Ancient Greece, Birthday Cakes and Candles

The Greeks worshipped many gods and goddesses. 

Among them was one called Artemis, the Goddess of the Moon. 

The Greeks celebrated her birthday once each month by bringing special cakes to her temple. 

The cakes were round like a full moon. 

And, because the moon glows with light, the cakes were decorated with lighted candles.

The lit candles on the cake represented protection and the glow of the moon, and the smoke from the candles carried their prayers and wishes to the gods who lived in the skies.

As far as gift giving, ancient Greeks gave gifts to those celebrating their birthday as a way to get rid of evil spirits.

It is believed, like many other pagan cultures, that days of major change, such as these “birth” days, welcomed evil spirits. 

They lit candles in response to these spirits almost as if they represented the moon and light in the darkness. 

Perhaps birthday celebrations started as a form of protection.

In addition to candles, friends and family would gather around the birthday person and protect them from harm with good cheers, thoughts, and wishes. 

They would give gifts to bring even more good cheer that would ward off evil spirits. 

Noisemakers were also used to scare away the unwanted evil.

The Magic of Candles

Candles are scientifically proven to soothe us. 

The gentle, mesmerising quality of their light makes them a perfect aid for any relaxation experience.

It’s a candle’s flame that helps to soothe our soul – reducing stress and increasing self-awareness. 

The soft illumination helps us to calm down and even achieve a meditative state.

But how does a candle flame help to calm us down and relax our minds?

The low light that comes from a candle is captured by your sight and sent straight to your brain for processing. 

Because of our associations with candlelight, the body begins to relax – helping how we feel emotionally and physically.

Some of the perks of feeling more relaxed include more energy, better sleep, enhanced immunity, less pain and a more pleasant personality.

It's interesting that most people have candles in their homes, we really don't have to use them, we do have electricity. 

We light candles even though we don't have to, yet, candles are more popular than ever, you wouldn’t find many homes without them.

Could it be that a simple candle flame can soothe and center you?

Is it possible that fire, one of the Pagan elements, have calming effects during times of quiet and solitude, when you detached from the world?

Candle flames reach deep within us, the effect of candlelight is sacred tool to reduce stress and increase self-awareness. 

Candle magic is something very basic because anyone can light a candle.

The flame is very special, we believe it represents your inner light.

For us, the flame expresses power and magical qualities but the energies come from your consciousness, from your inner self.

Candle magic may have begun in the earliest days, with the making of fire. 

Fire changed everything.

Fire brought light to darkness and warmth to cold, there's not much more magical than that.

For us, the burning of a candle represents the great spiritual qualities of its discovery.

Lighting a candle and gazing at the flame takes us within ourselves, taking us into a meditative state.

Anyone can use candle magic and you don't have to have to have any specific beliefs to practice, using your energy answers will open up for you.