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A Quick Candle Ritual To Tap Into The Power Of Tomorrow's New Moon
The new moon is the perfect time to set new intentions for the weeks ahead.
In my book, Evolution of Goddess, I explain how moon energy can be harnessed at any time of night. "It's best channeled in dreams, meditation, ceremony, and ritual. By aligning with the moon's phases, you can allow moon energy to reinvent, recharge, realign, or rebirth you, with every cycle of expansion. The new moon is a fresh start. With it comes the energy of new beginnings, the start of a new lunar cycle." Point being that the new moon is a pretty ideal time to ignite your deepest desires.
And there are plenty of ways to do so: You can journal, meditate, visualize, or hold tight to your crystals. But as fall comes in the northern hemisphere and the weather gets a little crisper, it's a great time to light a candle to dial up your goals and dreams. There are so many ways to use candles in spiritual ritual, but this is one of my favorites:
1. Pick a candle.
Start off by choosing your candle. It's best to go with one that is loose, not confined to a jar. You can use one you have lying around, buy a new one you like the look of, or go based on what different colors are thought to represent:
- White: purity, balance, healing, spiritual work
- Purple: empowerment, wisdom, confidence
- Pink: love, peace, affection
- Green: abundance, wealth, luck
- Red: strength, passion, power
- Black: protection
- Brown: stability
- Yellow: inspiration, creativity, intellect
- Orange: ambition
- Blue: truth, insight
- Silver: intuition, energy work
2. Cleanse your candle with intention.
If it's a new candle, you might want to first light some incense, sage, or palo santo around it to "cleanse" it, energetically speaking (more on how that works here). Bonus: This will also make your space smell amazing for the ritual to come.
3. Get writing.
Now it's time to infuse your candle with an intention for the upcoming moon cycle. What are your hopes and dreams for the next few weeks? How can you navigate this moon period with strength and authenticity? These are the kinds of questions to think about (or journal on) when you're coming up with your lunar intention. Then, for the purposes of this ritual, you're going to want to whittle your intention down to a single word, set of initials, or symbol. Inscribe this onto your candle.
4. Dress your candle with essential oils.
This is where the ritual really gets started. To anoint your candle, you can make your own blend of oils or use a simple olive oil that you have in the kitchen. Like candle colors, different oils are thought to have different meanings, according to the language of flowers:
- Anise: purification, protection
- Bergamot: success, prosperity
- Camphor: psychic awareness, harmony
- Clary sage: cleansing of negativity
- Eucalyptus: purification, healing
- Jasmine: love, clairvoyance
- Lavender: cleansing, tranquillity
- Orange: personal power, luck
- Patchouli: growth, prosperity
- Sandalwood: spirituality and connection to self
You can blend your own oils (and even add some fresh herbs to the mix, if you feel called), or go with a pre-made blend. To anoint the candle, run a dab of oil onto the top of the candle, or if your candle isn't in a jar, rub it up and down three times upward—each time visualizing your intention. Do the same thing working downward.
5. Light it up.
Surround your candle with an earth or water element to balance out its fire. I like to put my candle in a Mason jar filled with dirt to hold it upright and then place the jar in a sink or bath full of water. Light the candle while saying a prayer or reciting your intention—whatever feels right to you. I also like to honor all directions of north, east, south, and west when lighting mine. Of course, this is just one way to complete this ritual, but you should choose whatever resonates with you.
Then—and this is important!—let it burn out. You never want to blow out your candle since you're essentially blowing out your intention! You can smudge it if needed, but it's better to just let it burn out completely if possible. Common sense applies here. Oils and herbs are flammable, so don't leave your candle burning unsupervised. I like using quick-burning candles that will burn in a matter of hours for this reason.
As long as the flame is burning, you're conspiring with the Universe to help you on your path. And once it's out, it's on you to bring your dreams to life.
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