SOCIAL MEDIA

Monday, May 3, 2021

Interview With a Witch: Jocelyn from Triple Wick Goddess


I'll say it again for those in the back, I looooooove supporting small businesses and bringing attention to new witchy businesses. Every time, you wonderful readers come through too, and I love that even more! Earlier this month, after much back and forth and complete upheaval on my end, I interviewed Jocelyn, the witch and candle maker behind Triple Wick Goddess.

However, before I jump right into that interview, I want to talk a little about what I think of her amazing candles. Jocelyn was kind enough to send me two candles last week, one of which we have teamed up to giveaway to you lovely witches! There is more about this giveaway at the bottom of this post, but I want to discuss just how amazing these spell candles actually are. First, I could smell both candles the moment I opened the shipping bag. Jocelyn specifically curates each candle based on the intention behind the candle, using scents that correspond with these intentions. They both smell heavenly, especially the Friendship Bond candle, which also features a dual color of two shades of pink.  All of her candles include intricately designed tops that also correspond with the intention of the spell, items that you can keep after the spell candle has burned down. She includes a number of different items, including large, sustainably sourced crystals, herbs, glitter, spell jars, and so much more. These artistically designed candles are beautifully handcrafted and there simply isn't anything quite like them on the market. I am so blessed to have one of these lovely candles to call my own, and can't wait to incorporate it into my own spell work.


So what does Jocelyn have to say about herself and her business?

What brought you to witchcraft in the first place?
I am actually a generational witch, however, I didn't start practicing until I was in my 20s because I thought my aunts and everyone who was a practitioner were just weird. I was like I donno if I want to do that. That's weird. You know? You're in high school, and you have a lot of outside pressures, and I went to a Catholic high school of all places. It was a very weird dynamic for me to start anything early. So I guess I was like 21, 22, and I finally went to art school and I was like oh, I don't have to prescribe to this box mentality that I was kinda shoved into. I was like ok so maybe I'll open up more to this. So I started little things and kind of shadowing my one aunts who is a very seasoned practitioner and kind of started diving into it a little more. I'm 30 years old right now, I'd say right around 25 I started to fully understand my path in witchcraft and started doing candle magic more than anything else because it's something for me that felt easy to manipulate. It also felt foolproof when I started. How bad can I mess up a candle ritual? It can't be that bad! So that's kind of how I started in it.

Does your mom or dad practice or is it just your aunts and uncle and extended family?  
So it's extended family. My father is an Italian Catholic and my mother's side is from Iceland, with lots of pagans. So that kind of determined my path right there. I was raised very Catholic from him and went to an all-girl Catholic school for a time. It was such a weird dynamic. My father would always refer to it as my "hoodoo aunts" and brushing them off so it took time for me to figure out what it was about without his influence.

How would you classify the type of witchcraft that you do?
I actually follow more of a Wiccan path but with that being said I do not consider myself Wiccan. I kind of forged my own way. I've pulled from all over the place just because I needed to find what worked for me. There are a lot of elements of Wicca I do follow and there are definitely elements of Wicca I don't follow. I feel like that's okay because I've made a melting pot of what does work. If I had to put a name on it I would consider myself more Wicca and green witch than anything else. I love playing with my herbs and growing things; anything that gets me out in nature.

What got you into the business of making spell candles in particular?
It all started with my doing my own candle magic and from there it was people who had the same ideals or were trying to manifest things for their life would come over and ask about stuff that I had out for myself. They eventually asked if I could make them some. So it started as more of a personal way to manifest then for friends and family. From there, word of mouth spread, and I had to make a choice. In a way, I was forced into it. I didn't have time to make everything everyone was asking for, so I either just jump into it and quit my job and hope this works or this is going to flop and I'll have to go get a new job and it'll be fine. So I just pulled the chord and jumped. My business has only technically been fully open for six months but within that six months, I'm already to the point where I won't have to be returning to work in the foreseeable future. I definitely have an entrepreneurial spirit. I'm constantly learning and I still have lots to learn.


What do you feel sets your candles apart from the dozens of spell candles on the market?
You know what I've really noticed between my competition and myself is the little details. A lot of my competitors aren't necessarily using all the elements they could be using to put an impactful manifestation or intention into their candle and what I mean by that is that when I pour my candles it's poured during a specific moon phase. I make sure everything is cleansed beforehand and make it a full charge at the end of everything. Depending on what the intention of the candle is, this is usually under the full moon, but others require other moon phases. I also put a spell or intention cards with each of them and I think it's just those little details and that I give you a well-rounded almost ritual aspect that my competitors don't have.

I've looked at your candles. They are absolutely beautiful and they are much bigger than many on the market. Roughly how long do your candles burn for?
They are all soy wick candles with wood wicks instead of cotton. With wood wicks, you get a longer burn time so my average candle burns closer to 10-12 hours instead of average 6-8 hours. 

