Feet on the Ground?

Do you know where your feet are? You might think that’s a dumb question and it would be if I were talking about your physical feet. But today I’m asking about the feet of your soul…. Some of us have our spiritual feet so deeply planted in the ground that we can’t move… and others of us are flying so far off the ground that we can’t see the trees for the forest, and vice versa. Whether you want to develop your psychic abilities, or to follow a spiritual path, or you want to find your life-partner or simply to decide on a job change, you need to know where both your physical and spiritual feet are… and to have them firmly planted on the ground (as opposed to in it.)

I am talking about being grounded, a term most of you will be familiar with, but what does it really mean? In the spiritual realms, being grounded means that you are conscious of your connection to the earth, that you are balanced, “in your body”, in touch with reality, responsive to your present circumstances.

Grounding is a first step in meditation, in doing a reading, or in any spiritual work… and being grounded is a necessary step in making any important life decisions. When we are properly grounded, our minds are clear; we tend to be practical, realistic, true to our hearts, able to express our authentic selves. When we are ungrounded, we can feel super-charged, our energies are scattered, and so are our thoughts and feelings. Ungrounded, we are often forgetful, “spaced out” – our brilliant ideas never come to fruition. In this state, anything can happen, and so our decisions are hit or miss – and more often than not, they’re a miss and we end up doubting ourselves.

Grounding is useful for anyone, but there are some people who especially need to watch their feet. If you suffer from mental or emotional imbalances, or you are challenged by ADHD, or you’re in recovery, whether from an illness or an addiction; if you’re under a lot of stress, or dealing with some traumatic event in your life… if you find clutter all around you or you are just finding it hard to concentrate these days, you’ll want to practice being grounded on a daily basis.

The good news is that there are some fun and easy ways to help you keep your feet on the ground. Here are some ideas for you

• Eat well, that means a well-balanced diet that focuses on ”natural foods” – avoid junk food, sugar, simple starches, caffeine, alcohol – and drink lots of water
• Get physical: Walking, especially in natural surroundings, and even better, alongside a body of water, is very good for clearing the fog in your mind – as well as your body. And any sport is useful for helping you to be fully “in your body”.
• Take up Yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong or any of the martial arts. Daily practice can be wonderfully grounding.
• Hug a tree, spend some time sitting with your back against a tree, get into gardening, or any activity that gets you into the natural world and directly interacting with it… getting your hands in the dirt is a great way to ground.
• Take time to play with the kids, to tend to the animals around you. Walking the dog is both uplifting and grounding…. and is just plain good for both of you…. and children have a way of bringing us into the here and now.
• Value productivity, being purposeful – be a doer - focusing on a project, whether at work or at home, whether it is about getting organized or having fun with some creative endeavor is both inspiring and grounding.
• The dark coloured crystals and gemstones help to attract grounding energy around us. Stones like hematite emanate a certain energy that is calming and centering.
• Breathing deeply – three big deep breaths, in through your nose, out slowly through your mouth is exceptionally helpful for centering yourself, bringing yourself into the present and clearing your mind.

Here are a few very good visualization exercises to help you ground. Each exercise begins in the same way: Make sure that your bum or your feet are flat on the floor, then take three big deep breaths and take a moment to check in with your body… notice how your feet feel, and then your calves, your knees, hips, pelvis, chest neck, head…

then visualize roots extending from your feet deep into the ground. Feel how solid and secure you are there… then allow yourself to look ahead into your day to see what you need to take care of for the day. You can use this time to meditate on any issues or questions that have been on your mind… and when you’re ready, give thanks to the roots you have established, ask them to keep you grounded through the next period, and come back.

or

then visualize a cord extending from the base of your spine all the way through the many layers of the planet to the center of the earth where you will find a room with a large wall hook waiting for you to attach your cord. Tie the cord firmly to the hook… Now you are ready to explore other dimensions, your own life, or to balance your chakras or do any form of spiritual work that you wish.

Keep your feet on the ground, keep it real…

PS: This article was inspired by the big old maple tree that I see out my bedroom window as I awaken every morning. I was asking for inspiration to write a new article as I focused on the tree. I was surprised to get an immediate response, the tree sent me a picture of its roots extending deep into the ground. I knew immediately that I needed to write about grounding and as soon as thanked the tree for a great idea, it sent me back a rush of love… so here we are…

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