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  • 标题:Capturing the light: discover the warmth, beauty and inspiration of candles - At Home
  • 作者:R. Daniel Foster
  • 期刊名称:Natural Health
  • 印刷版ISSN:1067-9588
  • 出版年度:2004
  • 卷号:March 2004
  • 出版社:American Media Inc

Capturing the light: discover the warmth, beauty and inspiration of candles - At Home

R. Daniel Foster

The elegantly simple flame of a candle casts not only light, but reassurance and a sense of timelessness. It is at once a connection to the past and a bridge to the future.

"Fire has a primitive, ineffable quality, but it also represents energy and possibility," says Francine Klagsbrun, author of The Fourth Commandment: Remember the Sabbath Day. "It conveys a sense of hope that counters fear."

Candles are integral to cultural and religious rituals, showing up on Christian advent wreaths (representing penitence and joy), at the center of Kwanzaa (denoting desired qualities), and on the Hanukkah menorah (commemorating an ancient miracle). On the Roman Catholic feast day called Candlemas, all the ceremonial candles are blessed.

Votive candles (from the Latin votum, or vow), vigil candles (vigilia, waiting) and novena candles (novenas, nine each) began appearing in the 7th century and have been an integral part of Church worship ever since. "Votives are connected with prayers of petition for divine favors, in return for devotion or godly actions," says Meredith Gould, Ph.D., author of The Catholic Home: Celebrations and Traditions for Feast Days, Holidays and Every Day. "Novena candles are used for prayers of intention in honor of a saint over a nine-day or nine-week period."

Welcoming the sacred into gatherings is often done through candles. In the Arti ceremony, Hindus wave ghee-wicked candles before a deity's statue as a way to honor and extend a god's radiance. Devotees "absorb" the radiance by placing their hands around the flames and then shifting them to their faces. And Jewish women circle their hands around candle flames while saying the Sabbath blessing; it's a way to "draw the radiance inward," says Klagsbrun.

Candles nearly always take center stage at festivals of lights, held around the world to banish wintry darkness. Among the most striking and elegant examples is Thailand's Loi Krathong Festival, where tens of thousands of tiny, candlelit banana-leaf boats are set adrift in waterways and rivers; the practice is said to float away ill fortune.

A candle's outer glow has long represented an individual's inner glow, or "spark of divinity," says Gould. Many couples incorporate candle ceremonies into their wedding vows; the flames are joined and separated to signify that those who marry are one yet maintain their individuality.

The simple act of lighting candles--before a formal meal, during a romantic interlude, or even on a birthday cake--is enough to induce a mild trance, says Gould: "Fire is elemental. We reach for its warmth and light. But we dare not touch it. What else can we do but gaze at it and ponder?"

CANDLE WITH HEART by Nirvana.

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ORANGE YOGAPOSE PILLAR by Nirvana.

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CRANBERRY-RED HONEYCOMB CANDLE from By Candlelight.

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FIG-SCENTED CANDLE by La Luz.

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NATURAL COLOR BEESWAX PILLAR from By Candlelight.

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LAVENDER-TANGERINE SOY WAX CANDLE from By Candlelight.

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POMEGRANATE CANDLE by Ergo.

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CANDLE SNUFFER from Digs.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

CANDLE SHAVER from By Candlelight.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

PILLAR CANDLE by Nirvana.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

CANDLE WICK TRIMMER from Illume Candles.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

CHERIMOYA-SCENTED CANDLE by Burn.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

MINT-SCENTED SOY VOTIVE by Bey's Garden.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

BEESWAX TAPER CANDLES by Candle People.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

BLUE VOTIVE by Rigaud.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

COPYRIGHT 2004 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

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