Hi there!
I have a (maybe stupid) question in regards to candles in spells.
Sometimes spell recipes tell you to let a candle burn down while completing the spell. Given that a candle oftentimes has a burn time of 8 or more hours, how is that feasible? Even if I reburn the candle everyday for some time, I will take weeks. If I only do it on days that are “helpful” to the spell or consider the lunar times, it may take month or years.
Am I missing something?
Thank you for helping
Jenny
Hi Jenny,
You can get “spell candles” which are much smaller than a regular candle and they burn out quite quick, in my experience sometimes less than an hour. You can also get them in a range of colours to suit the purpose of the spell like in the link below:
Hope this helps
Blessed Be
Alan 
That makes so much sense. Thank you so much. Follow up question. Can I use birthday candles in the right colour?
Blessed be.
Jenny 
Absolutely. The most important part of the spell is your intention so any type of candle will work.
White candles can be used as a substitute for any candle if you are having trouble finding a specific colour.
Theres a great guide to candle colours on the main site:
Alan
I personally don’t let big candles to burn all the way down as I have cats and not enough time to watch the candle for safety. What I have done is cut my candle down to a smaller size that burns down quicker. I tend to use chime candles or birthday candles so they are easy to cut in half, and with a little work, you can expose the wick in the other piece and use it too!
But no, it’s not a stupid question.
There are no stupid questions. I’ve had the same one. I love big candles but can’t just leave them to burn for hours and hours. Either with intention out loud or to myself, I add the stipulation that the spell will be completed when I extinguish the flame. I also place the used candle on some selenite and ask it to prepare for the next spell when it will be needed. Not sure about you but I can’t afford to throw away a half burnt candle and get more. It should work. Blessings
You are an absolute star Alan.
Thank you so much 
@Artemisia @marina Both ideas sound great. I have some birthday candles which burn time should corresponde with my meditation time. And setting my intention for the bigger candles and letting them “recharge” sounds great as well. I try to be mindful of waste, so throwing out perfectly good candles kind of bothered me.
Thank you both so much.
This was really helpful.
Jenny 
Saaaaame! I figure my divine powers don’t want me to waste resources nor would they be mad if I snuffed out a flame respectfully. If something needs to last for a long duration spell, I use crystals, sigils or spell jars.
In addition to chime candles, you can get tea candles of different colors. This one is a good set. That is if you don’t want to buy every color there is individually. That could get expensive.
Get chime candles. They burn down much quicker in about an hour or hour and a half. (Birthday candles work as well and burn down much faster if you need to do a quick spell)
Also keep in mind that it’s not necessary for the candle to burn down completely. You can keep it lit and let it burn as long as you see fit as long as your intentions are set. Then collect the candle and set it aside and use it for nothing else and during Samhain you can take all your “old magick” candle stubs and burn them in a fire.
I use a lot of tealites. They last about 3-4 hours. I do snuff and reuse.
I use tea lights for deity worship. And because I found a really pretty tea light holder. LOL! But yeah, I tend to reuse mine too!
@jennifer1983 you have gotten a lot of great advice and I really have much more to add! Lol.
There are absolutely no stupid questions. Except the ones you don’t ask.
I like many others have stated use chime candles and tea light candles. If I use a bigger candle, like many others I will reuse it for a different spell. If I do reuse it, I be sure to use it with a spell of similar intent. For example, if I use a candle in a certain voodoo spell I have a certain place I put just voodoo reuse candles. No have a special place for love spell candles, a place for abundance candles, etc. when starting a new spell I always check the used candle spot before lighting a new one.
I never leave an open flame. Fire is alive and will do what it can to spread. If I need the candle to burn down, I trim it for the assumed time I will need it. I usually do it with the 1/2" ‘witch’ candles. Trimming the larger candles would be doable but quite a pain.
I also use tea lights for doing an energy draw (a la Megan) because it is easier to cup my hand around the flame while meditating and not burn myself. 