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Not so very long ago, in the bright high desert of the
fabled Land of Enchantment, in an old little town called La Villa Real de
Santa Fe de San Francisco de Assis, we set about making some beeswax
candles in the kitchen. It was a mess.
We had noticed that most good folk were burning those
nasty chemical candles in the name of beauty, romance and
devotion; that soy candles didn't burn very nicely; and that, when
you can even find them, the best beeswax candles were a touch spendy for every day.
So, with a high-minded (but modest) notion of making pure beeswax candles available
and affordable for everyone, we brought our candle making out of the kitchen and
made a business of it.
But why?
Waldorf School education had taught us about the
wonders of the honeybees and the beauty of beeswax and had given us
an enthusiasm for making lovely things with our own hands; and life
had taught us that there wasn't enough money in the world to buy
happiness and a clear conscience. We were tired of working
towards the frenzied destruction of the Earth and with people who
behaved badly in business and in life.
We wanted to create a business that was congruent
with our values of right livelihood, humanity, environmental and
social responsibility, consciousness, fairness and integrity in all
endeavors.
We wanted to raise our children in a sustainable
social continuum and to participate fully in each other's lives.
We wanted to build a business culture that was, at
all levels, creative, inclusive, and uplifting, in an environment
that felt like "family" - in the ideal sense.
And again, we wanted to bring forth not just another
product, but to offer a wholesome thing of beauty that reminds us of
our connection to the natural world - in everything we do. To
us, a beeswax candle is a teaching tool.
| Save the bees, save
ourselves. |
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The honeybee is in grave peril, poisoned by
pesticides and herbicides used in chemical agriculture and decimated
by opportunistic parasites. (Read more in Learning Center under
bees.)
Domesticated bees, kept and protected by
humans, serve us (and, lest we forget, nature) by pollinating
fruit and other crops, and by making more honey and wax than
they need for themselves. If we, the beneficiaries of
these services, want to continue to have fruit, honey and
beeswax for our pleasure and health, we must, quite literally,
support and save the bees by conforming our consequential
actions to a natural paradigm.
But if the bees are in trouble, then so are we.
As part of the circle of life, we humans must
return to healthy and balanced ways if we - bees, humans and
all, are to survive, let alone truly live. For the sake of the
bees, we must, for instance, support organic, local
agriculture. In turn, we benefit ourselves.
Circular and mutual benefit or circular and
mutual loss. It's our choice.
Every choice we make has an effect. As conscious
people, we choose what is good for us and good for the Earth. Concern for
and active consideration of the Seventh Generation must be revived now,
today, and we're committed to doing our part. Let us walk lightly upon the
Earth and choose well.
We give 5% of our profits to educational and
preservation causes relating to the welfare of the honeybee,
and, by extension, to the welfare of all. This consists
largely of donations of beeswax, candle making supplies and candles for
education.
Buying beeswax, honey and other bee products helps beekeepers keep bees. Please support your local
beekeepers whenever you can, and otherwise, please let us serve you.
Chris Hassell, founder. |
