OUR JOURNEY
Our Why
Set Forth NY exists because we believe light does not disappear, even in grief.
After life changes in ways we never expect, there are moments when clarity feels distant and words fall short. In those moments, light does not arrive as an answer. It arrives as presence.
This belief was formed in a season of loss, when the only light that felt real was a single candle lit in remembrance. That small, steady flame did not fix what was broken or soften what hurt. But it stayed. And in its quiet presence, something became clear: the light was never coming from the candle alone. It was already within.
This is the foundation of Set Forth NY.
We believe candles do not create light. They reflect it. They offer a moment of stillness, a place to return to yourself when life has shifted and certainty feels out of reach.
Set Forth NY is not about décor or distraction. It is about presence. About choosing intention over performance. About honoring what you are carrying without rushing it away.
A candle is not the light.
You are.
We simply light it with you.
EST 2024
Begin a journey.
Let YOUR light guide you.
Find your way, one step at a time.
Karen Arcilla
Founder
Set Forth NY began after I lost my mother in 2021.
Grief did not arrive all at once. It settled in quietly, changing the shape of everyday life. There was no clear way forward, only the work of getting through each day. During that time, one small ritual stayed with me: lighting a candle in her memory.
That flame did not bring answers or relief. It did not make the loss easier. But it was steady. And in watching it, I realized something I hadn’t been able to name before. The light I was holding onto wasn’t coming from the candle alone. It was something I was learning to access within myself.
Later, a friend gifted me candles, and I began to see them differently. Not as decoration or fragrance, but as objects that could hold memory, intention, and presence. Something quiet you return to when words fall short.
Set Forth NY grew from that understanding.
Each candle is created with care, not as a solution, but as a companion. A reminder that healing does not move in straight lines, and that beginning again does not require clarity or strength, only presence.
This brand is my way of honoring my mother’s memory while creating space for others who are navigating loss, transition, or becoming someone new without asking for it.
Thank you for being here.
Renata Rads
Co-Founder
My life has been shaped by reinvention.
I’ve lived through loss, illness, starting over in a new country, and learning how to rebuild without a roadmap. Each chapter asked me to begin again in ways I didn’t expect. Through all of it, I learned the same truth: the light we look for during hard seasons isn’t something we’re given. It’s something we learn to access within ourselves.
The belief at the heart of Set Forth NY resonated with me immediately. Not as an idea, but as something I had lived. The understanding that light doesn’t disappear in difficult moments, and that small rituals, like lighting a candle, can help us stay connected to ourselves when everything feels uncertain.
Set Forth NY is built on that shared belief.
Every candle represents renewal, courage, and the choice to keep moving forward, even when the path isn’t clear. For me, this brand is a reminder that no matter where you’ve been or what you’ve survived, beginning again is always possible.
Together, We Set Forth
Set Forth NY was built together, shaped by different lives but grounded in the same belief: that light does not disappear when life gets hard.
This brand exists for anyone navigating the in-between. The moments when certainty is gone, the path isn’t clear, and all you can do is stay present with what’s in front of you.
We believe in beginning without having it all figured out. In honoring small rituals. In choosing to stay connected to yourself, even when the light feels quiet.
Set Forth is not about arriving.
It’s about continuing.
If this resonates, you’re already part of it.
We light it with you.
A Deeper Story
Why "Set Forth"
Set Forth means to begin a journey, a name chosen during a season when starting again mattered more than knowing where I was headed.
Set Forth began with candles — but behind the flame is something more personal.
In the quiet after losing my mother, I made a promise: to keep her memory alive and to share my journey through grief, love, and healing.
If you’d like to read the letters I still write to her, you’re welcome to step into that space.
[Read Letters to Nanay →]