The Self Care of Candle Burning
When we think of self care, many of us associate it with relaxation and luxury. Internet articles and marketing strategies have conditioned us to think of bubble baths, candles, rose quartz, and blankets. Play with your pet. Write in a journal. Take a nap. Treat yourself! And that’s fine. Relaxation and play are important parts of our well-being.
When we think of candles, many of us associate them with affecting our environment. Candles set a mood. They’re spooky on halloween. They’re bright and celebratory on birthdays. They’re the final touch after cleaning a room. They’re sacred at weddings, religious gatherings, and other ceremonial traditions. Scented candles add aromatherapy to any of these moments in our lives. And that’s fine, too.
At I Am Blessed Mala Beads, we encourage you to go deeper. In a moment, you’re going to learn a technique that gets you out of your head, encourages you to take responsibility for yourself, and teaches you how to use a candle to move into a meditative state. In the same way that mala beads give your left-brain consciousness something to focus on as you integrate a mantra, so too can candles be used to anchor us in I AM.
Trataka Sadhana (Candle Gazing Meditation)
Have you ever sat around a campfire or bonfire and found yourself staring into the flames? For a few moments, as you watch the flames dance, you lose awareness of your surroundings and slip into a light trance. It is a very natural state of relaxation that is similar to the altered state of consciousness that we seek through meditative techniques. We can therefore use a flickering flame to induce that state of consciousness for our own meditative purposes.
Trataka, or candle gazing, is a method of meditation that is actually a part of hatha yoga. Because your eyes are open during a trataka meditation, you have something physical to focus on. If you struggle with maintaining awareness and presence during meditation, this technique could quickly send you to a state of meditation in which you can access higher states of intuition and energetic sensitivities.
How to Meditate with a Candle:
Get comfortable and relaxed in a physical space that is designated for meditation. Make sure you are wearing comfortable clothing, and have a blanket nearby if you need it. Whether you are in a chair or cross-legged on the floor, make sure your back is straight. You need to place your candle so that the flame is about two feet away from you, at eye level. Take a few deep, deep breaths. Deep, even breaths send oxygen to your brain, triggering a physiological response that helps you relax and get out of your head. Then breathe evenly and naturally as you fix your gaze on the candle flame.
Hold a steady gaze. Allow your conscious mind to step back and let go of all thoughts, just for now. Let go and accept, just for now, that you are nothing but your awareness at this moment. You don’t have anything to do. You don’t have to be anybody. You don’t have to live up to any label. You can just be. Eventually you can allow everything to fall away except for your awareness and the candle flame.
Now if you like, once you are established in this meditative state of I AM, you may wish to incorporate something similar to a mantra. This is where you may choose to work with crystal candles infused with aromatherapy and energetic intentions.
The Difference Between Candle Gazing and Mala Beads
When you meditate with mala beads, you are repeating words of a mantra in your mind. The purpose of the mantra is to give your conscious mind something to focus on while your subconscious does its work.
With candle gazing, your conscious mind is already focused on the flame. So there are no words. There are feelings. Instead of repeating a mantra, you focus your subconscious awareness on what it is like to experience the energies of a particular intention. You slip even deeper into your right brain consciousness, into the world of feelings, symbols and intuition. As you hold your conscious awareness steady with the candle flame, your right brain consciousness allows you to experience it right then and there. If you access any language at all, let it be to describe what you’re feeling.
Trakata Meditation with I Am Blessed’s Crystal Candles
Let’s practice with the I AM POWERFUL Crystal Candle that is available in our shop. Once you’ve induced a meditative state by maintaining a steady gaze at the flame, focus a portion of your awareness on what I AM POWERFUL feels like. If you struggle with this, then pretend or rehearse what it would be like to feel powerful. Now starting from that place, know that whatever comes up is fine, including symbols and metaphors.
I AM powerful. It feels like _____. I AM powerful. I feel _____. Over and over. What does it feel like to you? Does it feel like a rush of energy? Does it feel like confidence? Do you feel taller? Explore those feelings as you gaze into the flame. Sit with them. Sit with them until you feel you have exhausted every way you could possibly feel about it, and then push further in, past the discomfort, until you feel a mental or energetic shift. And then keep going.
Why push so far? Once you reach this point, you are creating new neural pathways in your brain. As you press further in, those new pathways grow into new neural networks. With new neural networks, your belief system and energetic frequency changes.
And when you pair a scent with meditation, you can use that scent to anchor your consciousness back to the state you experienced when you meditated! Before you finish your meditation, set an intention, or rather an agreement with yourself. Say to yourself, “Whenever I smell this candle, I will immediately feel the energy of I AM powerful (or whatever mantra you are using)” Now you have programmed your brain to return to that energetic frequency whenever you smell the candle.
How’s that for self care?
I AM Blessed knows the power of guiding our customers into that powerful state of I AM. Imagine what it would be like to deeply feel the energies of each of our crystal candles. I Am Blessed crystal candles are carefully created to infuse your space with energies that coincide with meditative mantras. Our candles are designed to minimize and eliminate mushrooming and smoke. They are hand-poured with cruelty-free soy
wax and 100% cotton wicks for that perfect, slow burn. Which one is calling to you?
- Amber Stricklin
Amber is a certified hypnotist that combines meditation techniques, neuro-linguistic programming, and storytelling with a gentle, reassuring approach. She facilitates spiritual education and energy work through workshops, courses, and distance sessions. Amber currently lives in a little hobbit hole with two cats and a hedgehog. You can email her at arkadiosstudios@gmail.com.