Gods & Goddesses

Devotional pieces made for named figures: Hindu and Buddhist crystal altar candles at $34.95, Aphrodite, Venus and Hekate oil candles from $25.95, beeswax goddess kits and Tibetan deity incense from $12.95.

In short: choose the figure for the work, then the format — wax, oil or incense.

Unscented altar candle with polished gemstones set into the wax, a small brass oil lamp, unlit incense sticks and dried marigold petals on dark green marble in candlelight

Gods & goddesses: devotional candles, oils and incense by name

Everything on this page is addressed to someone in particular — a Hindu goddess, a Buddhist bodhisattva, a Greek or Roman deity, or a figure carved long before any of them. Mystic Soul Ritual Shop says on its Shakti pieces that it names the tradition plainly because it is a living tradition with its own practitioners, priests and texts, not an aesthetic. That is a good frame for the whole range: learn who the figure is before you light anything for them.

Two pantheons, two formats

The Hindu and Buddhist figures come almost entirely as one object: the 16 oz Crystal Altar Candle by Shakti SOULutions, hand-poured in small batches in Colorado from soy and coconut wax on a beeswax-coated hemp wick, unscented, up to 168 hours, $34.95 each — currently Ganesha, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Radha, Parvati, Buddha and Kundalini Shakti. The Greek and Roman figures come in other formats: refillable LOGOS oil candles for Aphrodite, Venus and Hekate from $25.95; two-piece Circe Boutique sets for Aphrodite and Demeter at $19.95; and hand-poured beeswax figure kits from Parlour of Wonders for Fortuna at $36.95 and the Goddess of Willendorf at $50.95. If you want a matching pair on one altar, stay within one format.

Read the stones, not only the name

The altar candles share every specification except the figure and the crystals set into the wax, so the stone list is the real difference: Ganesha carries yellow calcite, green aventurine and hematite; Saraswati clear quartz, aquamarine and citrine; Radha rose quartz, malachite and angelite; Buddha howlite, amazonite and lepidolite; Kundalini Shakti serpentine, moonstone and labradorite. Lakshmi and Parvati carry five stones each. If you already work with a mineral, start there.

One session or one week

Decide how long the practice is before you decide the object. The Shakti Devotional Tealight Set is four flames of a few hours each for $14.95 — one session per light. The Shakti Ritual Oil is a half-ounce anointing oil at $13.95, where a drop is the dose. The Willendorf figure candle burns roughly 36 hours; an altar candle up to 168. The oil candles are refilled rather than replaced, and the Triple Moon Goddess necklace ($17.95, stainless steel) is the piece you wear.

Figures hidden in the dropdowns

Two listings carry more named figures than their titles show. The Tibetan hand-rolled incense from Nepal, $12.95 per 97 g pack, offers Green Tara, White Tara, Chenrezig, Mahakala, Medicine Buddha, Padmasambhava and Zambala as variants; the one-inch pocket brass statues at $12.95 offer Ganesha, a Tara Goddess and two Buddhas — the only figures here you keep rather than burn. Availability varies by variant. Venus Cosmos Incense (rose and sandalwood, $26.95) is the Friday stick of a planetary series; for the day-of-the-week approach see Planetary Magic.

From the magazine: Crystal candles vs. deity candles · Using a devotional oil from a tradition you were not raised in · How to set up an altar · Hekate’s Deipnon · The Ten Mahavidyas · Planetary incense by day of the week. More formats: Oil Candles and Candle Spell Kits.

Frequently asked questions

Which gods and goddesses can I find here?

Altar candles for Ganesha, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Radha, Parvati, Buddha and Kundalini Shakti; oil candles for Aphrodite, Venus and Hekate; herbal sets for Aphrodite and Demeter; beeswax kits for Fortuna and the Goddess of Willendorf; Shakti oil and tealights; and Tara, Chenrezig, Mahakala, Medicine Buddha, Padmasambhava and Zambala as incense variants.

Why do all the altar candles cost $34.95?

They are one product in several versions: 16 oz, up to 168 hours, soy and coconut wax, beeswax-coated hemp wick, unscented, hand-poured in Colorado. Only the figure and the crystals on top change, so choose by those.

Should I choose an altar candle or an oil candle?

An altar candle is unscented wax that burns down over up to 168 hours. An oil candle is scented, refillable glass that you keep and top up with lamp oil. For daily return to one figure over a week, the altar candle; for repeated short sessions over months, the oil candle.

Where do I find Tara, Medicine Buddha or Mahakala?

As variants of the Tibetan hand-rolled incense, and Tara also as a one-inch brass statue. The names are in the product dropdowns rather than the titles, so shop search may not find them.

Can I buy a deity statue?

Only small ones: the pocket brass statues are one inch tall, $12.95 each, in Ganesha, Tara Goddess, Dharma Wheel Buddha and Sacred Fire Buddha. There is no full-size altar statue in the shop at present.

Is it okay to work with a deity from a tradition that is not mine?

That is your decision. The respectful baseline is simple: learn who the figure is and what their tradition says about them, use the name that tradition uses, and treat the practice as borrowed with care rather than as decoration.

Offered as traditional, devotional and decorative objects, not medical devices. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition.