of the unseen.
• Mastery. It is burned when you need command of a situation.
• Wishes. It is the traditional wishing candle.

Purple candle correspondences:

• Day: Thursday for power, and Saturday for deep spiritual work.
• Planet: Jupiter.
• Chakra: The third eye and the crown.

The shade changes the meaning of a purple candle:

• A light purple or lavender candle means intuition, peace of mind, and spiritual gentleness. It is the shade for meditation and for soothing an overactive mind.
• A dark purple candle means power, ambition, and breaking through what holds you back. It is the shade for mastery and for removing spiritual obstacles.

You'll find them in our purple candles collection.

Brown Candle Meaning

A brown candle means home, stability, and justice, and it is burned for grounding, house matters, animals, and court cases.

Brown is the color of soil and wood. In Hoodoo it is the court case color, burned for a fair outcome in legal matters.

Burn a brown candle for:

• Buying or selling a home. It supports property matters.
• Steadying a chaotic period. It grounds you when life won't hold still.
• Finding lost objects. It is the traditional candle for what has gone missing.
• Pets and animals. It is burned for their protection and wellbeing.
• A fair legal outcome. It is the court case candle.

Brown candle correspondences:

• Day: Saturday for stability, and Thursday for legal work.
• Element: Earth.

You'll find them in our brown candles collection.

Gold Candle Meaning

A gold candle means success, wealth, and the power of the sun, and it is burned for recognition, confidence, and winning.

Where green brings steady money, gold brings success and the recognition that comes with it.

Burn a gold candle for:

• A promotion or an award. It draws recognition.
• A business launch. It suits any moment in the spotlight.
• Confidence. It strengthens your sense of your own worth.
• The God on the altar. In Wicca a gold candle often stands for the God.

Gold candle correspondences:

• Day: Sunday.
• Planet: The Sun.

You'll find them in our gold candles collection.

Silver Candle Meaning

A silver candle means the moon, intuition, and dreams, and it is burned for psychic receptivity and moon work.

Silver is the Moon's metal and color.

Burn a silver candle for:

• Full moon rituals. It is the moon's own candle.
• Dream work. It invites vivid and meaningful dreams.
• Developing intuition. It supports the quiet, receptive side of psychic work.
• Reflecting negativity. It sends ill will back the way a mirror does.
• The Goddess on the altar. In Wicca a silver candle often stands for the Goddess.

Silver candle correspondences:

• Day: Monday.
• Planet: The Moon.

Grey Candle Meaning

A grey candle means neutrality, and it is burned to cancel out an influence, to restore balance, or to help you decide between two options.

Grey sits between black and white and belongs to neither. It is the least common candle color and one of the most useful.

Burn a grey candle for:

• Neutralizing. It quiets a situation without banishing anyone, which is the choice when you want things to settle and not to blow up.
• Balance. It evens out a period of extremes.
• Discernment. It helps you see a matter without your own feelings coloring it.
• A decision between two options. It is burned while you weigh them.

Candle Colors by Day of the Week

Each day of the week belongs to one of the seven classical planets, and each planet has its candle colors.

Timing strengthens a working and is never required. A candle lit on the wrong day with a clear intention does more than one lit on the right day with a vague one.

How to Choose a Candle Color

To choose a candle color, name what you want in one sentence, find the color whose meaning matches the heart of that sentence, and use white if you don't have it.

1. Say the goal in one sentence. "I want this job." "I want peace in this house." "I want to stop thinking about him."
2. Find the heart of it. A new job for the money is green. A new job for the recognition is gold or orange. A love that is tender is pink. A love that is urgent is red.
3. Use two candles if the goal crosses two colors. Burn them side by side.
4. Let your own association win. If a color means something strong to you because of a memory or the tradition you were raised in, go with that. The lists are a shared language and not a law.
5. Use white when you don't have the color. State your intention clearly when you light it.

Once you've chosen, these guides cover the next steps:

• Preparing the candle. The candle dressing guide covers carving and oiling.
• Picking the shape and size. The best spiritual candles by need compares tapers, pillars, jars, and chimes.
• Cleaning up afterward. How to dispose of candles covers what to do with the remains.

If you'd rather have every color on hand, an assorted set of chime candles covers the ten standard colors, and the full range is in our spiritual candles collection.

Candle Color Meanings FAQ

What Do Candle Colors Mean?

Candle colors mean the intention the candle is burned for. White is for cleansing and blessing, black for protection and banishing, red for passion and courage, pink for affection, green for money and growth, yellow for confidence and clear thinking, blue for peace, purple for intuition and power, orange for opportunity, brown for home and justice, gold for success, silver for the moon, and grey for neutrality.

What Does a Black Candle Mean?

A black candle means protection, banishing, and endings. It absorbs negativity and is burned to remove ill will, break bad habits, and close a chapter. A black candle is not evil, and burning one is not bad luck.

What Does a White Candle Mean?

A white candle means purity, clarity, and blessing, and it can stand in for any other color. It is also lit in mourning and remembrance in many cultures, which is why a white candle is so often burned for someone who has died.

What Color Candle Is for Protection?

Black is the main candle color for protection, because it absorbs and banishes. White is burned for protective blessing, and dark blue is burned for protection in legal and truth matters.

What Color Candle Is for Money?

Green is the candle color for money, growth, and steady prosperity. Gold is burned for success and recognition, and orange is burned to open the way to a new opportunity.

What Color Candle Is for Love?

Pink is the candle color for affection, romance, friendship, and self-love. Red is burned for passion and desire. Many love workings burn one of each.

What Does a Red and Black Candle Mean?

A red and black candle is a reversing or double-action candle. The black half is burned to send back or remove what was sent against you, and the red half is burned to restore your own strength and luck.

Can You Use a White Candle in Place of Any Color?

Yes. White holds every color of light, so a white candle can stand in for any color. State your intention clearly when you light it, and dress it with an oil or herb that matches the goal if you have one.

Does Candle Color Matter in Candle Magic?

Candle color matters because it focuses your intention and adds a correspondence that works alongside your words. It is not what makes a working succeed or fail. A clear intention with the wrong color does more than the right color with a vague one.

What Do Light Blue and Dark Blue Candles Mean?

A light blue candle means tranquility, patience, and gentle calm. A dark blue candle means wisdom, authority, and protection through truth, and it is the shade burned for legal matters.

Pick the color that matches the heart of what you want, say what it's for, and light it. When you're missing the color, white has never let anyone down.

Aurora Moone

Aurora Moone is a beautiful, kind-spirited, loving, motivating, and exciting Witch of 21 years. Having traveled all over the United States, Aurora has close friends of every religious background and spiritual path. She believes, whole-heartedly, in the power of coexistence through love, respect, and growth. She feels that we have responsibilities that involve everyone, no matter what path they walk. “No matter what group you commit to, no matter what spirituality you align with, no matter what religion you follow, no matter what political party you fall under, and no matter what your gender or race is, we are all citizens of Earth, and we all have a responsibility.” – Aurora Moone During her time in Hattiesburg, MS, Aurora founded Coexist at Southern Miss and Southern Miss Spell Casters. She specializes in mindfulness, Usui Reiki, Ascension Reiki, Wicca, meditation, extra-sensory perception, instant magic, and tarot analysis and reading. She is a 4th rank Temple Tradition Priestess.

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