November 13, 2023 • 40 mins
Have you ever wondered how candle making and magic fuse together? Our guest for this episode, Bran Taylor of Magic Hour Candles, shares their four-decade journey as a witch and how they’ve honed their technique in creating extraordinary candles. Bran not only enlightens us on their unique process of designing each candle, but also shares how anyone can engage with candles in their magical or ritual practices. Their immense knowledge and passion for their craft is truly inspiring.
Be sure to stay tuned through the end of the episode for a sweet gift from Bran! Visit Magic Hour Candles or follow them on Instagram @magichourcandles or Facebook to get one of Bran’s incredible candles for yourself or your favorite people.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (00:00):
That's your center.
That's the place of allpossibility.
The center is the spaces inbetween.
It's in between the inhale andthe exhale.
It's the place where mysterylives, and that also lives
inside of you ["Inner Knowing"].
Jackie Peterson (any pr (00:20):
Welcome to the Outer Known, a podcast
that shines a light on the outeredges of Inner Knowing Lane.
I love candles.
(00:40):
I know you do too, but I'venever really thought much about
the sort of ritual aroundburning candles and the kinds of
things that you can do withthem.
Lane Collins (she/her) (00:49):
It's funny.
You never think when you becomea witch like how prepared
you're gonna be during a poweroutage ["Inner Knowing"], but
that's something that Iconstantly laugh at myself about
.
I am well prepared.
My entire house can be a light.
So candle magic is definitely.
Whatever your approach, whetheryou're a witch or not, a witch
(01:11):
can be something that's soaccessible and so easy to make
your own, and today's guest haslong been my favorite candle
maker, so I have just been overthe moon excited to talk with
them.
Jackie Peterson (any prono (01:23):
Yeah , brandtaylor is so brilliant
and accessible is a really greatword to use because in our
conversation with them I wasreally just blown away about
their approach to candle magic.
The way that they make candles,the way that they talk about
ritual and candles is soapproachable that I was like,
(01:44):
yes, absolutely, I can do thistomorrow.
This feels very something thatI can very easily grasp and sort
of make my own, which I thinkyou know as somebody who is sort
of maybe magic adjacent, as notsort of a full practitioner.
It's really nice to hear, whenpeople have that open invitation
and share in a way, that it'ssomething you feel like, oh, I
(02:08):
can try that out for myself andsee if this fits and if it does
like ways that I can really putmy own stamp on it.
Lane Collins (she/her) (02:15):
Yeah, something I like to say is we're
all doing magic all the time.
Even something like a visionboard can be magic if you want
it to, and that's what I'vealways loved about candles.
It's often something like if Ihave a friend who's like, how do
I kind of get into this.
It's one of the first things Irecommend is working with a
candle.
So definitely.
Well, let's get to ourinterview with Brandt.
(02:35):
["the Outer Known"].
Brandt, welcome to the OuterKnown.
Yay, thanks for having me.
It's so exciting to have youhere.
I have been using your candlesfor years now.
I'm so excited to talk to youabout some candle magic.
So I know that your journey asa witch has been four decades in
(02:56):
the making.
So how did that begin?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (02:58):
I know it makes me sound really old
when I say four decades in themaking, but that is really the
truth, and no shame in being anolder person.
I first got my first tarot deckwhen I was in high school and I
was really very obsessed withit.
I would do readings for myself,I would do readings for my
friends.
I really just delved intoeverything.
(03:20):
That was the cards, the imagery, et cetera.
It was the Toth deck foranybody listening and familiar
with tarot, and the Toth deckwas still is my number one
favorite deck that I read from.
I'm not quite like an Alias,your Crowley fan, but I am a fan
of the imagery and the art onthe cards.
So I started there and then,from that place, just sort of
(03:42):
added more things to my toolbelt slowly over the next 30
plus years.
Lane Collins (she/her) (03:47):
I am also a big fan of the Toth deck.
It's one I use really regularly.
What about the imagery?
Do you love?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (03:54):
Well, I like that it's obviously a
departure from the traditionalPixie Coleman Smith has to say
deck, and I like the imagerybecause there's not a lot of
people, especially in the miners.
I actually like just dealingwith, whether it's arrows or
obviously cups or the coins,things like that, just to really
delve into the things thataren't so tied to our humaneness
(04:17):
.
I really resonated with that.
I like how they kind oftransposed a few things in the
majors.
I thought that was a little bitinteresting and I also think
that the art itself is quitebeautiful.
If I was going to like hangsome tarot art on my wall, I
might pick the Justice card orthe Aeon or something that
really had a cool, rich historyand a really beautiful art.
Lane Collins (she/her) (04:40):
Totally agree.
Well, you may can sell, as Imentioned, the most incredible,
most powerful candles with yourbusiness magic hour.
So what first drew you tocandle magic and how did you
start on that path?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (04:52):
Well, I have been using candle magic in
my solitary practice, which Ihad for a long time, throughout
my 20s and into my early 30s,and I would usually go to a
candle store there was one inSan Francisco where I used to
live, and I would, not, knowingreally anything, ask the women
who worked there to sort ofbless and dress so what they
(05:14):
called it bless and dress acandle for me, and they would
ask me what I wanted it for,whether it was a job or love or
whatever, and I would go homeand just sort of light it with
some intention but not totallyknowing what I was doing.
I definitely had a pull towardscandle magic.
I had a candle magic book thatI sadly stole.
I don't advocate stealing.
Ok, this is.
(05:35):
I definitely, as a child of theMidwest without a lot of
resources, stole some thingsfrom my local witch shop.
Do not advocate this readers, Imean listeners.
But I did do some things whereyou're like anointing the candle
with oil, red is for love andda, da, da, da, da, da da, all
the assignments that were in thebook, and I did those things
(05:56):
for a while when I was in theWest Coast, got things blessed
and dressed for me, notcompletely understanding what
was on top.
What is in this candle?
Why do I want?
What's about it?
And then when I moved toPortland in like the mid 2000s,
there was a place called Orleanswhich was a family that was
actually displaced fromHurricane Katrina.
(06:17):
They had moved here afterKatrina I'm not positive the
date of that but I started goingthere when they opened and they
had, I mean, more candles thanI've ever seen in my entire life
, like candles for everything,and I got all my candle magic
there.
I deepened into my practice andwhen they moved back to New
Orleans they closed their shop,moved back.
There wasn't really anywherefor me to buy candles, so I
(06:39):
started making my own.
What a wonderful introduction.
Jackie Peterson (any pronou (06:43):
For our listeners who aren't
familiar, can you talk a littlebit about what candle magic is
and how it works?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (06:49):
Yes.
So there's a couple ofdifferent ways to separate this.
One is like a candle, where youcan like a taper candle that
you can have and hold in yourhand, that the wax in your hand
have a direct contact, and thenthere's a candle in a container
and that could be any type ofcontainer, could be any type of
wax, et cetera.
Candle magic you use a littlebit differently with either of
(07:10):
those, but the intention can bethe same.
Candle magic is putting yourintention right.
So I believe that magic is theart of changing your environment
with your intention and it'sabout putting your intention
into wax, which the wax I use issoy, some people use bees wax,
there's paraffin wax, coconutwax, et cetera, and it's about
(07:30):
putting your intention into thisnatural form.
And the natural form is reallyspecial to me because it
transforms and it's a physicalrepresentation of your intention
.
As you put your intention intothe candle, really feeling like
whatever your wish or whateveroutcome you want to have come
out, you can write on the candleif it's in a container.
(07:51):
You can scratch into the wax ifit's a taper.
There's no wrong way to dothings like this.
It's just about your energy andintention going into this wax
and when you light it, I reallyresonate with the fact that it's
transforming in front of you.
And for me, when you have anintention, you want something to
change, your goal is thatsomething is either changing or
(08:13):
shifting, whatever your goal is.
So it's a physicalrepresentation of that, and it
also changes by going into theair or into the atmosphere or
into spirit, and I reallyresonate with that.
I like watching the candlesburn.
I like seeing the progressionof them.
I also like letting it go whenthey're done and they've gone
(08:34):
out.
It's a really nice, tangibleway to work with magic.
Lane Collins (she/her) (08:37):
Let's dive in a little bit more on the
practical side of using one ofyour candles or a candle.
You've got the candle, it's infront of you.
How do you kind of likerecommend that people start the
process?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (08:48):
Hmm, okay.
So if you have like a sourncandle, here it is, it's so
beautiful, excited about it, you, let's say, with this sourn,
you're going to want to connectwith your ancestors, you're
going to want to like have adeeper type of feeling of
releasing, letting go, turningtowards the dark part of the
(09:09):
year, allowing yourself to shedyour skin, things like that.
Maybe you are looking for achange or looking for something
to just help you sort of let goand also feel the support from
your beloved dad, from yourancestry, from you know, whoever
you your, the queers who havepassed that you honor and love.
Whatever, whoever it is.
I would for myself, I like towrite on the candles.
(09:30):
I like to have them be a littlebit less precious, which is why
most of my candles are made inpretty, not fancy jars.
The sourn candle happens to bea fancy jar, but I still would
write like, maybe in the namesof my beloved dead, I might use
a sharpie and just drawsomething on here.
If I wanted.
I might write like compost orrelease, unwind, let go,
(09:52):
surrender, whatever it would befor me.
Or maybe it's like dreaming ofmy ancestors or dancing with
whoever you know.
