The practice of grounding

Real grounding involves being our authentic selves, fully present and aware, in touch with the earth through awakened senses and deep feelings, rather than being perpetually lost in thought, orbiting in our busy minds.

by Jesse Wolf Hardin — 

People often say, “Ground yourself,” when they really mean to say, “Calm down.” Real grounding involves being our authentic selves, fully present and aware, in touch with the earth through awakened senses and deep feelings, rather than being perpetually lost in thought, orbiting in our busy minds.

Grounding requires practice. The more focus we give it, the more we get out of it. Most grounding activities involve a hushing of the mind and a heightening of sensation. Hiking in nature. Walking barefoot. Gardening. Gathering and preparing wild foods. Exchanging back rubs. Making love. Soaking in hot tubs. Feeling the wind and sun on our skin. Listening to the sound of desert birds, quaking aspen leaves or a gurgling river.

It is easier to ward off draining distractions when you’ve recently returned from a relaxing retreat or outdoor vacation. We are a little more clearheaded in our decision-making whenever we have first grounded ourselves by stepping under a tree or walking on grass.

Grounding is something we do with our physical and energetic bodies and less so with our heads. Grounding offers a visceral connection to the sacred earth at our feet, beneath our floors and under our bottoms. It means deeply sensing that no matter where we go, we remain attached through an energetic and emotional umbilical cord to the living Mother Earth.

Fully grounded and fully consciously connected, we can act and speak with the wisdom and authority of the whole. Then, no tragedy or disruption can shake us from our center, from who we know we are and what we know to be right. Nothing can disturb us from the bone-deep knowledge that we belong.

Jesse Wolf Hardin is the author of several books, including Gaia Eros: Connecting with Earth & Spirit, and co-host of wilderness retreats, quests and internships, five hours east of Phoenix at The Earthen Spirituality Project, P.O. Box 820, Reserve, NM 87830. www.earthenspirituality.org.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 24, Number 6, December 2005/January 2006.