Surprising Insights into "Being Grounded"

Surprising Insights into "Being Grounded"

Everyone knows it is desirable to be "grounded, centered, and balanced." I recently was travelling for a week, and ended up with some surprising insights into "being grounded" which I would like to share!

Basically, the main insight is that being grounded partly involves feeling safe, which partly requires feeling empowered, which partly requires knowing you have access to relevant resources, which partly requires familiarity with your environment.

But there's more.

First, here's my idea of what "being grounded" means. It means that one's awareness is present throughout one's body to the greatest extent possible, in addition to being wherever else it could be or is. It means that one's Spirit "fully inhabits" the body.

This is actually a relatively rare phenomenon, a fully-grounded person -- especially among spiritual types, whose consciousness tends to hang out slightly above and in back of the head, who fear the actual or potential pains and dangers the body is subject to.

For most people, it means "sending a grounding cord from the base of the spine down into the earth" so that one feels connected to the earth, rooted in the physical reality of earth. That has never done much for me; I ground to the earth by heart-energy: my heart loving the physical body of the earth, connecting to earth's heart.

Being centered means to me having one's awareness be located within one's body, and not pulled out into other people's emotions and thoughts beyond 'empathy' to a loss of contact with oneself. And being balanced means to me, being able to STAY centered.

Anyway, my insights came when I got home from my trip. I realized I had felt tired and time-stressed the whole trip, and pretty weird, but as I settled into being home, I realized by contrast that I was now PRESENT in my body and aware of my surroundings in a way I had not been on the trip. There was, as I introspected carefully in detail, a sense of reassurance in the familiarity of my surroundings, that I knew where things were and how to get things I needed. Predictability and familiarity were helping me feel more grounded.

I realized by contrast that despite my frequent contacts and loving attention on my trip to birds, flowers, the ground, the sky, the air, the plants, that I had felt some degree of "dissociation" the whole time, which is another way of saying "ungrounded." I got through the days, but there was a distancing, a tension within me. I was functioning "on automatic," not fully present.

So I've made this list of what is conducive to staying grounded, especially while traveling, and what makes it more challenging. I'll be applying these insights in the future, and if you do, I'd love to hear your experiences!

The matter of "chronic ungroundedness" due to the soul's fear of being fully embodied, that's another article.

So, IMO it is harder to be grounded when you are:

• tired, from exertion or from sleeping poorly or too little
• under time pressure, deadlines
• have an unpredictable schedule
• are subject to discomforts: bad smells, uncomfortable bed, etc.
• alone or with people you don't trust and who don't seem competent to help you
• hungry or toxic from food not right for you
• in unfamiliar surroundings
• short on money
• cut off from nature
• have health challenges that require certain things at certain times, not all of which you have available with you
• in crowds of strangers
• subject to stressors such as loud noises,air pressure changes, etc.
• have responsibilities to carry out, like caring for kids or monitoring email re a sick relative
• have to make a good impression, like making a presentation or meeting someone important to your future
• are treated impersonally or unkindly
• have limited time or energy for exercise or movement
• are fully responsible for your own logistics and wellbeing, or have to rely on strangers for help in these matters
• have no one to share your current state or experiences with, to debrief with

Ultimately, I believe it is possible to be fully grounded even with all the factors above  operating, if one feels "safe" by having a fully awakened consciousness, fully aware of one's infinite, eternal self, fully empowered as a portion of the Infinite Creative Power. Then the unfamiliar poses no threats, just challenges that can be danced with, and resources do "magically" show up when needed. The "grounding" is paradoxically the dissolving of the clash or separation between embodiment and Spirit, which allows their unification or identicalness to be one's constant sense of Being.

AND, it can be nice and handy, to know what one can do, to arrange to feel more grounded, by using the lists in this article.

The advantages of being grounded? It certainly feels more comfortable. One has fuller access to one's knowledge, wisdom, inner resources. Life is more enjoyable. It's easier to play. Laughter itself is an activity which enhances groundedness.

Being ungrounded itself is scary, uncomfortable, weird, confining, and weakening!

So, you can turn the above list around for yourself, but just in case, I'll do that for you. 

It's easier to be grounded, especially while traveling, if you:

• are well-rested, from appropriate exertion and good and long-enough sleep
• arrange to easily deal with your timelines, deadlines
• have a predictable schedule, as much routine as possible
• can be physically comfortable, including your clothes, shoes, etc.
• are with people you care about, who care about you, and whom you regard as pretty competent to deal with the situations you are in
• well-fed and eating foods right for you, with enough water
• in familiar surroundings or places you have researched
• have adequate money on hand to deal with nearly any emergency that might come up
• have good access to Nature of some sort
• have on hand whatever you might need to deal with your health challenges
• among familiar people, or at least people you feel similar to in important ways
• are not subject to stressors such as loud noises,air pressure changes, etc.
• have as few responsibilities to carry out as possible
• are either well-prepared to make a good impression, or don't have to
• are treated kindly by others
• have adequate time and energy for exercise or movement
• have either friends or strangers you can rely on for help with logistics and wellbeing
• have some one to share your current state or experiences with, to debrief with

These were not on the negative factors list, but you can add them to the "conducive factors" list:

• have someone to give and receive caring touch with
• find ways to laugh and play
• pay attention to your environment and experiences; decide to "be present"
• often notice your feet, and your body, and deliberately relax and fill with love
• BREATHE
• smile

Please add your thoughts, insights, recommendations!

by Rev. Alia Aurami, Ph.D., Head Minister, Amplifying Divine Light in All Church

"Amplifying Divine Light in All" is a completely independent church fostering empowerment of people to co-create loving, thriving God-realized lives, and wellbeing for everyone, on a clean, peaceful Earth.

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