centering

What is Centering and Grounding?

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Although a lot of people look upon the terms “grounding” and “centering” as one in the same, in truth they are two very different things that are often used in conjunction together.

Centering, which is usually done first (although not always), is about drawing in your chaotic energy. Imagine your energy as a sphere that surrounds you. When you are feeling chaotic, distracted, scattered, etc, the particles of energy in this sphere are agitated and disorganized.

In centering, you are taking these particles of your energy and drawing them from the sphere and in closer to yourself, even into yourself. Drawing these energies in, they condense and calm, ceasing their agitation and disorganized behavior. This is called Centering. It is bringing your energy “to center” in order to “piece yourself together” and calm your energy into a state of solid stability.

Grounding is usually done after centering, although some people do them simultaneously (or only do one or another depending on what works for them). Grounding is taking that stability within you and connecting it to “an anchor”. There are lots of things you can use as an anchor, but in my case it is always very literally… the ground.

Grounding helps preserve the centering that has been done, giving the stability found in the centering a more solid and long-lasting quality. It can also be used to help release excess energy that can build up when one is dealing with things like nervousness or anxiety, or otherwise balance out one’s energies.

My go-to way of grounding is through rooting. This is when you allow yourself to connect through your feet (or other part of your body touching the ground) and imagine your energy creating roots that dig down into the earth and spread beneath you. These energy roots create an anchor that helps cement stability in place, and allows a give-and-take of energy with the earth to level out any excess or depletion taking place.

I center and ground many, many times a day. It is a habit that takes a few second at a time, or can take a few minutes if done consciously and with intention for a stronger effect.

In spellcraft, these techniques are especially important as they are used to help condense and prepare your energy for use and direction. Casting a spell without centering and grounding would be like shooting an arrow out of a bow with the feathers loose. The energy (arrow) may get where its going, but it sheds a good deal of energy along the way (the feathers) making the spell less effective,

By centering and grounding first, you are essentially securing those feathers to the arrow (creating fletching) so that when the arrow flies, there is no loss of energy along the way and the arrow’s accuracy is greatly increased. Thus, your intention and energy in the spell is not wasted and flies true as well.

This is why you will find in the large majority of witchcrafting communities, when people ask why a spell didn’t work or why it went awry, the first question usually posed by those with experience is “Did you center and ground first?”

Centering and Grounding

/ Twist the Leaf / 2 Comments

Today’s prompt is brought to you by one of the Discord servers that I am a member of.  Just as a side note… the reason I do not link these Discord servers is because each server has their own rules about if you’re allowed to share them publicly and how, and it’s a pain in the ass to look it up for each one so I just don’t share them.

On to the question… “How do you ground?”

soil

Okay, so first I think I need to do a quick explanation of what grounding and centering are.

Centering – Bringing in your energy “to center” (usually the solar plexus, gut, or chest.  When you are feeling chaotic and like everything is out of control, your energy is often zinging all over the place all crazy and wild. Centering is essentially the control of that energy and the “condensing of it” down to a calm, close ball. This assists greatly in calming down and is the base premise behind the “take a deep breath” when you’re feeling chaotic. It is also a necessary skill in energy work and spellcraft, because you have to make that energy you hold into something solid and manageable (as opposed to chaotic and frazzled) in order to utilize it in your workings.

Grounding –  Grounding is now giving that centered energy a steady foundation. Like the roots of a tree allow it to stay still and stand tall and strong without falling over, giving your centered energy a grounded base allows it to stay calm and steady even during surprise turbulence or chaotic surroundings.

The ways in which I personally ground come in a variety of different yet similar guises.

My most common method is through the touching of soil or connecting to soil in some manner.

I have houseplants all over my house, I work at a farm in the mornings, plants on my balcony, and am an avid hiker. I touch soil throughout my day every day and my connection to the earth element gives me grounding through that touch.

When I am upset, I often go tend to my plants on the balcony where I can get fresh air and a good dose of plants and soil at the same time.

treeroots

The most powerful way in which I ground is nekkid in the woods. When I need a hard set grounding and re-balancing, I hike out into the rainforest and get nekkid and lie down on my back on the forest floor. I meditate there and spend time visualizing roots growing from every place my body touches the ground and tunneling deep into the earth, branching out and digging deeper as they spread wide under the soil and tangle with the roots of the trees. I then allow my energy to expand outward through my front and fill the air, stretch and expand with no “bubble” of space to contain it. (I then, of course, retract first one, then the other, when I’m done.)

When I need a quick grounding that goes beyond just a touch of soil, I do a similar meditation standing up, except because this is usually done in public or other spaces, of course I’m dressed, and the network of roots is not so extensive, nor is the stretch of my energy so expansive. In this style, it’s very similar to the “tree meditation” in that the roots grow from your feet, your body is the trunk, and the stretch of your energy is the branches and leaves above.

drops

Mentioned above are my common methods of grounding, but there is one more method that I use on occasion.

When I am dealing with depression, I also spend time lying on my side in the bottom of the bathtub with the shower raining down on me, watching the water drops slide down the side of the tub’s wall.

Although there is an element of grounding to this particular practice, I would not consider this to be classified as grounding specifically. Rather, it is a form of meditation that feels like a balm upon the soul when I am feeling emotionally or spiritually overwhelmed.