Grounding is a Way of Coming Home To Yourself
Tools for returning and re-sourcing inside + dogs and downloads.
Dear Witches,
We witches hear words like “grounding” a lot. We hear it and nod our heads, but words like that can turn into abstractions. What does it ACTUALLY mean to ground?
Grounding is the experience of embodiment, as well as a felt sense of our connection to the earth.
As someone with fairly severe ADHD, who spends a lot of time disassociating on screens, if I didn’t ground, I think I’d be orbiting with the asteroids right now.
When we’re not grounded, we’re not in touch with our bodies, we lose access to their wisdom. We aren’t aware of what they’re trying to tell us — we’re still affected by their messages, but we don’t notice and can’t respond.
For example, an unsettling image flickers by us on Social Media, our body responds with adrenaline and cortisol (stress hormones), but we aren’t aware of it (because we’re not grounded). Then later, we have an argument with our partner because we’re still feeling stressed but don’t realize it.
Our bodies are always communicating with us, and so is the earth.
A friend of mine was telling me that his parents don’t have the tools to meet him where he is. They can’t offer him the kind of emotional intimacy he longs for; they can’t handle seeing who he is, because they don’t have the tools to sit with who THEY are. So instead of closeness, they panic or shut down.
“They don’t have the tools,” he said. Many people from previous generations don’t have these tools because they were not taught them.
Grounding is a tool for being able to sit with what and who we are, it helps us re-source ourselves in the earth we come from. It is a tool for feeling empowered, allied, and less alone. And it really is A TOOL.
By tool, I mean that grounding is a skill. One that we can learn, practice, and get good at. It’s something we can use intentionally.
Before colonialism, endless war, capitalism, and the modernist split of mind and body, perhaps grounding was an innate skill that we had when we were born, like colts who can walk straight out of the womb.
But colonialism has broken that skill in us, and we have to relearn it. We have to set out to do it. And since witchcraft invites us to ground at the beginning of every magical act, we get to practice a lot.
The grounding process is basically this:
Notice where you are, and notice something you like and connect with in your environment
Notice your breathing
Do a body scan
Feel your feet on the floor
Practice gentle bouncing movements to re-establish your connection to the earth
Move the earth energy up through your body, and the mental energy down to the earth
Invite yourself to be re-sourced, reconnected to yourself, your heart, your body, the earth, and all that brings you joy and nourishment.
You’ll find the more you practice, the more you’re able to catch yourself before you float off into space. Soon you’ll find yourself grounding automatically throughout the day. Hope you find this helpful! xo
Love and groundedness,
Amanda
P.S. For those of you who are Initiates to this Mystery Cult* (paid subscribers), I’ve created a short grounding MP3 that you can download to your phone, listen to, and practice every day. Scroll down to the end of the email to get it!
*If you’re experiencing financial hardship, but still want to join the subscription, email us to find out more about our scholarships.
Can You Help Finnegan Begin Again?
Finny is a 2 year old, 12-pound terrier mix. He was rescued from a terrible life: for all of his 2 years, he lived inside a filthy crate. He wasn't groomed, or touched, or socialized. He didn't know how to be a dog; he didn't know how to play with other dogs, or be around them at all. He couldn't be touched by people. He was bounced around between three different animal shelters; by the time he found his foster, he would barely move or eat, he would simply sit in a crate or bed all day, completely shut-down.
Finny has had a long road of rehabilitation, which you can see via the videos below…
…and now, he's finally ready for his forever-home!
His forever home needs:
Peace & quiet - no kids under 10, please
A female dog to be his girlfriend
Very patient & calm humans
Is this you? Or someone you know??
Finnegan is a zero-dollar adoption, and all of his stuff will come along with him: bowls, beds, everything…
He is located in northern New Mexico, and could be brought to California in May.
If you’re interested in adopting Finnegan, please get in touch with fellow witch and Person of the Beasts, Runestone Rainwater: runestonerainwater@gmail.com
Grounding Meditation
Download this grounding meditation to your phone and/or computer so that you can listen to it from work, from a park, or anytime you need it.
You can use this grounding practice to…
prepare yourself for your day
boost your sense of personal empowerment
calm your energy after a trigger
to regroup
to help prepare you for creative work
before you begin any ritual activity
at the end of the day in order to settle down
Hope you enjoy! See below for the download link.