Candle Rituals for Spooky Season
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Autumn is a time of reflection and remembrance across a wide variety of traditions, from Rosh Hashanah to Day of the Dead. As the days grow shorter, we naturally turn inward and seek light in the dark. Candlelight can be wonderfully grounding and comforting in this work, whether you’re lighting a candle to remember an ancestor, or to illuminate a Jack O’ Lantern on Halloween night.
Here are a few ways you can incorporate candlelight into your mindfulness during this liminal season.
Pure beeswax invocation candle
Countless bees visit innumerable flowers to make even a single pound of beeswax. Burning a beeswax candle helps remind us of the vast, interconnected chain of being that makes not just a simple candle, but our very lives, possible. This time of year, when we're reaping our harvest and the veil is thinnest, light a pure beeswax candle and take a moment to bask in its glow, thanking all those who came before you and to inviting them to share their wisdom and sweetness during the winter ahead.
Black candle release ritual
Late fall is a great time to face a little darkness and relinquish what doesn’t serve us. While any candle is suitable for this ritual, black beeswax candles are particularly symbolic. Some folks opt to carve a picture or word they are releasing into the candle wax itself and watch it melt away. Others prefer to name what no longer serves them on paper and ignite it (we recommend a large, heat-proof bowl or fireplace to contain burning paper). Either way, candlelight is a vital reminder that nothing lasts forever.Zen and the Art of Candlelight
Seat yourself comfortably before the lit candle in a quiet, darkened room. If your attention wanders, that’s just fine, simply return your gaze and thoughts to the flame. If you find it particularly hard to focus, you might try a scented candle that reminds you of a peaceful time and can come to remind you of your meditation practice.
