G is for Grounding and Centering

G is for Grounding and Centering - Pagan Blog Project - Week 13

                What exactly is grounding and centering, and how do you do it? When I was but a witchling, we always made sure to ground and center before our ritual celebrations. I’d read the words, probably in various 101 books, but had no real idea what it was or why I was doing it. We ground and center to bring ourselves into the here and now by pulling our often divided attention back to self; we do it to release excess energy, to heal, and of course to connect with Mother Earth.

You don’t have to be a pagan or a witch to benefit from the practice. Life is hectic, and most of us cast our energy out over various people, places, and projects at any given time of the day. We worry about traffic, and what to cook for dinner, we fret over our children, and consider how to stretch our hard earned dollars. With so many considerations and worries swirling around in our brains, it’s important to take a few moments and just be.

With that being said, I think it’s doubly important for the magick types to incorporate grounding and centering in their daily rituals. If you work in the astral, play with crystals or herbs, or practice divination techniques, you probably know how easy it is to be completely lost in your project. We spend a lot of our time working in the Upper and Lower realms, and this can cause us to become uninspired or even dissatisfied with the physical realm. Many of us live in our own little world. I’m sure you've heard the old joke about pagan standard time.

                We ground and center to bring our awareness back to self. That sounds interesting and useful, but how the hell does one go about doing it? There are plenty of different ways, but the most common is to simply plant your feet on the earth. Go outside, take your shoes off, stand with your feel firmly planted on the ground, close your eyes, raise your hands into the air, and breathe slowly and deeply.

Breathing techniques are an important part of the process. If you have a regular practice of meditation, then you know a little something about deep breathing. Most people breathe shallowly, from the chest. A good way to figure out if you are breathing too shallowly is to note if your shoulders are heaving. To breathe deeply, you pull that air down into your belly. Imagine it flowing even further, down into your feet and into the ground; then pull your breath back up from the ground and so on. If you place your hand on your tummy, you should be able to feel it rise with each inhalation. It may feel kind of weird at first, but I promise you’ll start to enjoy it!

Be the tree.

                Now that we've got you outside, connected to Mother Earth, and breathing properly, it’s time to get rid of all the mindless chatter that floats around in one’s brain. If you’re new to deep breathing, just concentrating on the process tends to push away everything else, and old hands probably know how to clear the mind, but for those of us in the in-between stages, it can be a bit challenging. This next step is for everyone, and will help refocus your energy. Imagine that you are a tree; yes a tree, that’s right. Grow your roots deep into the ground, feel the cool moist earth surround them. Imagine all the little life scurrying around you, the bugs going about their daily chores, or maybe you’re planted near a burrow or den. As you expand yourself below, grow upward toward the nurturing rays of the sun. Your trunk is thick and sturdy, your branches long and reaching. Bask in the breeze as it dances through your leaves, feel the weight of birds or squirrels on your limbs. With each inhalation, pull the earth and water energy from the ground beneath you and the air and fire energy from the sky. Allow this energy to move through your entire body, to mix and mingle, and to cleanse and rejuvenate. With every exhalation, release any tension, anger, or unhappy thoughts or feelings. Pull all those stray thoughts back into yourself and push them into the ground. This is not the time to worry about tomorrow’s doctor appointment or whether you’re running low on milk. Enjoy the flood of energy and your connection to the earth. When you feel that you've reaped all the benefits of the exercise, pull those limbs and roots back into yourself. 

Congratulation, you’re now grounded and centered.