Candle Sorcery: History & Folklore with Sarah Jezebel Wood

The Egyptians lit oil lamps for Isis. The Romans dipped pieces of  papyrus in tallow and beeswax. In India wax was made from boiling the  fruit from the cinnamon tree. Whether to illuminate our space, celebrate  a religious practice, or to ward off or call spirits (and maybe find  some buried treasure!) the use of candles and the art of candle making  has been with us since ancient times. In this class we'll investigate  the history of candles and their uses in religious, folklore, and magic  practices. From oil lamps to rush lights and corpse candles to candle  clocks we’ll explore the resplendent world of bubbling wax and flame.

This is a 90-120 minute foundational level lecture.

About the Presenter:

Sarah Jezebel Wood is an artist, chandler, and sorceress with a penchant for ceremonial magic(k), whose work explores the ephemeral nature of the liminalities of life and death through the interactions of time, place, objects, and moments.  Her current work focuses through the lens of her camera or that of a bubbling pot of hot wax. Sarah has worked  with such artists as Alex & Allyson Grey at the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors as one of the original inhabitants of CoSM upstate where she was performer, producer, and financial officer. In 2016 Sarah wrote and  produced SVB ROSA, a multidisciplinary performance exploring the initiatory path in Brooklyn, NY with her troupe LUNARIS. Recently she  has launched her own brand of intentionally crafted candles at Lovi Artes. www.loviartes.com