Healing Wax: The Enlightening Candles of Two Sisters
by Darwyn Carson
THE INSTRUCTIONS READ, “SIT IN A QUIET place that is special to you. Hold the candle in your hands and visualize the area of your life in which this candle’s energy is needed.”
I’m talking about Blessed Herbal Candles which are “Hand made when the moon is right.”
The areas of life can include love, healing, happy home, and inspiration. The prosperity candles are, understandably, the most popular. There are eighteen different candles in all, made with traditional combinations of herbs and essential oils that are significant to whatever needs to be empowered, changed, healed, or improved upon in one’s life.
The instructions read further: “Know that after you light this candle the energy needed will come to you. It may come right away, or it may come when you least expect it.”
Coventry Creations is a small home-based business run by a husband and wife team who live back east, and they are the makers of the candles. Two Sisters Candles, the distribution company formed by Mona Enos and Louise Luna, have brought it to our doors out here in the west. While these two women may not be sisters of the blood, they are definitely sisters of the heart. When they went into business together it was their intent to bring to the world a product that would in some way feed, enlighten, and help make the world a little bit better. To that end, Louise sees the candles as a tool.
“There is a common thread that runs through each of the candles. They are used by people seeking a way to be healthy and happy. It’s like a beam of light, focusing energy where it is needed the most . . . even if it’s only for five minutes.”
And what’s more, their packaging is environmentally conscious. Purposely shying away from packaging the product in cellophane, the candle has a simple label, made on recycled paper, which is held in place by a reusable rubber band. C’est tout.
“We didn’t go looking for the candles. They came looking for us,” Louise says.
Originally purchased while on a trip to the east coast, they used the candle as inspiration for a writing project they were just completing. The candle worked so well, they looked for the product here in California—when they couldn’t find it, they phoned back East.
Coventry Creations had only been in existence since the first part of ’93 and didn’t have its west coast distribution set up yet. Mona and Louise struck a deal with the owners and became the sole west coast distributors.
They are currently in 50 stores without the benefit of having attended a gift show and frequently go on business trips scouting for shops that would work well with the candles.
“The candles are in clothing boutiques, drug stores and aromatherapy shops. We’ve zoomed ahead,” the women say. “The question is whether or not Coventry can keep up with us.”
The work of Two Sisters Candles has proven to be so fruitful that Coventry Creations has had to move their workshop out of their home and into a storefront to meet all of the demands for orders.
The reason for the demand? Simple.
The candles sell, and they sell because people are reporting results.
Both Mona and Louise are quick to point out that “you will get as much out of this candle as you put into it.” They also say to be careful what you ask for . . . you just might get it.
“There’s a responsibility that comes with using the candles. You have to be prepared to accept the consequences.”
Well, people must be putting a lot into it because the stories that are filtering back are phenomenal.
“Everyone uses these candles. Business persons, directors, actors. And we’ve been around long enough to know when the responses are genuine. We’ve had millionaire stories, marriage proposals, job changes . . .”
“The reason why we are so successful aren’t the candles themselves,” Mona adds. “It’s the elements contained in the candles and what the people bring to those elements.”
The elements about which they speak are the special herbs and essential oils and the time of the month that the candles are made. For instance, the “attraction” (love) candles is formed when the moon is waxing (growing larger), the “banishing” (needed changes) candle when the moon is waning (getting smaller), and the “healing” candle is made only on a full moon.
The essential oils are extracted from plants and used not only in these candles but in massage oils, potpourri pouches, baskets, and incense. This use of aromatic scents is a recent phenomenon, and is a revival of the ways that the Egyptians were using them way back in 4500 BC.
The success of the candles was so noticeable at the Whole Life Expo in March that a buyer from Neiman Marcus commissioned the ladies to design herb-filled muslin pouches for the 1993 Christmas catalogue.
The “attraction” and “less stress” pouches were created by mixing up batches of traditional herbs and essential oils. The tiny muslin packets were dyed in natural fruit juices of cranberry (a romantic color) and blueberry (a peaceful, relaxing color).
Things are going so well for the ladies that I asked them what their ultimate goal was. Almost in unison they said, “We’d like to give one to Arafat. The happy home candle.”
We shared a laugh.
“All of the world leaders should get one,” they continued. “Hillary Clinton to help her when she’s working with health issues. The governor.”
But ultimately, “We’d like to get the candles to people who can make use of them. That’s what brings us joy.” ♦