When receiving a letter from me, one of the first things you may notice is that it has been sealed with one of two wax seals, most likely it will be my little dragonfly. So why a dragonfly? Does it have a specific meaning? Is it special? Why use it? What's the second seal? Where did I get them? Read on to find out more...
Why the dragonfly?
Several years ago I was struggling, a lot of bad stuff had happened and I just couldn't wrap my head around it. A friend of mine told me a story about a little water bug who changed into a dragonfly, I believe it was written by Doris Stickney, and it helped. Since then the dragonfly has always been a symbol of hope and change and renewal to me, as well as a reminder of a loved one who has passed on. I use them to seal my letters and carry them safely to the recipient, to symbolise the growing friendship and as a reminder of the person who taught me that if a thing is worth doing, it's worth taking your time with it.
Why do I seal my envelopes?
Seals have long been used on mail to stop tampering and verify the senders identity and these are two reasons why I also use a seal. I don't trust the glue on an envelope to actually hold, I used to combat this by sealing the envelope with tape (and sometimes you will see this tape under my seals even now) but a wax seal is just better. I use it so my recipient knows instantly who the letter is from. I like to open my penpal letters when I have time to read them, so knowing it's a penpal letter instead of a family letter means I read it at a different time, maybe it's true for others too. Lastly, and the most important reason why I use a seal is because I enjoy them! I enjoy taking the time to choose and mix the right wax colours, I enjoy choosing the right seal to use. I think they look beautiful and make a letter just that bit more special.
What's the other seal you may use?
My second seal has a similar meaning to it, protecting the letter on its journey and recognising the growing friendship, but it's not one everyone will see. It's a spiritual symbol that those who receive it will instantly recognise for what it is, but others may see it more negatively after certain religious sects chose to unfairly vilify it. So while you may see it pop up on my Instagram from time to time, I'm not really going to share it here.
Where did you get them from?
My wax and seals come from a website called Royal Wax Seals who do some absolutely gorgeous things! They do offer custom seals, but I found the two seals I wanted in their existing stock so mine are not customs. The wax I use is the pellet wax and I achieve my colours through mixing different coloured pellets to get that lovely mottled effect.
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