"What Can We Do?"--Coming Into the Light from The Shadows of The Tragedy in Boston

"Freedom" Photo by Elana Kilkenny.

 "What can we do?" In the aftermath of yesterday's tragedy, this is a question that we are hearing in our own hearts and all around us. Today, I watched my six-year-old son go on his first class trip out of town to a farm. Yesterday morning

I was simply excited for him and after learning about the tragedy in Boston I found myself slowly getting more jittery. Fear creeps in when an old wound lingers...for me it was how close my then boyfriend, now husband, was to the World Trade Center on 9/11.

I tuned in, I felt in my intuition that my son was safe. I prayed for Liam and his class and for the bus drivers. I prayed deeper for the source of my pain which were the lives affected so grievously yesterday and for that dear 8 year old boy who died. I prayed even deeper for innocence to be protected.

After watching his bus leave, I finally was able to move my legs knowing there was nothing else to do as I was releasing Liam once more into the world and I realize that is one of my sacred duties as a parent. I started walking home with my daughter and this "what can I do" question whispered to me. I saw a few women who work for the city cleaning up the streets. One had her head down a lot, I thought, perhaps not even accurately, that these are people who are so often invisible to those who walk past them. And as I truly believe it is our deepest desire to be "truly seen" I stopped and thanked each of them for being angels to our city and for making where we live so beautiful.

They stopped, huge smiles...my 2.5 year old daughter then spontaneously says "Thank you" and then the woman whose head was previously down looks up and beams, she says"God bless you." It is a small thing to take that time to simply be kind and to simply acknowledge another human being, but it is never a small thing to be seen...

As I write this I wonder, the person/people who were behind this horrible atrocity...they are human too, what if on a deep and fundamental level they feel invisible and out of that invisibility they swim undetected, seething, planning, and worst of all executing darkness. When at a core level they too are human and hence being human just want to be seen--deeply seen--like the rest of us.

Surely practicing an random act of kindness won't bring back 8 year old Martin Richard, it won't solve overnight what is behind such acts of violence and violation, but perhaps it will add more light where it is dark. And perhaps even one day you will find yourself being kind to someone, who unbeknownst to you, was on the brink of a choice to add more darkness to either their life or others. And perhaps by being seen in that moment something shifts and another choice is made...a choice that adds more light instead...and perhaps, just perhaps that makes all the difference in the world. 

Random Acts of Kindness...Some Ideas

For more ideas on random acts of kindness...be present to those around you and your heart will know. Want more specific ideas, I will be adding ideas over the next few days on my Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/elanakilkenny

and to give a random act of kindness to the city of Boston check out this amazing Facebook page that sprung from the Ann Curry's beautiful heart...one person can always make a difference. 

http://www.facebook.com/26acts?ref=ts&fref=ts

Be the change you want to see in the world...

Love and Light,

Elana

Synchronicities, Letting Go and Nora Ephron

"Rainbows Over Manhattan" Photo by Elana Kilkenny.

I feel somehow that Nora Ephron is woven inexorably into the tapestry of my living in this city that I love so profoundly. When I was a college senior I moved into a tiny, slightly decrepit one bedroom apartment in the boondocks section of the Upper East Side. There was scarcely a thing about that particular neighborhood or apartment that felt like me, but on my second night there I went to see "Sleepless in Seattle" in a local movie theater and it hit me...I was living my childhood dream of calling New York City my home. So my apartment was still just an apartment, but I was now at home in New York City.

Years later when I was in my mid-twenties, I found myself blessed enough to buy a one bedroom apartment in my beloved city. And although I had barely spent a minute in all my years in Manhattan on the Upper West Side, somehow my vision of living in New York City was shaped by my adoration of Woody Allen movies and my hundredth viewing of "When Harry Met Sally". My home for fourteen years was in the West 70's and close to Riverside Park. I spent countless strolls passing by the storied Apthorp building. And when I did, I would always look into the courtyard from the street and daydream of all the magical people I imagined lived there. Never realizing at the time that Ms. Ephron was one of those very people.

