What is Grounding and Centering? How-Tos and Methods
Centering is about balancing and stabilizing the body and mind's energy along with narrowing your focus.
Grounding is bonding and exchanging energy with different elements, however to many practitioners traditionally that element is typically earth. As somebody however who worked/works with a multi-faceted deity for many years, many things can be multi-faceted a lot like grounding.
For example within DBT therapy grounding is bringing yourself into the here and now by honing in on the five senses. Connecting both yourself and your immediate surroundings within the present. For examples box breathing and pain relief exercises medically.
Grounding for me personally is stabilizing one's energy, by reclaiming it from the universe or by drawing from the elements around me. As someone with chronic fatigue I need to borrow energy for spellwork so I become less fatigued after and Earth is a great neutral resource and element.
Grounding and meditation typically go hand in hand here.
While personally Centering is about balancing the body, the mind and narrowing my focus within my intentions for the act of entering into a certain brainwave state so I can enter spellwork or manifestation.
In another post, we will discuss brainwave states and altered states of consciousness and what they can do for your spellwork from a chaos magic perspective.
Now let's get into some centering and grounding methods.
Method 1 - Energetic Center Visualization:
Closing your eyes, visualize this glowing light. It can be any colour in your core. Now, your core can be anywhere along your body, from your heart center to your sacral, stomach, and third eye. Wherever feels the most right to you.
Visualize it growing brighter and becoming the center of your being. Gently pushing and pulling your energy.
As you breathe in, feel this light expand and fill your entire body. Filling you with peace and a sense of wholeness.
Method 2 - Breathwork with the elements:
You can do whatever feels more natural within your breathwork, like adding the element of spirit, for example.
Go to an area where you won't be disturbed for a while.
Getting in a comfortable position, usually sitting, is recommended because you could fall asleep. However, lying down is fine if you have a back injury like I do or sitting is uncomfortable.
Inhale through your nose for a long, steady breath to the count of four while keeping track of each number of elements Earth, Air, Fire, Water.
Hold that breath while repeating over Earth, Air, Fire, and Water.
Exhale through your mouth, long and steady to the beat of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water.
Hold your lungs empty on the count of four Earth, Air, Fire, Water.
Repeat however long you feel necessary after it instills feelings of calm and relaxation.
Method 3 - Moving the body
Another method is movement. Movement helps us center ourselves. Exercise, stretching, dancing, hiking, etc. Not only is it spiritually healthy, it is physically healthy. It brings us back into balance when we get our bodies moving.Â
If you struggle with disabilities, stretching to the best of your ability can be enough. If you are in a wheelchair, for example, you can do upper body stretches like desk stretching and artist stretches if you are able to move your upper body. However, if you are not able to do this as easily, thatâs alright. You can use other methods, and you will not be left out.Â
Method 1 - Earth Grounding
Some visualization is needed for this method, however, I personally have trouble with seeing with visualization so I find myself directing myself with inner thoughts to go along with it.
Go to an area where you won't be disturbed for a while.
Getting in a comfortable position usually sitting is recommended because you could fall asleep. However, if you have a back injury like I do or sitting just is not comfortable, laying down is fine.
Let yourself fall into a natural breathing pattern. In and out, calm as possible. You can incorporate regular box breathing here if needed.
You are going to want to visualize a cord coming from the center of your being. For some people, this is from the base of their tailbone, bellybutton or heart. This cord travelling down deep into the earth, either spreading out like roots or wrapping around the earth's core.
Now what I like to do is shed down this cord any sort of gross gunk-like energy to return to the earth to be recycled. Especially energy that's not mine.
I visualize/tell this energy to move down the cords and spread back into the earth to be recycled. If I am recycling my own energy I let that energy sit for a minute with the earth, invite it back up after it is renewed back into the core of my being. You never want to personally lose your own energy as it can leave you fatigued.
This is your option to also borrow some energy if needed. Always remember to thank the earth for its generosity. You can also leave an offering for it later if you choose.
Now once you have finished remember to retract that cord and you are done.
There are so many different ways you can ground. You can ground using terrestrial energy by expanding your roots to underground caves with crystals, pockets of air, water, and lava, all for elemental work. You can even go upwards into solar energies, connecting with the cosmos. The possibilities are endless.
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