Grounding

[Jake_Reign]

So this is a very simple yet extremely important use of energy. Have you ever been so energized after doing some magick that you couldn't sleep? Well you should have grounded yourself. Have you ever tried to meditate but couldn't get anywhere because your mind and energy were all over the place? You should have grounded.

Grounding is the practice of releasing your own energy into the earth. It helps stabilize you with your surroundings.

So for those who have trouble in visualizing go hug a tree. No, seriously. Pick a tree and wrap your arms around it. The tree has a vast root system that runs deep underground and is directly connected with the earth. Send your energy into the tree and let it go back down into the earth. Feel the life force of the tree, the calm longevity of it. Stay like that for a few minutes until you feel a wash of calm come over you.

My preferred method of grounding is to visualize myself growing roots. I like to feel the calm cold of the underground and sink into the earth. Let the energy of the earth wash over you, the calm timeless energy. Feel the squirrels playing in the trees, the foxes playing in the meadows. Stay there until you reach a state of contentment. You are grounded and your energy is back to neutral.

That's what this is all about. Keeping your energy neutral while not in use. Noone wants to too high strung or too down while going about their everyday lives. Keep yourself grounded and neutral until your energy is used for something specific.

[SunSister]

Visualisation growing roots when it comes to grounding works well for most people. All it does is make me nauseous and dizzy, though, so if anyone else has that response they might benefit from directing their exhale-breath to the earth instead and visualising their energy going down along with that breath.

[Jake_Reign]

That's a interesting approach, I've never considered using breath as a method grounding.

[feranaja]

Jake, we had a thread in here, a few actually, that cover the basic tools such as variations on grounding, centering, visualization etc. I can look for it, not sure where it was exactly.
Maybe some more esoteric or advanced techniques would pick up more interest here?

[Windsmith bat Gaia]

I once led a grounding where, instead of growing roots or moving energy from the earth into our bodies or vice versa, we sort of "built ourselves" out of dirt and water and sunlight and wind to remember that we already were grounded because we are literally made of the elements. It was both the best and the worst grounding I've ever led, because by the time we were done, we were so grounded it was really hard to do anything else!