At first, candlestick patterns seemed like a memorization game—doji here, hammer there. I used to blindly follow them without context, and it cost me.
Then I changed my approach: I started observing them in context. A hammer at a major support level with high volume? Strong reversal signal. A doji during consolidation? Maybe just indecision, not a trend flip.
The key lesson: candlesticks are not magic—they’re clues. They reflect traders’ emotions in real time: fear, greed, hesitation. I now use patterns like a compass, not a crystal ball, guiding me through the market instead of telling me the future.
