I only intended to clear out a two year old tote box this summer- filled with all of our processed wax- and it’s turned into a bit of an obsession. I rediscovered candle making, and what a journey it’s been!

Candles have been my security blanket for most of my life. One of my first memories of childhood was of a thunderstorm that scared me, and of my mother taking me to the dining room, pulling me to her in our old Windsor rocker. And I remember the warm glow of the candle, my mother’s song and the smell of a bilberry candle. Candles guided me from the struggles of adolescence to the chaos of adulthood. The cherubs that danced in a brass circle around the votive candles every Christmas, spreading the tiny ‘ting’ of cheer on our coffee table lightened my spirits. Lighting the one working candlestick of the silver-plated, two-hundred-year-old service, is an act of honouring my ancestors at the dinner table daily. In all honesty, my life has been brightened by the fellowship of candles.

I am now into my fifteenth mould; a lion if you are asking. I have become enchanted with the smell, look and malleability of beeswax. For now, my husband and I are only making candles during the waxing moon. This is the time of the month when energy is growing and strengthening, if you believe in that sort of thing. Our candles started with the wax from own wonderful hives, reflecting the positive energy that we want to share with the world: a lunar-tree candle honouring the phases of life (my favourite); the wheel of fortune; and a solar egg that reminds me of the sandman in ‘Rise of the Guardians.’

We also have small votive candles- an owl and a classic beehive; ready for a seasonal table or smaller manageable candlecraft.

We have the classic pillar candles (it was hard to shape the base ready for a candle holder). If you really would like to hear the story, I am happy to share it! Spoiler: it combines many hours of YouTube videos with Thrift hunting!

There is a New Age candle section too: we have a Wheel of Fortune Tarot candle, and currently Libra and Gemini mould candles- for family, but I would love an excuse to buy more candle moulds 😉

Don’t tell my husband, but there are many more coming in! I have the Christmas selection: Father Christmas, and a pine cone. I have the dark moon section in construction: ready for a candle to guide you on a passage to a better life: I have a few candles for that too. And a dragon!

A craft that combines the calming smell of beeswax with the enchantment of alchemy- warming liquid and a solid form appears- pure magic!