About
Reclaim the Hammer is a small batch candle company based currently in Auburn, Maine. We specialize in unique upcycled candles in reclaimed and vintage glass. These luxury candles inspire delight in all types of people, from witches, muggles, and beyond.
Combining fire's hypnotic, meditative nature with aromatherapy can create shortcut wormhole portals to accessing another realm, a higher power, connection with the dead, ancestors, or just a better mood. What's your favorite scent to put you in a better mood?
Candles can be used intentionally for morning or sabbat rituals, but also provide a ritual just of their own. We subconsciously create an intention every time we light a candle; to set the mood, to clear the space; to change the energy. That, in and of itself, is magic.
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Creating alter pieces to adorn your sacred places is a blessing, and I feel so honored to cultivate these pieces for you. But I also over the magic that you create in your rituals. The candles I create carry the meaning and significance that you bring to them. They are primed and ready for you to impart your own magic and flair on them---I don't usually like to answer the questions of "what is this plant/tree/scent for"--instead asking you to seek your own answers within yourself.
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Making sustainable choices in my business has always been at the forefront of my decision making, and reusing forgotten old containers and vessels has always been an important part of my business. Breathing new life into these pieces and helping people connect with vintage glass in new ways is a joy and I love to be a conduit for your connection.
I hope these candles bring you all the wishes and intentions that you light them with, and more.
What is Reclaim the Hammer?
Reclaim the Hammer is a historical reference to the Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches, 1487) the witch hunter's doctrine; a how-to guide to hunting and persecuting witches. Its author claimed women were more susceptible to the devil's deception; predisposed to a lust for temptation passed down from the sins of Eve. The author (a man, obviously) deceptively presented his views as the opinion of the Catholic Church. The book was published and distributed widely as a textbook. A textbook that unequivocally equated feminine sexuality with the Devil's work
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Midwives were listed as the most wicked. While healers, gossipers, those who questioned religion, displayed feminine sexuality or spoke their mind all faced scrutiny. You never knew if you would be next. Turning against each other was the only way to save yourself or your family.
The book marks the beginning of "the Burning Times"-- 300 years of history where millions of (mostly) women were burned on the baseless claims of witchcraft. We carry this fear of persecution in our bones. We stay silent when we should speak up, because we are afraid they may turn the finger towards us next.
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Whether or not you identify as a witch, in the eyes of the Mallevs Maleficarvm, you are one.
As women, as healers, as queers, sexually liberated, loudly speaking our mind, talking about menstrual cycles and making our own choices; as people living authentically whole.
You. Are. A. Witch.
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My hope is that we take this knowledge and reclaim the hammer that has been swung upon us. Reclaim our power. Reclaim our voice.
My Story
I started making candles over ten years ago. The spark of the idea did not come from my desire to have more candles, it came instead from having too many jars (and mugs and little candy dishes...). I loved them all individually--often daydreaming about the people that owned the pieces before me. But my cabinets were overflowing and I just wasn't using them. (Even with all those cups of tea....)
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I decided to make candles with the misfit mugs. I loved the idea of giving these vessels a new life, and eventually this project was born. My interest in the glass still remains. I'm convinced that the glass whispers stories of its previous lives. โ
When I'm not at a rummage sale, or deep in the workshop. You can find my filling my time with one of my many other passions, gardening, traveling, hiking, being with the earth, fire dancing, cooking, going to see music, and playing in the sunshine.
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My dark persona really fits this brand's aesthetic but trust me, I'm really just a sad girl who hangs out with old stuff and gives warm hugs.
