Don’t forget about Earth Hour tonight, it starts at 8pm!

Michael brought up a point the other day which I want to expand on, how much better would it really be if we burned candles instead of turning on an energy saving bulb?

Well, to start you have a better chance of your electricity coming from renewable energy source then your candles as most people burn paraffin candles, which is a direct byproduct of crude oil. So we are in fact supporting foreign oil but burning them, ironic during Earth Hour. So the choice is obvious burn soy, palm or beeswax right?

Well… Everything that burns puts off soot, which is a pollutant. That means everything from the fire in your fireplace to your candles – even your soy candles, often touted at “soot free”/”smoke free” releases it. I realize saying this may adversely affect my business as I am a candle maker, but it is simply the truth. It annoys me when people say their soy candles, made exactly the same way as I make mine, are soot free. It is a lie, though it is true that a properly made soy candle will release less soot then paraffin. At least when we burn soy, beeswax or palm wax candles though, we are using a renewable resources…

So the question stands are we really helping up turning off the tv, the computer and the lights and lighting a few candles?

I still believe we are, most people (I hope!) stay in the room with their candles, whereas they might leave every light in the house on otherwise and people tend not to light so many candles as to make the room as bright as with electricity.

Also, everyone taking the time to celebrate Earth Hour is celebrating togetherness. In my opinion, we will never grow the movement for energy independence or spread the message of climate change without group effort, so it sends a powerful message when so many people come together under a single cause, like during Earth Hour. Even if it only affects a handful of people to look at their energy usage and invest in ways to reduce it, better the few than the none.

So yes, I think Earth Hour still has its purpose and I will still be celebrating it.

I hope you will too.

(And I do encourage you to burn soy candles as they are a renewable resource.)

Our Valentine’s Heart candles make the perfect gift for your sweetheart. Designed with love in mind, this two-tone candle will set the perfect mood for Valentine’s day … and night.

As always, our candles are made with 100% All Natural Wax, which burns cleanly and for much longer then typical paraffin candles you find in most stores.

You can add more then just light to your special evening if you choose to have your candle made with one of our three romantic scents.

Preorder today! To receive your candle by Valentine’s day, your order must be placed by Jan 31.

(Pretend that I actually have red or green tapered candles in those silver holders…)

I suppose I should post some kind of update, I’m still alive and kicking. Making lots of candles and pulling out Yuletide decorations. Do you prefer silvers and golds or reds and greens, or all of the above (like me!) I don’t know what it is about this year but I am in the festive mood earlier then usual. It is not even Thanksgiving yet after all. I am putting together a Yuletide newsletter for Temple Free Spirit; reading the contributions and writing my own article (about the history of gift giving) are definitely putting me in the holiday spirit.

Now we just need some snow!

What else… Not to much else that I am willing to publicly talk about it going on other then the usual baby ramblings. I hardly had any morning sickness today. Yay! I am tired a lot. Not so yay! And I am prone to random spells of bubbly excitement interspersed with tears. I also have this nagging feeling that my uterus is slowly but surely absorbing my brain…

Anyhow, back to candles. I am designing some holiday sets, I hope they look as lovely in wax as they do in my head.

I have spoke before about selling candles and crafts but I wanted to let you all know that I finally have my website up!

Graceful Symmetry – a little light in the darkness

My favorite product? This one:

Duality Pillars in Palm Wax

I do local delivery and special orders with all my products. I just launched the site last night so any feedback (or orders of course) would be awesome!

This is one of my sets of 9″ palm wax pillars I recently made, they are quite popular.

In my opinion, palm wax is the most gorgeous wax out there. When properly cooled it builds a shimmering pearlescent crystal structure that catches the light from all angles. Palm wax also has excellent scent throw (which is how much of a room the scent will fill.) All the palm wax I use is 100% natural and is harvested using sustainable methods. It is completely biodegradable, carbon-neural and much longer burning then paraffin wax.