Years later, I found through a series of synchronicities Nora Ephron's famous love letter in The New Yorker to her apartment in the Apthorp. Somewhere in this timeline, my dear friend Alex D. invited me to the New York premier of "You've Got Mail" and I found myself living out another childhood dream torn from the pages of "The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" of being inside The Natural History Museum after hour. Underneath the iconic blue whale stood both Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks who I adore, but it was Ms. Ephron that I was longing to speak to but too shy to approach. No small violins are playing here though, as in that inevitable way that life presents us all with our own full-circle story arcs, I had my opportunity years later to speak with her under much more meaningful circumstances.

So at this point in my own story, here is my love letter to Ms. Ephron that I posted in the wake of her recent passing:

"I will always remember Nora Ephron, not just because I loved her humor and her movies, but because she obsessively loved her Upper West Side apartment in the Apthorp and her article in The New Yorker about letting it go helped me to let go of my own apartment on the UPW that I was obsessively attached to. I loved her because when I was pregnant with my second child, and my aforementioned beloved home was in contract to be sold, I found myself sitting behind her in a movie theater and mustered up the courage to thank her for her Apthorp article. I told her of my heartache in moving and she turned around to me and put her hand on my arm and looked me squarely in the eyes as she said, 'You will feel so stupid that you ever worried about leaving...'

And it being Nora Ephron, it was said with the perfect mix of tenderness, tough love, perspective and emphasis. And of course, as I sit here looking out my window of my new home where I am greeted by rainbows, fireworks, and all the phases of the moon...I know she was right."

With deep abiding gratitude and love,
Elana

Revitalizing Your Home: De-clutter and Redesign

Photo by Elana Kilkenny. Taken at a Jonathan Adler store in NYC.

With temperatures climbing across the country, it is a great time to spend some time indoors de-cluttering and re-decorating your home. I have found with myself and clients that so much energy gets stuck in our homes when clutter accumulates and when your home no longer reflects who you are. De-cluttering can be a bit overwhelming for many of us,  I have found that since becoming a mother and having less disposable time that for the first time in years I am needing to do a de-cluttering overhaul. It is often wise to start with a small defined area and to identify first the items that simply need to be sifted through for outdated material (i.e. papers, magazines, etc.) that are no longer of use. I start here first as it gives an instant boost in de-cluttering confidence as you have an instant clearing in space. The areas that have items that require you to create more systematic organization in order to properly place them takes more time and thought.

Karen Kingston has a great and simple book called "Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui" that I refer to a lot of my clients when I help them with the Sacred Space design of their homes and office. A simple tenant that I try to keep in mind as often as possible is to keep that which you truly use and that which you love. Those things that you are keeping out of obligation, attachment to the past, fear of not having enough..all contribute to a constriction in your energy and general flow of not only your space but also your life to receive what is trying to come through to you.

While not all of us have the budget or desire to completely redesign your home, this time of year provides a great opportunity to be creative in bringing the style of your home into your own inspirational present. As an example, our family is still in the process of allowing our new home to speak to us and to acquire meaningful pieces to fill it. In the meantime, there are spaces that I know I don't want to commit to hanging pictures with nails as I know the furniture arrangement will probably change shortly. So I have taken some of my children's art and used simple blue painters tape to artfully arrange some pieces to add instant color and meaning to our home. When new artwork comes home or new inspiration hits I simply take down the old ones and replace them with new ones leaving my walls completely unharmed.

Another cost-conscious way to add instant pop to your walls is to frame pretty wrapping paper, wallpaper remnants, or reasonably priced prints (Etsy has some great ones). The summer is a great time to also unleash your inner artist and even if you have never painted before  you can buy a canvas and simply buy paint whose colors attract you and paint. My inner painter was unleashed years ago at Rebecca Schweiger's wonderful The Art Studio NY (see below for resources) as her classes provide tremendous support and freedom to simply create regardless of whether you have ever painted before or consider yourself an artist.

Another instant re-boot for your home is to simply rehash some current furniture and pieces in your home by placing them in different locations and/or for different uses. For instance an old shelving piece with doors once used for books can be re-jiggered to be a min-wardrobe for a child. Simply switching out or adding some decorative pillows are great ways to instantly refresh your current decor and can be switched seasonally if you like.

For more design inspiration from everything from great interiors, furniture, pillows, etc. follow me onPinterest and Instagram. Need some more one-on-one guidance, contact me about my transformative Sacred Home Design and Space Clearing and Blessing services. Happy clearing and decorating!!!

