Candle ideas: The candle - a focal point for meditation

By. Rhonda Reid

Today, most of us live very stressful lives.  We are expected to fulfill many roles and our culture moves at breakneck pace. We are subject to so much stimulation:  traffic, television, cell phones, not to mention the adorable noise boxes we call children.  Quiet time is not something that comes to us automatically.

Therefore, it is no surprise that it is not just new age gurus that are touting the benefits of meditation.  More and more medical doctors are recognizing the health benefits of calming the mind and releasing stress.  Meditation is the art of emptying the mind, creating an oasis away from the external circumstances that engulf us, and letting go of the stress that accumulates in our body and our minds. 

Unfortunately, many people find it almost impossible to meditate.  If they sit quietly, they find their mind racing uncontrollably with thoughts of what to make for dinner, that bill that they forgot to pay,

how insensitive that neighbor is, or even deeper worries.  It is so uncomfortable for some people to sit alone with their thoughts that they actually grow tenser as they try to meditate.

So what do they do?  They go turn on the TV to drown out the inner noise. 

Is this you?  Well, it used to be me as well.  In fact, I had a terrible case of the racing worrywart mind most of my life, but over time, when I really needed it, I learned how to meditate.  I learned to focus on my breathing and resting comfortably in my body.  I learned to let thoughts come and go in my head without tensing up.  One of the strategies that I discovered that helped the most was to create a space especially for meditation.  At the center of my meditation space must always reside a candle.   

My space is simply a nice, comfortable loveseat with a table in front of it.  The table is draped with soft cream-colored fabric.  On the table is a basket containing the books that inspire me, and to the left of the basket is a large candle.  The space never changes and my well-meaning but destructive children are not allowed within a foot of it.  

For me, the moment I light my candle, it signals a transition.  I am out of my external world.  I am done with my work; I am not rehearsing any problems that may have been on my mind.  The moment that soft flame rises from the thick amber colored pillar on my table, I turn inward.   Staring at the flame with my eyes slightly unfocused provides me a focal point that calms my wandering mind.  The flame keeps me centered.  As I watch it I begin to notice just how complex and ethereal it is.  It is energy made visible.  I imagine myself filled with such energy. 

Many therapists and naturopaths suggest that aromatherapy is especially powerful when coupled with meditation.  Lighting an aromatherapy candle, serves to focus the errant attention, soften and entrance the perspective, and bathe you in a healing fragrance.  It is said that fragrances stimulate the body’s Chakras, or energy points, to get your energy flowing again, and balance your mind, body and spirit.  Each fragrance heals you in a different way.  Lavender calms and soothes.  Peppermint invigorates and creates in you a sense of personal power.  Sandalwood eases anxiety and promotes serenity and composure.  Investigate how different scents make you feel, and choose candles with scents meaningful to you. 

Lighting a candle is a simple gesture that can help you turn a corner.  It signals that it is time for the chaos to stop and inner quiet to begin.  If you meditate regularly, after a while, you will find that inner quiet following you as you go through your day. Take your meditation to another level by using SoyLuscious® Soy Candles.

*View Candles of Eden'sSoyLuscious®Soy Candles.

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