My dear little witches, I’m sure you’ve been chomping at the bit to start spell work. And the easiest spells to start with is candle magic.

But let’s pump the brakes for a minute. Before we dive headlong into lighting shit on fire (I mean don’t get me wrong, I’m all for lighting shit on fire), we should go over some concerns.

Safety concerns.

The three things you need to consider before striking those matches:

• Candle size
• Time constraints
• Fire safety

I know what you’re thinking Ugh, this isn’t the first time I’ve played with candles. Which I know. But this is the first time you’ve played with fire, literally, for other intentions than making a space smell nice or lighting your way during a blackout.

So let’s take candle size into consideration first.

One of the top social media witch tips is to use birthday candles is you’re worried about time, since they burn down fast.

But what about some old fashioned taper candles(like for a dinner party) or a votive candle or pillar candles? All of these bigger candles pack a bigger punch than a birthday candle or even a tealight candle.

But you have to be present with the flame burning otherwise you are compromising your own safety.

So rule of the thumb, the bigger the candle, the longer it burns. Duh.

But this pairs with our time constraints.

Any spell should be thought out, and you shouldn’t be doing a candle spell 20 minutes before you have to leave for work.

So you have to plan for a night in or something to work big candle magic, like burning a pillar candle or your big ass Yankee candle you got on sale.

I’m sure at this point you’re blindly scrolling, rolling your eyes like I’m your mom giving you a lecture about the dirty dishes.

But I say this with love. And concern.

But what about some of your bigger candles? Do you have an idea of how to keep your tables safe from wax drip or heat marks? Do you have an idea of where in your space you can safely burn candles?

Here’s where I have some cheap witch tips for you baby witchlings.

To catch wax drippings…

Use a spare aluminum foil pan! A pie dish or a roasting pan, whatever you have available, will catch your drippings safely since the edges are raised. And when the pan is used up, you can get rid of the wax appropriately (recycle, reuse, dispose of correctly per city waste rules), and then recycle the pan.

You can also use an old plate or bowl you have sitting in the back of the cabinet. You know the one, it matches the set but the edges are busted from one too many upsets in the dish mountain in the sink, or theres a whole missing piece from an accident, but because it matches the set, you won’t just dump it. The plate is heat safe, since it holds hot food, and can protect your tabletops from heat damage from a low-burning candle.

Just remember basic candle safety anytime you want to do a candle spell:

• Light candles on a sturdy surface, to reduce risk of knock overs and resulting fires.
• Keep candles, especially open flames like on votive, taper, tealight, and even birthday candles, away from pets and children, even your familiar
• Don’t leave candles unattended for periods of time, since fire is unpredictable and can cause problems when not properly contained or monitored.
• And keep a safe method of putting fire out on hand. A fire extinguisher is always a good thing to keep on hand, whether to stop kitchen fires or candles that got out of control. If you’re worried about the flame getting out of control, keep calm, try to put you candle out safely with water first or an extinguisher, and remove the hot candle to a cool and safe location until the candle is completely cool to touch, such as a cement driveway, sidewalk or patio, or a bathtub/shower where more water is readily on hand. Always call the proper emergency response agency if an emergency occurs, whether fire or burns.