Nice! So, you can definitely use these over multiple days and let them burn for a time and relight them especially for spells that take 7 days or something like that?
Absolutely!

That's great! When you're designing your candles, how do you decide what type of candle you're going to make and the ingredients you're going to use?
I ended up with 36 core collection candles and it was essentially just the intentions or manifestations I kept getting requests for. For those core 36, I basically looked at each element and built it like a piece of art. Like I said before, I went to art school. My background is art and fine art and I love the creative outlet this has given me. I build them from the ground up. I think about color. I think about the layers that are needed. For example, I have a candle called Grief Release, and it's an ombre that goes from black on top to white on the bottom in 7 different layers. Its to guide you through the 7 different stages of grief. So for the concept of the design, the colors that I use, the scents, the herbs, the crystals, all of it, I take into consideration what exactly you are trying to do with it. Even with the top design depending on what the candle is meant for will determine how many crystals I include, whether or not it has glitter, whether or not it's a cluster formation, etc. Each one is definitely made to be special and a work of art for spellwork


Do you have a favorite candle that's for sale right now?
They are like my children. They are all my favorite, but the one I use for myself is the Manifestation candle. It holds a special place in my heart because it's the first candle someone asked for from me. I really look a lot of time and effort to put that one together. The color theory behind it is something that really resonates with me.

Do you have a best seller?
Bestseller would definitely be the Grief Release, unfortunately, which I think is a reflection of the time we are in. The other one would be Raise Vibes. That is another common need for my fellow witches

Yeah, really telling regarding what we are going through.
Yeah, I can definitely see the shift in the collective mind depending on what I am selling that month. It was crazy. Right after Christmas, and I donno exactly what sparked it, but all of my candles dropped sales except for Anti Anxiety, Anti Depression, and Grief Release and it wasn't until mid-March that I started seeing other candles pick back up again.

I would be interested to see what happens in the next year. How that shifts.
Me too.

You mentioned in your last email that you were introducing a new product line. What sorts of candles will be in that?
I am! I am going to be doing mini-collections that will be dropping quarterly. What these mini-collections are is I am going to be featuring 4 candles that have a different theme. My first one this coming month is the Goddess Collection. They can be used as offering or just to simply try and have that connection to the goddess. I am doing Hekate, Lilith, Aphrodite, and Selene. I think that's a good base for me to start with that goddess collection. Next will be the gods, then I have some astrology ones lined up. The Goddess Collection will be limited, so once they are gone, they are gone. They are going to be more intricate than the permanent collection. They are going to have different charms or spellwork jars and some of them even have pressed flowers involved in them. They are definitely going to be more elevated than the core collection. I am super excited to debut those goddesses as my mini collection.


I am looking forward to the astrology candles, especially the Libra candle because I'm a Libra.
Ok, fair enough! I'm actually going to do 3 separate ones. Its going to be the rising sun and moon sign in 3 separate mini collections.

That sounds awesome!
Thank you. I'm still trying to figure out the logistic of those which is why they are after the gods and goddesses. I consider myself to be like a wax artist and I've been trying a bunch of different techniques recently. I just figured out how to use mica dyes within my wax which is not something I've seen anyone else trying to do. It's always wax dyes. So I figured out how to glitter with mica. Oh my god, it's so pretty. I'm so excited for these.

Are you planning on doing any non-jarred candles, like rolled or dipped candles in the future?
I don't think I'm going to be doing rolled or dipped simply because the equipment that is needed for those is not something I have the ability to invest in at this point. With that being said, I am going to do a line of candles that will be more cost-effective versions of the spells candles I have right now. I do know that my costs of candles are a little high, but they are more of a niche artwork type of candle compared to other spell candles on the market. I am going to be doing essentially large tea light collections that will be smaller, more affordable that will have the same elevation to them. They will have micro crystals instead of big chunks. I just got back from Florida where I met with my crystal guy. That's something that will be coming out early April or May. I'll probably always make container candles because I like how simple they are and don't feel like I can customize them as much then they are dipped.


How did you come up with the name of your company: Triple Wick Goddess?
It's obviously a play off of the triple moon, but when I was first starting to be more accepting of my family and all that kind of stuff, that was the first thing my aunt taught me: the Maiden, Mother, and Crone. That is something that has always stuck with me and been very impactful to me so I wanted to incorporate that into business and practice.

What is your favorite way to incorporate candles into your own practice?
Oh my god, I use candles for everything. Like everything. Sleep better at night? Light a candle. Get rid of anxiety? I'm lighting a candle. I love the versatility of it. I use them for literally everything. You know in My Big Fat Greek Wedding how the grandmother is a Windex fanatic. I am going to be the candle fanatic grandmother. Everything will be fixed with a candle and it's going to be ok. I like the simplicity; I like that anyone can understand how to use candle magic. It's simple and inclusive. There's not much to do. I feel like the only rule with candle magic is don't blow it out otherwise you've blown away your intention. As long as you snuff it, you're good.

