Beeswax Candles to Ignite Your Inner Light....and Purify Your Air

(image courtesy of http://www.beeswaxcandleco.com/our-candles/)

I love lighting candles in my home this time of year. In addition to a warm glow, candles bring a sense of magic. We light candles when we are about to share a meal (sometimes even at breakfast when we rise before the dawning day) or when we are about to share a story or play a family game. The candle seems to bring us closer in to each other as we cluster in its glow. My children love the small ritual of making a wish each time we blow out a candle (we do this whether or not the candle happens to be on a birthday cake!).

In Waldorf schools around the world, children celebrate St. Martin's Day in early November with a Lantern Walk. Each child makes their own lantern. Just as dusk sets in, they light the lanterns and walk in a procession singing "This Little Light of Mine". They do this as a demonstration of how we can get through the darkest season by bringing the light close and focusing on our inner light. We are reminded that even when the world around us is dark, our inner light, that which connects us with the Divine, can always shine bright.

There's a reason why, in many spiritual traditions, we light candles as the Earth tilts us farther from the sun and we experience the season of shorter days and longer nights. The darkness of this season represents a time for introspection and staying close to the hearth fire. The world outside lies dormant, seeds and bulbs are nestled into the Earth awaiting their time to awaken. The air is chilled and we pull inwards to a kind of hibernation. Lighting candles in our homes brings the waning light of the sun closer to us and reminds us to cultivate our inner light. We light candles when we pray and it makes us feel closer to God somehow to be next to this sacred light.

However, not all candles are created equal! Many candles actually contain poisonous chemicals and leave toxic residues in the air. Paraffin, a component in most commercial candles, is a by-product of the petroleum industry.  "According to the American EPA, paraffin candles are known to release carcinogens like benzene and toluene." (http://www.santafecandle.com/learn/beeswax/whybeeswax.htm)

Beeswax candles are a natural, non-toxic and sustainable alternative to paraffin candles. I am especially fond of 100% pure beeswax candles for a number of reasons. Not only do they emit a beautiful golden glow and a naturally sweet honey scent when they burn, they also clean the air. Beeswax candles create negative ions which actually pull odours, pollens, dust, viruses and allergens out of the air we breathe. Negative ions are also known to promote a host of other health benefits from improved sleep to balancing hormones and a sense of wellbeing (see the above link for more details).

The Santa Fe Beeswax Candle Company refers to beeswax as "Solid Sunlight" because it is "made from flowers by honeybees". How fitting to have some "Solid Sunlight" in our homes while we weather the cold and dark of winter and bring the sun closer to reflect to us our inner light as we breathe deep of our pure air.

(credit: Scott Bauer, USDA/Agricultural Research Services)