Lighting Stick, 12"

Twelve inches long. Reaches the wick at the bottom of a tall jar candle, where a match cannot go without singeing your knuckles.

A safer light. Keeps your hand well away from the flame and the hot glass, which matters most on a seven-day candle that has burned down.

Reusable. Light the tip, use it, press it out; a single stick relights many times.

• Wooden lighting stick, 12 inches long
• For lighting tall jar candles, deep-set votives, and lanterns
• Light the tip and guide the flame to the wick
• SKU: RLIG

Not every tool on the altar needs a lineage, and this one does not have much of one. It is a long stick for lighting things, and its virtue is entirely practical: seven-day jar candles burn down into deep glass, and by day five the wick is sitting at the bottom of a hot tube. A match will not reach it, and a lighter held down there will burn your fingers.

What it does have is a small dignity of its own. There is something to be said for lighting a candle deliberately, with a tool made for it, rather than fumbling with a lighter and swearing. Ritual is largely made of small deliberate acts, and the stick supports one.

1. Light the tip. Hold a flame or a lit candle to the tip of the stick until it catches.
2. Guide it to the wick. Lower the lit tip into the jar to reach the wick, keeping the stick clear of the glass and wax.
3. Light your candle. Touch the flame to the wick until it catches, then withdraw the stick.
4. Put it out. Blow out or press out the tip on a heat-safe surface.
5. Store it dry, and never leave it burning unattended.

• Jinx Removing 7-Day Jar Candle: exactly the deep jar this stick exists for.
• Cast Iron Cauldron: a heat-safe vessel to rest a lit stick or press it out.
• White Sage Smudge Stick: light a smudge bundle at a safe distance.
• Frankincense Palo Santo Dip Sticks: light dip sticks without singeing your fingers.
• All Purpose Blessing Oil by Espiritu: dress a candle before you light it.

What is a lighting stick for?

Lighting candles set too deep to reach by hand: tall jar candles, votives in deep holders, and lanterns. The long wooden stick carries the flame to the wick while keeping your hand away from the heat.

How long is it?

Twelve inches, long enough to reach the bottom of most tall jar candles.

Can I reuse it?

Yes. Light the tip, use it, and press it out; you can relight the same stick many times until it burns down.

Why not just use a long lighter?

You can. Some practitioners prefer a wooden stick for the same reason they prefer matches to a lighter on the altar: it is quieter, it is simpler, and it feels like part of the working rather than an appliance.

How do I use it safely?

Keep the stick clear of the glass and wax while lighting, put the tip out fully on a heat-safe surface when finished, keep it away from anything flammable, and never leave it burning unattended.