The Candle Snuffer
On extinguishing light with care...
Candle snuffers have long been used to quietly extinguish flames, producing small and meaningful rituals in themselves.
Candlelight moves and breathes, revealing subtleties of the hidden reality where light and shadow meet. Modern lighting can mimic atmosphere, but it is in no way atmospheric. Changes in temperature, air pressure, and movement all affect how candlelight behaves. And dancing flames have been enchanting the human imagination in this way for millennia.
In our oldest oral traditions, stories were told by flickering light. Our heroes were mightier before a roaring fire, while beasts, devils, and demons lurked behind the darkness. Firelight allows duality. The brighter the flame, the darker the shadow. In this way, our hopes and fears were inseparable companions, and superstitions took shape around something just beyond sight.
In some cultures, blowing out a candle was considered bad luck: it might scatter wishes, blow away souls, invite unwanted spirits, or expel the protective light too abruptly. Snuffing was a safer, quieter, and more respectful method.
Even now, the tools carry the solemn memory of that care. A silver-plated snuffer, marked with subtle scratches and the soft patina of handling, holds the flame without smoke or drama.
Darkness arrives gently. Peace without light.
foxandthistle.studio/candle-snuffer
This piece originally appeared in the ‘Hothouse Flowers’ section of the October 2025 Hunter Moon issue of our monthly almanac, the Liminal.