Whatever I want to draw and Imight actually physically write
it on the candle.
Sometimes I'll do like a littlescratch on the wax, on the top
of the wax where the herbs are.
You can use a pen, you coulduse a knife, you can use
whatever you want.
I'm not a person who you haveto use your sacred tools for
(10:14):
every single thing.
You could use a butter knife orwhatever you want to.
You could scratch onto the wax,you could draw on the wax and
let's say you're done with that,or you just want to hold it
that's also an option to holdthe candle.
I say ground and center yourself, and what that means is, if
you're not familiar, if you're anew witch, you're grounding
yourself.
So you're feeling your body intime and space that you're at.
(10:35):
You're expanding your rootsdown into the center of the
earth with a breath, with yourenergy going as slow or as fast
as you want to.
You're going down to the heartof the earth, the pulsating you
know.
I call that the dark star orthe like heart of the earth,
whatever you want to call it andthen you're allowing that, like
regenerative creation typeenergy to come up all the way
(10:58):
through the layers of the earthas slow or fast as you want up
into your body, kind of allowingthat to settle, allowing that
to be in your body.
And then you're doing the samething, going up, releasing your
energy up into the cosmos.
You're finding the star that isone of your oldest ancestors.
You're allowing your energy togo up there, say hello, have a
little drink of cosmic stardust.
(11:18):
Whatever you want to believe,whatever feels good to you
there's no right or wrong andallowing that, like energy from
the cosmos, that beautiful, likespark, the inspiration, all of
the big perspective, to comedown, rain down upon you, in
through your crown, and thenfinding a place where those two
things mix.
To me that's your center.
That's the place of allpossibility.
(11:38):
The center is the spaces inbetween.
It's in between the inhale andthe exhale.
It's the place where mysterylives and that also lives inside
of you.
So you're allowing yourself tofind that place.
Find wherever it resonates foryou.
Maybe it's your chest, maybeit's your belly, whatever it
feels like is your center.
And then that's grounding andcentering yourself.
(11:59):
When you're holding the candlein your hands and you're stating
I like to just say it aloud ifpossible your intention or your
wish, holding that intention orwish placing it in an altar,
placing it anywhere you wantLike I said, there's no right or
wrong for this, it's just whatyour magic calls for and then,
using a flame you can use amatch, you can use a lighter,
(12:19):
you could use whatever you wantand allowing yourself to light
that candle and then reallyletting that whole intention,
maybe with a few breaths, gointo the candle.
So you're not walking aroundholding it necessarily, you're
letting the candle be like aplaceholder for you.
You're letting the candle havethat intention.
It's not separate from you,it's just an extension of you
and it gets to be your magicaltool for that time.
Lane Collins (she/her) (12:39):
How do you recommend?
Like once a candle has gone out, what do you do with either the
leftover wax or the leftover,in your case, the glass
container?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (12:48):
I recommend making sure you get
all the wax out.
So you could do that by boilingboiling water into the vessel,
by putting it into like a doubleboiler kind of situation where,
like a warm boiling water cupwith the candle inside, melting
the wax, and then you pour itout onto like a paper towel or
whatever you want, and in mycase you would get a gem.
Almost all my candles contain agem at the bottom and in that
(13:11):
case you're going to be removingthe gem at that time and other
candles are just getting all thewax out, no matter what.
And if the wax is leftover,like once the flame is out, I
don't think the wax is like soprecious that it has to be like
done something with.
I just like to have thecontainer be like let's clear it
, let's clean it, the flame isthe power right, so let's let
(13:32):
that all go.
You can compost those papertowels into your normal, you
know city compost and then withthe glass containers they can go
through for me, they can gothrough the dishwasher, you can
wash those and recycle them.
Or if you're local to Portland,you can return them to me and I
will reuse.
Oh, that's amazing.
Good to know.
Lane Collins (she/her) (13:49):
I'm curious too.
You were mentioning kind of thedifferent types of wax.
Is there you know a specificreason you use one versus
another?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (13:55):
Yeah, I mean for me when I started
using candles in general isparaffin wax.
I only use paraffin wax becausethat's what usually candles
that you would go into atraditional sort of candle shop
you would get a paraffin waxcandle and I didn't personally
want to use paraffin wax.
The heat point is too high.
It's made from mineral oil.
You know it's like a petroleumbyproduct and I didn't want to
(14:17):
use that.
I also don't want to inhale theoff gas from paraffin wax.
A beeswax also is a limitedresource.
I love beeswax candles but it'sthe amount of candles that I
make, the amount of beeswax Iwould go through and the cost
they would have to be isextremely high.
Think about beeswax as beingfour times the price of any
other wax.
Paraffin is the cheapest, soit's kind of in the middle.
(14:38):
I've used this wax for a longtime.
I've gone through a fewdifferent soy brands.
Some of them actually didn'tsurvive the pandemic, which is
sad.
But it's non GMO, 100% soy wax.
It takes color really well.
It melts evenly.
You know I'm not afraid ofinhaling the off gasing.
It's not going to be toxic toyou in any way, which is
important to me.
Lane Collins (she/her) (14:57):
Yeah, I've heard a little bit about
that with paraffin wax and neverreally realized like how toxic
it was until I started burning alot more candles as a witch?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (15:06):
Yeah, definitely.
Jackie Peterson (any pronouns (15:08):
I appreciate that thoughtfulness
in the sourcing and making surethat you're using non toxic
things and being earth friendly.
Lane Collins (she/her) (15:15):
Well, as you mentioned, I know there's
like different colorcorrespondences.
You put gemstones and, Ibelieve, like herbs and or
essential oils in your candlesas well.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthat and kind of how you design
each one?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (15:28):
Yes, so when I first started making
candles, it was 2011.
And, like I said, my belovedOrleans went out of business.
I had nowhere to buy candles,okay, and I decided to use soy
wax.
It was readily available to me.
I wanted the tall, traditionalseven day burning candle or in
my case, 120 hours burningcandle and I started making them
(15:50):
for a new moon group that Ihosted from about 2010 to 2012
and maybe even also into 2013 alittle bit, but I would have
folks over for new moon and Iwould make candles depending on
that new moon, and my intentionreally was I didn't really know
what to put in the candles atfirst.
I was an astrologer at the timeI just finished my astrology
(16:12):
apprenticeship around that timeand so I was a working
astrologer and I just sort ofused the plant correspondences
and the gemstone correspondencesfor that new moon, and that's
kind of how I started pairingthose things up the color, the
herb, the essential oil and thegem.
So those were kind of my threecomponents to start.
Now I have evolved into a widerscope.
(16:35):
Not all the candles containgems, because they don't have to
, and we can talk about that ina little bit, but every candle
is a little bit more.
It's made in a different typeof way and I am also mostly
using herbs that are readilyavailable to me that either I
grow, a which friend of minegrows.
I'm not using any herbs thatare like not of this land or not
(16:55):
of my lineage.
And the gems I use, I try touse as small of pieces as
humanly possible because theyare a limited resource and they
still really want to be in thecandles and maybe someday I'll
take them out, but at this timeI still.
I mean, gemstone magic wassomething that I used for so
long in my solitary practice andI feel like it's still
(17:15):
important to be in there.
But you know, everything isevolving.
I've been doing this for since2012.
So some things have changed,some things have been renamed,
some some things are different.
You know it's a little bitdifferent and as far as the like
correspondences go, I decidedto sort of not go with the
traditional correspondences ingeneral.
(17:35):
There's lots of books aroundcandle correspondences written
by different practices,different types of magical folks
, different types of witchesthat say, like this color is for
this, is colors for this and I.
That just didn't really seemlike it applied for me and this
would flow into how I makecandles.
But when I'm making a candleI'm asking the candle or it's
(17:56):
being presented to me as a colorand I go just proceed with that
information.
So you'll see that like I uselike a white candle to dispel
things, like a clearing candleversus a lot of other things,
other practitioners, I thinkthat that would use a black
candle to kind of like get ridof things, dispel negativity.
I like using white to do that.
My love candle is like a softpink or like even a hot pink
(18:20):
versus our red.
Like you know, I just sort ofwant to do things that feel a
little more me and hopefullypeople resonate with it.
Lane Collins (she/her) (18:27):
I certainly do.
I have to say like I thinksomething that really kind of
progressed my own witchcraftpractice was like realizing that
it's foundationally an animusto practice.
You develop relationships withmaterials, with plants, with
colors, to your point and I justI always want there to be a
(18:47):
perfect answer like thiscorresponds to this and this and
this, this planet and thisplant, and I think this is
actually confusing.
You know how it can be quitedifferent in different books and
different.
You know, if you're studyingyour ancestors work and then new
age witchcraft book, like whatis this?
You know, why is this alldifferent?
And I think you really have toto some degree develop your own
(19:09):
relationship and kind of whatyou were saying like based on
your own lineage, your ownhistories.
So I love that, I love thatyou've done that.
What?
What's your personal favoritecandle that you've created?
Ooh, that's fun.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (19:21):
Well, a little bit of me wants to say
revolution.
Because that candle, all theproceeds go to a different
organization.
I did that starting whenStanding Rock happened, and so I
have just switched whoever themoney is going to, whether it's
like Southern Poverty Law Centeror Trevor Project or whatever.
But I like that.
That's kind of like.
I mean, it's sad that we need arevolution candle for a
(19:44):
different thing all the time,but that's just the world that
we're living in.
I'm really proud of that andI'm proud to have a consistent
thing that benefit at all times.
