Woodland Magic
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2x 9 oz soy candles
This package combines two aspects of Persephone. The first, Persephone's Pomegranates, is reminiscent of Persephone's time in the underworld, and the second, Persephone's Return, celebrates her reemergence into the world of light. While each aspect has its beauty, they complement one another best placed side by side. These 9 oz candles are hand-poured in small batches, with a burning time of 40+ hours per candle.
Persephone's Pomegranates
Deep in the dark underworld, Persephone ate six seeds. Knowing how pomegranates taste, we can imagine her longing for the most luxurious fruit, bursting with sweet jewels. This candle blends together her joy at tasting fruit which was once under the sun, with the knowledge that the dark months are not yet over. Persephone reminds us of the mixture of hope and despair, sweetness and bitterness, and the deeply personal and magical process of finding one's mettle in times of difficulty.
Fragranced with pomegranate bitters, blood orange, and lemon peel, Persephone's Pomegranates highlight the bitterness of even the sweetest fruits, while a touch of red currant hints at summer's future generosity. The ring of tightly packed garnets around the center wick mirrors the deep red of those which Persephone ate, reminding us that seeds are but rising jewels with the promise of tomorrow's sun.
There are two sigil phrases associated with this candle. One is written beneath the candle name, and reads as the line above: "Seeds are but rising jewels with the promise of tomorrow's sun." The second, written in symbolic font and on the lid of the candle, reads: "May we remember the secrets we learned as seeds ere we were sprouted."
Historical & magical associations of the ingredients:
- Pomegranate: Wisdom, intuition, patience, self reflection, self knowledge, fertility, rejuvenation
- Blood orange: Joy, fertility, love, cleansing, abundance
- Lemon peel: Sun and moon magics, love, cleansing, purification, invigoration
- Garnet: Balance, cleansing, renewal, devotion, protection, confidence
Persephone's Return
Persephone's Return celebrates the arrival of Spring. As the story goes, Persephone was picking wildflowers in a sunny field when Hades appeared to take her to the underworld. This candle is inspired by those flowers (among them violet, roses, crocuses, and lilies) trailing along behind her or left in a pile after Persephone's disappearance, as well as the flowers which now blossom at her return. Fragranced with violet, gardenia, tuberoses, jasmine, honeysuckle, and a subtle bite of red currant, Persephone's Return is a floral scent, both intense and faint in different moments, like the smell of flowers on a warm breeze.
The candle tops are ornamented with amber (that eternal reminder of captured sunlight) and with amethyst, and decorated with additional flowers, including a few of those which Persephone was picking (day lilies and roses), as well as globe amaranth, lavender, chrysanthemum, and jasmine. While they have a variety of associations, together these plants tell the story of Persephone, of her journey to the underworld, and of her return. Roses, violet, amber, jasmine, and honeysuckle reflect the love Demeter had for her daughter, the love Persephone had for the world of light, and the love she created in the underworld with Hades. Chrysanthemum's association with protection and farewells reminds us that while changes in seasons and settings can be painful, we have tools to protect ourselves. Farewells can also be liberating. Lavender and globe amaranth link together love with healing, asking us to carve out a space for ourselves to heal from our past hardships and heartbreaks, and to remember the sunlight has returned again, and along with it another season of warmth and growth.
This candle would work well as a Spring or Summer ritual candle, but would also make a wonderful gift for Mother's day, or for a friend who loves flowers and the warmer weather (and needs to be reminded that both are on their way:)
Magical phrase on this candle reads: "The earth erupts with sweetness and growth as Persephone returns to the world of light." Background image: pomegranates by Maria Sibylla Merian, 17th-century naturalist and artist.
Historical & magical associations of ingredients:
- Amber: Healing, beauty, love, warmth, sunlight
- Amethyst: Intuition, calm, courage, clarity
- Chrysanthemum: Protection, farewells
- Honeysuckle: Attraction, love, friendship, generosity
- Jasmine: Love, happiness, moon magics
- Rose: Love, friendship, luck, protection, happiness
- Lavender: Love, healing, calm
- Globe Amaranth: Healing (especially from heartbreak), immortality
- Lily: Protection, water magic, moon magic, love
- Violet: Death, rebirth, love
About these candles:
- Made with 100% soy wax from the US
- Made with lead-free cotton wicks
- Made with non-toxic fragrances
- Contained in a reusable glass container
- Made in a workshop now powered by solar energy!
