Merry meet!
Thank you once again to everyone who joined in for last week’s Weekly Witchy Challenge - Witch Fashion 
Although the magickal fashion show has closed its curtains, we’re dressing up something else this week- for fans of candle magick, get ready to light up! 
The theme for this week’s challenge is…
Anointing Candles 
The process of dressing a candle (also called “anointing”) is the process of mindfully preparing a candle for use in magickal workings. Although optional, it adds additional benefits, associations, and enhancements to the candle, further assisting with the spell and helping a witch guide their intention to success.
Dressing Your Candle
Candles can be purified and consecrated before their use in a ritual for any magical purpose. By anointing the candles we are charging them with our intentions and willpower. This is also done to eliminate all residual energies from any person who handled the candles before you bought them.
Spells8: Candle Magic 101
While dressing a candle often involves preparing a special oil beforehand, the process can be as simple as simply charging a candle with your intention prior to the spell. This extra step requires no additional tools- just a little bit of time and intention to give your spell a powerful boost! 
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This week’s challenge is all about anointing/dressing candles - but as always, how you do so is up to you!
So are you ready? Because it’s…
CHALLENGE TIME!
@sue’s Anointed Candles
STEP 1 : Dress That Candle!
This challenge is about candle anointment- but how you choose to take on this theme is up to you!
Still not sure where to begin? To help you get started, here are a few ways in which a witch might approach this challenge.
A common method of anointing candles is by preparing a special oil with which to coat your candle. Dressing oil recipes are abundant- find one that suits your needs, or get creative and craft a custom dressing oil unique to your spell
Discussions about candle dressing:
No time to make an oil? No worries! Both dry and fresh natural ingredients can be coated on your candle to add their magickal benefits. Before adding a particular herb, spice, or flower, look into some Green Witchcraft and find the unique magickal properties of the material you want to use.
For safety reasons, dry materials often do not go on the candle itself- you can include them in the spellwork by spreading them around the base of the candle!
Discussions about using herbs to dress candles:
No additional ingredients required! One form of prepping your candle involves carving into the wax before burning. You might carve the name of the spell recipient, your clear wish or intention, or symbols/sigils that are meaningful to you.
10 Magickal Witchcraft Symbols
The Symbol “X”: Meaning and Powers
For additional sigil and symbol ideas to carve into your candle, check out the entries shared by the Coven in the previous Sigils & Symbols Challenge
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… And More!
The suggestions above are just a few ideas to help kickstart your creativity- if you feel called to explore witchy fashion in another way, please feel free to do so!
For additional inspiration, consider revisiting entries shared by fellow Coven members in the previous candle challenges:
As always, all witches are encouraged to embrace their own unique practice with how they explore the challenge theme 
A friendly reminder to avoid overdressing a candle as this can be a fire hazard. When practicing with candles, it is always smart to keep Fire Magick Safety in mind!
@Silverbear’s Morning Meditation Candle
STEP 2 : Share Your Experience 
Click here for a note about challenge inclusivity
Everyone is welcome to join the challenge by practicing magick in line with the current theme. For lurkers and those who don’t feel comfortable sharing, it is absolutely okay to follow along with the challenge but keep your entry personal. Feel free to join in spirit and do what feels most comfortable for you!
That being said, please know that if you would like to receive a prize and a public shout-out, it is required that you share your experience.
Getting Your Credit 
In order for your entry to be counted, all you have to do is write/share about your experience and label it as your challenge entry. There is a lot of chatting here (which is awesome- chatting and discussion are very welcome!) so please clearly write that it is your entry so I know to count it! 
Where Should I Share My Entry? 
Click here to learn where to share your challenge entry
You are welcome to post it right here- just click “reply” 
to this post and write your experience in the text box that pops up!
Alternatively, you could create a new post in the forum (this is good for when you have a lot to share and/or would like to discuss aspects of your entry not related to the current theme)
Note : If you do choose to create a new thread, please add the “challenge-entry” tag and/or add a hyperlink back to this post so that it can be easily found- thank you! 
Deadline 
This challenge will close in 6 DAYS
To join in, please share your experience by:
Tuesday, July 11 at 7:00 AM EDT (Eastern US Time)
2023-07-11T11:00:00Z
(Note that the time zone is EDT- if you don’t see your time displayed above, you can use this time zone calculator to check for your time zone!)
Prizes 
For their efforts, all participants will receive a special shout-out and a small prize!
Acknowledgments will be given in a Props and Presents Post that will appear in the forums on Tuesday.
After the challenge closes, you are still very welcome to post but please be aware that no additional prizes will be given. This discussion will remain open for about a week after the challenge finishes.
A warm reminder that the challenges are designed to be very open- everyone is encouraged to participate in a way that honors and reflects their unique practice 
If you have any doubts about if something is acceptable to post or say, please double-check with the Forum FAQ and/or reach out to your friendly Moderator Team.
And for those new to challenges- welcome! 
Know that the goal of these activities is to help you further diversify and strengthen your abilities and to bring together the Spells8 forum family to inspire and support one another in creative ways 
@Mistella’s Herbal Candle Anointing Oil
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Take your candle and hold it close
Focus on what it is you want most.
In your hands and by your heart-
Your dressed candle is ready to start.
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Blessed Be!
I hope the candle works well for you!
Ok, I’m done overthinking now! Yessss!!! I know I have issues 
