I’m writing this post, as I write many posts, with a candle burning on the table beside me. Today it’s a tall vanilla column, which gives off more light than scent, but I like the cheery flicker and the sense of peace it creates. I lit it against the grey day outside, with cold sleet-rain dashing up against the windowpanes. And I lit it because of what Lauren Winner says, in her wise little book Mudhouse Sabbath:
You don’t find candles lit in frenetic houses; you find them lit in houses where people are trying to pay attention.
It’s true, and it makes me wonder: what am I paying attention to when I light a candle?
Just now, of course, it’s my writing; I often light candles when I sit at our blond wood dining table, laptop in front of me, to blog or write articles or work on other projects (like my NaNoWriMo novel). Sometimes I light a candle, for scent or ambiance or just for fun, when J and I eat dinner together, sharing tidbits about our days. Each week at the beginning of our church service, we light the Christ candle to remind us of the true Light coming into the world. And sometimes I simply light a candle because I’ve had a hectic day or am feeling frantic in my spirit, and I need to calm down.
I’ll be lighting more candles as the days grow darker, and as the holidays approach – you can bet I’m stocking up on festive scents, from Leaves and Autumn to Cinnamon Stick and Spice. I’ll light them to make me smile, to fill the air with a delicious aroma, to combat the long grey days of winter that will last far longer than I want them to. But I’ll also light them to make me draw a deep breath – and remind me to pay attention to the work and the people I love.
cakes, tea and dreams 
The idea of the act of lighting a candle being connected to the intent to pay attention seems very true. It makes me wonder about other sorts of small things we do with the intent to ‘notice’ (whether it be notice our surroundings, our friends and family, our feelings…) These are the kind of things I want to do more of. Maybe journaling, taking photos, writing notes would be similar – little things that cause us to pause, assess, take note?
Lovely quote and post! I have started lighting more candles these dark days as well. I light them to set a mood of intimacy, relaxation, and peace, and love the scents of cinnamon and vanilla wafting through the room as a result.
I LOVE this. I am trying to pay attention these days as well. It’s interesting how when there are holy and beautiful things afoot, we get more frantic and less willing to be still and soak it in.
[…] wrote a lovely post on this today, as did […]
I love this post! Something about candles definitely seems whispery and sneaky, and I like that.
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