Red is a very magically versatile color with a lot of helpful associations. Red is the color of fire. It is passion, strength, and powerful emotions. Like fire, it has the capacity to create, empower, and destroy. Here are a few spells using a red candle for love, protection, and power.

Red Candle Spell for Love

Red candles are fantastic for drawing passionate love into your life. While pink is better suited for romantic love, red is for lust and desire.

Start with a regular red candle. To attract your ideal lover, make a list of the traits you wish them to have. Write it down on a piece of parchment with dove's blood ink. Fold this up, and tuck it under the candle.

To attract a specific lover, write their name on the candle's glass.

Next, anoint the top of the candle with a few drops of oil. There are several options that will work here depending on your specific intention:

Desire Me oil arouses passion.
Love oil attracts new love or strengthens the bonds of an existing relationship.
Come to Me oil is a powerful attracting oil that binds a lover to you.
Rose oil is a traditional magical ingredient for all manner of love spells.

You can light your prepared candle whenever you wish, however, for the best results, try to do so on a Friday during the waxing moon. Allow it to burn completely and bury the remains near your front door.

Red Candles for Protection

Red is also a powerful color for protection. Dress a plain red candle with a drop or two of protection oil.

When you are in need of some extra help, light the red candle. Stand in front of it, basking in the warm glow and the scent of the oil. Close your eyes and visualize yourself surrounded by a wall of fire. This fire will burn up any malevolent energy or ill intentions sent your way, keeping you safe. Say,

Fire bright,
Fire warm,
Fire, guard me from all harm.
Fire warm,
Fire bright,
Fire, guard me with all your might.

Snuff the candle. Anoint this red candle with a fresh drop of oil and re-light it whenever you need to repeat this spell.

Red Candles for Strength

Red is also the color of physical strength, energy, and vitality. You can use the power of a plain red candle to empower charms to strengthen you and increase your bravery. For best results, perform this candle spell on a Tuesday during a waxing moon.

You can use a plain red candle for this, but you may wish to try a red pull-out candle instead. A pull-out candle gives you more space to carve symbols of strength directly into the wax. If all you have is a plain red candle, try drawing strength and power symbols directly on the glass with a permanent marker.

Anoint the wax with three drops of cedar oil. Rub it in moving in a clockwise direction.

You can burn the candle as it is while meditating on your personal power and vitality. Imagine tendrils of energy rising up from the ground, carrying strength to you. If you have a special piece of jewelry or a gemstone (especially carnelian), consider placing it in front of the candle so the fire's light shines on it.

Chant words of power. You can speak from the heart, calling strength and physical energy to yourself. You can even just repeat the words "energy, strength, vitality, power" to yourself. Whatever helps you tap into an empowered mindset will help.

Once you feel energized, snuff the candle and save it for later. Wear the jewelry or carry the stone and touch it whenever you need a little boost. Repeat the spell regularly to keep the charm's power high.

Red Candles for the Root Chakra

Red is also the color of the root chakra, Muladhara. This is the foundation of the energy body and governs your sense of security. It is also the first energetic gateway -- if it is blocked or unbalanced, your other chakras cannot function properly.

One way to heal and clear this chakra is to wear and work with the color red. You can light a plain red candle while you do a chakra meditation, visualizing Muladhara as a spinning red wheel located in your lower pelvic area. Picture this chakra filling with a healing red light that energizes, invigorates, and opens it.

If you like, you can also add some chakra-based aromatherapy to this practice. Anoint the candle or your pulse points with sandalwood or ylang-ylang oil and breathe in the fragrance.

Red is a versatile color. It stands for power -- whether that is physical power, powerful lust, or the power of protection. Red is blood, passion, fire, fury, and victory. No matter what your practice may be, it is always a good idea to have a red candle or two in your cabinet.