IRIE LIGHTS
Our Services
Irie Lights prides itself on continually creating new and distinctive products to satisfy a wide range of eclectic tastes. Browse our selection of candles, pottery, and incense.
What's New
We have recently added candles and pottery to our online offerings. We are updating our website often to create the best experience for our loyal and new-found customers. Customer requests spur innovations and creations that benefit us all. Drop us a comment!
Customer Comments
" Wonderful experience. Beautiful candles and a very pleasant experience talking with the maker."
Square User from a festival purchase
"Congratulations! Now you see why I fuss over the mugs? Because they represent not only the Faire, but your extreme level of talent!"
Keli B. commenting on a festival purchase
"You're the very essence of this festival. You, your shop, your work, that's what defines this place for me."
comment from a festival-goer purchase
Irie Lights and the Pandemic
Special note regarding the Covid19 pandemic and quarantines:
The bulk of my business relies on retail sales at arts shows. music festivals, and renaissance festivals. Many of those are temporarily cancelled during the pandemic, so web sales will be my principle source of income in the interim. I'll be producing and building up inventory as long as my raw materials are still available. The items you will see, other than incense, will be sold on an individual purchase-the-item-shown basis with either a flat rate surcharge for shipping, or an actual shipping cost added. All else will be the same.
As always, thank you for your patronage and please stay safe and healthy . I am hoping that this crisis will inspire some critical re-evaluation of our socioeconomic and health care systems and that we will embrace some progressive reforms in the near future that will benefit all of us and make our global community stronger and more resilient.
Please Consider Supporting Faire Relief 2020
Historically, the bulk of our sales have come from music festivals and Renaissance and Medieval faires and festivals. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak a lot of events have had to be cancelled. For those who make their living doing Renaissance Faires and Festivals this can be a devastating blow. To support more artisans from the festival circuit, visit the Faire Relief 2020 Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/group/FR2020
A note about Sandalwood, "Myrrh", and "Palo Santo"
Both Sandalwood (Santalum Album) and "Palo Santo" (Bursera Graveolens) are considered "threatened" species in their natural habitats due to comodification and commercial harvesting as well as habitat destruction and climate change. For this reason, and because of the high cost with regard to Sandalwood, I do NOT use real Sandalwood in my candles and incense. It would be both cost-prohibitive and unconscionable.
Palo Santo wood has a wonderful smell, due to the natural Terpenes in the wood, but a similar aromatic benefit can be obtained by burning the dried sap (resin) from several more abundant and less threatened species of Bursera (B.Odorata, B Fagaroides, B Hindsiana, or B. Simaruba) which are native to much of Mexico and even the southernmost parts of the US. The resin is more commonly available ( often called "Copal") especially in Mexican herb shops ("Yerberias") and mexican import shops, or from companies that supply ritual accessories to Catholic churches.
Frankincense (Boswellia Sacra. B. Sratta, B. Frereanna)) is a very close relative, mostly cultivated in Somalia, Eithiopia, and Saudi Arabia and is believed to be one of only a few plants to have TO Africa from South America Millions of years ago. Though threatened by climate change, overharvesting, and habitat destruction due to cattle grazing Frankincense is not yet endangered, but is well on its way.
Another close relative, "Myrhh" ( Commiphora Myrhha, or Commiphora Wightii - also known as "Gugul") has not fared as well, and is even more severely threatened.
I have living specimens of all of these plants in my collection, in part to help preserve the species and, in part because they are oddly appealing and exotic. When I move them or brush against them the leaves exude that familiar medicinal odor. If you have the patience and can provide the right conditions, you can grow them at home, too. Young plants can be purchased from Arid Lands nursery https://www.aridlandswholesale.com/
Plants For The Southwest https://plantsforthesouthwest.com/ or from Glass House Works http://www.glasshouseworks.com/
all of which offer seed-grown specimens.
You can also visit mature speciments planted in-situ at the Huntington Library in Pasadena, California, the Desert Botanical Museum on Phoenix, or the San Antonio Botanical Garden in Texas. One species of Bursera (B.Microphylla) even grows in Southern Arizona, though it is very scarce that far North.
With any natural fragrance, oil, or wood, it is always advisable to research the plant in order to avoid contributing to the disappearance of a noble and cherished species.