P.S. More tips forthcoming!

Resources:

1) For Design Inspiration and Resources follow me on Pinterest and Instagram.

2) Art Classes: The Art Studio NY.

3) Pillows of all price ranges (Ikea, Jonathan Adler, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and more on my Pinterest "Pillow Talk" board)

4)For art at all price ranges follow your own muse or check out my "Artists You Should Know About" board on Pinterest.

5)"Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui" by Karen Kingston

6)Resources and great idea for organizing at my "Uncluttered Home, Peaceful Home" board on Pinterest.

Follow me on Pinterest for More Inspiration and Resources!

"Butterflies In-Store" Photo by Elana Kilkenny. Taken at Anthropologie in Soho, NYC.

Many of you know that I am positively and joyously obsessed with interior design and all things related to making one's life more fully beautiful, so it will come as no surprise to you that I would instantly fall in love with making boards on Pinterest.  For those of you who don't know what Pinterest is, it is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to decorate their homes, share children related information, and a host of other information.

I have recently created a collection of boards to share with you on everything from home decor, children's rooms/stuff/clothing, to holistic resources. Whenever possible I have tried to pin something from its original source so if you click on the picture it will take you there. It has been a great way to organize a treasure trove of information that I am thrilled to share with you to inspire you to truly create a more beautiful and vibrant life! If it sounds intriguing follow my Pinterest page as I update my boards frequently.

Blessings and love,

Elana

Intuitive Counseling Sessions at the Warren Tricomi Salon in Greenwich, Connecticut

Photo Credit: Jeremy Keats Saladyga

I am very excited that in addition to offering sessions in New York City and over the phone that I am now offering my Intuitive Counseling Sessions at the  beautiful Warren Tricomi Salon in Greenwich, Connecticut.

This new year give yourself or someone you love the gift of an Intuitive Counseling Session with Elana Kilkenny. Known to her worldwide clients as a psychic of profound truth, heart and wisdom; we are thrilled to offer you an experience that is deeply inspiring, moving, and transformative.  Elana tunes in to where you are now and how best to align with your soul purpose, overcome obstacles, and get into flow in your life. 

Elana provides you with spot-on clarity on how to create from a place of more joy, wisdom and abundance. Each session is unique and may include the following: 
*Focus on specific issues or questions about your personal or professional life

*Identifying and providing specific tools to overcome obstacles that are impeding you

*Assistance during a time of major transition

*How to flow in your life with more innate grace, peace, joy, vitality and ease 

Upcoming Dates for Intuitive Counseling Sessions are: January 9th and January 19th.

Please call the Warren Tricomi salon at 203-863-9300 to book a session.

What Will You Bring To This New Year

Photo by Elana Kilkenny. Taken at ABC Carpet and Home.

"This year will bring whatever this year brings, but what you bring TO it will make all the difference" Marianne Williamson

Dear Friends,

It has been a while since I have written to you and I am thrilled to reconnect to you. As I wrote about in my most recent newsletter (see link in my "Read My January 2011" post) what will elevate this new year from a time of intention to fruition is what you will bring to this year. This is an opportune time to get clearer about what you want to create and to be fearless in moving toward that vision. As we continue to live in a time where that which is hidden and a hindrance to our fullest expression is no longer supported, it is wise to recognize that if obstacles are coming up for you they are probably doing so that you can be clearer and more receptive to experiencing a deeper level of joy and manifestation that perhaps has eluded you in previous years.

I have heard from so many people how already in these early days of the new year one of two things seem to be happening, a tremendous amount of challenges seem to be coming up all at once or amazing breakthroughs and alignment is taking place.

Wherever you fall in this spectrum I urge you to have faith and not judge but rather be clear that both seemingly opposite experiences are connected. So much this year will be about completion. So wherever you have been stuck, perhaps for a very long time, might come up strongly for you this year so that you can choose to release these patterns more completely. While it could be incredibly tempting to allow yourself to spiral into old patterns of scarcity and fear, it might help to recognize that perhaps what is presenting itself has been keeping you from experiencing more flow, love, joy, in your life and that it just might be presenting itself now so that you can approach it differently and truly move beyond it.

