Have you ever wondered why Candles are such a large part of Wiccan Spiritualism,

 as well as being central to spell-casting? Do you have a question about why certain colors

 are used in certain Ceremonies?

Below you will find the answers to those questions. I hope you will find the answers enlightening !

From ancient times to the present, Candles have lit our way through every transition!
From celebrations and ceremonies to proclamations and processions! The candle's flame has always been a metaphor for the soul! It possesses a tranquil and almost hypnotic atmosphere to those who allow its power to take them to a very special place.

There are many ways to utilize the power of Candle Therapy. Complementary systems of color therapy, aromatherapy, music and sound therapy can and do overlap within the healing process to create a positive and powerful approach to finding the balanced system. These complementary systems with Candle Therapy, are all configured and intertwined within the practice of it's theory and application.
 

Candle Power
Using Candlelight for
Self-Discovery, Ritual &Magick 

Candles are Magical!   
They can add warmth and atmosphere to a special meal or gently soothe us to sleep. They can invoke moments of quiet reflection, or help us to access the deep wisdom that lies beyond conscious thought.  They can be used in ritual as a focus for our most powerful dreams, hopes and desires. Each of us who wishes on a birthday candle shares in the mythological magic. Candles are not only light, but living fire. When a candle is spent or snuffed out, the light may be gone from our external vision, but that light is not lost; rather it is transformed into radiant beams that fuel the positive energies of the universe and fall as love and healing on those who gaze into a candle flame in sorrow, pain or fear.
Turn off the lights and spend a few silent minutes by candlelight, connecting with the older, slower and wiser rhythms that are not divided into months, years or even millennia, but flow in cycles and release us from the treadmill of time. As you light your candle, you automatically interact with people around the world who light candles or torches. Each candle is part of an interconnected cosmic web of millions of tiny beams, and as you look through the candle flame you may see on the other side someone smiling back at you through their light--a familiar face, someone you have yet to meet, or a stranger--across time and space, an hour, a day or perhaps thousands of years away.

Candles:  History - Superstition - Myth!   
The flickering flame of the candle provides us with a link to the sacred flames that have been kindled over thousands of years.
Candles were used in Egypt and Crete as early as 3000 BC and were a feature of worship in many pre-Christian societies. Mostly made of beeswax, because bees were regarded as messengers of the gods and goddesses, they are still used in Christian churches today.   Beeswax candles are currently popular with many people for magical and spiritual development. However, you can perform candle magic with white utility candles and it will be as pure and true as if you had followed the lists of color correspondences, fragrances and herbs that are most often used. These can add ceremony and atmosphere and create a mood of harmony in which conscious barriers dissolve. But those who say that the tools are magic in themselves, rather than just adornments and a means of accessing our innermost powers, are mistaking fantasy for true spiritual experience.

Candles for Celebrations - Rituals - Magic - All Occasions.
Over the years candles have become part of most rituals, celebrations, magic and ceremonies for all occasions, encompassing everything from the birth of a newborn to passing into the life eternal. Candles can be used for healing, making wishes, increasing/releasing things or anything else you may personally want to use them for. As with all magic, candle magic for negative purposes rebounds threefold on the sender, and so candle rituals should only be carried out if you are in a positive state of mind or with pure intent.
     
Candles and the Moon:   
Candle ceremonies fall mainly under the auspices of the moon, whose different phases offer us specific energies. Many times you may want to be aware of the zodiac and planetary placement.

Waxing Moon:
The moon is in its waxing cycle as it moves from the new moon to the full moon. As the moon grows or increases, it can give power to all rituals for growth and increase--whether in health, love, knowledge or prosperity. The waxing moon is traditionally the "planting" period, whether for herbs and vegetables or for conceiving a baby. Usually white or pale-colored candles are best for waxing moon rituals, with silver on the day of the full moon. The day of the full moon is very effective for all rituals concerning power, ambition and success, and for climax of endeavors. Full moon energies span from 3 days before to 3 days after the full moon day.

