I’m Done!
What Happens Now?
How Long Do I Let My Candle Burn?
Most spells are not complete until the candle is completely burned. Therefore, you’ll want to burn your candle whenever you are at home and awake. For most candle spells, you’ll also want the candle to burn completely as soon as possible.
There are some exceptions to this rule. If you are doing a spell using numerology that calls for a candle to be burned in small increments over a certain number of days, such as a seven-knob candle that is meant to be burned at the rate of one knob per day over the course of seven days, then you will burn the candle for only that length of time.
If you are going to burn your candle for more than three or four hours at a time, then you will need to trim the wick so that it doesn’t get too hot, and trim the knots off the wick as it goes along to prevent the flame from getting too big and smoky.
In any case, once your candle has burned completely, your spell work is complete. Your work now is to envision, expect, and receive the positive results.
What to Do with Your Candle Remains
What do you do with your candle spell when it’s complete? If you’ve burned a simple candle completely and there are no remains, there is nothing more to do. But with most candle spells, there is something left over at the end. There are many options for what may be done with these remains; your choice may depend on your spell work.
The Simple Way
The simplest way of disposing leftover candle wax is to throw it in the trash. While not terribly ceremonial, it does the trick; fancier disposals may not be necessary for simple spells. Throw it in your own trash if the spell was to bring something to you or a trashcan far from your home if you were doing uncrossing, banishing, or trying to clear something negative.
Keeping the Candle Remains
If you have been working with an invoking candle, you may take the remains off the tray or dish and place them in a paper bag or wrap them in a cloth and place them in an appropriate place (such as your bedroom for a love spell or your office for a prosperity spell) until your spell comes to fruition. When you get your wish, you can dispose of these remains in whatever manner you choose.
Alternatively, you can keep the energy of the spell ongoing by burying the wax and herb remains on your property or in a potted plant. Bury remains in your front yard if you are working to bring something to you, or in your backyard if you are wanting to keep something you already have.
Recycle Your Candle Holder
When your candle has completely burned down, you may choose to recycle the glass container. You will naturally want to reuse trays, dishes, and candle holders. If so, you need to take any remaining wax out of them. First, make sure your holder is oven safe (no plastic or anything that can melt), then place it on a pie plate or cake pan in an oven set at the very lowest setting (usually warm or between 150º and 170º Fahrenheit or 65º and 80º Celsius). Allow the holder to sit for five to ten minutes, then take it out with a potholder or oven mitt. Once the wax is soft, it may be removed with a paper towel.
Alternatively, you can use a hair dryer set on high to soften the wax. Hang on to the holder with an oven mitt and blow high heat over the wax. Once it softens, you can scoop it out or wipe it off.
Leave Your Candle Remains at a Crossroads
Throughout history and in many cultures, crossroads (an intersection or where two or more roads meet) have been considered places of magic. When you leave your spell remains at a crossroads, you are sending it out in all directions to the wider world. Therefore, you can leave both things you wish to get rid of and things you want to send out into the world at these places. For example, if you are doing a cleansing candle, you can leave the remains at a crossroads so that all the negativity goes away from you. If you are doing a spell for success, you can also leave that at a crossroads to spread your success in all directions.
Above all, be conscious of whatever you leave at the crossroads. Some things have a bigger ecological footprint than others. Leaving the ashes from a burnt petition paper will have a small impact, but dumping plastic bags, glass candle holders, jars of honey, and other such items that don’t break down naturally creates litter and will leave an ugly mess or have to be picked up by someone else and thrown into a dumpster anyway. The smaller the footprint of any remains you plan on leaving, the more they are likely to integrate with the crossroads and continue to do their work.
That said, you don’t have to leave all the remains at the crossroads to get the desired effect that leaving them can have. A teaspoon of the remaining wax and herbs can easily be left in the center of an intersection and carry the energy of your spell where you need it to go. Trays can be cleaned and reused, glass can be recycled, natural items such as beeswax and herbs can be composted, and the rest can be disposed of however you wish.
