likht / candles
an ongoing research creation project dedicated to the relationship between candle making, somatic wisdom and memory, earth based jewish practice, ancestral connection, wax poetics, (dis)function, and craft as ritual.
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Havdalah Candles
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Neshome Likht / Soul Candles
‘neshome likht' (soul candles) making, is a centuries-old ashkenazi jewish custom, in which one measures cemeteries (feldmestn) and graves (keyvermestn) of ancestors , loved ones, and community members. creating candles with this wick is believed to create connections with the deceased in times of grief and uncertainty, asking them to advocate for and protect the living, further reinforcing boundaries of care between the living and the dead.
spaces i've shared about this practice in:
It's important to my practice that I only work with beeswax from local apiaries. In their lifetime, a honeybee makes 1/12 tsp of honey. Thousands of young bees consume 6-8 kg of honey to make 1kg of beeswax. Beeswax is used for hive structure and holding brood, honey, and pollen. It is a substance of intergenerational sustenance. Gratitude to the bees ♥
Ways to reciprocate:
pollinator friendly gardening ∙ local beekeepers ∙ wild space preservation ∙ climate action ∙ land-back ∙ learn more: PollinatorPartnership.ca