By Jane Bartnett
Siesta Key, with its clear crystal quartz sand, is the “chakra” — or energy point — of the ocean, says Gaelle Wizenberg, who has created a new company called Objects of Magic.
Her Gulf Gate store offers gifts of candles — “powered with premium essential oils,” Wizenberg said — and uplifting spells to recite while the candles burn. It also features an array of crystals and oils.
“That’s why Siesta Key is a healing place that attracts people who want positive change in their lives,” she said.
Wizenberg knows quite a lot about positive change. A former toy company executive and designer, Wizenberg was born in Paris and raised in the French Caribbean. She enjoyed a very successful career and lived with her husband, who was also an executive in the toy business, in Montreal and Ottawa, Canada. The couple moved to Hong Kong for several years before returning to Ottawa, and then on to Los Angeles.
As a young working mother, Wizenberg began to think “What is my place in the world?” Drawing on her design and business experience in the toy world, she decided to create a company devoted to reusable baby items, including a line of cloth diapers.
In 2010, she oversaw the launch of an international luxury brand of eco-friendly, cloth diapers and organic baby products called Charlie Banana — named for her young daughter Charlie. Drawing on her business contacts, Wizenberg was able to place Charlie Banana products in the U.S. at Babies R Us, Bye Bye Baby, and Target, as well as in 66 countries around the world. After great success, in 2020 Wizenberg sold her company to Procter & Gamble. In 2021, after she and her family vacationed on Siesta Key, they decided to relocate from Los Angeles to Sarasota.
“We all fell in love with Siesta Key and the whole region,” she said.
Following a cross country move and the sale of her company, Wizenberg was ready for another challenge. “I needed another baby,” she said with a laugh.
She added, “I have a need to be creative, I’m an artist. After COVID, I felt that by creating Objects of Magic I could create a business that can inspire people to be more hopeful and to stay positive.
“Especially today — we all need help. If you ask the universe for what you want, it will come to you. If your serenity is good, the rest of your life will be, too. We are all effected by nature.”
While living in Los Angeles, she studied Feng Shui with a master and became fascinated by natural crystals and what they do.
“Crystals,” she explained, are a part of nature and each crystal has a different energy. “Tourmaline offers protection, rose quartz offers happiness, amethysts help with sleep, and amber is believed to absorb pain and negative energy.”
Drawing on this principal of positive energy, the company’s message is to “Nurture the witch in you; surround yourself with powerful energy and to be strong and get ready to set your goals and achieve your biggest dreams,” Wizenberg said.
Object of Magic offers sets of the company’s own votive candles, crystals, Coventry Creation candles and oils, sage and smudging sets, home sprays, beautiful crystals both small and large, and a line of soy- and corn-free meat.
The candles and crystals are ethically sourced to create a “Wishing ritual to each moon cycle,” Wizenberg said.
She explained that taking the time to set goals and true intentions is important for an individual’s peace of mind and life success, and finding extra assistance from the universe.
“The moon brings energy,” she said. “Have faith in the things that you ask for. Meditate quietly on the days that the moon changes. As the candle burns, ask the universe to help with what is going on in your life. All religions make use of candles. They help to restore our faith.”
Sold in groups of five, Objects of Magic’s own brand of boxed candles are color-coded to match the desired wish or spell and retail for $13.99. Sets include these titles: Abundance, Career, Clearing, Cryptos, Good Luck, Happy Home, Health, Love, New Path Success, Open, Prosperity, Protection, Self-Love & Happiness, and Sell Your House. A subscription candle service is also available.
Each set of candles and matching spells carries with it suggested crystals that will complement the spell or wish and with its own energy.
“We wanted to make it easy to feel better when you need that extra assistance from the universe,” said Wizenberg.
Objects of Magic products are available online at objectsofmagic.com and in the store at 2106 Bispham Rd., in Gulf Gate. Hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thavma Yoga, at 3800 S. Tamiami Trail, and The Higher Realm, at 4232 S. Tamiami Trail, also feature the items.
“I’ve been told that I inspire people to be better and to find their purpose,” Wizenberg said. “I hope that Objects of Magic will help people to find their passive energy and to learn to ride the energy that is sent to you.”
Author: Jane Bartnett
- Tags: Gaelle Wizenberg, Objects of Magic