In need of a good grounding?

Have you noticed the trend in the metaphysical community lately?  A lot of talk of feeling overworked and exhausted.  A sense of needing to take a break – to check out and just get your head in the right place.  This, my friends, is the result of that Mars Retrograde we just experienced.  Check out my last post in case you need a reminder of what I have been feeling.

So now that Mars has gone direct, how are we all going to get back in gear – get our traction and start moving forward again?  I believe what we all need right now is some good firm grounding.  Having a sense of being in the physical world, of being connected to the earth and all its creatures.

I don’t know about you but my head has sure felt cloudy lately.  Like I’m walking around in a fog, unable to connect with those around me.

So I put together a list of some of my favorite grounding exercises in case you are feeling the same way.  There are many different ways you can ground and no one way is correct.  Try them out and see which one feels right for you.

Bare feet on the earth

Perhaps the easiest and least expensive method of grounding is just to go out and touch your bare feet to the ground.  Literally ground those feet.  Seems simple enough, but our society spends so much time in shoes that we don’t get a chance to let those electromagnetic particles from the earth seep up into our feet.

Okay, so I do have to admit something here.  This isn’t actually super easy all the time – especially if you have dogs.  Before you go out and put those feet on the nice grass you may want to check to make sure there are no brown masses in your path.  I’d love to place my feet in the grass outside my front door several times a day, but my dogs and the local deer population have claimed that territory as their own.

Water

Another fairly simple method for grounding is to connect with water.  This can be in the form of a warm bath, a nice hot shower or a soak in the pool.  I like to say that I hate being in stagnant water – I love a long hot shower several times a week (sorry mother earth) – but recently I’ve been loving some time in the pool.  Our neighborhood switched all their pools over to salt water, so now time in the pool can be a very grounding experience.

Some people also like to create mixtures of herbs, essential oils, and crystals to go in their baths.  Not being a huge fan of a bath, I have limited experience with this, but a quick google search should turn up some helpful information if this is an avenue you would like to pursue.

Crystals

Holding a crystal or keeping one in your pocket can also help you ground.  Generally the dark colored stones are considered good grounding stones.  You can even just pick up a rock and that will work perfectly.  My favorite crystal for grounding is black tourmaline.  I have a special piece that has helped me stay level headed and focused during some stressful times.

I actually held this very piece of black tourmaline when I quite a very stressful job.  I was able to stay grounded and speak my truth, even with tears flowing, while having this piece tucked firmly in my hand.

Visualize roots

Another popular method of grounding is visualization.  You stand or sit straight up and visualize, in your mind’s eye, roots growing out of your feet, through the carpet and floor and into the earth.  Visualize them growing as far as you need them to grow.  Then once you feel them stop, imagine the energy flowing the opposite direction, you taking up earth’s energy into yourself.

I like to do this visualization each morning while taking a shower – see how I combined two of the methods in one, a necessity for busy people.  I guess I could also hold a crystal for good measure – but a warning, black tourmaline does not like water so make sure whatever crystal you take into water will not be harmed.

Exercise 

Finally, exercising is a great way to ground.  This is one that people do all the time and don’t realize what they are actually doing.  Have you heard someone say they just need to go for a run to clear their head or get out on a hike so they can be fresh in the morning?

I used to not be a huge fan of running, but over the years I have realized it is one of my go-to forms of grounding when I need to just get focused.  This is the method I intuitively went to as a high school senior after received three college rejection letters on the same day.  A good run – while crying – helped to clear my thoughts.  I also like to have a goal to work towards when running, not some mileage to hit or minutes per mile.  Instead I like to image I am training for an alien invasion or a zombie apocalypse.  Anything to get you motivated!

So what are some of your favorite grounding methods?  Do you find one works better for you than another?