So that's definitely a favorite.
The art candles one of mypersonal favorites.
I actually just changed.
The art candle Used to have afloor right at the bottom Floor.
Right is very hard to get andin a small size, and it's also
(20:05):
very fragile and didn't feelright to be in there.
So now every art candle has amystery gem and I just have a
whole jar of mystery gems.
I just put my hand in there andpull one out.
So whatever you get is what youget and they're all.
Every single art candle isdifferent, so they're fun to
make and fun to pour.
Jackie Peterson (any prono (20:21):
That is really fun.
I love that.
Lane Collins (she/her) (20:23):
The gems are great.
I totally understand.
You know you're thinking around.
Maybe someday they'll have togo away.
I will say, like I reallyespecially with your candles, I
just have a real connection withthem.
Each one that I've used I'vekind of developed a real like
relationship with and every timethat gemstone comes out of the
bottom I'm like okay, like allof my intention is like kind of
absorbed in the stone and itfeels extra beautiful.
(20:45):
You know, I can have that as aremainder on my altar or put in
my pocket or carry it with me inmy purse like whatever I need
to do.
But just want to say like Ilove them.
They're so great.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (20:54):
Okay, good, good, good, me too, me too
.
Jackie Peterson (any prono (20:57):
Talk to us a little bit about your
witchcraft practice and how thatkind of feeds into your candle
making.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (21:04):
Okay, so I, you know, started out with
Reading Tarot.
I went through a solitary witchpractice through my 20s and
early 30s.
It wasn't always in theforefront, but it was definitely
there.
I deepened into that by.
I used to go to like a women'sgathering in my 20s and early
30s and saw some older witchesreally doing powerful magic and
(21:27):
I was very intrigued, I wasblown away.
I thought they were like socool and I wanted to learn from
them.
So bad, okay, like very cool.
And I took, you know, workshopswhen I could, whether it was
like learn astrology or learninga broom making or whatever.
And when I was in my mid 30s Ientered into a mystery school
(21:52):
and I spent eight and a halfnine years in mystery school.
It used to be called the blueiris mystery school.
I believe it's now called thegolden web mystery school.
I'm no longer teaching orworking with the school, but I'm
a graduate.
I've done, I've devotedprobably I mean I've devoted
years of my life, but reallyevery weekend of my life for
literally years to that schooland the practice and working
(22:15):
with a couple teachers, one ofwhich is Collette Gardner, who's
an incredible witch and Ireally love her.
She's very dear to me and thatwas in a big community.
So I went from working alone orwith just like a small group of
people, like at the women'scircles and stuff, and then I
went into like a huge communityyou know our saun rituals or
hundreds of people.
You know it was a different.
(22:35):
It was a completely.
You know we're putting on witchcamps, we're putting on like
very elaborate, like productionvalue type rituals and you know
me being teaching.
I was reading tarot, I wasdoing astrology and I was doing
candle making.
So there was a lot of thingsthat were overlapping during
that time and in 2019, theschool kind of imploded.
(22:57):
Honestly, one of the teacherswas called out.
You know we all have some harmfrom that teacher and I do
believe that teacher canhopefully find some healing for
herself.
But there's been a lot of harmcaused by her and her methods
and I didn't really want to beaffiliated with the school
anymore.
Even though I learned so muchand I really have a soft spot
(23:20):
for the teachers that wereinvolved.
I do miss doing ritual in alarge group.
Now in the since 2019, it's beena smaller thing for me.
I had to.
Really it's kind of a spiritualcrisis I had to go through and
be like, okay, whoa, what ifeverything that I was taught is
bullshit?
Okay, then what?
Okay, well, I can go back tohow I used to practice magic.
(23:42):
Well, I learned from books andfrom these women in the woods
who are probably terfs let's bereal and, like you know, just
like things that just didn'tfeel right and like all my
elders, kind of feeling likethey're like letting me down and
it's.
I didn't want to throw themaway, but I also didn't know
what to do with the teachingsand how much of them came from
narcissism or from spirit.
(24:03):
So, having that like confrontedfor myself, I had to really
rewind.
I had a lot of grief I mean somuch grief this is summer of
2019 into the fall.
Obviously, we know whathappened in the early 2020.
So it just was like and then itjust became like isolation for
me, my spiritual community and,of course, just for everybody in
(24:25):
general, and I had to reset.
And for me, in 2020, 2021, andeven 2022, I had to rewind and
go back to something as basic asokay, do I believe magic is
real?
And like, ask myself thatquestion in the morning, right,
maybe pull a card, even if Idon't believe in it at the
moment and just be like whatdoes this have to tell me I can
(24:46):
take or leave it?
Every day was like a one day ata time vibe for me.
The only thing that I couldcount on every single day was
magic is real, because the treeexhales and I inhale.
Gravity holds me on this earth.
I am in relationship with thistree, I'm in relationship with
nature, I'm in relationship withthe beings that are around me,
(25:07):
whether they're seen or unseen,and I had to really just have a
reset and it was slow and griefridden and rich and methodical.
Every day, having that practiceand I'm not saying I'm totally
through it I feel open in a newway and also producing candles
during that time a littlechallenging.
(25:27):
I didn't create a lot of newthings during that phase.
I just kind of did what Inormally did and, yeah, I'm
grateful to be kind of at adifferent place with it now, but
I'm still evolving.
Jackie Peterson (any pron (25:38):
Thank you for sharing that.
That's a very powerful storyand just kind of a reminder that
sometimes we really need toforce ourselves to go back to
those very elemental, very basicquestions when we don't really
know what else to do or don'treally see any other immediate
answers.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (25:56):
Yeah, and even if you are part of a
community or have a teacher Imean, our teacher was like
there's no more trained witchesin America than you.
I could do a ritual that wouldlike blow your socks off in 30
minutes I just was like very,very like I was a good teacher.
I was really entrenched at whatI believed and then for me to
be like that doesn't matter andthat's not the only way to do
(26:19):
this, and part of that was myteacher's narcissism and like
what does that leave me?
What was my role in that?
You know, like ugh it just.
You know I was able to kind ofstrip back the layers to get to
some basic belief systems andknow that it doesn't.
All the other stuff doesn'treally matter.
What matters is do I feel inrelationship with my magic?
(26:40):
Do I feel like I am doingsomething that's good for myself
in the world?
Am I, when I do magic, am Imoving between the worlds?
Do I feel like I'm affectingthings in a good way as an agent
of change?
You know things like that.
Lane Collins (she/her) (26:54):
Yeah, it's really going back to the
foundation.
Like, as you were talking aboutit, I kind of kept envisioning
the tower card and the tarot andthe tower card moment.
That's, yeah, thank you forsharing that.
I really relate to that in alot of ways and just kind of
constantly in my practice, goingback to like healthy skepticism
, trying to understand what Itruly believe versus what I've
(27:15):
read or have been taught, andjust trying to feel my way
through it.
So, thank you, thank you forsharing that Well, in terms of
like, where you are now in yourpersonal belief system and kind
of continuing to make thecandles through that.
What do you believe now aboutmagic and what makes it powerful
?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (27:35):
I think what I believe now is I'm
leaning more into the thingsthat are intangible to my
humanness, and being a human isreally cool.
I'm so glad that I chose to bea human or you know what
happened to be a human thislifetime?
Who knows?
But I'm kind of leaning intothe things where it's like I.
The truth is, I don't know ifthis is working.
(27:56):
I don't know, but I do believethat my intention is most of the
magic, right?
So the other part of the magicis unknown to me and I'm not
trying to act like I know it andI'm the only one who knows what
this magic is, or I don't think.
I mean, maybe people do knowthat, but it's not for me to
know and I don't want to gethung up on it.
(28:17):
There's no right or wrong wayto do things.
I don't believe in that at all.
I don't think that somebodymaking candles for three months
is making a more powerful candlethan someone's making it for 12
years.
It doesn't matter.
Everyone's thing is different.
We're all bringing somethingunique to the table and there's
room for everybody here.
So kind of getting out of myego in those ways and just
(28:41):
allowing my intention to be asclear as possible and then kind
of just handing it over,surrendering the rest.
Because that's the part ofmagic I don't know and I'm not
going to know and nor do I wantto, because that's to me like
where the specialness kind ofcomes in and my intention can be
as clear as I want it to be,but I don't want it just to be
(29:01):
so human and mundane.
I want to have spirit kind ofcome over and be in conversation
with me.
I want to have it be inrelationship and you know I also
do a lot of listening.
So one way I make the candlesas well is I only listen.
I this is challenging.
I made originally I made like agrand trine candle.
I made more like astrologybased candles, lilith candles,
(29:23):
things like that.
Those were very, very beginning.
And then I woke up and was likeI have to make a healing candle
and it has this, this, this andthis, and that I'm not doing
anything.
I'm just waking up and thinkingthis is what it is.
And then I was like what color?
I'm asking questions, whatcolor is it?
Oh, it's this color, and I'mjust listening and creating what
I'm given.
Right, and that is how I mean.
I'm not going to say 100%, butI'm going to say 98% of these
(29:47):
candles are made and they don'treally deviate that much from
the original intention.
For instance, I wanted to make aMars candle.
For years, literally years Iwas like I just feel like I need
a Mars candle, I need thisenergy.
Of course it's Mars.
I'm really trying to wield thisinto like fruition, right, and
it's not happening.
Not happening, not happening.
