My experience with candles has been a delightful adventure indeed. The whole alchemical process that goes along with creating candles is very fulfilling on a magickal level and, to this day, it is still one of my favorite things to do. Before I share with you my own special blends, let me also share with you some hints, tips, and ideas.

Don't let yourself feel limited if you don't have and can't afford to invest in candle molds (yes, they are rather expensive). Take a look around your home and see what everyday items can be transformed into candle molds.

• The inner cardboard tube from a toilet paper roll. (It's a bit messy and you'll loose a little product, but it works!) Since the toilet paper roll does not have a bottom to it, you'll have to create one. The best method I have found is using a plain, straight-sided votive holder; the cardboard tube fits snuggly inside the holder. The cardboard will absorb some of the wax, but as long as you let the candle cool COMPLETELY before attempting to peel off the cardboard, everything should be just fine.
• The coated cardboard can from a frozen juice mix. Here you get a bottom and a coated cardboard, deleting some of the difficulties mentioned above. Make sure you clean the can out WELL before using it as a candle mold; you don't want your magickal candles to be tainted with pine-orange-strawberry concentrate.
• Glass jars. Think about all those products you buy that come in a glass container. Just about any glass container can be used for a container candle (not really a mold, as the container holds the candle while it burns). With container candles, you don't have to worry about releasing the candle from the mold when it's cool, and you can get really creative in decorating the glass with acrylic paints etc. or by glueing on various pictures, fabrics, and trims, and adding decorations to the candle helps to focus your magickal intent.

When using essential oils to scent and empower a candle, my experience has led me to believe that about 30 drops (+/-) of oil (total) will fully scent about 5 oz. of wax. If you're using a juice can or a glass container that once held a volume of something, the volume should be (have been) printed right on the container. Most juice cans hold about 12 fluid oz. so about 70-75 drops of oils should do you perfectly. I use 45 drops of oil when I'm using the toilet paper rolls as molds, and when I make 7-day candles (using the 7-day glass containers) a total of 150 drops is used. Note that these proportions are for TOTAL DROPS used, not of each oil. You'll have to convert the proportions listed in each formula to find the exact drops for each oil in any given recipe. Most of my blends are listed in terms of parts and often the sum total of parts is 15. If you're making a 7-day candle, which wants about 150 drops of oil TOTAL and the recipe calls for 1 part this, 1 part that, and 1 part the-other-thing, then 1 part would actually equal 50 drops. These are only proportions to get you started. In the end, trust your own judgement and instinct.

It is best to do your blending in the container that melts the wax before you pour it into a mold. Blending includes colors as well as essential oils. However, if you're making a whole slew of candles, each with a different blend, this can be quite cumbersome if you don't have a full setup with a bijillion different melting pots and the like. Because of this, I personally do most of my blending in the mold, at least of oils, that is. Color is very difficult to do in the mold and I still bite my tongue and do that in the melting pot. To blend the oils in the mold, I usually pour a small amount of melted wax into the mold or container, add my oils drop by drop, then add a bit more melted wax and swirl it all around to get it mixing. Before it starts to cool, I fill up the mold completely and then, as all candlemakers do, I wait. If you're neat and steady with your pour, the pour itself should actually mix the oils with the wax for you.

So far, all you've heard me talk about is using essential oils. Well, you can use herbs too, but I have yet to perfect this technique myself. Since I'm not a seasoned traveler on this particular road, I can't offer much in the way of methods or proportions; you'll just have to use your own instincts and learn as I have learned, by trial and error. Here are the successes and difficulties I've had in using herbs in candles. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether you want to venture down this road yourself.

• SUCCESS - The heat of the wax seems to extract the herbs own essential oils quite nicely, infusing the candle with a rich and frash scent.
• DIFFICULTY - Not all herbs are entirely condusive to candle making and not all herbs will readily release their essential oils into the wax.
• DIFFICULTY - The herbs don't seem to want to stay suspended in the wax, no matter what temperature the pour. They simply insist on floating straight to the bottom before the candle can cool.
• DIFFICULTY - Whether suspeded in the wax throughout the candle or resting on the bottom, many herbs don't burn well and will affect the burn of the candle.