Alleged Lucky

I'm fascinated by the ornate trappings of some religions - saint cards, beeswax candles, incense and gregorian chants. And I always want to buy those saint candles I see in the Mexican aisle of the grocery store. They're just fascinating to me, with their connections to foreign ritual. But I've always been hesitant to buy them. There is a thin line between interest in the trappings of another's religion and blasphemous use of them as decoration.

So, when I saw this candle for sale, I snapped it up. With no connections to any organized religion I'm aware of, it's covered with traditional symbols of luck and fortune. There are four-leaf clovers, chests of treasure, dice, a mystic, and there are phrases as well: 'Time is Wealth', 'Lucky in Love', 'good fortune', 'Suerte in el amor','The Master Key', "prosperity - health - wealth'... on and on it goes.

Strangely, the number thirteen is also prominently displayed, as are a witch and the silhouette of a cat - what I would consider unlucky symbols. Perhaps they were included in a fit of conscience so that customers wouldn't be caught off guard if bad things still happened while burning the candle. Atop it all, the candle is captioned: 'Lucky Flame Candle' - except that isn't quite the name of this waxy boon.

Perhaps in the same attack of conscience which provoked the inclusion of ambiguous and unlucky symbols, there was provoked a legal fear as well. For the full name of this candle is 'Alleged Lucky Flame Candle'. Yes, this 'good luck' candle effectively contains a legal disclaimer. What is the world coming to?