This is my favorite set I make and I a set by my reading nook. I also use them for full moon rituals and decoration too of course. A lady I know uses the white one for morning mediation and the black one for evening meditation. Most of my customers use them for some form of candle magick.

This pair cost $23.65+s&h (unscented – but I can scent them!)
Let me know if you are interested in a pair.

All my black candles are true black all the way through by the way, I hate when I buy a candle only to find just the outside was dipped black.

I have been filling some candle orders this morning, none of which are scented – which is fine by me, that means I can burn a scented candle while I work! At the moment I am burning a lavender vanilla candle though – addicting I tell you! Maybe I will set up a webcam in the kitchen too (don’t know if anyone looks at the one on our main page but I still find it amusing, if somewhat egotistic to watch myself.)

I don’t have a very large selection of candle scents at the moment, I am incredibly picky about my scents. I can’t stand anything that smells remotely chemical – like those cheap scented candles in the store. Bleck. I always get a tester sample before I buy a new scent, that way it doesn’t burn a hole in my pocket if it is gross. Sometimes I wonder if this hampers me in any way, waiting to market certain new scents in my candles because I haven’t found one of that type that I am pleased with…

It hasn’t caused a problem yet though. Even my grandma, who is allergic to nearly every candle scent imaginable (she gets migraines and really congested), did not have a reaction to any of my candles when she was here. I wish smell-o-vision could be built into my website (which should be up soon, I promise!)

Still, I have been working on building up my stock of candle scents and I was wondering what your favorite scent is? (Lavender Vanilla is my favorite, closely followed by Frankincense and Myrrh.)

This soy candle set includes one 4″ two-toned triangular pillar and three 2″ votives. They are unscented. (The mirrored tile is not included.)

These are all-natural soy wax which is a completely renewable and eco-friendly resource. I use cotton wicks (so my candles meet vegan standards.)

Click here to buy these on my website.

(Click each thumbnail to view larger version.)

Blue candles are often used in meditation but have many other magickal uses, which include:

• Attuning the throat chakra
• Showing spiritual devotion
• Inviting peace into the home
• Promoting creativity and inspiration
• Rituals to obtain wisdom, harmony, inner light, or guidance.

I love this colour of blue, and really please with how these turned out. I just look at them and I already feel more peaceful.

(Click each thumbnail to view larger version.)

I was more in a red candle mood yesterday so lots more candles, this will be the three kinds of tapers I will keep in stock in all the standard colours (white, black, red, blue, yellow, green, purple, orange.) Valentines is just around the corner for anyone looking for a special touch for that day (and besides that red candles are useful for lots of other things too!)

These unique 7-inch double twisted tapers are hand dipped with about 40 layers of wax. Each has two cotton wicks which create a taller then usual and lovely flame.

These candles were a fluke. I was experimenting with making a black and white double tapers and ended up with a very deep purple instead (black with a purple sheen). I also had to chip off one layer of wax which has given them a distinctive look. I know I will never be able to recreate this colour so I am selling the pair at a discounted rate.

–

For sale for $6 a pair on my website (that is half off!)

These unique 7-inch double twisted tapers are hand dipped with about 40 layers of wax. Each has two cotton wicks which create a taller then usual and lovely flame.

Other then common use, green candles can be used in many magickal working. While they are most commonly used for money magick, they can also help with healing, grounding, representing the North and the fourth Chakra. These minty green candles could also be used in a Imbolc, Spring Equinox or Bealtainne celebration.

These are for sale on my website. Individually and by the pair.

A few weeks ago while I was making tapered candles, I twisted a few pairs together to see how that would turn out. This is the result and I am pleased with them, if not to pleased with the photograph.

Some of you might remember me talking about bringing candles to a gift exchanged and them being dubbed as “twisted sex candles”, this is what I was talking about.

This is my first batch of 7″ red tapers for the Yule season (one more batch to go.) I used a different kind of dye then I am use to in these so they are not as red as I would like. However I am still pleased with the results.

