Professionally, I am a candlemaker and a soap maker. Candle-making is like therapy for me. Mixing naturally derived soy wax with beautifully blended fragrances is as much a science as it works with intuition.
Similarly, mixing luxury oils and skin-nourishing butter and transforming them into a spa bar with mild scents and beautiful textures is my meditation in motion. You could even call that Reiki. Infusing my self-care products with the healing energies of Reiki moves me into a space of gratitude. While melting the wax or mixing luxury oils and different kinds of butter for soap making, I feel conscious of the present moment. I abandon my usual, over-cautious nature and allow intuition to find her place. I can feel the elemental energies in my space. There were times when self-judgment and fear would creep in, but then I remind myself that I don’t have to perfect every batch, do my best, and that’s how inner wisdom guides me.
It wasn’t like this before I learned self-healing through Reiki. Towards the end of 2015, I went through some dark emotional times, and I discovered that my need to express my creative essence would somehow help me overcome the emotional pain I was carrying. For a long time, I have found it difficult to speak my truth, which led to holding onto a lot of baggage. Although my creations were beautiful, they had a certain mechanical feel.
Eventually, I realized whatever was coming to the surface needed a release. Learning Reiki helped me release all that no longer served me. I emptied myself of my old stories and conversations that didn’t support me.
Now, I begin my soaping or candle-making with a meditation that whatever I create is for the highest good of the person who will receive it and the person who will use it. When I meditate and open that thought vessel, I’m in my authority and am mindfully in the present. Letting intuition guide me in my creative journey in that space is easy.
The colors of nature inspire me in my choices while working. I also love using floral and earthy scents to honor the Earth Goddess.
I feel the clients who buy my products should be engaged and filled with joy. They should be able to trust my skincare products.
My favorite design for a candle or even a soap is the lotus. Lotus is the meaning of my name in Sanskrit, but beyond that, it holds some deep symbolism. In several cultures, it represents the purity of mind, body, and speech.
The lotus in Sanskrit is called “pankaja,” which means born of the mud symbolizing our evolution to higher consciousness by peeling away our fears, resentments, guilt, shame, and other shadow energies.
In skin care, lotus cleanses and purifies while providing the antioxidant protection we gain from many natural botanical ingredients. The white and pink lotus flowers are symbols of purity and devotion.
All through my childhood while traveling through India I would often see red, blue, or purple lotus flowers growing in ponds, rivers, and creeks. As I grew up, I learned of their mystical essence, spiritually meaning enlightenment and rebirth.
My creations today express my essence and is less about outside impressions and validations. There’s a positive shift in not just soap making but in my ‘being,’ just me.