THE EMPRESS NURTURES A TOXIN-FREE LIFESTYLE

Ever wondered how a simple Christmas gift could transform your entire life? Join me, Alexandra, as I share my profound journey triggered by a cinnamon candle that ignited more than just festive cheer—it sparked a holistic lifestyle transformation during my first pregnancy. Through the lens of The Empress card in Tarot, representing beauty, love, and new beginnings, I recount my path from realizing the hidden dangers of synthetic candles to embracing the nurturing, non-toxic alternatives of beeswax and natural bath bombs.

Prepare to be captivated by personal anecdotes and insights on how The Empress archetype manifested in my life, nurturing not only a new identity but also a burgeoning entrepreneurial spirit. From morning dizziness to deep dives into the world of paraffin hazards, my story unfolds into a passionate quest for a healthier existence. Tune in to learn how this journey led me to create a safe, holistic environment for my unborn child and birthed my new identity as a beeswax candle maker. This episode promises to inspire anyone looking to nurture new beginnings in their own lives.

For visual reference I used The Empress card from The Dark Mansion Tarot.

My beeswax candles are shown on Instagram @spiritual_purposes_only I take orders via DM and payments by Paypal.me 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to another episode of Intimate Tarot. I'm your host, alexandra, and today we are going to talk about the Empress. This card is astrologically associated with Venus, goddess of beauty, sexual love and fertility. The Empress is often depicted pregnant to symbolize birth, and, in fact, venus was also the goddess of spring. That's where the idea of new life blooming comes from. Therefore, it is not a surprise that one of the divinatory meanings of this card can be pregnancy, and I did, in fact, predict it twice in reading for two separate clients. But the significance is so much broader. It signals the birth of anything new, not just a human baby. It could be a project or an identity, or that you are called to nourish and develop something that already exists, because we are dealing with Venus here. So we get both the cardinal energy of ignition of Libra and the fixed energy of endurance of Taurus, the two zodiac signs which Venus rules. The Empress archetype manifested in my life during my first pregnancy, funnily enough, when I got inseminated with the potential of a new me that I eventually brought to the world and nourished, just like I did with my son since 2017.

Speaker 1: 1:13

I am talking about my identity as a Buwax candle maker. Let me tell you how it all started. It is December 2016 when I receive a giant cinnamon candle as a Christmas gift. I burn that candle cinnamon candle as a Christmas gift. I burn that candle every morning as part of my daily routine, after finishing cleaning the house, and I start to pay attention to the fact that I feel dizzy after only 10 minutes of burning it. I don't remember exactly what I am googling, but it is on the line of possible reasons for dizziness when burning candles, and I fall into the rabbit hole of paraffin, synthetic perfumes, the whole process of candle making and the health hazards. Meanwhile, I discover I am pregnant and that's why my sense of smell is highlighted. Therefore, what my body has been tolerating so far, it is not acceptable anymore. I literally cannot have scented candles burning around me, not that I even want to now that I am aware of the danger of paraffin. But this is a shock to me. We are in 2016. I have just finished my courses on holistic therapies and handmade organic skincare. These are the years where I am super into holistic living, and candles and hot baths with herbs and essential oils are all part of my self-care routine. It is my entire persona.

Speaker 1: 2:29

At this point, so to discover I cannot burn candles. It's annoying, to say the least. I keep educating myself on the topic and I find out that the only wax that is 100% natural and non-toxic is bee wax. It is January now. I moved to Poland to create my family nest and, as I am pregnant but, most importantly, I don't speak Polish, I have no other place to be rather than my home. Therefore, I decided to give bee wax a try and make my first candle, because what else could I do anyway?

Speaker 1: 3:01

I buy everything on Amazon the double boiler pot, the molds, the wicks, even the Biwax pellets. My first candles are with coffee grains, as I stopped drinking coffee because I am with child and I wanted to smell the aroma, but it is not really working, as the Biwax natural scents is so strong that it covers anything else you put in the mixture. I am playing around, I'm having fun, I try different shapes and meanwhile I am still educating myself on the topic of azaldarus, synthetic colorants and perfumes. And turns up that this relates to bath bombs as well, which I have been a great user for a long time. As I said, I'm very into self-care baths and stuff like that.

Speaker 1: 3:38

This is my first pregnancy, so I am super concerned about what I'm putting inside my body, on my skin or what I'm breathing, etc. Thus I take it upon myself to create the healthiest environment possible for me and the unborn child. Therefore, I'm back on Amazon and buy the ingredients to make my own natural bath bombs. These are plain white, no colorants, no scents. At times I add a spoonful of Himalayan salt that gives a pale shade of pink. They are pretty but not lush, but it doesn't matter to me. At times, I add a spoonful of Himalayan salt that gives a pale shade of pink. They are pretty but not lush, but it doesn't matter to me. What matters is that I handmade bath bombs that are pregnancy safe.

Speaker 1: 4:13

I am alone in the house all day. My husband is working as a head chef in a very famous restaurant in Krakow and I barely see him. I don't know anybody in the city. I don't speak Polish. My family can't visit me because my mom is battling with breast cancer at this moment. So to be busy with learning and creating is extremely nourishing for my soul. I have become very passionate about bivouacs and the importance of healthy living, and I feel the urge to share what I'm discovering with everyone, especially with moms. So I give birth to Buff by Candlelight. Buff by Candlelight is my business baby. I handmade candles that are toxin-free, pregnancy-safe, eco-friendly, natural air cleaners and mood boosters. I design its website, leaflets, business cards. I have a dedicated Instagram and Facebook account and, most importantly, I am working with local beekeepers and promoting the value of beekeeping. Puff by Candlelight is very Venusian. It embodies all the Venus qualities of beauty and care. And it came to me out of necessity, because I was pregnant and I didn't want to be surrounded by toxicity. And it reminds me that we are in card number three, the number of creation and growth. And I created and grew this business while creating and growing my fetus.

Speaker 1: 5:30

How meta when the Empress card appears in a reading. Ask yourself what am I growing? What do I want to create and bring to the world? In which way am I enriching my surroundings? I have in front of me the Empress card from the Dark Mansion Tarot. Here we have a medieval, noble lady looking voluptuous, dressed in a red velvet gown. She's sitting on a wooden throne in the middle of a field surrounded by colorful flowers and gold wheat. The image overflows with abundance and it makes me wonder how can I bring that abundance to the world. How can I be that powerful lady?

Speaker 1: 6:04

For me, the answer is in my commitment to only work with the best local bee wax I can find from a trusted beekeeper, and in my candles I don't add any colorants, no perfumes, not even a metal support for the week. Everything I create is 100% pure and totally recyclable. I also don't ship internationally and I use second-hand materials to pack your orders, because I believe in the reduce-reuse-recycle philosophy and with my business, I will always be a promoter of a sustainable lifestyle. Looking at this card, I cannot ignore the castle in the background. That reminds me how supported I was in the creation of Bath by Candlelight, financially by my husband and emotionally by friends and the Polish community back in Krakow.

Speaker 1: 6:50

So when the Empress card shows up in a reading, perhaps it's there to remind you to be appreciative of those who put you in that position, because I would have not been able to learn a new skill or create and grow a business if it wasn't for my husband, who allowed me to be a stay-at-home mom and gave me the money to invest in tools and wax and the hosting platform for the website, etc. So ask yourself who is helping me grow what I love. I hope you enjoyed this episode. Please share and subscribe to the podcast. I'll catch you on the next one. Ciao for now.