What does the lighting of candles signify?

When we look at images of places or people we hold sacred, there is always a hat-like golden flame that illuminates them in the background. That golden light is nothing but divine energy that flows through the being of each and every object, whether animate or inanimate. The lighting of candles is simply recreating that golden flame of divinity. It is a way of seeking divine illumination.

Even though the divine energy is continuously flowing through us, we often tend to knock off the vibrations of this energy due to our random thoughts. Our mental self takes over the spiritual self and we involuntarily let go of the divine in us.

That brings us to the question: How do we ensure that the divine flame within us does not get extinguished? We can ensure this by keeping our thoughts deliberate. For example, we can say to ourselves: ‘I am going to think of this particular thing because it makes me happy and it makes me feel good’. Such a thing will bring about positive vibrations. With focus, the same can be done by simply looking at a line on the table or a grain of rice on the food plate. There is no need to even think where the line is going—whether it is straight or crooked, light or dark, curved or inverted—simply looking at it will empty the mind, thereby making sure that the spiritual self takes over the mental self.

So let us not dwell on unhappy thoughts that take us downhill towards randomness. Instead, let us consciously keep the divine light burning within us by living in the spirit self.