Helpers in Pain and Distress: Body Candles

I was writhing on the couch, longing for even a moment's relief. If you've ever had kidney pain, you know. If you haven't, you'd rather not imagine it.

After a course of IV drips with vitamin C and other goodies, I completely wrecked mine. And my liver along with them.

They hurt constantly. Acupuncture brought a lot of relief, but I was looking for another way to take care of myself that would do something similar. I can't exactly stick the needles in myself.

And the universe spoke.

It sent Štěpánka and Tomáš my way, two passionate, inventive candle-makers

When I walked out of their Studio U Anděla after that first two-hour treatment, I was practically floating. The kidney and liver pain was gone, and I felt beautifully grounded and yet light. My mind was strangely quiet too. It lasted two days, and it left me hugely motivated to keep exploring and testing body candles.

Because my kidneys were completely wrung out, I treated myself to two more sessions and took home a whole set of high-vibration candles .

Life gave me several chances to use them right away.

My mom confided in me that for several days now something had been nagging in her kidneys. (Yes, we're very connected and tuned in to each other.)

"So I'll do those candles for you, okay? They gave me relief right away."

"I don't want to. I'm not into that. I don't believe in these things. You know that."

"I know, but we've got nothing to lose. Just 10 minutes."

And how did it turn out? Right after the candling we went to a design market and did a lot of walking, and in the evening I ask my mom: "So how are the kidneys? Still nagging?"

"Man, they're not. I haven't noticed them all afternoon."

And it's still that way today. And to give doubting Thomas even more to think about, the day before Christmas Eve came diarrhea. Watery and frequent.

We candled the master point against diarrhea on the sole of the foot (see the excellent book Body Candles by Michal Ježek) and you know what? You can probably guess. Yes, that's exactly what happened. From that moment on, the diarrhea was gone, and on Christmas Eve my mom happily tucked into the potato salad.

We do our candling in the kitchen by the range hood, so the smoke can escape.

Then we managed to candle away one child's sore little tummy, and to help an asthma attack in our youngest pass faster.

You have to admit I can't keep a gem like this to myself. The Hopi, and even the Celts, are said to have used it for healing: rolled bark dipped in wax.

How do body candles work?

They're hollow cotton tubes soaked in beeswax. Some makers add herbs or dyes so the candles take on specific qualities.

Sizes, lengths, and shapes vary. In the Czech Republic alone there are several dozen makers, so you just pick whoever catches your eye. Some candles taper, others are straight.

What they all have in common is a filter placed between the body and the candle, so the wax can't burn the skin. A piece of ordinary tissue will do, or even a square of toilet paper. Some people use gauze.

You light the top end of the tube, set the candle on the spot that hurts (or on a chosen harmonizing point) and let it burn. Smoke shouldn't escape from the bottom, and the candle should point straight up, so wax can't run down and the burn stays under control.

Photo courtesy of Studio U Anděla

Keep a container of water nearby. Every time the burnt-down end of the candle is about 5 cm long, take it off with tweezers or scissors and drop it in the water. Repeat until the flame reaches the marked line. Then put the whole candle out.

Inside the candle you get what's called the chimney effect, which has a harmonizing character. According to Michal, a single candle can warm an area up to 20 cm in diameter, and to a depth of 6 cm. I'm quoting from his book on everything we can influence for the better with candles. They're used for:

• inflammations, myomas, cysts, sacs, swellings
• chronic inflammations
• a lingering cold
• ringing and pain in the ears
• styes
• acne
• muscle tension
• kidney and gallstones
• treatment of varicose veins
• for pain
• for cleansing the lymphatic system
• for removing toxins from the body
• joint problems (arthrosis…)
• post-operative and post-injury conditions
  
• headaches, migraines, stress, and psychological difficulties

What does the stuff we tap out of the candles tell us?

As it burns, something starts to gather inside the candle. That something is the residue from the burning. The biggest surprise for me is that the candle somehow mysteriously interacts with the place it's treating.

So even if we have completely identical candles, the residue inside them will differ depending on the place on the body and the person.

