Collection: 7-Day Jar Candles

What Is a 7-Day Candle?

A 7-day candle is a candle poured into a tall, straight-sided glass jar, about eight inches high, that burns for roughly five to seven days. The glass protects the flame, so the candle can stay lit through a long working instead of one evening. It comes from the glass-encased vigil candles of Catholic devotion, where a candle is kept burning through a novena or before a saint, and it spread from there through the botánica, into Hoodoo rootwork, and onto modern witches' altars. You'll hear it called a vigil candle, a novena candle, or a prayer candle, and in most shops the names mean the same tall glass candle.

What Are 7-Day Candles Used For?

7-day candles are used for any working that needs steady attention over several days: money, love, protection, road opening, uncrossing, justice, healing, and devotion to an ancestor, saint, or deity. You light the candle with your intention, return to it each day to speak to it or add to the work, and let the flame carry the intention in between. Because the candle burns down through the whole week, many practitioners watch the glass and the flame for signs of how the work is going.

What You'll Find Here

Plain 7-day candles. These are single-color candles in black, white, red, pink, green, blue, yellow, orange, and purple, in a smooth opaque wax or a bubbled wax finish, plus a seven-color candle layered like a rainbow. Plain candles are the ones to choose when you want to dress the candle yourself. Our guide to candle color meanings explains what each color is for.

Condition candles. These candles are made for a named working: Road Opener, Uncrossing, and Reversing from Indio Products, Jinx Removing, Money Drawing, John the Conqueror in green for success, and Dragon's Blood for added power.

90-hour devotional candles. These scented vigil candles each carry a symbol of the old gods and the craft: the Goddess with lavender, the Horned God with dragon's blood, the pentacle with frankincense, the raven with myrrh, the Three Maidens with benzoin, the triquetra with patchouli, and the witch's broom with sage. Each holds about ninety hours of flame.

How Do I Burn a 7-Day Candle Safely?

To burn a 7-day candle safely, trim the wick to about a quarter inch and wipe any dust from the glass before you light it. If you dress the candle, use no more than three to five drops of oil and a small pinch of dried herb on the top of the wax, because extra oil and loose herbs can flare up and crack the glass. Set the jar on a heat-safe plate or tile, away from curtains, shelves, children, and pets. Many practitioners keep the flame going around the clock, but the safe practice is to snuff the candle whenever you leave the house or go to sleep and relight it when you return; the working carries on. Put the candle out for good when about half an inch of wax is left, because the glass gets very hot near the bottom.

How Do I Read a 7-Day Candle?

To read a 7-day candle, look at the glass and the flame as it burns. A candle that burns clean and leaves clear glass is traditionally read as a working that went smoothly. Heavy black soot on the glass is read as resistance, or as a working that had a lot to clear away. A tall, strong flame means the work is moving with energy, and a weak or drowning flame means it is meeting opposition. A candle that tunnels down one side, or goes out before it is finished, is often relit or started over with a fresh candle. These are folk readings, and they are one input among many, so pay attention to what happens in your life over the week, too.

Explore Related Collections

For the rest of the candle shelf, see all spiritual candles and our wider range of jar candles, or shop by color in black candles, green candles, and white candles. Dress your candle with ritual oils, and pair a condition candle with the matching supplies in road opener, uncrossing, or High John the Conqueror.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does a 7-Day Candle Really Burn?
A 7-day candle burns for about five to seven days of continuous flame, depending on the wax, the wick, and the room. Our 90-hour devotional candles burn for about four days. A warm room or a draft will shorten the burn.

Why Did My 7-Day Candle Burn in Three Days?
A 7-day candle usually burns fast because of heat, a draft, a wick left too long, or too much oil and herb added to the top. Some practitioners also read a very fast burn as a sign that the work was needed urgently.

Can I Put Out a 7-Day Candle and Relight It?
Yes, you can put out a 7-day candle and relight it, and it is the safe choice whenever you leave the room for long or go to sleep. Many people snuff the flame or cover the jar rather than blowing it out, as a sign of respect for the working.

What Do I Do With a Finished 7-Day Candle Jar?
For a working meant to remove something, such as uncrossing or reversing, tradition says to throw the empty jar away outside your home. For a working meant to draw something in, many people clean the glass with hot soapy water and reuse or recycle it.

What Is the Difference Between a 7-Day Candle and a Novena Candle?
A novena is a nine-day cycle of Catholic devotion, and a novena candle is the tall glass candle lit for it, often printed with a saint. In most shops the names overlap, and the same style of candle is sold as a 7-day, vigil, or novena candle. Ours are plain, condition, and pagan devotional candles rather than saint candles.