The simple ritual of striking a match, lighting a candle and focusing on the flicker of flame evokes calm. It creates an ambiance to set the mood to be present. For me, it invites a more intimate, welcoming experience to enhance any at home ritual. 

Throughout the design process for Forma Terra, I knew I wanted to create a candle offering to pair with our bath ritual. As I began to expand on the idea and reflect on my own personal preferences, I had no idea all the decisions I would face in creating the direction for the design. It has been an interesting process of learning over this past year, I'm grateful I took the time to connect with so many makers and explore the options.

Early on in my journey with holistic living, I learnt the importance of quality, clean air. Soon after, I upgraded all of the paraffin wax based candles in my home for natural 100% pure beeswax candles. It was an easy transition as I've never been one for strong, artificial fragrances. I fell in love with the subtle sweet aroma of a natural beeswax candle and have been using them for years in my home. For the .eluo. candle I wanted to prioritize this natural, clean burn so I gravitated towards a locally sourced pure beeswax with a coconut wax blend. 

The coco-beeswax blend produces a luxurious, smooth wax texture and a slower burn. The added benefit of a wax blend containing pure beeswax is the negative ions that are created as the candle burns. The process of cleaning the air evolves as the negative ions produced by the melting beeswax attach to the positively charged particles found in the air to help cleanse the air. 

In addition to the handmade natural aesthetic and clean burning wax, I really wanted to elevate the calming atmosphere surrounding our candle with grounding aromatherapy. It was an expensive upgrade for this candle but something I couldn't achieve from synthetic fragrance oils. And personally I loved the more subtle aroma that develops from the hot throw of an essential oil candle. 

Surrounding all the thoughtful details around this candle, I love how this beautiful offering was born out of a collaboration that mutually supports local artists and makers in our community. Each vessel and final product has been hand thrown by artist Juliana Rempel for a completely unique candle. I was fortunate to connect with Bridget Calvank, the owner of C&C Candle Company to design the scent profile and hand pour each candle. We have launched the .eluo. candle in a limited run, but with your support I hope this project evolves to include future runs to pair with the intentions you set for your at home rituals. Enjoy!

-Tannis