Has anyone here tried mixing St. John’s Wort straight into the candle wax instead of just dressing the outside? I’ve been rolling the crushed dried flowers into molten beeswax when making tapers for solar plexus work, and it burns differently. Little pockets of herb catch as it goes down and give off these quick bright flares, almost like the plant’s timing its own moments in the spell.
I’ve also been pairing it with cinnamon bark and a bay leaf in spell jars for ongoing personal power stuff. The cinnamon brings drive, and the bay sharpens intent, but the St. John’s Wort does most of the real work, keeping that steady protective fire the OP mentioned. Without it, the rest tends to scatter.