The Beginner’s Guide to EXTREME Candle Meditation

April 23, 2009

“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.” (Buddha)

This is a picture of my son, with three of his cousins, doing Extreme Candle Meditation (or, as he likes to call it: Candle Art). I can’t begin to tell you how many candles, crayons, and other wax figures perished in the making of this object of meditation.

Traditionally, when we meditate with candles, we choose a quiet place where we can be alone, select our favorite candle… sometimes based on its color and our mood, sit in a comfortable position, light the candle, and meditate on a particular topic for a certain amount of time. Alternately, we may try to clear our mind of all thoughts and focus only on the light. Either way, it’s pretty simple, best practiced alone, and not very exciting (to me).

The process for Extreme Candle Meditation is a little different. First, you’ll want to find a table or some other surface that you have no other use for and don’t mind having covered entirely in wax. In our case, we used a small coffee table (because who really puts their coffee on the little table?) But I have also seen people use large pieces of driftwood, or even a tree trunk.

Once you select the meditation surface, you will want to start collecting a variety of candles and crayons in bulk. This works best if you have different colors, textures, shapes and sizes of candles, so get creative as you gather supplies. Most of our crayons came from restaurants, and our candles were given to us by friends and family.

It helps if you have towels, cardboard, or a rug you don’t care much about to put under the table for those times when the wax spills over the side. Once you master this meditation technique, the overflow will rarely happen. We also keep a few small screwdrivers handy; you’ll see why in a moment. You are now ready to begin.

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” (Buddha)

Extreme Candle Meditation can be done alone, but is best practiced with friends and loved ones, since the whole point is to come to the realization that we are not alone, we are all in this together, and we should love one another. Here are the basic guidelines:

**  SAFETY FIRST: particularly if you are meditating with children, it is extremely important for an adult to be present at all times and for that adult to be reasonably responsible and have some semblance of common sense. ‘Nuff said.

1. GENEROSITY

Make sure all your meditation guests choose their candles, crayons, and sections of the table before you do. As you light each of their candles, think generous, loving thoughts, so that all of their needs will be provided for. When you light your own, think of other loved ones, others who you are not so fond of, and those who you don’t know at all, wishing good things for them as well.

2. VIRTUE

As you start to work on your section of the table, be aware of how your flame and the wax from your candle will affect those around you. Choose an area and a project that you can feel good about without interfering with anyone else’s project. You can melt your own candle, the crayon, or the wax already on the table. Be considerate as you work.

3. PATIENCE

One thing you will notice about covering a table with candle wax, is it takes a long time. The table will be covered in layers of colors and textures one drop at a time. Focus on the flame, the heat, the drops, and your positive thoughts as you make slow but steady progress on your section.

4. EFFORT

Once your candle gets small, you can place it anywhere on the table. What will happen is that the wax around it will start to melt, creating lakes, streams and rivers of hot wax. This is when a screwdriver comes in handy. You can heat it over the flame and use the hot metal to direct the flow of wax wherever you want it to go. It takes a bit of work, but the results are well worth it.

5. CONCENTRATION

What you will find, especially if you do this with other people, is that it takes a great amount of concentration to keep track of your flame, your wax streams, your screwdriver, and those of others. Being this focused on the task immediately in front of you makes it very unlikely that you will be thinking other random thoughts (like your worries, anxieties, and sorrows).

6. WISDOM

Once you have been at this for a while, you are separated from your usual daily thoughts and fully present in the moment. You are sharing the moment with others, who are also fully present, and all of you are thinking loving, positive, joyous thoughts. This energy that is full of wonder, curiosity, optimism and possibilities is the strength you will carry with you and apply to your life when you leave the table.

Do you have any cool meditation techniques you’d like to share with us?

Related posts:

1. The Star Trek Guide to Enlightenment
2. Shifting from “Why?” to “Why Not?”

Posted in family, inner peace, present moment