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Candle Meditation.
Meditation has become incredibly popular around the world in recent years mostly owing to the popularization of Asian religions that use meditation as an overt form of religious / spiritual practice. The term meditation itself has therefore come to be overused and fails to adequately describe exactly what form of inner spiritual working is being used. Prayer, for example, is described as a type of meditation but this is markedly different from the type of contemplation a philosopher may engage in and this is turn varies from the strict, hours-long meditation of a Zen monk.
What I would like to introduce in this article is a simple form of object meditation. Object meditation simply means fixating on an object a comfortable distance away from you and allowing your mind to wander wherever it may while maintaining your focus on your visual aid. The prop you use helps to concentrate your conscious mind to avoid distraction and eventually quieten it, freeing your subconscious mind to become more dominant and easily accessible.
One of the most popular and effective forms of object meditation is candle meditation. While most objects are either stationary or otherwise move too fast so as to defeat the purpose of concentrating on something to free your subconscious mind, the flickering flame of a candle provides just enough movement to hypnotize the meditator without that movement upsetting his concentration. In both my personal experience and that of coaching different clients, the positive effects of this type of meditation can be experienced instantly. It is a very powerful way of concentrating the mind and eventually liberating it to gain access to the non-conceptual right brain hemisphere.
To perform this meditation seat yourself comfortably in a warm, well-lit room with a lighted candle a few feet away from you. The exact candle you select is not important though some may like to choose from different colors in the belief that the colors signify and enhance different moods. Personally, I just use a plain white candle. The candle should not be so close that you begin to go cross-eyed while staring at it. Once set up the process simply involves you fixating on the candle flame and observing it while allowing your mind to wander as it wishes. You may like to deepen your breathing while performing this candle meditation, but that is not necessary and certainly not so for a beginner to meditation. As you undertake your journey just concern yourself with sitting quietly and giving up control of your conscious mind to the flickering flame.
I recommend you begin sitting in this manner for 5-10 minutes daily, twice a day if you have the time and opportunity.
Upon completion of your meditation allow a few minutes to expand your focus away from the candle and slowly move your head, hands and feet to promote your circulation before standing. Avoid immediately standing up from a deep meditation (whether with a candle or not) as this can lead to sudden dizziness.
The actual experience of candle meditation will vary from person to person but all practitioners find themselves more relaxed and more focused after a session. You may find a rush of images and thoughts arising from your subconscious or none at all. It doesn’t matter in the beginning. The important point is to make meditation a daily habit and part of your normal schedule.
From the beginning you should find your mind clearing of distractions. This leads me to make a further point. Through candle meditation you will find yourself more concentrated on the prominent thoughts in your mind. Therefore you should endeavor to make sure that your thoughts are desirable ones. Meditation initially amplifies your dominant conscious thoughts before penetrating beyond them to take you into deepening states of mushin (no conscious mind). It is advisable therefore that you do not do meditation while in a high state of agitation or mental stress before consciously shifting your mental focus away from anything that may be bothering you. Deep breathing exercises as a prelude to meditation can be highly beneficial in clearing your mind of unwanted images.
I also recommend that you mentally fix a picture of the flickering flame in your minds eye and return to it during the daytime when you find your concentration waning or you are otherwise tense. Summoning an image of a flame in your mind is a great pattern interrupt and will take you back, at least in part, to the same state you find yourself in while performing candle meditation for real.