(30:07):
I'm doing, I'm pulling cardsabout it.
I'm waiting till Mars is out ofretrograde and I can, and it's
perfectly aligned in my chart Da, da, da, da, da, you know.
And then I, literally, afterit's about three years in the
waiting and in the waiting roomfor Mars Okay, that Mars finally
was like opening the door andbeing like oh, are you here for
your appointment?
Great, and it was completelylaid out and it was like okay,
(30:29):
here it was the gem, the this,the this.
Also, it has like ritual fireash in it and I needed to have
that at a certain time.
You know it has to have allthese things in it that are
totally aligned and I was likethank you, I'm not using my will
to create these things.
There's a few exceptions, butthe majority of the candles are
just made with me.
I'll say, like I want to make aart candle Please show me
(30:51):
what's in there and it takes.
Sometimes we'll take a longtime.
Mars took three years.
So I am really trying to turnon my listening ears as much as
possible and I do make, like youknow, a hundred things.
It's not.
I actually sometimes need toturn the volume down a little
bit.
Sometimes we don't need allthose things, but it's still fun
and I'm still showing up for it.
It's home.
Lane Collins (she/her) (31:11):
I love that.
I've always been like reallycurious about your process
because, as I've said, I've usedmany of your candles and it
sounds like there's kind of aspecific recipe and like
astrological timing and all ofthe things that go into it.
I love that.
Jackie Peterson (any prono (31:26):
Yeah , that's really so fun to hear,
because sometimes I think we getso caught up in our own well,
this is what I want and this iswhat I think it should be and
sometimes the patience and thelistening really does pay off in
the most spectacular way.
Definitely, and that's verycool that you finally got your
Mars candle.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (31:45):
Yes, definitely, and you know it's
also sometimes is a hilariouswrench as a small business
person when it's like, oh, youknow that eclipse candle needs
to be eclipse charged gems, so Ihave to pre-plan to charge the
gem in a certain eclipse, so ifI'm out of eclipse season I'm
going to have enough gems tomake eclipse.
It's just, it's a littlehilarious.
I'm definitely working with thecosmos a lot of times, whether
(32:08):
it's fluorescence making or herbharvesting or gem charging.
Lane Collins (she/her) (32:12):
Yeah, Well, it's clear why your
candles are so special.
Curious about those materials.
It sounds like you maybeharvest a lot of your own and
make a lot of your own likeessences et cetera.
How does that process takeplace, as you kind of plan out
these candles?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (32:27):
Well, it usually will take a few
months.
So let's say, you know, whenMars came to me it was like this
is within the Mars candle.
I'm like, okay, I'm writing itdown and I'm sort of thinking
about it, I'm letting it simmerand sit.
So to me it's like on, it's onthe burner now.
Right, it's not being fired,but it's like, or whatever the
restaurant thing is, but it's,the tab is up, okay, and so
there might be some changes,like the next day might be like
(32:49):
oh, it's actually red jasper,not carnelian, it's this, not
this, and I'll just make alittle note oh red jasper, oh,
this is this, or it's dark redor whatever it is.
And I'll write little notes onthe piece of paper that I have
on my desk and then I will startreally going into the
production of it.
So for charging gems, I willlook at the astrological timing
(33:11):
and make sure I can charge those.
Most of the time they'renighttime charged, with the
exception of, like sunstone orthe carnelian that goes in the
fire candle.
Some things go solar charged aswell, or they'll be charged
under a certain transit.
So I'll refer to those thingsagain.
With the flower essence, if Idon't have it, I have to see if
I can make it.
If I can't make it, I will getthem from FES that I love.
(33:34):
I'll buy them from sisterspinster or some other type of
witch who I really adore andthink makes great essences, and
that'll also be timed for me,like according to the plant, if
it was in bloom, et cetera.
You know, in the winter mightmake some cedar or some other
types of like restful typeessences.
But and then the herbs, if Idon't grow them or they're not
(33:56):
readily available, like I use adaffodil on the Ostarra candle.
Daffodils aren't blooming allyear round, so I'll have to make
sure I have them when they'repopping up.
I go around the yard and justsnip, snip, snip kind of thing,
but I will put a call out forthose.
Usually with the Mars candlethere isn't like, for instance,
the Mars candle doesn't have anherb, so that's a different kind
(34:16):
of energy.
A lot of times there is aflower or a plant, the oil.
You know, honestly, if Icompletely had my way, I would
probably not use oils at all.
I'll be honest, I'm a reallysensitive person, I'm like a
migraine kind of person, sadly,and I don't like fragrances.
I call my candles almostunscented.
(34:37):
Oil is in there for mostly theenergetic properties.
After that it's not reallygoing to smell the room.
With a few exceptions theastrological sign candles, the
holiday candles and a few othercandles do have more scent and I
do have that on my website islike this is more scented.
People love a smelly candle andthat's one thing I've had to
sort of like bend a little bit,because if they don't smell like
(34:59):
anything at all, people arelike bummer.
So that's like where mybusiness person kind of sneaks
in a little bit.
But I usually say it's therefor, like the energetic
properties, which is also trueIf they happen to smell cool.
Lane Collins (she/her) (35:12):
I'm also a migraine person, so I
actually totally relate andenjoy your candles.
For the light scent, yes, it'svery compatible for me.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (35:22):
And I like to burn multiples at a time
.
I'm burning a Libra candle witha Revolution candle with a
Mercury candle, whatever it is,so I don't want everything
smelling all different andclashing and getting weird, so I
like to keep it simple.
Lane Collins (she/her) (35:37):
Well, a little bit back on your personal
practice.
One thing I just wanted to askabout you've said that you're a
crossroads witch.
I was curious what that meansto you.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (35:47):
Well, it's a label I do wear proudly,
although it is a little bitchallenging at times.
I'm a crossroads witch becauseI really operate from that all
possibilities place.
If you stand at the crossroads,then to me you're at an
alignment, you're at a place ofchoice.
I'm somebody who reallybelieves in choice.
(36:07):
I really believe intransformation.
As a non-binary trans person, Ibelieve in transforming not
only your body, being able tolive in this world as somebody
who is ever evolving and evertransforming.
And for me, living at thecrossroads it could be life or
death.
It could be drawing somethingtowards you and pushing
something away.
It's just a little bit of thatpolarity.
(36:28):
I don't really like to live inthe black or white polarity
spaces.
I like to operate in the middle.
I'm a mutable sign person.
I really thrive in thatmutability.
And when I was working with thecrossroads more intently when I
was in the magic schoolcommunity, I was doing a lot of
work with Hecate.
(36:49):
I was doing a lot of thingswhere it was around death
priestessing.
I did some living funeral work.
I do a lot of pet death thingslike that.
I thought maybe I wanted to bea death doula.
I wasn't sure.
I don't think that's my routeanymore, although last week I
got an alert on my phone fromBlack Cat DOA on my street down
(37:09):
the way and I just can't.
That's my work.
I put my gloves on and it'sraining and I went down there to
get that cat out of the middleof the street.
Because that's just who I am.
To me that's being a crossroadswitch.
It's for me, looking at thein-between spaces, and in the
in-between spaces all things arepossible.
You're not subscribed to theone idea or the other.
(37:31):
You're operating in a place ofever-evolving, like I said,
ever-transforming.
Again, that's probably why I'mreally drawn to candle magic,
because I like the art and themagic of transformation, and
that's what you're doing withthis.
I still like death work andthat still resonates when I
think about crossroads.
But to me it's a little bitdeeper.
It just feels more like I'mcomfortable in the uncomfortable
(37:53):
places and I don't subscribe todark witch, whatever good witch
which I operate in the placesof.
We're doing the best that wecan as humans and sometimes we
have to operate in the placethat is in between to really
make some magical things happen.
Jackie Peterson (any pronoun (38:10):
So yeah, yeah, that really
resonates.
I've read and heard fromvarious sources that mutable
signs are.
We're the folks that helppeople through the transitions.
We're the folks that are verycomfortable with the unknown and
we help people sort of movethrough those portals in life
from one state of being toanother and I can see, yeah, why
(38:31):
you're really drawn to that.
Well, what's your sign actually?
Lane and I are both Pisces sons.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (38:38):
Oh, I love this Amazing A double
Pisces podcast.
Wow, no one's called Outer.
Known Jesus You're really onthe nose here.
I love it.
Well, I'm a sage.
I got a Gemini rising, soworking that mutability as well.
Double fire, hmm, double fire.
Yeah, I have a lot of fire anda lot of air.
(39:00):
Makes sense as a candle witch,right.
Lane Collins (she/her) (39:02):
I know Exactly yeah.
Jackie Peterson (any prono (39:03):
Well , Bran, thank you so much.
You've given us so much to chewon and to think about and we
really appreciate you sharing somuch of your story and your
journey.
And if our listeners areinterested in learning more
about you and your work andpotentially purchasing some of
your beautiful candles, wherecan they find you?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (39:21):
It's been my pleasure.
I love being on this podcast.
Anyone can find me atmagichourcandlescom.
Again, that'smagichourcandlescom, and you can
use the code Outer Known for adiscount on your order.
Lane Collins (she/her) (39:35):
Am I allowed to use that?
Yes, you are, of course you are.
Oh my God, you're cute.
I can't help it.
I'm like constantly buying yourcandles.
Thank you so much, bran, it'sjust been an absolute pleasure.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (39:49):
It's my pleasure to be here.
