Episode 17 // Business Alchemy with Mithras Candle

STARGAZER: a podcast about astrology, alchemy, and magic

Welcome to the final episode of my ELEMENTAL series of interviews with small business owners that I absolutely love! Throughout this season, I have learned that when a person is doing work that matters to them, it is never just about making money. Work becomes passion, service and meaning in life.

My guest today is Benjamin Warfield from Philadelphia, who is one half of an amazing company called Mithras Candle. Both scientist and mystic, Benjamin’s work represents a beautiful harmony between matter and magic, drawing from the wisdom of the past to create a healthier future.

I’ve observed that our society spends a lot of time concerned with the quality of our food. The GMO debate has lots of momentum. And we certainly spend a lot of time measuring the quality of our air and water. Pollution is something that environmental movements adamantly oppose.

But how often do you hear a dialogue about the quality of light? The term light pollution exists, but it refers to our inability to see stars in the night sky. Though this is terrible, the dimness of stars does not confront how the quality of light can negatively influence biology and behavior.

I have always felt strongly that light should be like the Sun: healing, warm and radiant. How many millenniums have human beings lived by firelight? Fire itself is like a small seed from the heart of the Sun, offering its light and heat to support so much life and transformation.

In more recent history, incandescent electric bulbs blurred the boundaries between day and night forever, but their glow still attempted to approximate the warmth of fire and the Sun.

Incandescent light differs greatly from the cold and unfeeling fluorescent light used in most major stores, schools and offices. And the even more recent emergence of LED lights has ruined the warm glow of so many homes.

I’ve been waiting a long time to commiserate with someone who can appreciate my sensitivity to the quality of light. And that’s why I’m so glad I found Benjamin, because he has made the quality of light into a scientific study for over 15 years, studying its effects on our bodies, moods, and rhythms.

In our conversation, Benjamin shares what he learned during his time working for a university level research program that was devoted to understanding the biological effects of light. Their discoveries inspired him to return to the magic of candlelight, a luminosity that physiologically invites you to calm down and relax at night.

The science makes it clear that artificial lights can aggravate and disrupt your circadian rhythms. But candlelight illuminates, soothes and relaxes.

The magic of Mithras Candle comes from the undeniably beauty of candlelight and from the evocation of a very ancient deity.

You may have heard of Mithras, because his name has never fully faded away. History places the origins of Mithras in ancient Persia, but the cult of Mithras spread far and wide throughout ancient Europe and Asia, eventually blossoming into three centuries of devotion in Rome.

In the ancient Mithras cults, he was often called the Lord of Heavenly Light. Some viewed him as the genius of fire while others identified him with the light of the Sun.

Thus, evoking Mithras has an ancient resonance with the magic and mystery of light, as both a physical phenomena and as a symbol of spiritual revelation.

I hope you enjoy our enlightening conversation.
To learn more about Benjamin's work, visit https://www.mithrascandle.com/

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