Candles

I arrive at the office, I light a candle on the desk; I come home - I light a candle. When it is dark outside, a person intuitively longs and reaches for light. Not electric light, but the live flame of fire, which has warmed people since time immemorial - and the light of a candle specifically since the 3rd millennium BC. Today we light candles more for creating atmosphere than for physical warmth or to see by in the dark. A lit candle remains an indispensable part of religious or magical rituals.

We perceive a candle and its light, consciously or unconsciously, both as a creator of cosiness and as a symbol - a giver of inner warmth, closeness, peace and strength. "By candlelight we fall into our own soul and shine forth from there. And other souls shine back at us from within. Life and the world are two enormous candles. Blessed be the caster of great and small candles!" (Ojārs Vācietis, fragment from the poem "Čaks II").

Today we have learned to make this "soother of souls" from various materials, giving it different forms, colours and meanings. Below, briefly, on both well-known and forgotten types of candle.

Paraffin candles

The most popular, yet they have several drawbacks. One of them is that paraffin wax, when burning, poisons the indoor air by releasing petrochemical substances, and a candle placed close to an object or surface may deposit soot. Paraffin wax stains on a table or tablecloth are difficult to clean.

The cheapest candles are powder-pressed ones, as they can be produced quickly and in large quantities by compressing paraffin powder that resembles snow or icing sugar. Powder-pressed candles are always white inside; colour is added only on the outside by lacquering or some other treatment. Rustic-style candles are not as smooth and shiny as powder-pressed ones; their rough surface can be felt and several layers of paraffin can be seen. Pieces of paraffin in different colours and shapes are often cast into them, visually resembling pieces of jelly candy.

Stearin or palm oil candles

Made from an ecologically clean product. They have a matt, crystalline consistency, as if frosted. When burnt out, a thin, transparent layer remains around them in which patterns resembling frost flowers can be seen. A palm oil candle is fairly easy to clean from fabric, simply by washing it out.

Beeswax candles

When burning they give off a pleasant scent of wax, honey and propolis, and can therefore replace scented candles perfumed with synthetic oils, which are now widely available. Beeswax candles are a completely natural product. In yellow tones, which can range from darker to lighter. Moreover, wax candles burn much longer than artificial paraffin candles. Such candles always make me think of churches, festivities and a country house.

Gel candles

Consist of transparent paraffin gel, which is composed of gelatinised mineral substances, plastics and polymers. Decorative elements of any non-combustible material can easily be placed inside them - flower petals, shells, coloured pebbles, and similar. Various dyes are used abundantly in their production. Gel candles burn five times longer than a regular paraffin candle and do not deposit soot.

Tallow candles

Practically no longer made today, but were quite popular in antiquity. As an example, one method of production: take 450 g of alum, 450 g of ammonium nitrate, dissolve in 2 litres of water, add 5,400 g of fat (for example, beef tallow) and simmer over a low heat, not allowing the fat to turn dark. Then the wick - a twisted linen thread - is dipped repeatedly into the melted fat so that it accumulates in layers and forms a candle.

Soy candles

Made from natural soy wax (produced from soybeans), non-toxic and biodegradable. Burns approximately twice as long as paraffin candles. Does not blacken surfaces. In the event of dripping, the wax is easy to clean with soap and hot water. Soy candles are widespread abroad, but are now also being made and sold in Latvia. Most often white or in pale tones, as natural dyes are used for colouring.

So when buying candles, we can now make an informed choice, knowing their effects and emissions when burning. But moving away from practical matters and turning to the more ethereal, let us also talk about candle colours and their effect on our mood, activity and health. Below, a little from the worlds of healing, mysticism and astrology, where candle colour is not only attributed a corresponding healing power but is also seen as corresponding to each zodiac sign and even to each day of the week.

Candle colours

A red candle (Aries; dark red - Scorpio) is the colour of love, health and the realisation of ambitions, as well as passion and sexual energy. It helps to gain energy and physical strength. This candle should be burned on Tuesday by people who lack confidence in their abilities, are suffering from an energy deficit or have lost spiritual strength.

A pink candle (Taurus) - helps to find the strength to forgive oneself and others. It awakens the conscience - calling one to live cleanly and honestly - and helps to understand one's own emotionally weak points. It promotes clarity of intention and can awaken understanding of the truth of a matter. It should be lit on Friday - it will help to ask for forgiveness or heal wounds of the soul. Light a pink candle if you wish to know and understand yourself more deeply.

A white candle (Pisces) - a symbol of purity and strength. It creates purity and clarity of thought and space, promotes balance and purification, as well as positive change. Interestingly, a white candle can indicate when negative energy in a room is being purified - if the candle begins to smoke, it means it is burning away the negative energy that has accumulated in the room. When the smoke ceases, the room has been freed from negative energy. If you wish to harmonise relations with a fellow human being, light the white candle on Monday.

A black or brown candle (Capricorn) - possesses strong energy. It is very useful at a time when a person is going through a difficult experience - divorce, a crisis at work. The black candle is recommended to be burned together with a white or yellow one. The brown candle helps to bring clarity. It is advisable to meditate by a brown candle to find lost objects.

An orange candle (Sagittarius) - a symbol of joie de vivre and creativity. It can help attract people, resources, animals and other things you desire in your life. If you are waiting for the right connection to arrive that would help you in work or health, the orange candle is the one that will help you attract it. The orange colour helps to ward off depression, as it increases strength and energy, especially when lit on Thursday.

A yellow candle (Sagittarius; gold - Leo) - strengthens the mind and gives the strength to continue what has been started when all circumstances seem to be working against you. Lit on Wednesday, a candle in yellow or golden colour will stimulate dream activity and help to understand them. Also use yellow during social gatherings. For prosperity, light a gold candle on Sunday and under no circumstances blow it out - allow it to burn through.

A green candle (Virgo) - promotes growth and movement; it balances the energies of body and mind. It helps to free oneself from financial difficulties, helps to understand the true nature of events, and stimulates fertility and youthfulness. Light a green candle on Friday to reduce stress or jealousy.

A blue candle (Libra) - helps to understand oneself and to listen to what the subconscious is saying. It also helps to gain greater trust in the people around us and in all that is happening - it creates greater confidence. Moreover, blue candles have a particularly powerful effect on children - they help to heal children. Light a blue candle on Thursday and protect yourself from the evil eye and enchantments.

A grey or silver candle (Gemini, Cancer) - activates intuition and the subconscious. Meditating by a candle of this colour, it is easier to find a solution to a problem, as the subconscious itself will lead to how to correctly begin something new. Light a candle on Monday and bring peace into the home.

A violet or purple candle (Aquarius) - a symbol of spirituality, power and mastery. It promotes luck, development and the achievement of spiritual wishes. Meditating by a candle of this colour, one can also attain inner peace. Light a violet candle on Saturday and activate clairvoyance.

Believe it or not - perhaps give it a try?!

Sources used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candle
http://sveces.blogspot.com/
http://salamand.ru/istoriya-izobreteniya-svechi/
http://www.sievietespasaule.lv/sveces_magija_krasu_meditacija
http://www.tribine.lv/meitenem/Dzeltena-svece-svetdiena-bus-nauda/9248