What the different colors of powder and lumps mean, you can look up in Michal's book. When there's only a little pale powder inside, that spot is usually in pretty good shape. But as soon as caked pieces and even big “stalactites” start showing up, we've hit on a part of the body that's asking for care. Those pieces are linked to emotions.

Candles don't just tend the physical body. Their flame cleanses the subtle bodies too

You could say they purify the aura, and the amount and shape of the smoke tells you quite a bit about the theme you're wrestling with. And if caked pieces of wax turn up inside after the burn, you can do some rather interesting “divining” of what those shapes mean.

Take a look at these 3 photographs. (click to enlarge)

In the first one you can see what I gradually tapped out of the candle I placed on the kidney area through the reflex zone on the sole of the foot. There isn't all that much, because the kidneys have already had plenty of candle work.

The other two photos are far more interesting.

This “something” came out of the candle I used on a knee that was operated on 25 years ago, after a snowboarding accident. I managed to give myself that injury after my first boyfriend broke up with me and started dating my best friend. On a ski trip in Switzerland I had to watch their love unfold.

First the long thing fell out of the candle. Does it remind you of a crutch too?

And the other one, the one sticking out, I'm not going to name that. I'll let your imagination do the work :).

In any case, both artifacts symbolically take me back to being 16, when my heart was bleeding and my knees were buckling with despair.

The candle showed me a theme I still hadn't closed, one directly connected to the herniated disc I've been dealing with for a few years now. (We'll talk about that another time. It's a very interesting story!).

Have I frightened anyone with this spiritual take?

Don't worry. Candles work regardless of your personal philosophy or your take on the esoteric. Just remember my mom.

At the same time, they're not a magic ring out of a fairy tale, and they're not a magic wand either. Sometimes they work outright miracles, other times they do nothing at all. It depends which part of our life story we're in, and whether we know how to use them properly.

Either way, they're a beautiful tool for getting to know yourself, and the great thing is they can bring relief on the emotional level too.

Here are 4 people whose approach to body candles resonates with me:

Michal Ježek

When I first came across working with candles at a seminar in 2008, they enchanted me somehow, right away. As I started working with them more and more, I was fascinated by their effect, their power. I love the way they work on several levels.

Fire has enormous power on its own, and when it's close to the body, this element transforms my thoughts and feelings as well as my physical troubles.

What are candles to me? What do they mean to me?

Candles have felt really close to me from the very beginning. I love working with them, and when I'm making them I'm in another world. In fact, one of the many reasons I started making candles myself was to guarantee their quality.

For a long time I studied how they work and how to guarantee their maximum effect. The quality of the candles I make is everything to me. Exactly so that the results are repeatable, and so you can read from them what the candle wants to tell you. I teach people how to apply them correctly and effectively.

For my clients I try to be an open, empathetic helper and to guide them to the most effective way of applying them. To open their eyes to what their troubles say about them, what those troubles are there to teach them, and where they could move next so their life is at its best.”

When did candles surprise me most?

Probably the first time I applied them to the woman who is now my wife. She had a navel piercing and terrible trouble with it. It kept festering and hurting. It was really unpleasant for her. We were sitting in the living room watching TV and I said: “Come on, let's try a candle.” She took the piercing out, and after one single small candle there was peace. Then we burned one more as a precaution. That story showed the people close to me that it really works. A note from me: Michal has worked with candles since 2008, and that evening at home he was making his own call. A candle doesn't go on a festering or open spot, it goes next to it. It's in the list further down as well, and I mean it.

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You'll find Michal's website and e-shop HERE>>>  and HERE>>> you'll find a video in which Michal explains how to apply body candles safely.

Tomáš Roth and Štěpánka Procházková from Studio U Anděla

Ever since we first got to know body candles, they've become an inseparable part of our everyday life. To us, candles mean freedom and hope. They're a tool for immediate help and relief from pain of any origin: for us, for our children, for our whole extended family, and for our four-legged companions too.

