The Importance of Grounding: A Ritual Basic Not to Be Overlooked in Magick

While everyone's magickal path is unique to their own spiritual journey and each of us relates to the divine in our own way, there are some basics of practice that are true for all magickal practitioners. Not grounding or not doing it properly will result as much in failed magick as not believing in what you are doing. Sadly few people ever learn to ground properly, or give enough of their attention to grounding during their training, leading to a sense of dissatisfaction or frustration with their magicks.

Often, even teachers and clergy omit the importance of grounding in magickal work, out of a desire to pique the students interest by moving on too quickly to more advanced topics, but overlooking grounding as a necessary foundation in magickal training is a mistake. This is not a situation helped by popular authors and teachers on the subject who usually speak of grounding no more than to point out that it should be done at the beginning of every ritual. That is fine for the person who mastered the skill early on, but lends no instruction whatsoever for the solitary practitioner.

How do you know if you are properly grounded? There are physical and mental signs that will cue you in to let you know if you are properly grounded. Does your mind wander, or are you totally focused on the task at hand? Notice that when you are properly grounded you will be aware of subtle energies and sensations in your body that you normally do not notice, the rhythm of your breathing the slow cycling of your pulse, you will also feel more 'magickal' and prepared to initiate ritual.

If the trouble s have the day haven't dissipated and left you in a state of relaxation then perhaps you should look at your grounding technique. Make sure you are centering yourself fully before you begin with grounding work by paying attention to certain details of centering. If you are still not achieving your desired state try doing mental exercises daily to increase your powers of concentration and visualization.

For those who are new to the art or never had any education in grounding, I will share with you some ideas on how to start the process off right, with a few simple steps. Step one, always make sure you are centered. Centering is a rather simple concept that can prove rather difficult to utilize, especially if you are dealing with particularly heavy stressors. I tell people to think about that place in their bodies that they refer to when they say " I have a gut feeling". The physical sensation experienced when one has a gut feeling is centered at the seat of the soul, the center of your being, this is the place that you must access when properly focusing your spiritual power.

To center merely bring your attention to this area of your body and allow all your consciousness to focus on that area. Work to become aware of the different areas of tension in your body, note how you are scattering your balance throughout your body~ shoulders, knees even down to your calves and pull all of that energy into the seat of the soul. Be aware of a feeling of energetic fullness in the region and a sense of relaxation flowing into the areas of your body that are normally tense. When your mind has followed suit it will be time to begin grounding.

Many authorities on the subject of grounding will suggest that it is enough to merely sit on the ground or place bare feet on the earth's surface, but this will not always be a sufficient way to do this. If you are subconsciously withholding the energy or are not prepared to let go of it, it will simply not leave your body. For people who have trouble letting go of the energies it may be helpful to institute creative visualization or ritual into the act.

It is not uncommon to find practitioner's who use techniques similar to yoga, for example, you may place your feet shoulder width apart on the ground and envision your self as a sturdy oak, with it's energy flowing into the ground. You can add ritual to whatever physical method you use with words such as ' I give this excess energy back to the earth from where it originated', or whatever feels right to you. As with all ritual workings personalizing your method to suit you will result in the most positive effects.

Remember to ground not only before beginning a ritual to remove negative energies and prepare yourself for the working, but it is also a good idea to ground yourself after your ritual is complete. A practitioner can build up a lot of excess energy during any type of energy work, and carrying it around with you can result in some unpleasant side effects. Happy Grounding!