Three Grounding exercises

In practising magic, as well as in daily life it is very important to have a good connection with the earth and with all things around you. This makes sure that you can receive positive, healing energies as well as release the negative energies and tensions that you build up during the day. These tensions can grow into headaches and even migraine when they cannot be released. It is of course only one thing to do, but grounding regularly can help with headaches and give you more energy. Grounding means re-establishing or re-affirming your contact with the earth and with earth energies. I know it sometimes is involved in raising kids, but that's not the kind of grounding I mean :)

I start the day brushing my teeth and doing one of the exercises below, it always gives me a nice start. Doing one of the exercises before you do any ritual is very helpful.

1. Awareness
This exercise can be done sitting, standing, laying down.....
It is an excellent warming up, helps you to focus. It is also very useful after rituals and magic, it brings you back to your body.

Take a few deep breaths and close your eyes. Relax. Notice how you sit or lay and notice where there are tensions in your body. Are you comfortable? Try and make yourself comfortable. Where does your body touch the ground (or chair)? Feel the parts of your body, from head to toe that are in contact with the floor or chair. Feel your feet, how they make contact to the earth. Notice the sounds outside.
Notice your breath, without trying to change it (if it changes, no problem), there is nothing wrong with the way you breathe. Is it slow, or fast? deep or shallow? Feel where the stream of air becomes breath by you breathing in. Do you breathe through your nose or mouth or both? Feel how the stream of breath passes through your body. Feel it in your chest, feel your chest rising and falling with the passing of your breath. Feel how your breath reaches down your spine, how it shortly takes up room and then leaves again. Then slowly follow the path of your breath outside again, paying attention to each little part of the way.
When you are back to the point where the breath leaves your body you can either go on with another exercise or meditation, or open your eyes and look at the room where you're in. take a little time to become aware of your surroundings, stretch yourself.

This exercise has many possibilities for variation, try new things out. For example, after following your breath you can turn you attention, which is very focused then, at something else, a crystal or symbol of your choise. I also like to turn my attention to the earth below me, to realise how big it is, and to become aware of the fact that this enormous earth is carrying me on top of it, and to thank the earth for that.

2. Tree of life

This is the exercise I start my day with. it has many different forms as well, here is my version, with thanks to Lin who brought me this one. I do the exercise standing up (and brushing my teeth, but that's really not necessary).

Try and stand up straight, though not strained. Feel where your feet touch the ground. Now imagine roots or beams of light or ropes coming out of your two feet, digging into the earth. Deeper and deeper they go, passing many layers in their journey. When I'm first floor or higher I always imagine them passing through the floors below too. They go down and down until they reach a little space where they can be tied up to or held by something. Now feel all the negative energy in your body, from head to toe, streaming out into your roots, going down and down and finally coming out into the deep earth. Don't worry, the earth will neutralise this, it will not hang around there forever.
Then imagine that the earth fills your roots with positive energy, of a color that feels good for you. The roots soak it in like water and the energy goes up and up until it fills all of you body. Feel the warmth and liveliness streaming through you. Thank the earth for this wonderful gift. You don't need to pull in your roots again, but feel free to if it feels better for you.

As a variation you can, after filling yourself with earth-energy, open your crown chakra (on the top of your head) for sun-energy or cosmic energy and feel the two streams mixing, filling you up and warming you.

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3. Securing

This exercise goes best sitting down. Awareness can help you to gain focus, but is not necessary to start.

Imagine a rope or something like that (roots, beams of light) rolling like a cord from your spine. The cord goes down into the earth (like the roots before, only now it is connected to your spine instead of your feet). Down and down, crossing many layers of earth along the way, until it reaches a place where it can be secured in some way. Held, tied, or any way you imagine at that moment.
Follow your spine until you reach the top of your head. From your head comes the second cord, which goes up and up, through the roof and further until you find something to secure this cord with, in a way you imagine.
From the bottom of your spine there comes another cord, this time going to your right, further and further (through the walls) until you find something to secure it with, in a way you imagine (something that feels good for you).
The same happens again, now to the left side.
The four cords are your connection with the universe, take some time to become aware how it feels to have this connection.
Then roll in your cords again, first left, then right, then above, then below.
Notice how your sit, become aware of your body and surroundings before you stand up.

Again, there are loads of variations, try what feels best for you.

Another possibility for grounding, especially after working with the mind and energies intensely, is having a bit to eat and to drink. Nothing brings you back as good as that. I always feel like I am loose from my body when I work with crystals, they have such powerful energy that my grounding gets very poor. So I keep some food with me for afterwards and have a little time for eating and drinking and listening to the birds outside my window....

I also have a stone that aides me in coming back. an anchor stone when you have a stone that helps you with grounding, When you already have a stone (not a mineral or gem, a simple piece of rock), use that, or go out and look for a stone that attracts you. For the color or the shape, or the feel of it in your hand, it doesn't matter. Take it in your hand and look at it carefully, feel it's surface and focus on the stone. Try and open your mind for the stone, it helps me to greet it (I usually say "hello stone" greeting doesn't have to be complicated). Listen to what the stone might tell you and try not to listen to yourself telling that stones can't talk,a nd you're being crazy sitting here like this. Stones have thoughts and are quite willing to share them.
Than ask the stone (if he hasn't offered it yet) if he would help you grounding, and how.