As we settle more & more into our new home & as spring dawns around us I'm feeling ready, comfortable & receptive to inspiration & creative endeavour. Sorry, about that last wanky sentence but you get my gist - I'm feeling motivated to do more interesting stuff.
Today for you, ghee lamps, butter lamps or in the West; tea-light candles. Beautiful, stunning, magical, life force, light.
& very easy to make, melt your ghee, pour into a receptacle, add wick.
We use ghee lamps for a variety of reasons. Ghee lamps have the capacity to attract the sattvic vibrations present in the environment. They also radiate sattvic properties into the environment. & also they are a great way to use up the ghee that you may have overcooked.
Making your own wick is easy - get a cotton ball & twist it around in your fingers a hundred or so times - I started buying mine at the local Indian store because, with all things considered, it does save time. Even so it is a lovely activity for children - make sure the wicks are tight as sometimes they can undo & you are left with a wick on fire & out of control. We have a range of receptacles. The little clay ones are called diyas - pronounced day-va. These can also be hand made by children using clay; sort of like making a little pinch pot.
From Maharishi Ayurveda, Shubhra Krishan says, "Ghee is everywhere in Indian life. For centuries, Indian women have used carbon from ghee-lamps as a protective eyeliner". Indian women put this on their children with such ease - when I attempt it, my children look like Tibetans, black smothered across their tiny faces to protect them from the Himalayan glare. When I use it on myself, it feels really good. It is cost effective & a great environmental alternative to lots of other eyeliners on the market.
It is best to leave the candles to set overnight. Light carefully. Each light will vary of course in burning time. The following picture shows a lamp that is about 4cms or just over an inch in diameter & will burn for about 4 hours.
The colour of a ghee lamp is very different. It is a softer, warmer, more natural light. It is really lovely to use for trataka - candle gazing.
Be still & know that I am here.