What do you use to scent your candles?
I use a lot of different things. My favorite thing to use is different balms, but balms are harder to get candles to scent with so I do use essential oils. I'm very picky about what goes into the candles. Everything has to be sustainably sourced and high caliber product. I want the best for my clients and in order to give them the best I have to use the best and that's sort of my mentality from start to finish.

Do you have any advice for new witches getting into candle magic?
Don't overthink it. The thing I've always admired about spell candles and magic, in general, is the simplicity of it. If you don't have something you can use something else. You can improvise. I feel like in my experience when a new witch approaches me they are so nervous about trying spell work and using tools. It's one of those things where you just jump in. It's nothing crazy. Nothing crazy is going to happen. Just try it and learn from it. Be open to the possibilities and jump right in.


Where can we find you online? Are you just on Etsy or do you have a website?
I will have a website that will be launching on May 1st, 2021. We will be fully launched online and later this month [April] we will be announcing our Goddess Collection and Candle Witch Twitch! I'm going to be doing Twitch workshops. Essentially it will be a Twitch stream of me creating candles and I'll also be hosting candles once a month with a Patreon set up. 

Do you have a newsletter people can sign up for?
Once the website launches they'll be able to sign up for the newsletter. Keep an eye on my Instagram to keep up with everything that is going on.

Are you also on Facebook or Twitter?
Yes! Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Etsy!


I so enjoyed talking to Jocelyn on the phone. In fact, our conversation went on for another 15 minutes after this final question. We also talked for a good 20 minutes before the interview even started. She is an amazing young woman, so full of life, energy, and passion for what she creates, characteristics that flow over into her candles. I'm not going to include it here in the interview, but Jocelyn has some other amazing things in the work regarding her Twitch stream and Patreon that I'm excited to be involved with as a guest! 


To get ready for her new site launch (www.triplewickgoddess.com) and new collection releases, Triple Wick Goddess and Flying the Hedge have teamed up to do an awesome giveaway! We are giving away a Friendship Bond candle, perfect for spellwork between you and your bestie witch! And this time, you can enter multiple times by entering on both Facebook and Instagram. Directions on how to enter are below.



To Enter via Instagram:
+Follow @flyingthehedge and @triplewickgoddess
+Like the giveaway post on @flyigthehedge
+Tag a friend you would love to light this friendship candle with!

To Enter via Facebook:
+Follow @flyingthehedge and @triplewickgoddess
+Like the giveaway post on @flyingthehedge
+Tag a friend you would love to light this friendship candle with!

Rules and Conditions:
+Must be 18 years or older
+U.S. Residents Only
+Entires must be completed by May 7, 2021, at 11:59pm
+One grand prize winner will be selected at random using a random number generator and notified via tag and DM through Facebook or Instagram.
+Entries via  Instagram and Facebook will be tallied together for one winner only, not one winner per platform.


This promotion is in no way sponsored, administered, or associated with Instagram, Facebook, Blogger, or Google. By entering, entrants confirm that they are 18+ years of age, release Instagram, Facebook, Blogger, and Google of responsibility, and agree to Instagram's, Facebook's, Blogger's, and Google's terms of use.


Good luck!

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4 comments :

  1. Awesome interview. The fact that it was conducted over the phone added such a personal, natural flow to the questions and their respective answers.

    I greatly admire Jocelyn's passion for candle making, the love and intention she instills in her products, and the beauty + meaning of each finished product.

    And, I would like to mention to her that a drop in retail sales is 100% normal after the winter holiday season.

    I ran an Etsy vintage shop for a few years and experienced this same sort of sharp decline in sales, without fail, annually after the holidays.

    In talking with many other indie/small and even medium sized sellers and companies over the years, most have reported the very same.

    This makes sense given what a lot of folks spend in December, coupled perhaps with New Year's resolutions pertaining to budgeting and personal spending. It can be frustrating and anxiety sparking to experience this lull in business at the start of the year, but things do often pick up again, thankfully, as the year rolls ever onward.

    Autumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life

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    1. So true! Jocelyn was such a joy to talk to and her candles are so amazing. I feel so blessed to have received one.

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  2. Wow! These are so beautiful! You know, you always seem to post things in a timely fashion for me. I was JUST thinking I wanted to do a full spring clean and cleanse my home, and lo and behold Jocelyn has a beautiful candle for sale called "Cottage Cleanse". I immediately ordered it and can't wait for it to arrive. :)

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    Replies
    1. That's so awesome! Let me know how it works out for you!

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