Before long, candles became an inseparable part of the everyday work at our Studio U Anděla. We work with high-vibration body candles that carry a protective energetic symbol, which we developed together with Michal Ježek. For our clients we work on both sides: clearing the energy centers and releasing psychological difficulties and blocks, and cleansing the physical body, its individual organs and their meridians (energy pathways).

When did candles surprise us most?

Working with body candles surprises us every day with how well they handle all sorts of problems. One of our big challenges, and one of the first "miracles and successes," was cleansing the lymphatic system and a whole body clogged with toxins, viruses, bacteria, fungi, inflammation, heavy metals and other unwanted burdens. The client's condition was very critical.

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You'll find their archangel candles HERE>>> .

Kateřina Raisová and her body, ear, and chakra candles from the White Carpathians

It'll soon be ten years since I started making body candles. From the very start it was a clear merging with this healing method. Fire, calm, relief. A small miracle that moves a rock. Making candles in the embrace of Bylničky's solitude in the White Carpathians, where I live, is a joy and a meditation at once. The scent and the strength of beeswax, a moment of stillness. Creation that heals. Deep gratitude that I get to do this.

When did candles surprise me most?

A woman once came to see me with her husband. She asked whether I could apply candles for him. He'd been having trouble breathing for quite a while, it was getting worse, probably from his work, where the environment is hazardous. He clearly didn't believe in candles, and it was obvious he'd only come for his wife's sake, to keep the peace. The two of us stayed in the room alone. She went for a walk. He didn't say much, and after a moment of silence I simply suggested we try putting a candle on his heart and see what happened.

We were silent the whole time. When the candle had burned down, I asked whether he'd felt anything different while it burned. He said not really, and then he slowly started to talk. For about an hour he told me about his twin brother, who had died ten years earlier. How much he missed him, how much he grieved for him. I just let him talk, and then we said a few words to each other. When his wife came back from her walk, he wanted to be alone and went out for a walk himself. She asked me how it had gone. And I said: "Your husband talked a lot about his brother. His heart hurts from that loss, and that's why he can't breathe."
It was as if a wave of heat washed over the woman. She started to cry hard and said: "You know, since his brother died he'd never once spoken about him. Until now. We all thought he'd come to terms with it..." A note from me: Katka has worked with candles for ten years and she stayed with him the whole time. In the list further down you'll see that the heart isn't among the places candles go. Please don't candle it on your own.

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You'll find Katka's website HERE>>>.

What to watch out for and where (not) to place them?

Recommendations from various sources and various makers differ. What all the sources I've studied agree on is that candles should not be placed on:

• heart
• mucous membranes
• eyes: candles don't go on them; they're treated via the temples. The same goes for a stye.
• open wounds, warts, cold sores (the candle can be placed next to them)
• the crown chakra

As for where to put them, pain itself will usually tell you, or you can use the reflex zones of the organs on the soles of the feet and the palms. Again I refer to Michal's book, where the whole topic is laid out clearly and photographed. Through the center of the palm, for example, the body detoxifies beautifully. Through the thumb, the mind settles, and through the reflex zones you can work with the individual chakras as well, apart from the crown chakra. Candles don't go on that one.

What matters is the INTENTION you bring to the candling

You decide whether you want to work more on the physical body, or more on the psychological level. From the experiences I've read on various websites, candling sometimes reaches fears, phobias and traumas as well.

It's important to stay present during the candle ritual. Working with an open flame keeps you alert on its own. In that moment you shouldn't be dealing with anything else. We can imagine handing the pain and the unpleasant feelings over to the fire. We can visualize the flame purifying all our subtle bodies and healing the aura.

What about ear candles?

They work the same way as body candles. They're just narrower. I personally had a bad experience with them, when an inflammation in my ear canal got worse after a single application. That's why I gave up on candles for several years. In a discussion on my Facebook, A conscious life = a conscious mind a few women also mentioned bad experiences with them. Two of them even had hot wax run into the ear, one ended up with a blocked ear canal, and another wrote that her inflammation got worse.

From Michal I learned that he doesn't recommend applying candles directly into the ear, but in front of it. This softens their effect, and there's no risk of the ear becoming blocked or injured by the wax.