Thanks so much for having me.
Thank you.
Lane Collins (she/her) (40:21):
The next episode was edited by Lane
Collins and produced by LaneCollins and Jackie Peterson.
Our theme music is by theever-talented Smoke Benito and
our cover artwork is by EricSantino.
Until next time, Blastic Bee.
That's your center.
That's the place of allpossibility.
The center is the spaces inbetween.
It's in between the inhale andthe exhale.
It's the place where mysterylives, and that also lives
inside of you ["Inner Knowing"].
Jackie Peterson (any pr (00:20):
Welcome to the Outer Known, a podcast
that shines a light on the outeredges of Inner Knowing Lane.
I love candles.
(00:40):
I know you do too, but I'venever really thought much about
the sort of ritual aroundburning candles and the kinds of
things that you can do withthem.
Lane Collins (she/her) (00:49):
It's funny.
You never think when you becomea witch like how prepared
you're gonna be during a poweroutage ["Inner Knowing"], but
that's something that Iconstantly laugh at myself about
.
I am well prepared.
My entire house can be a light.
So candle magic is definitely.
Whatever your approach, whetheryou're a witch or not, a witch
(01:11):
can be something that's soaccessible and so easy to make
your own, and today's guest haslong been my favorite candle
maker, so I have just been overthe moon excited to talk with
them.
Jackie Peterson (any prono (01:23):
Yeah , brandtaylor is so brilliant
and accessible is a really greatword to use because in our
conversation with them I wasreally just blown away about
their approach to candle magic.
The way that they make candles,the way that they talk about
ritual and candles is soapproachable that I was like,
(01:44):
yes, absolutely, I can do thistomorrow.
This feels very something thatI can very easily grasp and sort
of make my own, which I thinkyou know as somebody who is sort
of maybe magic adjacent, as notsort of a full practitioner.
It's really nice to hear, whenpeople have that open invitation
and share in a way, that it'ssomething you feel like, oh, I
(02:08):
can try that out for myself andsee if this fits and if it does
like ways that I can really putmy own stamp on it.
Lane Collins (she/her) (02:15):
Yeah, something I like to say is we're
all doing magic all the time.
Even something like a visionboard can be magic if you want
it to, and that's what I'vealways loved about candles.
It's often something like if Ihave a friend who's like, how do
I kind of get into this.
It's one of the first things Irecommend is working with a
candle.
So definitely.
Well, let's get to ourinterview with Brandt.
(02:35):
["the Outer Known"].
Brandt, welcome to the OuterKnown.
Yay, thanks for having me.
It's so exciting to have youhere.
I have been using your candlesfor years now.
I'm so excited to talk to youabout some candle magic.
So I know that your journey asa witch has been four decades in
(02:56):
the making.
So how did that begin?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (02:58):
I know it makes me sound really old
when I say four decades in themaking, but that is really the
truth, and no shame in being anolder person.
I first got my first tarot deckwhen I was in high school and I
was really very obsessed withit.
I would do readings for myself,I would do readings for my
friends.
I really just delved intoeverything.
(03:20):
That was the cards, the imagery, et cetera.
It was the Toth deck foranybody listening and familiar
with tarot, and the Toth deckwas still is my number one
favorite deck that I read from.
I'm not quite like an Alias,your Crowley fan, but I am a fan
of the imagery and the art onthe cards.
So I started there and then,from that place, just sort of
(03:42):
added more things to my toolbelt slowly over the next 30
plus years.
Lane Collins (she/her) (03:47):
I am also a big fan of the Toth deck.
It's one I use really regularly.
What about the imagery?
Do you love?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (03:54):
Well, I like that it's obviously a
departure from the traditionalPixie Coleman Smith has to say
deck, and I like the imagerybecause there's not a lot of
people, especially in the miners.
I actually like just dealingwith, whether it's arrows or
obviously cups or the coins,things like that, just to really
delve into the things thataren't so tied to our humaneness
(04:17):
.
I really resonated with that.
I like how they kind oftransposed a few things in the
majors.
I thought that was a little bitinteresting and I also think
that the art itself is quitebeautiful.
If I was going to like hangsome tarot art on my wall, I
might pick the Justice card orthe Aeon or something that
really had a cool, rich historyand a really beautiful art.
Lane Collins (she/her) (04:40):
Totally agree.
Well, you may can sell, as Imentioned, the most incredible,
most powerful candles with yourbusiness magic hour.
So what first drew you tocandle magic and how did you
start on that path?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (04:52):
Well, I have been using candle magic in
my solitary practice, which Ihad for a long time, throughout
my 20s and into my early 30s,and I would usually go to a
candle store there was one inSan Francisco where I used to
live, and I would, not, knowingreally anything, ask the women
who worked there to sort ofbless and dress so what they
(05:14):
called it bless and dress acandle for me, and they would
ask me what I wanted it for,whether it was a job or love or
whatever, and I would go homeand just sort of light it with
some intention but not totallyknowing what I was doing.
I definitely had a pull towardscandle magic.
I had a candle magic book thatI sadly stole.
I don't advocate stealing.
Ok, this is.
(05:35):
I definitely, as a child of theMidwest without a lot of
resources, stole some thingsfrom my local witch shop.
Do not advocate this readers, Imean listeners.
But I did do some things whereyou're like anointing the candle
with oil, red is for love andda, da, da, da, da, da da, all
the assignments that were in thebook, and I did those things
(05:56):
for a while when I was in theWest Coast, got things blessed
and dressed for me, notcompletely understanding what
was on top.
What is in this candle?
Why do I want?
What's about it?
And then when I moved toPortland in like the mid 2000s,
there was a place called Orleanswhich was a family that was
actually displaced fromHurricane Katrina.
(06:17):
They had moved here afterKatrina I'm not positive the
date of that but I started goingthere when they opened and they
had, I mean, more candles thanI've ever seen in my entire life
, like candles for everything,and I got all my candle magic
there.
I deepened into my practice andwhen they moved back to New
Orleans they closed their shop,moved back.
There wasn't really anywherefor me to buy candles, so I
(06:39):
started making my own.
What a wonderful introduction.
Jackie Peterson (any pronou (06:43):
For our listeners who aren't
familiar, can you talk a littlebit about what candle magic is
and how it works?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (06:49):
Yes.
So there's a couple ofdifferent ways to separate this.
One is like a candle, where youcan like a taper candle that
you can have and hold in yourhand, that the wax in your hand
have a direct contact, and thenthere's a candle in a container
and that could be any type ofcontainer, could be any type of
wax, et cetera.
Candle magic you use a littlebit differently with either of
(07:10):
those, but the intention can bethe same.
Candle magic is putting yourintention right.
So I believe that magic is theart of changing your environment
with your intention and it'sabout putting your intention
into wax, which the wax I use issoy, some people use bees wax,
there's paraffin wax, coconutwax, et cetera, and it's about
(07:30):
putting your intention into thisnatural form.
And the natural form is reallyspecial to me because it
transforms and it's a physicalrepresentation of your intention
.
As you put your intention intothe candle, really feeling like
whatever your wish or whateveroutcome you want to have come
out, you can write on the candleif it's in a container.
(07:51):
You can scratch into the wax ifit's a taper.
There's no wrong way to dothings like this.
It's just about your energy andintention going into this wax
and when you light it, I reallyresonate with the fact that it's
transforming in front of you.
And for me, when you have anintention, you want something to
change, your goal is thatsomething is either changing or
(08:13):
shifting, whatever your goal is.
So it's a physicalrepresentation of that, and it
also changes by going into theair or into the atmosphere or
into spirit, and I reallyresonate with that.
I like watching the candlesburn.
I like seeing the progressionof them.
I also like letting it go whenthey're done and they've gone
(08:34):
out.
It's a really nice, tangibleway to work with magic.
Lane Collins (she/her) (08:37):
Let's dive in a little bit more on the
practical side of using one ofyour candles or a candle.
You've got the candle, it's infront of you.
How do you kind of likerecommend that people start the
process?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (08:48):
Hmm, okay.
So if you have like a sourncandle, here it is, it's so
beautiful, excited about it, you, let's say, with this sourn,
you're going to want to connectwith your ancestors, you're
going to want to like have adeeper type of feeling of
releasing, letting go, turningtowards the dark part of the
(09:09):
year, allowing yourself to shedyour skin, things like that.
Maybe you are looking for achange or looking for something
to just help you sort of let goand also feel the support from
your beloved dad, from yourancestry, from you know, whoever
you your, the queers who havepassed that you honor and love.
Whatever, whoever it is.
I would for myself, I like towrite on the candles.
(09:30):
I like to have them be a littlebit less precious, which is why
most of my candles are made inpretty, not fancy jars.
The sourn candle happens to bea fancy jar, but I still would
write like, maybe in the namesof my beloved dead, I might use
a sharpie and just drawsomething on here.
If I wanted.
I might write like compost orrelease, unwind, let go,
(09:52):
surrender, whatever it would befor me.
Or maybe it's like dreaming ofmy ancestors or dancing with
whoever you know.
Whatever I want to draw and Imight actually physically write
it on the candle.
Sometimes I'll do like a littlescratch on the wax, on the top
of the wax where the herbs are.
You can use a pen, you coulduse a knife, you can use
whatever you want.
I'm not a person who you haveto use your sacred tools for
(10:14):
every single thing.
You could use a butter knife orwhatever you want to.
