Lighting the Wick: An Intuitive Guide to the Ancient Art and Modern Magic of Candles

by Sandra Mariah Wright, Leanne Marrama

An illustrated guide to improving your life through the simple act of lighting a candle.


Whether you would like to take back control in an uncertain world or turn a dollar-store candle into a means to manifest your desires, Lighting the Wick will help transform your life with candle magic. Learn how
 
  •  find, repair, or end a relationship;
  •  guard your boundaries and keep negative energy and toxic people out;
  •  ground and center;
  •  achieve common health goals;
  •  break bad habits, bolster motivation, and increase willpower; and
  •  meditate with the assistance of candles.


Candles represent faith and hope—a light in the darkness, the warmth of love, the heat of passion, and the fire of spirit. Here, Salem-based intuitives Sandra Mariah Wright and Leanne Marrama show you how to put the power of these simple tools to work for you in your daily life, to improve your relationships, achieve success, provide protection, increase health, honor those who have passed, and more. You don’t have to be a witch to find your inner magic.

Genres: Witchcraft, Nonfiction, Wicca, Magick, Spirituality

256 pages, Paperback

Published September 7, 2021

Reviews

[Latasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great! The spells are easy and don’t require expensive ingredients. There is 19 pages of magical tables in the back that are so great. This is one of the best Spell books I’ve bought lately!

[jessicamarie w · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s good book on candle magick that simultaneously manages to be beginner friendly but thorough the same time. As a practitioner were candle magick comes easy, I still found new aspects I could learn from. I also really liked that important information was bolded and they elaborated on other correspondences within the topic. The authors voices came through in the writing and they shared a lot of their own personal experiences, which at times got a little annoying, but overall I appreciated it. That being said it is a spell heavy book, which there is nothing wrong with, but if you’re looking for a more strictly information based book then this isn’t the one for you.

[Katie Oxenfeldt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The appendix is the reason you should buy this book. It’s so informative. It’s a really good starter book.

[Dodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went to Toronto’s public library electronic database and found this gem. The book cover many themes and topics. My only regret was it was an audio book so it was a bit cumbersome trying to go back to find specific information. I will be checking out the e book next time.

[Allysin Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfectly written. I came across this book while visiting Salem of October 2021 at Pentagram, the shop owned by one of the authors of this book. Leanne Maramma, who is also a Salem Witch. She even signed it!

[Sophia F · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate the immense variety of information and spells. This book contains practically every scenario, from building friendships/relationships, securing a good job, cleansing and creating energy, breaking addictions and obsessions, and more. This is a wide variety that I did not realize I would receive, so it was interesting to read about rituals for situations I likely (or hopefully) will never need to use. It helped me think about difficult scenarios that others are experiencing at this moment and appreciate the little things I CAN do in my own life.

The authors explain the significance of every part of every spell, which is far more thorough than other crystal, reiki, or spell guides I have seen. By providing this extra information, they help the readers recognize and acknowledge each step of their spell. The authors even were able to justify why certain spells should be performed on certain days of the week or times of the day, which opened my eyes a little. Unfortunately for me, that means I need to get certain colored candles and focus on burning them on specific days.

I also like the fact that the authors emphasize that lighting a candle will not solve all of your problems. If you want something to change in your life, you have to also change and make attempts to be open. This fact is incredibly important to me, but the book takes it one step further and also emphasize that victims of abuse or infidelity have resources available and that readers are worth more than that.

The only aspect of this book I did not like as much was the structure. Each chapter begins with more general information, typically drawing from one of the author’s experiences. Then there are spells, along with in-depth explanations about the materials, process, and intentions. In theory, this would be an effective order, but I had a hard time mentally categorizing the spells into the chapters they were. I think I would have liked it a lot more if the beginning of the book included most of the general information instead of interspersed through the book. Then the spells would be separated into specific intentions or results (e.g. manifesting, breaking, cleansing, and practicing daily as chapters, then having subcategories of money/wealth, jobs, love, etc). Otherwise, being broad (e.g. a chapter about romantic love) and breaking it down into the intentions (e.g. manifesting and attracting love, maintaining a relationship, rejuvenating a relationship, breaking it off, and coping with a breakup or loss of a partner). Obviously, there are a number of different ways that spells can be organized!
I’m sure the current order will make a little more sense once I read through it again, but for now, I’ll just have to flag certain intentions with colored post-it notes.

I’m also not crazy about them encouraging us to plant mullein—an invasive species—in our backyards. Make sure you do individual research before planting in your area!

Genuine questions indirectly related to this review:
I’m not sure what kind of heat-safe bowls or heat-safe holders I should be using. Are these basically old candle jars? Does the shape matter?
Should I treat the spells like cooking or baking? (In cooking, you can substitute ingredients or put your own spin on it. In baking, you NEED to follow the recipe, otherwise it may not turn out as expected.)
Also, can wax melts with specific scents and essential oils work in similar ways to candle magic?
Most of the spells say to “let the candle burn in its entirety,” but how long does that typically take with taper, and votive candles? Do I need to meditate for a solid 2+ hours?

I honestly wish I had been part of this community during the pandemic because the live streams and video chats sound like they were reassuring and overall lovely. I’ll have to look into their other book, “Reading the Leaves!”

[Mandy Bookstagram · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝐿𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑖𝑐𝑘 is a really interesting book that glimpses into the ancient art and modern magic of candles. Candle spells are one of the simplest forms of magic. Fire helps to align yourself with the elements, focus your intentions and release your energy into the world.

This book offers a wonderful introduction to candle magic, and teaches readers how to harness the power of the flame. It covers everything from the history of candles to spells of all kinds: spells for love, money, career, health, and luck are just some of the things you will learn from this guide. Packed full of wisdom and spells, this book is essential for witches of all paths.

Authors Sandra Mariah Wright and Leanne Marrama are professional psychics based in Salem, MA. You can follow them at @thepsychictea and @leannemarrama on Instagram.

Thank you to Tarcher Perigree for sending me an Advance Reading Copy of this title. All opinions are my own. #atpinfluencers

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors' dedication to their work shines through on every page of the book. I admire the clarity of their instructions, which make it accessible even for beginners, and the personal anecdotes that enrich the content with their own experiences. One aspect that particularly resonated with me is their emphasis on the importance of proactive effort in gaining and maintaining what someone wants in life. They aptly illustrated this point in the love section, highlighting that while manifestation and magic are valuable, they must be complemented by proactive steps such as putting oneself out there or shutting the door on toxic individuals. I find this perspective refreshing within the magic community and believe it could have been further elaborated upon throughout the book.

[Amanda Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover of this book really got my attention and is the reason I decided to purchase the book. I must be honest and say I did not personally care for all the spells listed in the book. I do like some of them and find them useful for inspiration, however I like to make spellwork personal to me and do not use others information. I really would have like more information given throughout each chapter. Still recommend picking this book up if you are interested in candle magic, because it is a great book to add to your collection. Plus the cover compliments the vibes.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book for learning spellcasting with candles.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think it’s wrong to do love, money, or drug addiction spells. Love especially since it’s in the hands of someone else, you can’t force someone by your will and candle spells to care for you.

[Tobi Corvid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid covering of the basics and a great reference. Some of the wiccan/cultural appropriation should be avoided.