Wax Poetic ~ Blue Moon Candle's Blog

Becoming more patient with those around you...

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do you find yourself losing your patience? Do you lose patience with your family? Friends? Enemies? Do you ever show them patience? What about those around you? Are you snappish? How do you do in traffic?

Patience is my goal this week, and something I am working on. My Grandfather always said “patience is one of the most important qualities for a person with good character to develop.” I think he was right.

This life and this economy are stressful times. Anger can really contribute to stress. If that is so, then what is the anti-anger? Patience! “In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love. “Mother Teresa

These are some easy ways to cultivate patience.

Think of the last time you got angry. Ask yourself is your anger helping? Making the situation any more bearable? Probably not. Sometimes it is our perception of a situation that makes us angry.

Try to look at the bigger picture, instead of only how you were wronged. Perhaps the person that offended you did so unintentionally. Perhaps they are coming from a tough upbringing, or did not benefit from the same opportunities you had. Instead of getting angry, try to react with patience. “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” Mother Teresa. Buddha taught that your enemy could be your greatest teacher.

Looking at the situation logically will help you realize that no one is drawn to an angry person. I know for me, I want my positive attitude to attract others, not repel them.

Anger takes loads of work. I had a coworker that would routinely get angry and stay that way for days! That is so much work to carry around that anger, simmering…for days. Patience is really the easier option. All you have to do is not do something-allow yourself to be angry.
Think of how one angry outburst can stay with you for years. I am sure we all have a memory of someone angrily speaking to us, or of witnessing an angry scene. That one moment can leave it’s mark for years. Do we really want to become that person? I know I don’t! Patience takes work and it is not easily cultivated for some…but it is a virtue! (moral excellence; goodness; righteousness.)


What are some things that easily anger you?
What are some ways to work on not becoming angry?
What helps you relax?

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Posted on: 2009-03-30 16:21:27. Comments

The Vivid world of Fragrance...

A Report from Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

In The Remembrance of Things Past, French novelist Marcel Proust described what happened to him after drinking a spoonful of tea in which he had soaked a piece of madeleine, a type of cake: “No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through my whole body, and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me,” he wrote. “An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses…with no suggestion of its origin…


“Suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was of a little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings…my Aunt Leonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea….Immediately the old gray house on the street, where her room was, rose up like a stage set…and the entire town, with its people and houses, gardens, church, and surroundings, taking shape and solidity, sprang into being from my cup of tea.”


Just seeing the madeleine had not brought back these memories, Proust noted. He needed to taste and smell it. “When nothing else subsists from the past,” he wrote, “after the people are dead, after the things are broken and scattered…the smell and taste of things remain poised a long time, like souls…bearing resiliently, on tiny and almost impalpable drops of their essence, the immense edifice of memory.”

Proust referred to both taste and smell—and rightly so, because most of the flavor of food comes from its aroma, which wafts up the nostrils to cells in the nose and also reaches these cells through a passageway in the back of the mouth.


Our taste buds provide only four distinct sensations: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Other flavors come from smell, and when the nose is blocked by a cold, most foods seem bland or tasteless.


Both smell and taste require us to incorporate—to breathe in or swallow—chemical substances that actually attach themselves to receptors on our sensory cells.

The average human being, it is said, can recognize up to 10,000 separate odors. We are surrounded by odorant molecules that emanate from trees, flowers, earth, animals, food, industrial activity, bacterial decomposition, other humans. Yet when we want to describe these myriad odors, we often resort to crude analogies: something smells like a rose, like sweat, or like ammonia.

Our culture places such low value on olfaction that we have never developed a proper vocabulary for it. In A Natural History of the Senses, poet Diane Ackerman notes that it is almost impossible to explain how something smells to someone who hasn’t smelled it. There are names for all the pastels in a hue, she writes—but none for the tones and tints of a smell.

Nor can odors be measured on the kind of linear scale that scientists use to measure the wavelength of light or the frequency of sounds.

Coming Soon- The Memory of Smells….

Posted on: 2009-03-30 16:19:44. Comments

10 ways to prevent breast cancer.

This is a post from Dr. Mommy- Dr. Daisy Sutherland D.C.- you can check her site at drmommyhealthtips.com. I found it very informative & I hope you will too.

Breast Cancer Awareness month is this month, the month of October. With that said I wanted to share some tips that can help reduce your chance of developing breast cancer.



There is a 1 in 8 chance of developing breast cancer in your life, but hopefully with this plan the odds will change. Although there are many drugs on the market and much research is being done, the odds of a woman getting cancer in her lifetime aren’t shrinking.

It seems that diet has a lot to do with the handling of this disease and it is something we can definitely control. Diet has be proven to be the most effective way to reduce your risk. There are many other suggestions such as exercise but today we will focus on 10 simple ways you can change your diet and start protecting yourself today.

1. Reduce your Fat - Limit your fat intake by 20 percent of your overall caloric intake. Research has proven that a diet high in fat will increase the risk of breast cancer. High fat diets have also been proven to produce chemicals in the intestine that bacteria convert to carcinogenic estrogens. These estrogens can then be stored in the fatty tissue of the breast, making the cells in the area more susceptible to cancer growth.

