Ever since Muin Mound Grove made candles with old candle wax for an Imbolc workshop years ago, I decided that I should try my hand at the hobby. It felt so right given my growing relationship with Brighid. A friend of mine made candles for awhile – huge, beautiful pieces of art, really. She gifted some to me, and the care she put into them… They were and are full of magic, whether she believes in that or not. I don’t think she’s made any for awhile, but they really inspired me. A grovemate made some in tins last year and gifted one to me before she moved away. I remember telling her that I kept meaning to try my hand at it again, and she was very encouraging.
This Winter Solstice, some family members thoughtfully gave me gift cards to arts and craft stores. I used some of the money toward a candle making kit. It was a very simple kit with enough ingredients to make six soy votives in glass candle holders. I broke into it today and had a lot of fun. Before I started, I made an offering to Brighid as I consider this devotional work.
The kit was very easy to use. I know I need to improve my method of securing the wicks to their dowels. Soy was very easy to work with, and I always prefer soy to paraffin, but I know I want to focus mostly on beeswax as it is one of the safest, cleanest waxes to use. I also know there are several beekeepers in the area, and working with a local, sustainable material that supports local bee populations is incredibly important to me. I’m not concerned with scents so I did not use the vanilla scent block that came with the kit. I’m not sure what it’s made out of and I’m very concerned with the purity of ingredients. As I learn, I may experiment with using natural fragrances for magical purposes, but I’m a huge fan of that simple beeswax smell.
I have a growing list of tools I need to improve as well as other things I want to try. I’m hoping to pop in the local antique store this week. The owner has some kitchen bowls that aren’t too much money, if I remember correctly. That way I could reuse older materials without contaminating my kitchenware.
My next goal is to make simple hand-dipped candles for Imbolc, and my grove is also talking about making some soy crystal candles for our holiday workshop.
‘Tis the season for new beginnings and new activities, and as the wheel turns toward Imbolc, it’s such an appropriate time for me to learn these skills and incorporate them into my practice.
Author M. A. Phillips 
These look very similar to the candles I made awhile back! Though I personally am concerned with scent (part of the reason I love candles so much is because of the scent of them), but have a set of essential oils that I was gifted with last year that I used for scenting. It’s the same stuff I use to scent the soap I make 🙂
Congrats on starting with candles! I started making soy candles (natural and clean-up with warm, soapy water!!) as related to my own bardic practices, and have gotten more and more fond of the entire process. I have not experimented with beeswax; I thought it was difficult to work with, no?