You could scratch onto the wax,you could draw on the wax and
let's say you're done with that,or you just want to hold it
that's also an option to holdthe candle.
I say ground and center yourself, and what that means is, if
you're not familiar, if you're anew witch, you're grounding
yourself.
So you're feeling your body intime and space that you're at.
(10:35):
You're expanding your rootsdown into the center of the
earth with a breath, with yourenergy going as slow or as fast
as you want to.
You're going down to the heartof the earth, the pulsating you
know.
I call that the dark star orthe like heart of the earth,
whatever you want to call it andthen you're allowing that, like
regenerative creation typeenergy to come up all the way
(10:58):
through the layers of the earthas slow or fast as you want up
into your body, kind of allowingthat to settle, allowing that
to be in your body.
And then you're doing the samething, going up, releasing your
energy up into the cosmos.
You're finding the star that isone of your oldest ancestors.
You're allowing your energy togo up there, say hello, have a
little drink of cosmic stardust.
(11:18):
Whatever you want to believe,whatever feels good to you
there's no right or wrong andallowing that, like energy from
the cosmos, that beautiful, likespark, the inspiration, all of
the big perspective, to comedown, rain down upon you, in
through your crown, and thenfinding a place where those two
things mix.
To me that's your center.
That's the place of allpossibility.
(11:38):
The center is the spaces inbetween.
It's in between the inhale andthe exhale.
It's the place where mysterylives and that also lives inside
of you.
So you're allowing yourself tofind that place.
Find wherever it resonates foryou.
Maybe it's your chest, maybeit's your belly, whatever it
feels like is your center.
And then that's grounding andcentering yourself.
(11:59):
When you're holding the candlein your hands and you're stating
I like to just say it aloud ifpossible your intention or your
wish, holding that intention orwish placing it in an altar,
placing it anywhere you wantLike I said, there's no right or
wrong for this, it's just whatyour magic calls for and then,
using a flame you can use amatch, you can use a lighter,
(12:19):
you could use whatever you wantand allowing yourself to light
that candle and then reallyletting that whole intention,
maybe with a few breaths, gointo the candle.
So you're not walking aroundholding it necessarily, you're
letting the candle be like aplaceholder for you.
You're letting the candle havethat intention.
It's not separate from you,it's just an extension of you
and it gets to be your magicaltool for that time.
Lane Collins (she/her) (12:39):
How do you recommend?
Like once a candle has gone out, what do you do with either the
leftover wax or the leftover,in your case, the glass
container?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (12:48):
I recommend making sure you get
all the wax out.
So you could do that by boilingboiling water into the vessel,
by putting it into like a doubleboiler kind of situation where,
like a warm boiling water cupwith the candle inside, melting
the wax, and then you pour itout onto like a paper towel or
whatever you want, and in mycase you would get a gem.
Almost all my candles contain agem at the bottom and in that
(13:11):
case you're going to be removingthe gem at that time and other
candles are just getting all thewax out, no matter what.
And if the wax is leftover,like once the flame is out, I
don't think the wax is like soprecious that it has to be like
done something with.
I just like to have thecontainer be like let's clear it
, let's clean it, the flame isthe power right, so let's let
(13:32):
that all go.
You can compost those papertowels into your normal, you
know city compost and then withthe glass containers they can go
through for me, they can gothrough the dishwasher, you can
wash those and recycle them.
Or if you're local to Portland,you can return them to me and I
will reuse.
Oh, that's amazing.
Good to know.
Lane Collins (she/her) (13:49):
I'm curious too.
You were mentioning kind of thedifferent types of wax.
Is there you know a specificreason you use one versus
another?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (13:55):
Yeah, I mean for me when I started
using candles in general isparaffin wax.
I only use paraffin wax becausethat's what usually candles
that you would go into atraditional sort of candle shop
you would get a paraffin waxcandle and I didn't personally
want to use paraffin wax.
The heat point is too high.
It's made from mineral oil.
You know it's like a petroleumbyproduct and I didn't want to
(14:17):
use that.
I also don't want to inhale theoff gas from paraffin wax.
A beeswax also is a limitedresource.
I love beeswax candles but it'sthe amount of candles that I
make, the amount of beeswax Iwould go through and the cost
they would have to be isextremely high.
Think about beeswax as beingfour times the price of any
other wax.
Paraffin is the cheapest, soit's kind of in the middle.
(14:38):
I've used this wax for a longtime.
I've gone through a fewdifferent soy brands.
Some of them actually didn'tsurvive the pandemic, which is
sad.
But it's non GMO, 100% soy wax.
It takes color really well.
It melts evenly.
You know I'm not afraid ofinhaling the off gasing.
It's not going to be toxic toyou in any way, which is
important to me.
Lane Collins (she/her) (14:57):
Yeah, I've heard a little bit about
that with paraffin wax and neverreally realized like how toxic
it was until I started burning alot more candles as a witch?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (15:06):
Yeah, definitely.
Jackie Peterson (any pronouns (15:08):
I appreciate that thoughtfulness
in the sourcing and making surethat you're using non toxic
things and being earth friendly.
Lane Collins (she/her) (15:15):
Well, as you mentioned, I know there's
like different colorcorrespondences.
You put gemstones and, Ibelieve, like herbs and or
essential oils in your candlesas well.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthat and kind of how you design
each one?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (15:28):
Yes, so when I first started making
candles, it was 2011.
And, like I said, my belovedOrleans went out of business.
I had nowhere to buy candles,okay, and I decided to use soy
wax.
It was readily available to me.
I wanted the tall, traditionalseven day burning candle or in
my case, 120 hours burningcandle and I started making them
(15:50):
for a new moon group that Ihosted from about 2010 to 2012
and maybe even also into 2013 alittle bit, but I would have
folks over for new moon and Iwould make candles depending on
that new moon, and my intentionreally was I didn't really know
what to put in the candles atfirst.
I was an astrologer at the timeI just finished my astrology
(16:12):
apprenticeship around that timeand so I was a working
astrologer and I just sort ofused the plant correspondences
and the gemstone correspondencesfor that new moon, and that's
kind of how I started pairingthose things up the color, the
herb, the essential oil and thegem.
So those were kind of my threecomponents to start.
Now I have evolved into a widerscope.
(16:35):
Not all the candles containgems, because they don't have to
, and we can talk about that ina little bit, but every candle
is a little bit more.
It's made in a different typeof way and I am also mostly
using herbs that are readilyavailable to me that either I
grow, a which friend of minegrows.
I'm not using any herbs thatare like not of this land or not
(16:55):
of my lineage.
And the gems I use, I try touse as small of pieces as
humanly possible because theyare a limited resource and they
still really want to be in thecandles and maybe someday I'll
take them out, but at this timeI still.
I mean, gemstone magic wassomething that I used for so
long in my solitary practice andI feel like it's still
(17:15):
important to be in there.
But you know, everything isevolving.
I've been doing this for since2012.
So some things have changed,some things have been renamed,
some some things are different.
You know it's a little bitdifferent and as far as the like
correspondences go, I decidedto sort of not go with the
traditional correspondences ingeneral.
(17:35):
There's lots of books aroundcandle correspondences written
by different practices,different types of magical folks
, different types of witchesthat say, like this color is for
this, is colors for this and I.
That just didn't really seemlike it applied for me and this
would flow into how I makecandles.
But when I'm making a candleI'm asking the candle or it's
(17:56):
being presented to me as a colorand I go just proceed with that
information.
So you'll see that like I uselike a white candle to dispel
things, like a clearing candleversus a lot of other things,
other practitioners, I thinkthat that would use a black
candle to kind of like get ridof things, dispel negativity.
I like using white to do that.
My love candle is like a softpink or like even a hot pink
(18:20):
versus our red.
Like you know, I just sort ofwant to do things that feel a
little more me and hopefullypeople resonate with it.
Lane Collins (she/her) (18:27):
I certainly do.
I have to say like I thinksomething that really kind of
progressed my own witchcraftpractice was like realizing that
it's foundationally an animusto practice.
You develop relationships withmaterials, with plants, with
colors, to your point and I justI always want there to be a
(18:47):
perfect answer like thiscorresponds to this and this and
this, this planet and thisplant, and I think this is
actually confusing.
You know how it can be quitedifferent in different books and
different.
You know, if you're studyingyour ancestors work and then new
age witchcraft book, like whatis this?
You know, why is this alldifferent?
And I think you really have toto some degree develop your own
(19:09):
relationship and kind of whatyou were saying like based on
your own lineage, your ownhistories.
So I love that, I love thatyou've done that.
What?
What's your personal favoritecandle that you've created?
Ooh, that's fun.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (19:21):
Well, a little bit of me wants to say
revolution.
Because that candle, all theproceeds go to a different
organization.
I did that starting whenStanding Rock happened, and so I
have just switched whoever themoney is going to, whether it's
like Southern Poverty Law Centeror Trevor Project or whatever.
But I like that.
That's kind of like.
I mean, it's sad that we need arevolution candle for a
(19:44):
different thing all the time,but that's just the world that
we're living in.
I'm really proud of that andI'm proud to have a consistent
thing that benefit at all times.
So that's definitely a favorite.
The art candles one of mypersonal favorites.
I actually just changed.
The art candle Used to have afloor right at the bottom Floor.
Right is very hard to get andin a small size, and it's also
(20:05):
very fragile and didn't feelright to be in there.
So now every art candle has amystery gem and I just have a
whole jar of mystery gems.