Even at times in my own life where I have felt overwhelmed, I have found that it is important to be a "good parent" to your thinking and literally stop yourself from going deeper into negative thoughts. One way I have found that it powerful to start turning the tide is to find a balance between connecting to some authentic sweetness in life while also honoring my shadow side. Sometimes you need to start shifting your perspective by going to a place of gratitude, as this brings some necessary sweetness to an experience that might feel bitter.

Even if in the moment you can only access a few things (or even one thing, start somewhere) that you are grateful for, it is a powerful practice to shift your mind to gratitude as it also opens your heart and creates more space for something more positive to take root. Instead of repressing what is upsetting you, journaling is often a powerful tool. I would suggest always having a balance between expressing what is bothering you and having some practice that adds energy to the sweetness of your life.

While this tool has been around for a long time, Julia Cameron's "The Artist's Way" to be one of the most transformative tools I have ever come across to move beyond "stuckness", fear and sadness. While it is a great book for artists of all natures, don't let the title fool you it is potent for anyone wanting to be in better flow and manifestation in your life.

Sometimes we all need a little assistance to get clearer and receive support to move into a more peaceful and abundant place in our lives. In this spirit, I am offering new sessions and workshops to empower, awaken and inspire you to live your most essential life. In addition to these new offerings, I also want to share a few of my favorite resources with you that can help you to bring more to this new year! More to come in the upcoming weeks and months...

My Session Offerings:

*Intuitive Counseling Hour and a Half Sessions

My signature hour and a half Intuitive Counseling sessions  offer you greater personal insight and energy to create and manifest your empowered vision for yourself. Theseguided sessions offer you intuitive and practical guidance that does not center on predictions, although they can be a part of the process. These sessions assist you to build a stronger connection to your own intuition and creative possibility.

During this time where even the support we seek is often rushed, these session's length offers you the time to deeply explore where you are today and helps you to manifest a more fulfilling present and future. You will receive tangible suggestions to pro-actively assist you to move through the obstacles that are challenging you. These sessions also provide an energetic experience that is both nurturing and inspiring. 

*NEW: Intuitive Counseling One Hour Sessions

Many of you have expressed interest in receiving support on a more consistent basis (weekly, monthly, etc.) to help you focus on specific areas of your life and/or business. In response to these requests I am happy to announce that I am now offering one hour sessions to meet your needs.

These sessions offer you powerful guidance and tools to empower you and assist you in times of personal or professional challenge, transition, or growth. I will provide you with clear suggestions on what can best assist you to authentically move through pain, obstacles and confusion to a place of more peace, empowerment and manifestation!

*Couples Sessions

These hour and a half sessions are meant for all relationships whether romantic, professional or familial. I will guide you together to attain more clarity, direction, and tools on how to connect more authentically, peacefully and joyfully to one another.Whether you need assistance with obstacles that are facing you in your relationship or simply would like to go to another level in your relationship, couples sessions offer you a safe and powerful opportunity to receive the support that is most beneficial for you.

*Intuitive Feng Shui Home & Office Consultations

These consultations offer a personalized, intuitive and transformational approach that assists you in the creation of home and business environments designed to fully support your personal and professional goals. 

I will help you arrange, decorate and revitalize your home, office, indoor and outdoor spaces so that your life is more harmonious and your dreams more fully realized. While classically trained in Feng Shui, my unique approach is anything but traditional.  IntuitiveInteriors consultations synthesize a combination of psychic information, Feng Shui techniques, and interior design sensibility.

*Host a Workshop...
I am thrilled to offer private workshops in the comfort and convenience of your own home or office.  These workshops are all psychically guided and can be customized on a specific theme that would resonate with you and your friends, family, and/or colleagues.

Workshops are offered on a range of subjects such as:  Creating the Year of Your Dreams; Opening to Love: Bringing in and Connecting Deeper to Love; Intuitive Parenting; Creating a Beautiful and Transformational Home, Work Environments that Inspire and Motivate...and much more. 

Workshops are available both for individuals as well as specifically designed for couples. To hosta workshop that inspires you or for more information, please contact Elana by email at elanakilkenny@yahoo.com or by phone at 877-858-2100. 

