http://www.care2.com/greenliving/brilliant-beeswax-candles.html
The Brilliant Beeswax Candle: Natural Air Purifiers and More
By Annie B. Bond
Beeswax candles offer a honey scent, a golden flame, and the longest, cleanest burn of any candle.
But there is much more benefit to beeswax candles compared to paraffin candles that are made from polluted petroleum sludge, or even vegetable-based candles that are a big improvement over paraffin: When beeswax candles burn, they clean the air like a great, natural, air purifier, and they are a link to a deep spiritual belief system.
For each pound of beeswax provided by a honey bee, the bee visits 33 million flowers. It eats 10 pounds of honey. It secretes the beeswax from its abdomen, and then uses the wax to construct a honeycomb. Beekeepers recover the wax from the comb by heating it in water where the melted wax rises to the surface and can be removed.
Many have written about the wisdom of the beehive, and how burning beeswax puts a person in a special mood of reverence. It is easy to imagine why, given that millions of flowers have been visited and pollinated to make any one beeswax candle!
Healing and spiritual powers have been attributed to all products of the beehive. Honey has always been considered holy, a gift from God, and endowed with esoteric and mystical qualities. The Path of Pollen, or bee shamanism, is a calling into the secrets of healing, longevity, and spiritual powers of bee products, including honey, wax, and pollen. The Hebrew word for bee is dbure, meaning word, with the message being that the bee brings the Divine word. Specifically beeswax candles are designated for the Christian Roman Mass.
To burn a beeswax candle is to enter into the wisdom world of the bee, and you enter, too, into a world of benefits from the bee. Compare this to breathing toxic fumes from paraffin candles! (For more on toxic candles, see Candle Soot.
Cleaning the Air by Burning Beeswax Candles
Air contains billions of electrically charged particles called ions. Ions act upon our capacity to absorb and utilize oxygen, and therefore cause powerful effects on our lives and well being. The ions in the air can affect our mood, energy and health. Negative ions actually feel good. Too many positive ions make us feel bad and they are loaded down with pollution and allergens that are drawn to them and suspended in the air. Negative ions, on the other hand, remove the pollution and allergens from positive ions, allowing them to drop harmlessly to the ground.
Beeswax candle fuel is the only fuel that actually produces negative ions, which not only helps remove pollution from the air but increases the ratio of negative ions to positive ions, the ideal and necessary scenario for clean air.
Beeswax Candle Buyer’s Resource Guide
Make sure to only buy 100 percent pure beeswax candles.
Choose yellow beeswax (it is lightly refined)and not white beeswax is often bleached with chemicals and is best avoided.
Go to the Source
related stories
-
(3 comments)
-
annie
(2 comments)
-
(15 comments)
Robyn
Melissa
Deepak
Eric
Dave
Dr. Brent
Isha
Susan
Delia
Michelle
Wendy
Megan
Hilary
Ann
Judi
Ronnie
Kelly
Lily
Terri
Betsy
Cait
Andrew
Jana
Annie B.
Veronica
69 comments
add your comment »Interesting article; thank you, Annie.
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
speaking of beeswax candles, we're having a special on them this week @ www.greenhome.com. peace, love, and a prosperous 2010!
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
The Ditto Candles link is bad.
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
Ordinary Candles are made from paraffin. Lightning a Paraffin candles can cause pollution, it's like a smoke coming out from diesel engines. So why use Paraffin? instead, use an all natural candles..use Bees wax Candle as well. They are made from Natural Honey.
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
www.burntoshine.etsy.com
I make my own Australian beeswax candles .... lush golden pure beeswax, a cotton wick and a spoonful of love!
50% off all shipping for the month of March to celebrate Earth Hour and how fantastic this event is in highlighting the danger of burning scented paraffin candles for the planet as well as our health!!
peacelovelight...
Monique
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
Would mlike to k now where to buy the bees wax to make candles. Also any help on how to make them. Thanks
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
Thank you for the very informative article which we linked to www.emmetsessentials.com for more info on bees wax.
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
In response to the PETA article suggested below regarding inhumane treatment of the honeybee, I have to protest. The linked article was wrought with so much misinformation—people who are swayed by mistreatment of animals (I myself am an activist) must have exposure to the facts.
As a backyard urban beekeeper and a deeply spiritual person, I have firsthand knowledge of the beauty and intimate relationship humans can share with another kindred species, like the bee. All bees do a wonderful service to humanity by providing 1/3 of the foods we love to eat—like apples, nuts, avocados, peaches, celery, strawberries, melons, and cucumbers. 80% of the foods that require pollination are pollinated by the “imported” European honeybee. Why? Because many, if not most, of the foods we eat came from Europe!
Plants have developed over the millennia to coexist with tandem with other species, and in order to enjoy the same foods on our continent we must emulate the original environments in which the foods developed. Native to America bees do not generally pollinate Old World crops--they have their own job to do! There are small carpenter bees, and sweat bees which will lick your sweat, to well-known bumblebees (all of which are in serious decline).
If you feel having honeybees is inhumane, you should consider your diet and focus solely on native American foods.
Like your food, you should have a relationship with any honeybee wax product’s source. Know your
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
If you want beeswax candles, the ones from Honey Gardens (http://www.honeygardens.com/candles.htm) are nice.
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
Thank you for this information, I generally really like your articles. I love the concepts presented here and agree that bees and all they produce is precious and powerful, however, I do not believe that modern methods for obtaining these products are ethical, let alone respectful.
I think one can use a vegetable based candle and meditate on the wonder of the bee and be mindful and respectful of their power without actually using the beeswax. I believe this state of mind/contemplation is more helpful than the actual wax now that ethically obtained beeswax would be difficult to come by and therefore defeats the intended respect and reverence.
For more information on the mistreatment of bees please visit this site: http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=122
For the ionic effect I would recommend the other vegans or those concerned for the welfare of the bees to try a salt lamp instead.
send green star
why is this inappropriate?
Facebook account: