Skeleton Jester Fixed Vigil Candle - Memento Mori
Made from a wood engraving designed by English artist Charles Henry Bennett (1829-1867), this image of a skeleton dressed up as a jester was designed for the 1861 edition of Quarles' Emblems.
In that edition, it accompanies this verse from Luke 6:25: "Woe unto you that laugh now, for ye shall mourn and weep." But I think it also neatly crystallizes the spirit of memento mori in a way that's succinctly visual, timeless, and aesthetically satisfying. Whether you believe in making the most out of life while you have it, or your spiritual practice involves the contemplation of death, or you're into Victorian-era art, or you're just gearing up for celebrating Day of the Dead, Bennett's jester-skeleton woodcut print lets you do it with flair.
When you check out, leave a note giving me your petition or intention. Something like "ancestor altar" or "the Ghuede" would be fine, as would something more formal. I will fix, dress, and bless an appropriately-colored skeleton jester candle for you with suitable herbs, oils, curios, and powders for your intention.
Customization within reason is usually no big deal. I could make and dress a name/petition paper for you and affix it to the candle glass if you give me sufficient info and want me to. Or you might want something painted onto or affixed to the glass (like a name or prayer, not like a realistic repro of the Mona Lisa). Feel free to write and ask if you aren't sure what "within reason" covers.
(If you want a plain, undecorated vigil light instead, those are available in a separate listing.)
Shipping
These candles weigh about 1.5 pounds each. In the continental United States, I can use a third-party service to ship these in a roughly shoebox-sized box for a flat $10. You'll need to select the Cubic Shoebox option at checkout. This box will hold up to two of these candles. It will also hold a few additional small things, maybe a couple of bottles of oil, but nothing much larger and not very many of them. See Shipping Rates for details.
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handling times start at five business days minimum for all items (excludes weekends and holidays)
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posted handling times are estimates, not guarantees, and will vary depending on order size and amount of customization involved
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all sales are final; we do not accept returns
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any refunds must be initiated by us; chargebacks are considered theft
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we will send a notification email when we purchase your shipping label for your packaged order, so when it's ready to ship, you know as soon as we know
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we are not able to provide updates during order processing beyond this notification
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any unusual issues affecting handling times will be announced on our website and social media channels
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we don't send instructions for anything that doesn't say it comes with instructions, but there's lots of info at the blog