I just put my hand in there andpull one out.
So whatever you get is what youget and they're all.
Every single art candle isdifferent, so they're fun to
make and fun to pour.
Jackie Peterson (any prono (20:21):
That is really fun.
I love that.
Lane Collins (she/her) (20:23):
The gems are great.
I totally understand.
You know you're thinking around.
Maybe someday they'll have togo away.
I will say, like I reallyespecially with your candles, I
just have a real connection withthem.
Each one that I've used I'vekind of developed a real like
relationship with and every timethat gemstone comes out of the
bottom I'm like okay, like allof my intention is like kind of
absorbed in the stone and itfeels extra beautiful.
(20:45):
You know, I can have that as aremainder on my altar or put in
my pocket or carry it with me inmy purse like whatever I need
to do.
But just want to say like Ilove them.
They're so great.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (20:54):
Okay, good, good, good, me too, me too
.
Jackie Peterson (any prono (20:57):
Talk to us a little bit about your
witchcraft practice and how thatkind of feeds into your candle
making.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (21:04):
Okay, so I, you know, started out with
Reading Tarot.
I went through a solitary witchpractice through my 20s and
early 30s.
It wasn't always in theforefront, but it was definitely
there.
I deepened into that by.
I used to go to like a women'sgathering in my 20s and early
30s and saw some older witchesreally doing powerful magic and
(21:27):
I was very intrigued, I wasblown away.
I thought they were like socool and I wanted to learn from
them.
So bad, okay, like very cool.
And I took, you know, workshopswhen I could, whether it was
like learn astrology or learninga broom making or whatever.
And when I was in my mid 30s Ientered into a mystery school
(21:52):
and I spent eight and a halfnine years in mystery school.
It used to be called the blueiris mystery school.
I believe it's now called thegolden web mystery school.
I'm no longer teaching orworking with the school, but I'm
a graduate.
I've done, I've devotedprobably I mean I've devoted
years of my life, but reallyevery weekend of my life for
literally years to that schooland the practice and working
(22:15):
with a couple teachers, one ofwhich is Collette Gardner, who's
an incredible witch and Ireally love her.
She's very dear to me and thatwas in a big community.
So I went from working alone orwith just like a small group of
people, like at the women'scircles and stuff, and then I
went into like a huge communityyou know our saun rituals or
hundreds of people.
You know it was a different.
(22:35):
It was a completely.
You know we're putting on witchcamps, we're putting on like
very elaborate, like productionvalue type rituals and you know
me being teaching.
I was reading tarot, I wasdoing astrology and I was doing
candle making.
So there was a lot of thingsthat were overlapping during
that time and in 2019, theschool kind of imploded.
(22:57):
Honestly, one of the teacherswas called out.
You know we all have some harmfrom that teacher and I do
believe that teacher canhopefully find some healing for
herself.
But there's been a lot of harmcaused by her and her methods
and I didn't really want to beaffiliated with the school
anymore.
Even though I learned so muchand I really have a soft spot
(23:20):
for the teachers that wereinvolved.
I do miss doing ritual in alarge group.
Now in the since 2019, it's beena smaller thing for me.
I had to.
Really it's kind of a spiritualcrisis I had to go through and
be like, okay, whoa, what ifeverything that I was taught is
bullshit?
Okay, then what?
Okay, well, I can go back tohow I used to practice magic.
(23:42):
Well, I learned from books andfrom these women in the woods
who are probably terfs let's bereal and, like you know, just
like things that just didn'tfeel right and like all my
elders, kind of feeling likethey're like letting me down and
it's.
I didn't want to throw themaway, but I also didn't know
what to do with the teachingsand how much of them came from
narcissism or from spirit.
(24:03):
So, having that like confrontedfor myself, I had to really
rewind.
I had a lot of grief I mean somuch grief this is summer of
2019 into the fall.
Obviously, we know whathappened in the early 2020.
So it just was like and then itjust became like isolation for
me, my spiritual community and,of course, just for everybody in
(24:25):
general, and I had to reset.
And for me, in 2020, 2021, andeven 2022, I had to rewind and
go back to something as basic asokay, do I believe magic is
real?
And like, ask myself thatquestion in the morning, right,
maybe pull a card, even if Idon't believe in it at the
moment and just be like whatdoes this have to tell me I can
(24:46):
take or leave it?
Every day was like a one day ata time vibe for me.
The only thing that I couldcount on every single day was
magic is real, because the treeexhales and I inhale.
Gravity holds me on this earth.
I am in relationship with thistree, I'm in relationship with
nature, I'm in relationship withthe beings that are around me,
(25:07):
whether they're seen or unseen,and I had to really just have a
reset and it was slow and griefridden and rich and methodical.
Every day, having that practiceand I'm not saying I'm totally
through it I feel open in a newway and also producing candles
during that time a littlechallenging.
(25:27):
I didn't create a lot of newthings during that phase.
I just kind of did what Inormally did and, yeah, I'm
grateful to be kind of at adifferent place with it now, but
I'm still evolving.
Jackie Peterson (any pron (25:38):
Thank you for sharing that.
That's a very powerful storyand just kind of a reminder that
sometimes we really need toforce ourselves to go back to
those very elemental, very basicquestions when we don't really
know what else to do or don'treally see any other immediate
answers.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (25:56):
Yeah, and even if you are part of a
community or have a teacher Imean, our teacher was like
there's no more trained witchesin America than you.
I could do a ritual that wouldlike blow your socks off in 30
minutes I just was like very,very like I was a good teacher.
I was really entrenched at whatI believed and then for me to
be like that doesn't matter andthat's not the only way to do
(26:19):
this, and part of that was myteacher's narcissism and like
what does that leave me?
What was my role in that?
You know, like ugh it just.
You know I was able to kind ofstrip back the layers to get to
some basic belief systems andknow that it doesn't.
All the other stuff doesn'treally matter.
What matters is do I feel inrelationship with my magic?
(26:40):
Do I feel like I am doingsomething that's good for myself
in the world?
Am I, when I do magic, am Imoving between the worlds?
Do I feel like I'm affectingthings in a good way as an agent
of change?
You know things like that.
Lane Collins (she/her) (26:54):
Yeah, it's really going back to the
foundation.
Like, as you were talking aboutit, I kind of kept envisioning
the tower card and the tarot andthe tower card moment.
That's, yeah, thank you forsharing that.
I really relate to that in alot of ways and just kind of
constantly in my practice, goingback to like healthy skepticism
, trying to understand what Itruly believe versus what I've
(27:15):
read or have been taught, andjust trying to feel my way
through it.
So, thank you, thank you forsharing that Well, in terms of
like, where you are now in yourpersonal belief system and kind
of continuing to make thecandles through that.
What do you believe now aboutmagic and what makes it powerful
?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (27:35):
I think what I believe now is I'm
leaning more into the thingsthat are intangible to my
humanness, and being a human isreally cool.
I'm so glad that I chose to bea human or you know what
happened to be a human thislifetime?
Who knows?
But I'm kind of leaning intothe things where it's like I.
The truth is, I don't know ifthis is working.
(27:56):
I don't know, but I do believethat my intention is most of the
magic, right?
So the other part of the magicis unknown to me and I'm not
trying to act like I know it andI'm the only one who knows what
this magic is, or I don't think.
I mean, maybe people do knowthat, but it's not for me to
know and I don't want to gethung up on it.
(28:17):
There's no right or wrong wayto do things.
I don't believe in that at all.
I don't think that somebodymaking candles for three months
is making a more powerful candlethan someone's making it for 12
years.
It doesn't matter.
Everyone's thing is different.
We're all bringing somethingunique to the table and there's
room for everybody here.
So kind of getting out of myego in those ways and just
(28:41):
allowing my intention to be asclear as possible and then kind
of just handing it over,surrendering the rest.
Because that's the part ofmagic I don't know and I'm not
going to know and nor do I wantto, because that's to me like
where the specialness kind ofcomes in and my intention can be
as clear as I want it to be,but I don't want it just to be
(29:01):
so human and mundane.
I want to have spirit kind ofcome over and be in conversation
with me.
I want to have it be inrelationship and you know I also
do a lot of listening.
So one way I make the candlesas well is I only listen.
I this is challenging.
I made originally I made like agrand trine candle.
I made more like astrologybased candles, lilith candles,
(29:23):
things like that.
Those were very, very beginning.
And then I woke up and was likeI have to make a healing candle
and it has this, this, this andthis, and that I'm not doing
anything.
I'm just waking up and thinkingthis is what it is.
And then I was like what color?
I'm asking questions, whatcolor is it?
Oh, it's this color, and I'mjust listening and creating what
I'm given.
Right, and that is how I mean.
I'm not going to say 100%, butI'm going to say 98% of these
(29:47):
candles are made and they don'treally deviate that much from
the original intention.
For instance, I wanted to make aMars candle.
For years, literally years Iwas like I just feel like I need
a Mars candle, I need thisenergy.
Of course it's Mars.
I'm really trying to wield thisinto like fruition, right, and
it's not happening.
Not happening, not happening.
(30:07):
I'm doing, I'm pulling cardsabout it.
I'm waiting till Mars is out ofretrograde and I can, and it's
perfectly aligned in my chart Da, da, da, da, da, you know.
And then I, literally, afterit's about three years in the
waiting and in the waiting roomfor Mars Okay, that Mars finally
was like opening the door andbeing like oh, are you here for
your appointment?
