CANDLE INSPIRATION

Lurking in the shadows, the moonlight glints off two Colt revolvers and a canteen of rye whiskey. The man takes a draw from his cigarette that briefly illuminates the beady, black eyes and full-bearded face of the Destroying Angel.

The year is 1857, and Buchanan's troops just crossed into Nebraska territory headed for the nation of Deseret. Ain't no shortage of apostates looking to trade the kingdom's secrets for a ticket out of the territory. He's on a mission from God.

A pop is heard in the distance, and a cloud of gunsmoke rises into the darkened sky above. A brief rustle, and then the crack of an unseen tree branch pierces the eerie silence. A whirl of long, black hair is seen moments before a worn leather saddle creaks under Porter Rockwell's weight. As the people emerge from their beds to piece together meaning from the night's confusion, a prize-winning racehorse neighs while its pounding hooves fade into the darkness.

On Christmas Day 1843, Mormon prophet Joseph Smith saw Porter's motley appearance and proclaimed:

"I prophesy, in the name of the Lord, you—Orrin Porter Rockwell—so long as ye shall remain loyal and true to thy faith, need fear no enemy. Cut not thy hair, and no bullet or blade can harm thee."

Porter remained true to this prophecy, and it did not fail him, earning him the nickname of the Mormon Samson. He died of old age in Utah, a legendary gunslinger and nightmare fuel for anyone who dare question the prophet or the Mormon Church.

An example of religious radicalism enabling awful behavior, no individual more so than Rockwell represents this phrase: "The Mormon Church creates dangerous men."

But what better way to disarm fear than through comprehension? That's Bryce and Shannon's entire mission on the Glass Box Podcast.

Scent is the sense closest tied to memory. After just a few times of burning this delicious candle—whichever team you support (and just remember we'll be blood atoning the loser, so choose well)—the name "Destroying Angel" will invoke warm, cozy feelings instead of striking fear into the hearts of those who dare to live authentically.

 

GLASS BOX PODCAST

A percentage of "Destroying Angel" will go to the Glass Box Podcast, whichever team you support. Here's a little about the hosts, Shannon Grover and Bryce Blankenagel.

(This photo was taken before the fury of the Glass Box Wars tore the beloved duo asunder, before the conflict of justice ravaged their relationship.)

Shannon: I was full-on TBM (true believing Mormon) growing up. Did the whole church every Sunday, seminary, BYU, mission, married in temple, say yes to every calling, read the Book of Mormon more than anyone ever should (65+ times), stuff my doubts into the closet, and smile, smile, SMILE thing. But after several decades of that stuff, the closet finally burst when the November '15 policy came out—a new 2015 policy banning the children of same-sex couples from getting baptized—and I couldn't do it anymore. Since I always had massively long comments on the Glass Box episodes, I was finally invited to be on the show to show the women's perspective on the teachings of the church.

Because I always have something to say.

And I often breathe flames when I say it.

It matters to me to have a voice.

Bryce: I was BIC (born in the covenant) in Utah, where I grew up. After leaving the church as a teenager, and Utah soon after, I began studying Mormon history to understand the religion into which I was born. Seeking a repository of Mormon history in podcast form, and coming up dry, I chose to start Naked Mormonism, the Serial Mormon History Podcast, in November of 2014. I started the Glass Box Podcast to discuss current events related to the church (to see what slipped through the cracks) and invited the resident General Authority to the podcast, Shannon Grover, to do an interview about her life and story in the church. The chemistry hit just right, and Shannon became a full cohost of the show just 2 episodes later.

Glass Box Podcast: You're reading about the Glass Box Podcast! Every two weeks we take on headlines in and out of Mormonism (to see what slipped through the cracks), we talk to interesting people, and we leave you with the feeling that the world isn't actually on fire! That's our intro, and we stick to it, but there's so much more! Shannon and Bryce have diversified interests and experiences, and the show is our outlet for those interests. Most of our episodes are longer than 2 hours because long-form journalism isn't dead yet. We also do granular analyses of the most dangerous books in Mormon culture. There's also plenty of mini deep dives into niche subjects of Mormon culture and history. Join us for a laugh, learn something, and let's all process and heal from the cult of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints together.

And real quick, what does the podcast name mean? When Joseph Smith was writing the book of Mormon, he hid his materials inside a wooden box commonly used for storing window glass, a 'glass box'! Whatever was in that box explains the naturalistic origins of the Book of Mormon, and therefore the entire Mormon religion. We've appropriated and broadened the concept to mean whatever is hiding just beneath the surface that helps explain the deeper aspects of a given issue or event.

Here's one of their videos!

 

QUALITY + SUSTAINABILITY

All ExMo Candles are hand-poured in small batches, and each of our recipes is tweaked and tested before coming online. We take pride in the quality of our candles.

Our candles are also vegan-friendly, made and packaged sustainably, and pthalate-free. Our commitment to sustainability includes a partnership with One Tree Planted, where we donate the money to plant 100 trees for every 100 candles sold.

Finally, the removable labels on our jars make them easy to upcycle. Woohoo!

 

DISCREET PACKAGING

We know that you might be living with members of the church, or heck, that your mailman might be Mormon. For that reason, we've chosen not to brand our outer packaging in any way. No one will be able to tell from the outside of the box that you've ordered anything related to being an ex-Mormon. This includes the shipping label, which will simply say it's from Jen + Adri.

 

PRODUCT + FULFILLMENT DETAILS

The Glass Box Podcast "Destroying Angel" candle is guaranteed to give you 40+ hours of burn time. It comes in a glass jar with an aluminum lid, and it measures 3.5" tall and 2.75" across. The net weight is 7.1 oz.

Because all ExMo Candles are handmade to order, please allow a 7-day processing time before your order ships out.