Waning Moon:
The moon wanes as it moves from full moon to new moon again. As the visible moon decreases in size, it is reflected in weakening power in human endeavor. As the traditional time for harvesting herbs, etc. or pruning trees, this period is potent for removing negative influences, shedding redundant guilt or resentment, ending destructive relationships, reducing pain or weight and for giving up addictions and compulsions. The waning moon is also good for Scrying.  The dark of the moon--the 3 days when the old moon is invisible and the crescent not yet discernible to the human eye--is said to be best for rituals of protection and for any undertaking that involves secrecy. Use darker candles for this cycle.
 

Candle Color:   
Candle colors are a potent way of focusing the energies of a ritual towards a particular area of need or desire. Use candles that are a solid color all the way through. Gemstones also add strength to candle and color rituals.

White:   White candles are used in protective, consecration and cleansing rituals, for healing the whole person, for spiritual matters, and for contact with one's higher self and angels or spirit guides.
In magic, white represents light and clear vision, and so is helpful where a new beginning or a sudden burst of energy and enthusiasm is needed. White is a good color for rites-of-passage work, especially for birth, marriage and welcoming rituals. White candles can also be substituted for any other color. Like silver, white is associated with female energies, lunar rituals and with the goddess and the moon, so a white candle is especially potent on Monday, the day of the moon. Use with diamonds, clear crystals, moonstones or other white stones.

Silver:   Silver is the color of the moon and the moon goddess. It is potent for all forms of divination, for awakening clairvoyant, telepathic and psychometric abilities, for astral projection, and for rituals to invoke female power, intuition and mysticism. It represents dreams, visions and a desire for fulfillment beyond the material world. In times of stress and sorrow, silver candles can remove negativity and promote inner stability. The best day for silver candle rituals is Monday. Use with moonstones, mother of pearl, snow and milky quartz and rutilated quartz.

Gold:   Gold is the color of the sun. Golden candles are potent for worldly achievement, wealth and recognition, as well as long life. Use them for ambitious schemes and money-making rituals that require an instant or substantial return. Gold is also the color of male power, energy and change, and all rituals with noble or altruistic purpose.  Candles of this color are most potent on Sunday.  Use them with amber, golden tiger eye, topaz and citrine.

Pink:   Pink is the color associated with Venus, the goddess of love. So pink candle rituals are excellent for matters involving the gentler aspects of love, romance, affection and friendship, the healing of wounded emotions, for quiet sleep and for the mending of quarrels. They can also be used for all family matters, for the rekindling of trust and for new relationships. Pink candle rituals will help attract new friends and lovers. Pink is associated with female energies and all female rituals, and its day is Friday. Use with pink kunzite, rose quartz, tourmaline and rhodonite.

Yellow:   Yellow is the color associated with Mercury, the winged Roman messenger of the gods. Through his skill and dexterity, he came to rule over commerce and medicine, and also became patron of tricksters and thieves. Yellow candles therefore encourage activity of all kinds, but especially mental exercise. Use them in rituals where you wish to gain another person's confidence and approval, or to win someone around in business or intellectual matters; to sharpen logic, improve memory and increase concentration; and for good luck on a journey. Yellow is also for careers in business, communications or the media. As the color of the ancient element of air, yellow is associated with male energies. Yellow candle rituals are most potent on a Wednesday. Use with yellow jasper, yellow calcite, golden tiger eye and citrine.

Orange:   Orange is another solar color, a color of fertility, both physical and mental, of creativity and growth, for self-esteem and confidence, abundance of all kinds and independence. Orange candle rituals can also be used for career matters where creativity or dealing with people's needs are central. Above all, orange candle rituals are for joy and for the successful integration of all aspects of the personality into a harmonious whole. Orange contains male energies and its candle rituals are best performed on Sunday.
Use with amber, agate, carnelian and coral.

Red:   Red is the color of Mars, the god of war, and is the color of courage, determination, action, energy, sexual passion and potency. Red candles are burned to increase the life force, for survival, physical health, strength, pleasure, will power and to rouse anger--not the petty anger of spite, but the righteous anger that, if directed positively, can overcome injustice and bring about change. This is therefore a very powerful color and should be lit for worthy aims only and when you are in a positive frame of mind.  Red is the color of the ancient element of fire. Its energies are male and its candle rituals are best practiced on a Tuesday. Use with agate, red jasper, garnet, pyrite, ruby, red tiger eye and obsidian.