2. Choose Crunchy Veggies - Eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, turnips and cauliflower. It is best to steam them or eat them raw to best preserve their cancer fighting nutrients. These types of vegetables contain sulfurous compounds called indoles, which have shown to help eliminate estrogen from the body and prevent it from triggering the growth of breast cancer.

3. Increase your Fiber - Get plenty of fiber from foods such as vegetables and fruits, legumes and whole grains. The fiber tends to interrupt the metabolism of estrogen and decreases the blood levels of estrogen. The high levels of blood estrogen in the body are close in relation to higher risk of breast cancer. High fiber diets have been shown to reduce the risk of of breast cancer by up to 54 percent.

4. Try Seaweed- Try eating seaweeds such as kelp and nori or consider taking spirulina (blue algae) and chlorella in a glass of juice daily. High consumptions of kelp may explain the lower incidence of breast cancer in Japanese women. Kelp and chlorella have shown to have anti-carcinogenic effects.

5. Soy Secret - It is smart to eat soy products such as tofu, miso or tempeh. Soybeans and other soy products contain a plant estrogen called genistein. This plant estrogen binds to receptors in the breast, making it impossible for potentially cancer causing forms of estrogen to connect with breast cells.

6. Shop organic - Buy organic foods such as fruits, vegetables, meates, dairy and grains when ever possible. Organic products do not contain pesticides that have been linked to breast cancer. Dairy products and meats that are certified organic do not contain any growth hormones, such as bovine, a chemical usually fed to cows. This chemical has been shown to promote the growth of breast cancer cells.

7. Eat Fish - Eat at least 3 servings of cold water fish a week. Some cold water fish are tuna, salmon, halibute, cod and sardines. If you can’t eat fish you can take fish oil capsules or vegetarian supplements. The omega-3 oils inhibit the effects of compounds known as prostaglandins. Prostaglandins have been associated with inflammation that will suppress the immune systems’s ability to identify tumors. A higher consumption of fish and fish oil has been found to reduce the cases of cancer.

8. Choose the right oils - Avoid canola oil, safflower oil, sesame oil and margarine. It is best to use virgin and extra-virgin olive oil when cooking. Flaxseed oil is also very wise to use as long as it is not heated; can be added to foods already cooked. Olive oil, a monounsaturated fat has been linked to lower rates of cancer. Trans fats also called hydrogenated oils mainly found in margarine have been linked with high rates of cancer.

9. Add phytonutrients to your diet - Introduce nuts, legumes, seeds as well as fruits and a variety of vegetables to your diet. These particular foods contain phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are plant compounds that protect against cellular damage and prevent cancer growth. Cooking with herbs such as dill, which contains a phytochemical called limonene, is important for breast protection and rosemary has antioxidant and anti-tumor properties.

10. Mushrooms - Mushrooms have medicinal properties. Some medicinal mushrooms include the Japanese variety of shiitake and maitake. Studies have shown that maitake mushrooms actually stimulate the immune function and prevent tumor growth. The ingredients in maitake mushrooms do not kill the cancer cells directly, it activates the immune system protecting against breast cancer. Shitake mushrooms have also been found to boost the immune system.

Posted on: 2009-03-30 16:18:45. Comments

House Partay!


House Partay! Former NASA scientist Bill Wolverton knows House Plants do a whole lot more than just beautify a room-they help remove air toxins that cause indoor air contamination. Check out his new indoor high tech air filter-it looks like a potted plant.
Green is one of my favorite colors-I love lush greenery, and find inspiration in growing things. I prefer the real thing. Here we list five of the best House Plants that do exceptionally well at helping remove formaldehyde (found in synthetic fabrics, plastics, carpeting) which is listed by the EPA as a possible carcinogen.

Peace Lily-med. to bright light-water thoroughly, let dry out between watering.

Bamboo Palm-med to bright light-thrives in humid environment.

Janet Craig (Corn Plant)-bright light, no direct sun-let soil dry out between watering.

Mother-in-law’s Tongue (Snake Plant)-Very durable, grows in all light-be careful not to overwater.

Spider Plant-med. To bright light, water thoroughly, let dry out between watering.


You can also try our All Natural Palm Wax candles-100% pure vegtable wax that forms stunning crystal patterns in the wax. Eco friendly and from a US grown renewable source. Combine this wax with our Lemongrass essential oil for a gorgeous fresh clensing candle.




Posted on: 2009-03-30 16:16:21. Comments

Spice for your Spirit...

Houses of worship have used Frankincense for centuries for it’s heavenly aroma…it is not suprising to discover new research has proven the scent can indeed raise your spirits. Scientists at John Hopkins University in Maryland and Hebrew University in Jerusalem found that incensole acetate, a compound found in frankincense resin, simulates production of a protien called TRPV3, which elevates your mood affecting areas of the brain that respond to anxiety and depression drugs.



“Burning the resin produces the strongest mood-elevating results, as the effects of inhaling the smoke are immediate,” says Ruth Knill, PhD, a licensed acupunturist.



If incense isn’t for you, light a frankinsence infused candle, add 10 drops of essential oil to a bath, or dab a few drops (diluted with a carrier oil-like sweet almond oil-onto your wrist.


Posted on: 2009-03-30 16:14:15. Comments