*Book a Session

Sessions for all of Elana's services are available in-person and over the phone.  If you would like to book a session or for more information please contact Elana by email at info@elanakilkenny.com or by phone at 877-858-2100.

Inspirational Books For The New Year:

1)"A Return to Love" by Marianne Williamson. This is truly one of the most powerful and profound books I have ever read. I strongly suggest reading this book and once you have I have often found it to be very helpful to open this book randomly when a question is presenting itselfand as a way to ask for guidance on a particular subject. http://www.marianne.com/

2)"Creating the Work You Love" by Rick Jarow. Rick puts it best: "Now is the time to honor your life’s calling and create a self-sustaining career that resonates with your deepest levels of integrity, passion, and purpose" Rick is truly a profound teacher, author and counselor. www.rickjarow.com

3)"The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron. http://www.theartistsway.com/

4)"Ask and it is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires" by Esther and Jerry Hicks http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/index.php

In this Time of Thanks...Gratitude

Photo by Elana Kilkenny. Taken at Pimlico in New Canaan, CT.

Dear Ones,
There is magic in the air, can you feel it. Possibility and connection awaiting all of us. The opportunity to choose to shift our perception at any moment and to allow the reverberations of that choice to flow in our lives. If we go with this flow, I have experienced and witnessed that anything is truly possible. While this is always true, there is something about the energy of this time we are now in that is so receptive and supportive to our being in our essential flow. Notice I did not say our mind's flow, but rather our essential flow. Meaning if we listen with intuitive ears (yes, you all have them) and surrender to the energetic invitation calling to you...behold the world of synchronicities, magic and even miracles.

So during this week of giving thanks, I invite you to go to a place of gratitude in your heart. And if I were you, I wouldn't keep it to myself. I would share my gratitude with the people you are grateful for.  An amazing practice for your heart and for manifestation is to share your gratitude with the individuals/groups you are grateful for. Speak your gratitude, write your gratitude, show your gratitude, and emanate gratitude.

How powerful would it be to not only do this with the people who seem most obvious to you, but also with people who you might not think of at first. As an example, beyond your friends and family perhaps you share your gratitude for the people who provide services for you in your everyday life or people who are not front and center for you. A check-out person at your local grocery store, a doctor that has gone that extra mile, a friend who have not connected with in a while but who you are really grateful for, a teacher who you adore...you get the idea. Don't forget to show some gratitude to yourself, write a gratitude letter to yourself or speak it as prayer to yourself. And for those of you who are a bit literal, this is a beautiful practice to do anytime not just in these days before or during Thanksgiving. However, it should be said that there is something in the energy of this week that really beckons us to go to a space of gratitude.

I invite you to do this for the sheer love of it and as an extra incentive I promise that you will personally be touched and surprised by the waves that emanate from this throughout your days and universe. This gratitude practice is especially powerful for those of you who are feeling very far away from gratitude at the moment, no matter how challenging or bleak this time may be for you there is always something you can find to be grateful for. If you start with that seed and make the choice to bring more light into your heart and your life, you are creating more space for light to expand and move you.

Sometimes when we are stuck or grieving we don't feel like being positive or making a choice that we know could make us feel better, I am not advocating repressing or ignoring what you are naturally feeling but rather in addition to honoring that darker place within there is always room for some light.  I speak here not only from guidance but also from personal experience, for while I am by nature a very optimistic person I am also by "nurture" someone prone to dwelling in the underbelly of emotions as well. So this week (or any day for that matter), please make a choice to live more from your grateful heart...you won't regret it.

And to all of you who have touched and enriched my life more than you can imagine, I am so deeply grateful for you...thank you for gracing my life. I wish you all a very blessed, sweet and gratitude-filled Thanksgiving!!!
 "When you meet anyone, remember it is a holy encounter. As you see him, you will see yourself. As you treat him, you will treat yourself. As you think of him, you will think of yourself. Never forget this, for in him you will find yourself or lose yourself." From "A Course in Miracles" (as read from Marianne Williamson's "A Return to Love")

Quote to Live By...

Photo by Elana Kilkenny.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”


----from A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson.

Nurturing Yourself Through Your Home: Autumnal Nesting

Photo by Elana Kilkenny.

