Hearth & Horn

That's interesting to think about, the thing about candles and dinosaurs. I've got nothing to add on the subject itself, except this slight little tangent...
In the traditional system of elements, Water and Earth both have Cold properties - the two main elements are at a 90 degree angle within the circle, and in the middle point is Cold. Every property is exactly opposite its opposite property, which is to say that when you combine Water and Earth with Heat instead of Cold, you get a sharp-pointed triangle with Aether in its center (Aether being the direction of center, so the triangle encompasses it). This didn't initially tell me anything, but then I thought of its opposite. Fire and Air meeting with Cold create the opposite triangle, and that...that is the celestial Aether, the border of spirit that protects the world and separates it from the void/chaos beyond in the skies. By logic, then, where Water and Earth meet Heat is the chthonic aetherial border that protects the world. And isn't that just fitting, what with bog burials and deep pits as entrances to the underworld.
That really is something to think about! Not sure if it relates in any way to your own practice but it's there if it's of use to you.