Flame Harnessing

image borrowed from bing

Flame Harnessing

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single

candle; happiness never decreases by being

shared.”--Buddha.

After man discovered how to create & control fire,

it was inevitable that he would learn to encase

a burnable wick in wax in order to light his way,

& even more inevitable that he would soon

thereafter begin to use candles to represent

religious significance & symbolism.

During Colonial times one lit a single candle

in the window to welcome home family travelers,

and later, for many, the single candle stood for

the Star of Bethlehem, or for Jesus as the

Light of the World. Three candles meant

the holy trinity.

The Buddhists light candles in front of

Buddhist shrines or statues to signify

both the light of Buddha’s teachings

& of impermanence & change in life.

We find the Menorah in Jewish Temples

& homes, holding eight candles, lighting

one for each day of Hanukkah, representing

the oil that burned in the Temple for 8 nights.

Most prominently, we find those decorative racks

of votive candles in Catholic churches, usually

facing a shrine of Jesus or Mary or both,

placed in colorful jars or holders.

Lighting some of these candles somehow

intensifies one’s prayers for the safe return

or improved health of a loved one, &

all kinds of special circumstances.

It is important to understand the color coding 

on votive candles:

--green for prosperity, growth, & vitality,

--white for eternal life, enlightenment, the color of joy,

--red for sacrifice, love, & passion,

--gold for eternal life or victory,

--blue for Lent or Easter, trust & faith,

--purple, often lit during Advent, to express

remorse & repentance.

On a lighter note (smile), people who

have been known to bake 100 foot wide pizzas,

or waffles that could cover a table, set out

to create the World’s Biggest Candle.

It seems the Americans have triumphed

in this endeavor with the humungous 

Caruso Candle built in Centreville, Indiana,

standing 80 feet tall, 8 feet in diameter.

Every year on Caruso’s birthday, I guess

they put a large singing tenor in a crane basket,

& lift him up to the top while he holds a blow torch--

God, I’d love to witness that celebration. 

Glenn Buttkus

Posted over on dVerse Poets Poetics

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