He also says that if there's a cold as well, it's important to treat the sinuses first, so the candles don't draw the buildup from the sinuses into the ear.

And with ears you always need to candle both of them, because they affect the organ of balance too.

On my Instagram vedomy_zivot I've collected these interesting stories about body candles:

Did you know you can make candles at home too?

I'd rather leave the making to the pros, but if you're the creative type, there's a guide to making them at home, for example HERE>>>.

How to do a ritual of spiritual and physical cleansing with candles

• Intuitively choose a spot on the body that wishes to be harmonized by the candle. It can be a specific chakra, a place of pain, or a reflex zone on the sole or palm.
• Set your intention for what you want to achieve with this candling. Are you after relaxation? Letting go of bad thoughts? Removing an illness? Gaining insight into a specific matter?
• Light the candle and enjoy a meditation with its flame. You can say to yourself what you're letting go of, or place your affirmation into the candle.
• Once it's burned down, stay in that state a little longer and let the residue it gathered work on you. Give your intuition the floor and listen to the first association that comes.
• With respect, throw away what's left after the burning, knowing that you're letting go of what no longer serves you and that you're ready for a new beginning in your story.
• Notice your dreams and signs. Reality will begin to communicate with you in the spirit of your intention.

Why did I write this article at all?

I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything with this article. I'm just sharing what I enjoy and what feels worth exploring further. I wanted to spark your curiosity and also dust off this natural, fairly easy and inexpensive healing method (Damn, you're not allowed to say that! Please don't report me.), because it has helped me a lot, and with a bit of care and a few dozen minutes of study anyone can get the hang of it.

If you feel like ordering or making some candles now, I'm giving you a happy wink. This virtual meeting of ours was worth the time we both put into it.

I wish you many miracles with these fragrant candles, and if you feel like writing to tell me how you're getting on with them, I'd love that.

So we're carrying on after all. You're asking me questions I can't answer with any real authority. I'm just as much an amateur as you are. That's why I put them to Michal Ježek, who has years of practice. In any case, nothing you're reading here is medical advice. This is passed-down experience, and what you do with it is entirely up to you. Your body, your responsibility.

How often should you use the candles?

Let's keep in mind that every body is unique and wants its own individual approach. Nothing here can be stated as dogma. Our experience, and our clients' experience, is that with acute trouble I CAN quite happily apply SEVERAL large candles a day to one affected spot. With long-term trouble and no operation in sight, I apply one every 3, 4 or 5 days. The general rule is that when I apply a candle, the body kick-starts its own inner strength and uses it to detoxify. The next day it holds on to that strength while the detoxification runs, and the day after that I can apply again (in other words, "every other day"). It's always important to count on the fact that the processes in the body have to run their course, and they can't always be hurried.

Can body candles be used during pregnancy as well?

Overall the candles have very few contraindications about where they can't be applied, and pregnancy is one of the more contentious questions. Mainly it's for our own protection: if anything were to happen to the baby, someone gets blamed. It always comes down to how the pregnant woman feels. They're never applied to the belly area, to the navel, or in early pregnancy. Otherwise it's best to use the reflex points on the hand, the organ maps. A note from me: Michal is talking about pregnancy here. Outside pregnancy the restriction doesn't apply, but stick to the list above anyway. There are more contraindications than it might seem. I've gathered them above in the chapter What to watch out for and where (not) to place them, and the ears, children under three, and pregnancy belong there too.

Is there some universal candling spot suitable for everyone?

My favorite spot to apply them is the pad of the left thumb, which treats the head area, stress, fatigue, the psyche. An even more effective spot is at the back of the neck, on the 7th cervical vertebra, which deals with the past, relationships, fears, foreign energies, connection to the universe…

What about candling and children?

Generally it isn't recommended to apply candles to children under 3. Our own experience: I started applying candles to my son 14 days after he was born. Today he's 3 years old and has become a great helper with the candling. A note from me: With his own son, Michal was making his own call, and he has worked with candles since 2008. For your children the general rule applies: not under three.