Valentine's Day is just around the corner, a time of year that always has us thinking about love - celebrating it, sharing it, and reflecting on what love means. If you have a special someone in your life, it's often about romance. Among family members, it’s the familial kind that binds us together. And in grade school, Valentine’s Day is celebrated with a broader interpretation of friendships.
There is also another kind of love that we often think about. It’s one that expresses compassion for others even when they are not in your circle of family and friends. We see it all around us every day, a generosity of heart expressed through helping those in need and giving oneself to a greater good.
The ancient Greeks called this kind of love agápē. They had unique words for the many different types of love humans feel, each essential to our wellbeing. Agápē was considered the highest form of love because it focuses on kindness and giving back. And if we’ve learned anything from these past couple of years, it's that a little kindness and compassion can go a long way. Whether it’s helping an elderly neighbor with small chores or volunteering at a food bank, it is love as an action that helps make the world a better place.
We only recently learned of agápē love and its meaning, yet it is at the heart of what we do. Helping women refugees and their families and supporting female artisans in places of conflict is the reason Prosperity Candle started. It's our purpose. Although we didn’t think of it as love at the time, we do now.
The idea of agápē moved us so much that we created a series of love candles based on those Greek words. There is érōs, the romance and attraction we feel for someone, and philía which is the affection we have for friends. Storgē is love for family members. And then there is agápē - putting love into action by helping others and giving back. We call these candles the Greek Love Collection, and each makes a great Valentine's candle gift. Plus we've put together a wonderful selection of unique Valentine’s Day candle gifts to choose from for expressing love this holiday.
No matter how you spend Valentine’s Day, we hope the idea of expanding the meaning of love resonates with you as much as it does with us. The story of these romantic scented candles is a nice reminder of the importance of the compassion we feel for others. At a time when we often focus on our closest loved ones, we can also extend our kindness to those in our community and well beyond.
Learn More About Our Mission
