There is a well-known saying, “It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” Light and darkness have always been considered in fundamental terms, especially before artificial light was invented. Try to imagine going abroad at night where there is absolutely no artificial light. Nothing at all but stars and the moon — if she is showing her light. This happened to me once, on a trip to Portugal's Algarve, where there was no electricity whatsoever except for that which was generator-driven. Donkey carts were the usual mode of transportation for the local farmers, and they carried oil lanterns swinging from the postern. Even so, they were hard to see.

Night was so black that — quite literally — you could not see your hand in front of your face. My traveling companion and I had to hold hands when we went outside our villa just to know where each of us was! On moonless nights, the darkness was so total we could not see what was on the ground beneath our feet, or each other — even when we were holding hands!

This was an amazing experience for me. For the first time I saw the sky as I imagine the first astronomers, who were also astrologers (as am I), must have seen it. No wonder they were so fascinated by the movements of the stars and planets! There was nothing to obstruct their view of the sheer magnificence of a sky so totally filled with the bright twinkling pricks of diamonds on black velvet. Few of us today, especially those in urban areas, have seen this amazing view, which is right over our heads. It's really hard for us to appreciate the fundamental difference between light and darkness.

However, these inescapable terms in the description of anything in life or literature, whether used literally or metaphorically, still speak to our imaginations. When we speak of the “dark side of the moon,” or the dark side of someone's character, we know exactly what is meant.

The Candle As a Symbol of Virtue

Light is traditionally linked with goodness and with all that is desirable in life — knowledge, justice, truth, hope, virtue. Darkness inevitably refers to what we hate or fear — death, despair, evil, ignorance, deception, deceit. Our traditional Western religious traditions reinforce this handy division of opposites, which are actually only two halves of the same whole. For example, when the entire universe lay in darkness, the first thing God did was to create light (Gen. l:3). The supposition here is that light is a precondition to creation of any kind. The Bible is rife with such references: The Lord is our light and salvation (Ps. 27l:l); Christ is “the light of men” (Matt. l:4); and so on. Jesus is frequently quoted as referring to himself as “the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). Paul repeats the message in different words: “ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness” (l Thess. 5:5). Though we may today have distanced ourselves from the literalness of biblical imagery and terminology, it is still true that we revere light — just look at an American city from an airplane coming in for a landing! The whole planet is one great Christmas tree when seen from above. And what is a candle if not light? I doubt there is not a soul you know who does not have at least a small supply of candles for emergency purposes, should the electricity go out!

And when it does — as it did recently in my area during an ice storm for two days — how appropriate that famous Shakespeare quotation becomes, “How far that little candle throws his beams!” And how grateful we must be that our candlemaking is a delightful and “fun” hobby, done for pleasure and entertainment rather than a vitally necessary but unpleasant and difficult task! Let us not forget that we are involved in a sacred art — that of making fire and giving light — whenever we get out our candlemaking pots and wax, colors and scents, molds and decorations. Candlemaking takes us closer to the gods than we realize.

The Candle As a Symbol of Old Age

The face of an aged person is often compared to a candle. In “The Old Woman,” author Joseph Campbell (l897–l944) compares the subtle beauty and serenity of “an aged face” to a votive candle (then used primarily in churches). His comparison may have been taken from a phrase in the Apocrypha (Ecclesiastes 26:22): “As the clear light upon holy candlesticks, so is the beauty of the face in ripe age.” And William Shakespeare often used the burning down candle as a symbol of aging and death: “Out, out, brief candle!” (from Macbeth; act 5, scene 5); “Here burns my candle out, ay, here it dies, / Which, while it lasted, gave King Henry light …” (from 3 Henry VI; act 2; scene 6).

Literary References to Candles and Light

The English poet John Milton opens his Book 3 of Paradise Lost: “Hail, holy Light, offspring of heaven first-born!” And Dante concludes The Divine Comedy with a stirring vision of “the Highest Light” (Paradiso 33:50). By contrast, darkness is awfulness itself, it inhabits the Inferno. In Pilgrim's Progress, the English poet John Bunyan uses the symbol of the burning candle to remind his readers of the transitory nature of human existence and uses this connection to instruct on the value of a virtuous life:

The fading candle as a symbol of old age often appears in Elizabethan sources. The following is taken from the Zodiakus Vitae, a versified teaching text used in the classrooms of Elizabethan England:

Candles have also inspired many a modern poet. For instance, in his poem “The Wicket Old Man” W. B. Yeats (l865–l939) refers to the “candle-end” as an image of old age.

Many of us pray, meditate, and use other forms of communion with our higher selves for spiritual purposes. Candles can be especially prepared for these special ritual uses.