One of the most known ancient method of Trataka is keeping our attention on a flame lit and waiting till the flame appears as a singular flow and our mind is more steady. This works even better if we can connect to the soft core of the flame and if we can keep our awareness and attention soft, steady and loving.
The same process we can extend to a Divine Master whom we love. Let us say for example we really adore and love The Mother, Sri Aurobindo or Ramalinga Adigalar (Vallalar). This process can be done physically if we are sitting in their samadhi. We can also do it with our inner gaze and vision and actually connecting to an inner image or presence of them. We can place our attention humble and gentle with no agenda upon Them. We just want to be intimately in Their presence. We can place our glance on a part of Their body like feet, heart or Their hair. We can keep our attention on them till our inner gaze is filled with Their presence or sight. Then slowly we can move to the practice of ‘knowledge by identity’. We can place our glance or even our breath within Their presence or image or subtle body. We will now feel Their presence, see Their subtle body and experience Their presence in a direct and tangible way – as much as we love Them and aspire to connect with them and as much as They Grace Their subtle body, consciousness and presence to us. We just remain like this for as long as we want or forever we can stay united with Them and live our life.
We can slowly now move into the practice of Consecration or Loving Conscious Offering. Keeping our inner gaze and inner felt sense humbly linked to the Divine Master or within Them we can progressively go within our mind and offer its substance and thoughts to Their influence. We can go within our emotions, sensations, feelings and energy and offer it to Them so that our life energy bears Their vibrations. We can go within our body and its subtle substance and keep offering each cell, its core, its vibrations and all that is flowing within our body to the Divine Master’s vibration, consciousness or subtle substance.