A speedy, clean burn means things will go well with the spell or blessing and that one will most likely get what one wishes for. If a glass encased candle burns and leaves no marks on the glass, that is best. If a free-standing candle leaves little or no residue, that is best.

If a free-standing candle runs and melts a lot while burning, one may observe the flow of wax for signs. For instance, if one is burning a bride-and-groom type candle for love, and the woman's wax runs all over the man's, then the woman desires the man more than he desires her -- or if one is burning a green money candle and the wax melts and runs down onto the monetary offering, then the spell is "eager to work" and the candle is "blessing the money." Some people try to influence the way melting wax runs; they do this as part of the spell-work, to increase the likelihood that things will go the way they want. Others prefer to let nature take its course and to watch running wax for signs, without interfering at all.

When a free-standing candle burns down to a puddle of wax, most workers will examine the shape of the wax; they may see something of importance there; the shape may suggest an outcome regarding the matter at hand. For instance, a heart-shaped wax puddle is a good significator if one is burning a red candle for a love spell -- and a coffin-shaped wax puddle is a good significator if one if burning a black devil candle against an enemy. Wax puddles come in all kinds of shapes; most candle-magicians treat them like tea-leaves when they look at them.

A dirty, black, sooty burn (especially one that messes up a glass-encased candle) means things are going to go hard -- the spell may not work, the blessing may fail, the person is in deeper stress or trouble than you thought. If the work is being done against an enemy and the enemy's candle burns sooty and dirty, then it is likely that the enemy is fighting your influences.

If a glass-encased candle burns half clean and half dirty or if a free-standing candle lets out a lot of smoke but then burns clean at the end, that means there is hidden trouble with the person, or someone is working against your wishes. Things will not go well at first, but with repeated work you may get them to go better.

If a candle tips over and flames up into a fire hazard, or if it goes out before completely burning, those are very bad signs. Someone is working against the pracitioner.

When a candle burns up very fast the work will go well but it may not last long. If one lights candles for several people and one burns faster than the others, then that person is most affected by the work, but the worker's influence may not last long.

In European-American traditions, many people bury candle wax and other ritual remains after a spell is cast. Burial toward the appropriate quarter of the compass is considered a thoughtful way to go about this. Some neo-pagans dispose of ritual or spell remains in a bonfire or fireplace.

In African-American hoodoo candle magic spells the disposal of left-over materials follows other patterns, usually dependent upon the type of spell.

If the intention of the spell is good and it involves matters around one's own home, like blessing, love-drawing, money-drawing, or home protection, one can wrap the materials in a cloth or paper packet and bury them in the yard. It is important to never bury remains from negative spells in one's own yard.

If the intention of the spell is not centered on matters close to home, or if one does not have a suitable yard, one can wrap the materials in a cloth or paper packet and throw them in running water over the left shoulder and walk away. Alternatively, one can take the materials to a crossroads -- any place where two roads cross -- and throw the packet into the center of the crossroads over the left shoulder and walk away. The crossroads is also the preferred place to throw bath-water before beginning a spell; it is often used for throwing out the remains of candle wax if the spell does not personally involve the practitioner or if the spell is negative or influence-removing.

If the intention of the spell is specifically to get someone to leave town or leave one alone, one can divide the materials (e.g. 9 needles used in a spell and 9 pieces of wax from a candle) into 9 packets and add Hot Foot Powder (or Drive Away Powder) to each packet. One starts at a crossroads near to where the person lives and throws out the first packet. Then one travels in a direction away from the enemy's home, toward where one wants them to go, and drops a packet at each crossroads one passes until all the packets are gone. In the country this might carry one several miles. In the city it would only be 9 blocks, so city folks only count major intersections (with a light) when they do this, or they may count freeway interchanges to get some distance worked up between the packets.

If the intention of the spell is seriously, irreparably harmful (like causing another person grave illness), especially if it contains graveyard dirt or goofer dust, one can dispose of the material in a graveyard. The wax and other remnants are placed in a miniature coffin, buried, and marked by a miniature headstone with the enemy's name on it. When setting such a spell to rest, many workers also sprinkle a mixture of sulfur powder and salt around the grave, then walk home and don't look back.