Great, and it was completelylaid out and it was like okay,
(30:29):
here it was the gem, the this,the this.
Also, it has like ritual fireash in it and I needed to have
that at a certain time.
You know it has to have allthese things in it that are
totally aligned and I was likethank you, I'm not using my will
to create these things.
There's a few exceptions, butthe majority of the candles are
just made with me.
I'll say, like I want to make aart candle Please show me
(30:51):
what's in there and it takes.
Sometimes we'll take a longtime.
Mars took three years.
So I am really trying to turnon my listening ears as much as
possible and I do make, like youknow, a hundred things.
It's not.
I actually sometimes need toturn the volume down a little
bit.
Sometimes we don't need allthose things, but it's still fun
and I'm still showing up for it.
It's home.
Lane Collins (she/her) (31:11):
I love that.
I've always been like reallycurious about your process
because, as I've said, I've usedmany of your candles and it
sounds like there's kind of aspecific recipe and like
astrological timing and all ofthe things that go into it.
I love that.
Jackie Peterson (any prono (31:26):
Yeah , that's really so fun to hear,
because sometimes I think we getso caught up in our own well,
this is what I want and this iswhat I think it should be and
sometimes the patience and thelistening really does pay off in
the most spectacular way.
Definitely, and that's verycool that you finally got your
Mars candle.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (31:45):
Yes, definitely, and you know it's
also sometimes is a hilariouswrench as a small business
person when it's like, oh, youknow that eclipse candle needs
to be eclipse charged gems, so Ihave to pre-plan to charge the
gem in a certain eclipse, so ifI'm out of eclipse season I'm
going to have enough gems tomake eclipse.
It's just, it's a littlehilarious.
I'm definitely working with thecosmos a lot of times, whether
(32:08):
it's fluorescence making or herbharvesting or gem charging.
Lane Collins (she/her) (32:12):
Yeah, Well, it's clear why your
candles are so special.
Curious about those materials.
It sounds like you maybeharvest a lot of your own and
make a lot of your own likeessences et cetera.
How does that process takeplace, as you kind of plan out
these candles?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (32:27):
Well, it usually will take a few
months.
So let's say, you know, whenMars came to me it was like this
is within the Mars candle.
I'm like, okay, I'm writing itdown and I'm sort of thinking
about it, I'm letting it simmerand sit.
So to me it's like on, it's onthe burner now.
Right, it's not being fired,but it's like, or whatever the
restaurant thing is, but it's,the tab is up, okay, and so
there might be some changes,like the next day might be like
(32:49):
oh, it's actually red jasper,not carnelian, it's this, not
this, and I'll just make alittle note oh red jasper, oh,
this is this, or it's dark redor whatever it is.
And I'll write little notes onthe piece of paper that I have
on my desk and then I will startreally going into the
production of it.
So for charging gems, I willlook at the astrological timing
(33:11):
and make sure I can charge those.
Most of the time they'renighttime charged, with the
exception of, like sunstone orthe carnelian that goes in the
fire candle.
Some things go solar charged aswell, or they'll be charged
under a certain transit.
So I'll refer to those thingsagain.
With the flower essence, if Idon't have it, I have to see if
I can make it.
If I can't make it, I will getthem from FES that I love.
(33:34):
I'll buy them from sisterspinster or some other type of
witch who I really adore andthink makes great essences, and
that'll also be timed for me,like according to the plant, if
it was in bloom, et cetera.
You know, in the winter mightmake some cedar or some other
types of like restful typeessences.
But and then the herbs, if Idon't grow them or they're not
(33:56):
readily available, like I use adaffodil on the Ostarra candle.
Daffodils aren't blooming allyear round, so I'll have to make
sure I have them when they'repopping up.
I go around the yard and justsnip, snip, snip kind of thing,
but I will put a call out forthose.
Usually with the Mars candlethere isn't like, for instance,
the Mars candle doesn't have anherb, so that's a different kind
(34:16):
of energy.
A lot of times there is aflower or a plant, the oil.
You know, honestly, if Icompletely had my way, I would
probably not use oils at all.
I'll be honest, I'm a reallysensitive person, I'm like a
migraine kind of person, sadly,and I don't like fragrances.
I call my candles almostunscented.
(34:37):
Oil is in there for mostly theenergetic properties.
After that it's not reallygoing to smell the room.
With a few exceptions theastrological sign candles, the
holiday candles and a few othercandles do have more scent and I
do have that on my website islike this is more scented.
People love a smelly candle andthat's one thing I've had to
sort of like bend a little bit,because if they don't smell like
(34:59):
anything at all, people arelike bummer.
So that's like where mybusiness person kind of sneaks
in a little bit.
But I usually say it's therefor, like the energetic
properties, which is also trueIf they happen to smell cool.
Lane Collins (she/her) (35:12):
I'm also a migraine person, so I
actually totally relate andenjoy your candles.
For the light scent, yes, it'svery compatible for me.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (35:22):
And I like to burn multiples at a time
.
I'm burning a Libra candle witha Revolution candle with a
Mercury candle, whatever it is,so I don't want everything
smelling all different andclashing and getting weird, so I
like to keep it simple.
Lane Collins (she/her) (35:37):
Well, a little bit back on your personal
practice.
One thing I just wanted to askabout you've said that you're a
crossroads witch.
I was curious what that meansto you.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (35:47):
Well, it's a label I do wear proudly,
although it is a little bitchallenging at times.
I'm a crossroads witch becauseI really operate from that all
possibilities place.
If you stand at the crossroads,then to me you're at an
alignment, you're at a place ofchoice.
I'm somebody who reallybelieves in choice.
(36:07):
I really believe intransformation.
As a non-binary trans person, Ibelieve in transforming not
only your body, being able tolive in this world as somebody
who is ever evolving and evertransforming.
And for me, living at thecrossroads it could be life or
death.
It could be drawing somethingtowards you and pushing
something away.
It's just a little bit of thatpolarity.
(36:28):
I don't really like to live inthe black or white polarity
spaces.
I like to operate in the middle.
I'm a mutable sign person.
I really thrive in thatmutability.
And when I was working with thecrossroads more intently when I
was in the magic schoolcommunity, I was doing a lot of
work with Hecate.
(36:49):
I was doing a lot of thingswhere it was around death
priestessing.
I did some living funeral work.
I do a lot of pet death thingslike that.
I thought maybe I wanted to bea death doula.
I wasn't sure.
I don't think that's my routeanymore, although last week I
got an alert on my phone fromBlack Cat DOA on my street down
(37:09):
the way and I just can't.
That's my work.
I put my gloves on and it'sraining and I went down there to
get that cat out of the middleof the street.
Because that's just who I am.
To me that's being a crossroadswitch.
It's for me, looking at thein-between spaces, and in the
in-between spaces all things arepossible.
You're not subscribed to theone idea or the other.
(37:31):
You're operating in a place ofever-evolving, like I said,
ever-transforming.
Again, that's probably why I'mreally drawn to candle magic,
because I like the art and themagic of transformation, and
that's what you're doing withthis.
I still like death work andthat still resonates when I
think about crossroads.
But to me it's a little bitdeeper.
It just feels more like I'mcomfortable in the uncomfortable
(37:53):
places and I don't subscribe todark witch, whatever good witch
which I operate in the placesof.
We're doing the best that wecan as humans and sometimes we
have to operate in the placethat is in between to really
make some magical things happen.
Jackie Peterson (any pronoun (38:10):
So yeah, yeah, that really
resonates.
I've read and heard fromvarious sources that mutable
signs are.
We're the folks that helppeople through the transitions.
We're the folks that are verycomfortable with the unknown and
we help people sort of movethrough those portals in life
from one state of being toanother and I can see, yeah, why
(38:31):
you're really drawn to that.
Well, what's your sign actually?
Lane and I are both Pisces sons.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (38:38):
Oh, I love this Amazing A double
Pisces podcast.
Wow, no one's called Outer.
Known Jesus You're really onthe nose here.
I love it.
Well, I'm a sage.
I got a Gemini rising, soworking that mutability as well.
Double fire, hmm, double fire.
Yeah, I have a lot of fire anda lot of air.
(39:00):
Makes sense as a candle witch,right.
Lane Collins (she/her) (39:02):
I know Exactly yeah.
Jackie Peterson (any prono (39:03):
Well , Bran, thank you so much.
You've given us so much to chewon and to think about and we
really appreciate you sharing somuch of your story and your
journey.
And if our listeners areinterested in learning more
about you and your work andpotentially purchasing some of
your beautiful candles, wherecan they find you?
Bran Taylor (they/them) (39:21):
It's been my pleasure.
I love being on this podcast.
Anyone can find me atmagichourcandlescom.
Again, that'smagichourcandlescom, and you can
use the code Outer Known for adiscount on your order.
Lane Collins (she/her) (39:35):
Am I allowed to use that?
Yes, you are, of course you are.
Oh my God, you're cute.
I can't help it.
I'm like constantly buying yourcandles.
Thank you so much, bran, it'sjust been an absolute pleasure.
Bran Taylor (they/them) (39:49):
It's my pleasure to be here.
Thanks so much for having me.
Thank you.
Lane Collins (she/her) (40:21):
The next episode was edited by Lane
Collins and produced by LaneCollins and Jackie Peterson.
Our theme music is by theever-talented Smoke Benito and
our cover artwork is by EricSantino.
Until next time, Blastic Bee.
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