Candles have been part of human culture since time began. Candles have been used to light our homes (not torches, the inferior form of lighting, as many believe). They have been used all over the world for our spiritual and religious practices. They have been used to soothe our minds and souls. What’s more, in the olden days, candles were largely made from animal products and hence it was even used to fill stomachs when food was scarce.
Many of us have ditched candles recently for more convenient sources of light. Candles can be hard to care for after all, and we can’t chew on a candle when we feel hungry anymore. It is, however, undeniable that candles have a special significance for us humans. Even though we have better sources of light at our constant disposal, candle making has seen a boom in recent years. More and more people are buying candles. People are gifting candles; they buy candles to pamper themselves. In short, people are just using more candles than ever before.
The reason for that can be many things, but one of the major reasons was only recently found out through research.
Memories
Whenever you recall something that happened to you in the past or any information that you learn in the past, you are looking through your memory. Human memory is complicated, complex and barely understood even with all our progress. We do understand some of the mechanics of memory storing, however.
It is always easier to recall memories when they are associated with any sort of intense emotion. It is easy to remember that incident from 1st grade when you were so happy that you couldn’t sleep or that time from 6 years ago when you were heartbroken over your first real relationship.
Memories and emotions form a complex connection in our brain that is hard to understand. It is our experiences in the world that shape’s our soul. Apart from memories, there is another trigger that can help us recall memories with clarity; scent.
Scent
The sense of smell is unusual. It is our ability to pick up and process small chemical particles and translate them into something which our brain can make sense of. Everything we can smell is because we are imbibing their essence into us.
These scents are taken to the part of the brain, which is responsible for maintaining our memories and controlling our emotions as well. This is why smell, such as those that these coconut wax candles contain, can trigger memories that have been long forgotten with incredible clarity and the added emotions as well.
This incredible power of any scent to allow us to remember past experiences with incredible vividness is something that we can use candles for. By using scented candles, we have a scent keyed to each passing moment. Using special candles for important occasions allows us to use the same scent in the future to recall the memories of those special occasions with clarity and vividness. Candles allow us to reconnect to our past through accessing our memories. If that is not an extraordinary power, then what is?
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