We have all heard of spring cleaning, well I am a big believer in autumnal gathering. As our days grow cooler and nights draw earlier, the fall is a great time to begin to feather your nest for the upcoming season. For some of you this may mean clearing out your home of clutter and/or things that you no longer love nor support you in your home. Most of us spend more time in our homes in the cooler months, so being surrounded by pieces that nourish you and have positive associations is particularly important to your sense of well being.

It is amazingly freeing to let go of items that weigh you down emotionally and energetically. Are you holding on to things because of a sense of obligation (I should really keep this because so and so gave this to me), from past relationships that you have ambivalence or negativity about, things that you used to love but no longer reflect who you are, etc. Often we hold on to things out of a lack of faith that we won't receive what we really want or out of protection to hold on to a past version for ourselves. In my work with clients over the years I have seen amazing shifts in their lives and homes when they have had the courage and faith to bring their homes into the present and make room for the future.

Some of you may be on the polar spectrum and have very orderly and spare homes. While that aesthetic can be very calming and soothing, you may want to ask yourselves if your environment also reflects any areas of detachment, rigidity, or loneliness that you may experience. If any of this resonates with you, you may want to gather some pieces that soften your home. A great way to nourish your soul and add warmth to your environment is to add accessories and fabrics that are tactile and inviting.

For all of us autumn is a great time to add elements of warmth to our homes which in turn warms us as well. Cozy blankets or throws are great ways to add instant coziness to your environment. For those of you that love tea, buying a fresh stock of aromatic and soothing teas is an affordable and delicious way to enjoy some instant peace. Even though my days are as full as most of you, I find that taking an extra few minutes to sit down and drink some freshly brewed tea in my favorite cup is instantly restorative (I like steeping fresh mint leaves with a bit of raw honey).

If your windows are bare ask yourself is it just a design choice or does it reflect a lack of commitment to settling into your home or does a part of you unconsciously have some boundary issues around personal space (I am not just speaking physical space here). You may be more comfortable in having a choice over the level of privacy and exposure (as well as light) that you want to bring into your daily life.

This is also a great time of year to create a more romantic atmosphere in your home regardless of whether you share your home with a partner or not. Candles are an easy way to add instant romance, as are bath potions and inviting music. If you are interested in cooking, this is also a wonderful time to indulge and bring hearth energy into your home. Autumn is also an opportune time to start or deepen your meditation practice. This is a great way to bring more to your life and to your home. Use your imagination, there are so many personalized ways to lift the energy of your home and your spirits a well!

Some of My Favorite Things for Autumn:

Blankets/Throws:
Splurge: www.ochrestore.com
Visit their store in New York for a larger selection of beautiful and tactile pieces for your home. ABC home store on 19th and Broadway, an amazing selection of pretty much everything for your home (check out John Robshaw bedding).
 

Reasonable: www.barefootdreams.com
Their Cozy Chic line is amazingly soft for adults, children and babies. Wonderful blanket, robes and clothing.


A Tea Moment:
Bodum makes a beautiful and modern range of tea kettles and pots that brew fresh tea. I particularly like the all glass ones even if they require more delicate handling. In New York Cityplaces like Alice's Teacup, Takashimaya and Dean and Deluca have a wonderful selection of fresh and exotic teas to choose from. I also love the French tea company, Mariage Freres.

Raw honey is a delicious and healthy food to have on hand and tastes delicious in tea. After hearing about this from a homeopath at the first sign of a cough or sore throat in our home we have a small spoonful of raw honey (crunchy parts and all).

Favorite Candles:
Splurge: Diptique candles burn incredibly pure and come in tantalizing scents . I am personally obsessed with their Figuier (fig) candle.  A new favorite line of candles is from the French company LostMarch. They come in three scents to set different moods, I love all of them. This line is hard to find in the States but Share with...--a wonderful and friendly store in Montauk, New York--carries them and I believe they ship [(631) 668-2205].

Reasonable: Votivo carries a wonderful line of candles and comes in a beautiful glass jar (red currant is my long-time favorite scent, more sexy than fruity).  Geodesis makes my second favorite fig candle named "fig tree". It is slightly woodsy and reminds of crisp evenings in a foreign countryside.