Flickering Flame Meditation Technique
 Achieving
a higher level of consciousness is something that all of us wish to achieve. Using substances, food,
fasting, and
meditation are all
ways to reach a higher level of awareness. Early human cultures dating
back to
hunter gatherer societies used meditation as a means for achieving spiritual enlightenment.
Some early forms included vision quests where individuals would abstain from
food for long periods of time while subjecting themselves to brutal conditions
out in the wilderness. In some cases people seeking a vision quest would
ingest powerful hallucinogenic substances like peyote, a substance similar to
the synthetic compound mescaline. Quieting the mind and learning to
control the body's natural energy can be an extremely effective way of
managing stress in an all natural way. Too often in today's hurried and stressful culture, pharmaceuticals are being used to manage stress.
Many are finding themselves
dependent on anti-anxiety medications in order to manage their anxiety. Taking
benzodiazepines such as Ativan or xanax, smoking cigarettes, using recreational
drugs, and stress eating are all examples of unhealthy stress remedies commonly used
by many Americans. Meditation is an extremely powerful tool that will allow you
to
harness your own energy and manage external forces that are causing stress on
the mind and body. Meditation will allow you to harness your own healing
power and help you to retrain the mind in a positive way.
In order to get the most out of meditating, the mind must be trained to
function and work differently than we are accustomed to. The use of what
is referred to as the mind's eye is very rarely if not at all utilized by modern
humans. The concept of the mind's eye sounds mystical and a little out
there. Seeing without using our eyes sounds like a ludicrous concept that
mentally diluted individuals have come up with. Using our mind's eye can
be a very powerful tool while
striving to obtain new levels of consciousness, but it requires some practice in
order to utilize it effectively. All human beings possess the ability to "see" with their
mind's eye. It is just that many have never attempted to, or had a situation that
required seeing without actually looking. Here is a drill to help you
start using different portions of their brain and to start perusing the powerful
gift that is the mind's eye.
Flickering Flame Meditation Technique
1. Light a single candle and place it approximately ten feet away from you.
2. Focus your eyes on the flickering flame.
3. Close your eyes and hold the image of the flame with your mind's eye as long
as you can. In other words, manifest the image with your thoughts so that
it appears as clear as it would if you were staring at it with your eyes open.
4. Repeat if necessary if the image of the flame fades while your eyes are
closed.
This exercise is a meditative practice in itself and works by focusing only
on one thing, in this case a flickering flame. All other thoughts, emotions, and sensations
slip away as the mind is focused solely on holding the image of the flickering
flame. This requires a good deal of concentration and clarity, so the mind
has to dedicate its attention completely to holding the image and does not have the recourses to worry about
other things. By shifting focus from whatever was causing you stress to
holding the flame's image, some inner
peace, as well as some relaxation can be achieved by doing this meditative practice.
This article is meant to introduce meditative practices into your life for
the purpose of alleviating stress, anxiety, and coping with emotional pain.
The key in all meditation practices is to let go, even if it is for little
while. The perspective gained during these periods of lucidity and peace
will help you achieve emotional growth that can further strengthen your mind.
Meditation is a form of cognitive therapy, a medical term for psychotherapy that
retrains the way the brain works, where certain exercises are used to improve
the overall functionality of the brain.
Has a certain form of meditation helped you at any point in your life? Please share some
experiences or practices you have used during your exploration of meditation!
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