How To Make Intention Candles
Contributed by Melissa Cetlin, a graphic designer currently living in a San Francisco Moishe House. She is a freelancer who designs mainly for non-profits. Check out her work at www.hellomelissacetlin.com.
A major theme for the month of Tammuz is transformation and acknowledging the darkness and the light. Taking this theme literally, we created Intention Candles to guide us through the month and shine light into the parts of our lives that we may be have been neglecting.
Why Candles?
Candles have a role in many Jewish rituals – Jews light candles to welcome Shabbat and to memorialize loved ones who have passed on. There’s even a ner tamid (eternal flame) in every synagogue to represent the menorah of the destroyed original Temple and also to signify the Divine’s eternal presence, which never goes dark.
Shining a light is a great metaphor for bringing extra intention into the parts of our existences to which we could pay more attention. Tammuz marks the time in the Torah when Moses lost his temper at the wrong moment. A cool element of Judaism is the fact that even the prophets are human, which is to say they’re far from perfect.
A huge part of being human is making mistakes, acting in ways that aren’t in our own best interest, and lashing out in spite or jealousy. A myriad of human traits can keep us from shining at our brightest light.
As we pour these candles, we’ll add meaningful objects to the mix that will reappear as the candles burn through, reminding us of our intention and keeping us on track to help manifest the changes we want to bring into our lives by as bright lights.
Well Circle Activity
Here are easy-to-follow directions for making your own candles at home and/or with your Well Circle:
Materials:
1 lb bag of soy wax flakes, can be bought online or any craft store
Candle wicks and wick stickums, can be bought online or any craft store
Jars (mason jars work great)
Candle pouring pots, ideally with a spout
Wooden spoon(s)
A pair of chopsticks for each candlemaker
2 rubber bands for each candlemaker
Essential oils (optional)
Dye (optional)
Objects that will not melt that signify something in your life you want to bring extra intentionality to i.e, rose quartz for self love, salt for enhancement, black tourmaline for grounding
Directions:
In clean glass container, straighten out the wick and put the wick stickum on the bottom of the wick (that’s the metal part). Center the wick as best you can at the bottom of the jar.
Using two chopsticks and the rubber bands, fashion a sort of clamp for the wick to slide into. Rest the chopsticks over the top of the jar for support once you pour the wax (see this in action on YouTube).
Pour the wax flakes in the pouring pitcher or a wax heater. Heat the flakes until completely liquefied.
If you’re adding color dye, add it when the wax is mostly melted.
Using your wooden spoon, mix the wax well once it’s completely melted to ensure an even temperature throughout.
Let the wax cool a little. Then, add in fragrance if you like.
As you pour the wax, do so in stages, layering in your meaningful objects. Use the pouring process to contemplate the areas of your life you want to illuminate with control and intention.