Purple:   Purple is associated with Jupiter. It represents the wise teacher and keeper of hidden, unconscious wisdom. In magic, purple candle rituals provide a link with higher dimensions and can bring happiness to all who yearn for something beyond the material plane. Purple candles aid meditation, past-life work, candle and mirror scrying, divination, astral travel, and are good for psychic protection and for the prevention of nightmares. Purple candles can also be used for all rituals where the facts are not clear, for matters of secrecy, for healing the spirit and banishing what lies in the past but still haunts the present, and for remembering departed loved ones. Purple's energies are male and the best day for purple candle rituals is Thursday. Use with amethyst, sugilite, peacock ore, purple kunzite and purple fluorite.

Blue:   Blue is the healing color and is associated with Jupiter and other father/sky gods in their role as law-givers and powerful rulers. In magic blue can expand the boundaries of possibility and create confidence and power mingled with altruism and idealism. Burn a blue candle when principles are at stake, to discover the truth and receive guidance, when dealing with officialdom and when seeking justice. Blue candles can be lit for the expansion of mental horizons, for success and the increase of possibility.
They also represent the expansion of physical horizons and travel. Above all, blue offers protection and calm in the midst of times of crisis and turmoil. Blue is the color of the ancient element of water and contains male energies. The best day for blue candles is Thursday. Use with sodalite, lapis lazuli, blue lace agate and turquoise.

Green:   Green is the color of Venus, goddess of love, and is associated with candle rituals for love and for all matters that require emotion, sympathy and empathy. It is also the color of Mother Earth and so is potent for healing, for rites involving the natural world, herbs, gardening and tree magic, for growth and, by association, the growth of money in prosperity rituals. When green candles are used in rituals for wealth, they tend to encourage a gradual increase in profits or resources. As the fairy color, they are also potent in rituals for good luck. Green has female energies, and Friday is the day of the week when green candle rituals work best. Use with jade, aventurine, peridot and green tourmaline.

Grey:   Grey candles are used for all rituals to create an aura of invisibility before going into a potentially threatening or confrontational situation, and for smoothing down potential conflict. Grey is also the color for reaching compromises and erasing negative feelings. These candles are under the auspices of Jupiter and Saturn, but emit neutral energies and can be used on any day when needed. Use with smoky quartz, grey agate, apache tear and snowflake obsidian, or any grey stone.

Brown:   Brown candles need not be dull. Like leaves in the
autumn sun, their colors can range from a pale fawn to a rich or deep golden brown. Brown comes under the auspices of Saturn, Old Father Time, the god of fate and the passage of time. Brown can be used in rituals to locate lost objects and for anything to do with the home, older people, practical matters and pets. As brown is another color of Mother Earth, brown candles can act as grounding, balance and protection, giving ideas firm foundations, bringing success through hard work, and for money or material and financial security. Brown is a nurturing color and is the natural focus of maternal matters, instincts, and acceptance of others with faults and weaknesses. Brown energies can be male for Saturn or female for Mother Earth, according to the nature of the ritual. Brown candle rituals are best performed on Saturday. Use with tiger eye, fossilized wood, brown agate and jasper.

Black:    Black candles, which are ruled by Saturn, can be potent in all forms of banishing magic, for leaving behind old sorrows and redundant relationships, for acknowledging grief and for rituals of parting. Black, like  brown, is the color of acceptance, whether of a restriction or of the frailties of self or others, and so it is a candle color of forgiveness.  Black is another earth color, containing both male and female energies. Rituals using these candles are best practiced on a Saturday. Use with jet, obsidian, tourmaline and onyx.

Fragrances and Herbs:
Candle fragrances offer a method of endowing individual candles with additional significance in rituals and psychic work. Herbs, flowers, oils and spices have magical as well as healing associations. It is not necessary to anoint a candle for every ritual, however you may want to anoint or dress candles with scented oil. Essential oils are most potent, but you can use candles that have fragrance already, or use synthetic oil if that is all you have. The more personalized the ingredients, the more potent the ritual. You can use either dried or fresh herbs and flowers. If you can use mint or roses from the garden, for example, these will further endow the ritual with your essence.   

Excerpts from "Candle Power" by  Cassandra Eason and  "Practical Candleburning Rituals" by Raymond Buckland.