Ask Stacy Parker about the flame that burns in her soul, and then watch the light spread over her face.

When terrorists changed the course of this nation's trajectory and knocked the wind out of the Parker household (both Parker, 40, and husband Tim are pilots), the enterprising farmer's daughter dug deep in her reserves and decided to make candles -- from soybean wax.

"Our candles are all-natural products. You could eat them before we put the fragrance in," Parker says from the "candle house" behind her home in Marion.

In 350 square feet, she and mother Judy Catt run Southern Soy Scents, the wholesale candle business that's grown 20 percent a year since 2003.

"We could make 300 jars a day, but it would be a hard day," said Parker.

The two melt their own wax, cut and center the wicks, attach their homemade labels and, just to drive home the point, pour a smidgen of soybeans in the lid "so people know what a soybean looks like.

"People have gotten so health-conscious, we really think this is the candle of the next generation," says Parker, who spent years as a corporate pilot flying Wal-Mart's execs around the planet. Today, she's capitalizing on a push for purity that's been good to the soybean. Besides being a major source of ethanol, soybeans produce a wax that burns cleaner than traditional candles. It's also water soluble, biodegradable, uses no petroleum-based paraffin and produces no sooty residue.

That and the fact that the candles are less expensive than paraffin are driving a craze in what is still largely a cottage industry.

"It's easy to get started on a small scale," said Mike Svoboda, who owns Soy Silhouettes in St. Louis. "Anybody can make candles in their kitchen. And if you want to grow, you can buy small pieces of equipment to take your business to the next level."

The American Soybean Association has no idea of how big the craze is but credits the prodigious soybean and environmentally responsible consumers for the quick rise in fame.

"No. 1, soybeans are a renewable resource, and No. 2, the candles burn clean without any sooty residue," said Bob Callanan, spokesman.

Because they have a lower melting point, the scent disperses fast through the room.

Parker offers an assortment of fragrances such as Chai Tea, Tomato Leaf, Nishiki Grapefruit and 15 or so other scents the olfactory nerve races to absorb.

"We buy the fragrances all over the country, actually the world," says Parker, standing beneath a shelf lined alphabetically with scents and potions.

A few years ago, Stella's restaurant Downtown bought a caseload of Chai Tea to enliven the ambience in its restrooms. "Pretty soon, they decided they needed to keep a supply on hand to sell," Parker said.

Now, Parker traces Stella's reach by the number of orders coming from across the country. "They come in from all over. People take the candles home. When they run out, they call to order more."

Every week Parker ships dozens and dozens of 18-ounce jars with lids, 6-ounce tins and votives -- building up to the Christmastime crescendo.

At Bella Vita in Cordova, one of Parker's biggest accounts, the candles sail out the door, said owner Stephanie Losorwith. "When we first started carrying them about a year and half ago, nobody had heard of them. Now, we have people coming in every day asking us where the soy candles are."

Locally, Parker's candles are also available at The Lucky Duck in The Peabody, Imagine That in Marion and late in the fall at The Women's Exchange and Merle Norman stores.

While 95 percent of the business is wholesale, a growing percentage of sales is coming from Southern Soy's web site, which includes a PayPal option.

"I never dreamed I would be in the candle business," Parker said. And she also never dreamed the humble soybean would have such allure.

Last year, just before Christmas, Olivia Newton John faxed Parker her complete holiday list, in what's become part of family legend.

"We sent candles to everyone on her gift list, including all kinds of Newton Johns in Australia," Parker said.

"A few weeks later I got this note," she said, taking apart a picture frame on the refrigerator and pulling out a handwritten note from Newton John, thanking her for her thoughtfulness.

"A few weeks after Christmas, we got another order from her. What I'm hoping now is that those people start reordering too."

More than just a pretty package, they are also environmentally and home friendly, thanks to the Natural State's own soybean wax. The unique wax is water-soluble, maiking it easy to remove from glass, fabric and rugs, and allowing the candles to duen virtually soot free.

With room spray, votives, tins and jars, the possibilities are endless.