Spirit Voyage Q and A: How to Love Yourself with Mirabai Ceiba

Angelika demonstrates Tratakum meditation in front of a fire

Q: "What one meditation, mantra or kriya would you give to a person seeking to increase their love of self?"

A: Tratakum Candle Meditation for Self-Love and Healing

A wonderful meditation, the transformational power of which we experienced in several workshops during our Europe tour recently, is the Tratakum Meditation. It involves gazing at a candle while chanting Guru Ram Das. Especially during the dark seasons of the year when the sunlight is gone, and our outside activities slow down, we may experience a kind of a inner gap , which we eventually percieve as a form of sadness, loneliness, doubts or simply a undefined melancholy. Usually our first reaction would be to try to cover the gap and run away from this reality. Get busy with something. But if we are able to stop and surrender into this emptiness, we may discover it as a great opportunity to go deeper into ourselves and call on the light within. Therefore the flame of a candle or fire which illuminates the darkness, can be such a great reminder of our light within as the only reference and unlimited source of love and happiness.

Place a candle about 7 feet away. The flame should be at the height of the root of your nose. Sit in easy pose. Start chanting the 'Guru Guru Wahe Guru , Guru Ram Das Guru' while focusing your eyes on the flame and see the corona of light around the flame. After 3 minutes focus on the area just under the hottest tip of the flame where there is a dark spot; light and dark coexist at this point. Meditate on that radiance with as little blinking as possible for 31 minutes , merge with the flame and the sound of the mantra and allow the experience to happen. 7 minutes before ending close your eyes while you continue chanting and visualize the radiant light at the Heart Center for self-healing.

To end: Inhale deeply, put your hands on your heart, hold the breath and the image of the light at your heart center for 10 -15 seconds, then exhale. Inhale deep again, hold the breath and expand the light from your heart center out into your entire body then exhale. Repeat one more time, expanding the light into your aura.

Markus plays Guru Ram Das for a Self-Love candlelight meditation in a workshop

Fire is an element of purification. It burns karma and transforms our old stuff and patterns. The flame stays also for the gold of the Golden Temple like a reflection of the gold of our consiousness.

We have released a 31min version of the mantra especially for this meditation on our "Night in Ram Das Puri" Cd, but there is a diversity of other beautiful versions from great artists available and you should choose the one which resonates most with you.....or eventually create your own melody.