If you wish to leave your spell remains at the crossroads, then you can take them as-is or wrap just the remaining wax and herbs (not the glass or tray) in a paper bag or natural cloth and leave the packet in the middle of a quiet intersection. Drop it off and walk away from it without looking back. If what you are working on is something you are getting rid of, leave it at an intersection far from your home. If you are working on something that you would like to bring to you, leave it at an intersection closer to your home.
Burying the Remains
If you have done some work to remove a heavy curse or banish something negative, you may want to bury the remains somewhere away from your home. Burying is a ritual that has a sense of permanence to it.
For extreme negativity, you may bury your candle remains in a graveyard to make sure the issue is “dead and gone” or to get an amiable spirit to assist with your cause. If you bury something in a graveyard, be sure to bury it with some payment to the spirits. Coins and alcohol are symbolic payments that will make the spirits there more inclined to assist you.
Make Talismans
If you are working with beeswax candles, you have the option of repurposing your wax into a talisman. Beeswax talismans let you carry the magic of your spell and keep the energy going.
With the heat of your hands or with a hair dryer, you can soften the wax and form it into symbols such as hearts or dollar signs and place these wax talismans on your altar or add a small piece of the wax to a mojo bag. You can also form the wax into a poppet and continue to work on a particular person.
How Long Does It Take a Spell to Work?
That depends on the circumstances surrounding the situation: If your situation is one where energy is already flowing in the right direction, it’s common to see results very quickly. However, more challenging situations might require a longer time or even more than one spell to turn around. I was taught, as a general rule, to check if the spell is moving things forward by first looking at the reading from the flame, wax, and smoke; from there, if all is well, you may check for messages, movement, and manifestation. The reason for looking for these three signposts is to remind us that most spells don’t manifest overnight and to keep a positive outlook even if results aren’t immediate.
Messages
Look for a small positive sign (such as hearing a special song on the radio, seeing a word on a billboard, hearing a name, seeing a repeating number on a clock, or seeing a symbol of some kind) within a few days of completing your candle spell. These are messages from the Universe or your spirit guides, not from the source of your spell. In other words, if you are doing a love spell to attract a specific person, this will not be a message from the person; it will be something you see or hear out in the world that strongly reminds you of the person. Expect to experience strong synchronicity (meaningful coincidence) of some kind. For example, you might meet a person who has the same name or see the person’s birthdate on a license plate.
If you are working on a general spell instead of a particular person, your message might be more symbolic. For example, finding a penny on the street indicates that your prosperity spell is working.
Movement
Look for movement toward your goal within a few weeks—that is, something that happens in the direction of your desired outcome or an improvement of some kind. Unlike a message, movement is something that comes from the source. For example, if you were doing a spell for a new job, movement would be a call to come in for an interview. Movement is not the full manifestation of what you want; it is just a step in the right direction.
Manifestation
Look for the full manifestation of your outcome within a few months. Sometimes when I say this, people panic, “You mean it’s going to take three months to get to my goal?” The key word is within a few months. That means anytime between one and ninety days or so. If you have an uncomplicated situation, you will most likely see a quicker outcome, although, with the right spell work, I have seen even complicated situations turn around miraculously.
What If I Don’t See One of These?
If at any point you are not seeing a message, movement, or the final manifestation within the specified time frame, the reality is that you probably have to go back and give the work more energy, employ a new strategy, light another candle, or do some more spiritual work around your situation.
Think about this: not every disease is cured with one dose of medicine; sometimes another dose is required and other times several are required … and sometimes it takes a different kind of medicine altogether. The same is true for spiritual work.
If you find that your spell work is not producing results and would like to know more specific timing for your particular case or a spiritual assessment of how challenged the situation is, you can consult with your favorite divination tool or get a reading from a trusted reader or magical practitioner who can look into your particular situation from a spiritual perspective.