I really love candle making and am usually up for trying new things, hence the two pictures to the right of the collage. My first attempts at making twisted tapers. The furthest right is my very first try (Michael says it looks phallic) and the next one over is my second try (and last for the day.) I am quite pleased with them even if they look very deformed.

I need to find a way to lower my base cost per candle so that I could perhaps sell them. These are for Yule gifts.

I am thinking I might switch Michael and my candles over to all natural ones from now on. I have been reading up on paraffin candles (which is what I make my own candles out of though we have some beeswax,) so out of my way I am on the researching warpath. (I like being informed and not taking just the word of some health nut.)

If you burn candles and are health conscious I really recommend you read all this stuff or at least gloss over it catching the bigger points.

I had completely forgot till present that paraffin is a petroleum bi-product so not only is it a nonrenewable resource it has things like acrolyn in it (a carcinogen.) If you want to get more technical then I usually am, parrafin also has:

Acetone – This is what is in a lot of nail polish remover and while it is not the most toxic of poisons but exposure to it can damage the mucosa of the mouth and can irritate and damage skin. The long-term effects of acetone exposure are really only known through animal studies (ick) which include kidney, liver, and nerve damage, increased birth defects. You are inhaling this when you burn a paraffin candle.

Benzene – Some more serious health effects here, very high (don’t worry about that from candles) levels of benzene can result in death but otherwise is can caise drowsiness, dizziness, rapid heart rate, headaches and tremors. Again you are inhaling this toxin when you burn a paraffin candle.

Carbon disulfide 2 Butanone 1 1 – this is considered a toxic air contaminant.

Trichloroethane – When inhaled with can cause dizziness, drowsiness, headache, nausea, shortness of breath, or even unconsciousness.

Trichloroethene – Ok the EPA has tried to ban or severly limit public exposure to this one, need I say more?

Carbon tetrachloride – this stuff was formerly widely used in fire extinguishers and refrigeration, but now largely abandoned due to its toxicity. Exposure to high concentrations of carbon tetrachloride (including vapor) can affect the central nervous system, including the brain. Victims may feel intoxicated and experience headaches, dizziness, sleepiness, and nausea and vomiting. Yum.

Ethylbenzene – This is another lovely which is also used in the manufacturing of styrene and can cause respiratory effects, such as throat irritation and chest constriction, irritation of the eyes.

Not that you have to worry about any of these being in high enough concentrations in your burning candle (or in my case candleS) to cause immediate damaging effects but all these toxins are in one substance, paraffin. Its like cigarettes, it is just bad for you and if you burn candles as often as I do and for as long as I do, over years… well it makes me think twice.

The warlord charges…

Candle-making companies are not even required to tell you, the consumer what is in their product. Like those cheep candles made in China in the Dollar Store? They have lead in the wicks. Don’t worry though the US government has already banned the production of candles using leaded wicks so I suppose Made in America parrafin candles are slightly better for you (hmmm for some reason this does not make me feel a whole lot better.) Sometimes even mass made “natural” candles are only 50% natural wax and the rest is paraffin.

And Gel candles, I won’t even get started, can we say petroleum oil turned to jelly with a wick in it? And I don’t know about you but I feel like any spell I perform will be less affective when I use toxic substances, especially say, a healing spell?

So what are some good waxes for your candles? They do exist!

Soy and beeswax do not have toxins as well as various vegetable and palm waxes. These candles are pricier because on a whole they are only made by small business or by individuals for personal use (what I may end up doing.) These businesses can be found on the internet (with their own websites or on ebay) at flee markers or craft shows. Some of your local stores (I’m thinking New Age and local health food stores) may carry them. Look for sites that display the Healthy Candles logo.

I am not saying we should all throw away out paraffin candles and go natural (well I guess I kind of am…) but I just wanted to share my findings with you all more then anything. I am still going to use up the rest of my paraffin candles, I don’t expect to die immediately but after I feel I should might only natural wax and wicked candles.

I need to look into making my own beeswax candles (I only make paraffin ones at the moment), when I do I’ll make a tutorial for you all.

Peace.