We hear the term “grounding” a lot, and many spiritual teachers take for granted that everyone knows what it is and how to do it, but that’s not always the case. The concept of grounding can be very overwhelming, especially when things are uncomfortable. So, let’s talk about it.
What do we mean by grounding?
When we are grounded, our energy is connected fully to our bodies and to Earth. More specifically, we are electrically connected to the ground.
For those who can see energy, when a person is ungrounded, it looks like their energy is hanging out above or next to the body—connected to the upper 4 chakras, at most. Ungroundedness is also known as “going out of body.” When we ground, we pull all of our energy back into our bodies.
We're still connected upwards and outwards, but our energy is at home in our bodies. Our physical and etheric feet are in the same place.
Why is this important?
Being electrically connected to the earth allows us to complete the circuit. When we are out-of-body, it’s like having a battery that’s only halfway in the toy. It just won’t work!
Photo by Elisabeth Wales on Unsplash
We do a lot well-intentioned work, and tend to have very high integrity. We give all that we have to give. When we're putting that much energy in, it would be nice to actually create the change that we are intending to. If we're not grounded, that can’t happen. We’re wasting our sacred and precious energy.
All that we are generating can’t be pulled down and has no place to go, so it remains in the battery (or the ethers), so to speak. When you've been doing all of the work, taking all of the proper steps, and nothing seems to be happening—or it isn’t happening at the pace that it should be—chances are that you’ve been ungrounded. This means all of the energy that you're creating is also floating.
Trees really help with this concept. They are firmly rooted into the earth, the roots going down into the water table. They're bringing energy, food, nutrients, water up from the earth. But, at the same time, trees reach to the heavens, the light. So, the tree also pulling energy down at the same time.
That is why we're here. It's what we're called to do—be the bridges between heaven and earth. If we are not connected to one of those two places, we are not able to do that. When we are not completing the circuit, we are not living our Purpose. Granted, each of us does this in a different way, but this is overarching idea.
When we are not grounded, we're also missing out on the beautiful support that Mother Earth gives us. This leaves us disconnected from our beautiful mother and feeling even more alone and unsupported.
So, how do we do it?
Just like any practice, there are many ways to accomplish this. What works for you today might not be the same thing that works for you later on down the line, so be flexible and fluid. Allow your experience to lead you to what’s best. Be open to exploring, to playing with this (and everything you do!)
I've already given you one of my favorite ways to ground—mimicking the energy of the tree. That's a bonus. Now, I'll give you five other methods that you can use to ground right now.
5. Use your senses. Be present with what you’re experiencing through your 5 earthly senses—hearing, smelling, touching, tasting, or seeing. Bringing awareness to our sensory experiences brings us into connection with this moment.
You can also create sensation. Touch is especially powerful in this way. Tap your fingers over your whole body, starting with your head and traveling all the way down to your feet. Your awareness follows your fingers as they travel. See if there's any place where you don't feel them connecting with your skin. Where you aren’t feeling the touch is where you are not present in your body. Bring yourself there. Most often it is the lower half of the body.
Ask yourself, "Am I able to be present with my body? If not, what do I need to truly connect with that part of myself?"
4. Get into your heart. What is it that makes your heart just open up and spill over? Holding a brand new baby? Animals? (This is actually why cat videos are so popular!) When we can get into our heart space, we ground. Love warriors, I'm not talking about moving into the heart to do work and send energy. I'm talking about opening your heart because, JOY.
So, if there's a person, situation, or memory that brings you into your heart, take a moment to visualize, feel, re-experience, and you’ll find your way right back inside this beautiful vessel that people refer to by your name.
3. Get creative. When we are in creative mode, energy flows through. In order for energy to flow through from our Divine Inspiration, we need to be grounded to the earth beneath us. Not grounded? Energy can't flow and—dancing, arts, music, finding creative solutions to problems, creative math—it all brings us back.
Want to see an example? Watch a video of Aretha Franklin or Beyonce on stage. See how, when they are about to sing, they plant their energy deep down into the earth and bring the energy up through the feet while at the same time bringing it down through their higher selves. Then, they let it explode outward, bathing the crowd. The way the inspiration and their gifts are being anchored down from the higher realms is an amazing visual. Once you see it, you realize how much like the tree they actually become!
4. Nature. Being in nature is one of the fastest, most effective ways to ground—whether it's the beach, walking in the forest, or just hugging a tree. And, if you’re not in a place with access to nature, have a potted plant in your space. When you need grounding, stick a finger or two in the soil.
There’s always a way to accomplish what you desire when you get creative with solutions. (See #3.)
Letting nature embrace us reminds us that we are not separate from her. It gives us the opportunity to feel the safety of earth. Many of us have felt opposite, especially earlier in our lives. We’ve felt that earth is not a safe place, is completely overwhelming, is dense or harsh—each of us seems to have some version of this experience. Therefor, we’ve learned to jump out of body when we feel threat, personal or global, or sick in some way.
The irony is, that in order to heal, we need to be fully present in the body. The physical system needs total access to all of our energy—whether we are healing ourselves or assisting others in their processes.
For those that are on a healing journey, remember that healing is an inside job. So, if you're not feeling well, stay in and with your body as much as possible. This is a willful act of self-love.
We reinforce previous experiences we've had where we’ve felt abandoned or unaccepted by going out-of-body when our system needs us the most. This is and old energy, old paradigm dynamic, stemming from an old wound. Staying with our bodies is the ultimate act of self-acceptance, giving us access to a new level of self-love.
When we experience the love and acceptance that we've always wanted from within, we stop needing to experience it from without.
1. Get present. Be in the moment. If I'm being completely honest, all of these other things serve to bring us to full presence. When we have our full selves in this moment we are grounded in the here and now, there aren't aspects of ourselves flowering around in other places.
When making choices in the now, from full awareness, and being present with each action we are taking—whether it be cutting a carrot, speaking with a friend, or signing a bill into law, we are not creating new karmas. There is no part of us that is somewhere else or unaware. We are connected with our Truth and we can only then be doing what it is that our soul is guiding us to do.
Try it! Cut a carrot or drive with full awareness and see how different it is. These are things for us to play with in our lives. The goal of our existence is to be 100% present in every. single. moment. That is full awareness, and that is meditation.
This is how we break karmic cycles and old patterns—we stop reacting when we marry our actions with awareness. We are letting ourselves be receptive to our messages, our feelings, and the infinite potentials that are present. We are putting ourselves back in the driver's seat of our own lives, and we're doing it with full access to all of our Guidance. And that is power.
TLDR
All that work that you do, requires that you are grounded (electrically connected) to the earth for maximum impact. In order for that to happen, you need to be here and be part of the experience on this planet, not hovering and floating above it. You are a bridge of energy between heaven and earth in order to bring the energy here into the frequency of heaven. This is your Ultimate Purpose, and grounding is needed for you to receive Guidance and to accomplish your Purpose.
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Want more?
Join us for Healing Into the New You, the three-part education and energy series, this August.
You’ll learn t quickly recognize when your system is going out of balance and becoming ungrounded as well as gain the tools to bring yourself back quickly and easily. We’ll also do group-specific energy work in each of these sessions!