Grounding Up, Not Down

This is a picture of Mt. Diablo and the surrounding valley where I reside. The town in which I live had the great foresight to save extensive acreage for open space in and around neighborhoods and the downtown. I am fortunate that just up my street is a trailhead to a beautiful hike through rolling hills with oaks, tall grasses and wildflowers. From this vantage point I can see Mt. Diablo, and this is one of the places I like to connect with the earth’s energies.


When I first started my spiritual path, I was in high school. My mom was into metaphysics, and we had lots of Edgar Cayce and Ruth Montgomery books lying around the house. We openly talked about all types of spirituality. Eventually I attended classes on everything from charkas (energy centers of the body) to aura clearing and reading, to intuitional development. One of the topics I studied was grounding. I was always taught to send a cord of energy down from my first chakra to the earth. I didn’t question the technique at the time, but as I have progressed on my path, I have come to learn what I believe is a better way to ground. It’s about grounding up, not down.
Sending a cord down doesn’t include the hips, thighs, knees, ankles and feet. Almost half the body is excluded from the process. This type of grounding doesn’t make me feel connected to the earth. I was once in a metaphysical workshop when I noticed the partner I was working with had no connection to the earth through his legs and feet. I asked him how he grounded, and he replied through a cord straight down. He looked “top heavy” and ungrounded. He said he was a runner, and was having difficulty because he felt he was going to trip and fall all the time.
The whole point of grounding is to anchor the body’s energy to the earth for stability as well as allow the body to draw up the healing energy for healing and rejuvenation. Our bodies are an extension of the earth and made of the same stuff. I believe a body needs a strong connection to its source.
My method of grounding is to draw up the healing, grounding energies of the earth into the body. Start this process by first activating your charkas with your intention. Sit in a chair or on the floor/ground and close your eyes. Take a couple of relaxing breaths. With your intention, open the chakra that exists approximately 2 feet below your feet. This is called the earth chakra. Next open the charkas in your feet. Then continue to open the charkas of your knees and hips, opening the pathway to your first chakra.
Next place your attention deep in the earth, connecting to the crystals, minerals, water, magma, oil, and underground water. Then allow your mind to connect to the surface energies of mountains, trees, flowers, rivers, oceans and more.
On your next breath, draw up the energies of the earth up through your feet, continuing up your legs, hips, to the first chakra. Continue to move the energy up to fill your entire body. You can visualize this as a color, such as ocean blue or forest green. Allow your body to take in all that energy into your cells.
How does your body feel? Are there any sensations? Is it heavier? Lighter?
When I first experimented with this grounding technique, I felt heavy; but it didn’t feel bad. My body loves this nourishment. I especially love the healing energy of ferns and moss, and I sometimes visualize covering my body with them. I know that sounds weird, but it feels great. I’m sure you will find certain plants, trees, rocks, flowers, or whatever, that you will gravitate towards. And you don’t have to know what you connect to; your body will know. Take a deep breath and draw in the energies of a tree, an ocean, a flower, or even Mt. Diablo. Try it and see what it’s like.

Thanks, Holly