Grounding:The Foundational Self-Care Practice *

By Deborah Bookin

Updated:  January 2024

Why is a website about crystals talking about grounding?  Because working with crystals involves working with yourself as a human energy being and grounding is the key energetic practice that can support you in maintaining a healthy, stable foundation as you interact with the world of living energies of which you are a part.  When you are well-grounded, you are continuously supporting your entire self in the fullest and most far-reaching way.  Everything, including working with crystals, is enhanced.

Although the term grounding has made its way into our everyday language, many people aren’t aware that there is actually an energetic practice that initiates the state of being we consciously experience and describe as rootedness or stability.

Grounding is the energetic practice in which a person establishes energetic roots deep into the Earth, creating an energetic circuit between Heaven and Earth.  Like a lamp being plugged into an electrical socket, the person grounding establishes a circuit of energy flow in which he or she continuously receives and is supported by the energies of both Heaven and Earth.

In the natural flow of this energy circuit, called the Light Axis by medical intuitive and teacher Sarah Weiss, the person releases heavy energies to the Earth for recycling and receives nourishing, refined energies that support his or her health, vitality and well-being in return.  As the person continues to maintain this energetic connection and refine their personal energy, more and more becomes possible.  Like an illuminated lamp, the person’s true inner light, abilities and gifts begin to shine through more clearly and become more easily perceived and accessible.

Benefits of Grounding

When you initiate the energy circuit created through grounding, you are activating a simple, highly effective support system that continuously energizes, renews and helps to uplift you.  In the process, many important things become possible:

  • Your physical, emotional and mental health and vitality are continuously refreshed through the flow of energy.
  • Some heavy energies generated through negative thoughts, fears or other heavy emotions, or taken on from other people or your surroundings, are released to the Earth.
  • Your personal energetic boundaries are strengthened so that healthier, stronger boundaries with other people may be maintained.
  • You are less likely to take on the energies of others or give away your own energy.
  • You are in the fullness of your own energy, able to tap into more of the richness of your own inner knowledge, resources and vitality as you choose.
  • You become more conscious, present, aware and intentional in your thoughts and actions.

When in a well-grounded state, some people report feeling more relaxed, at ease, or able to think or focus more clearly.  Others have reported feeling a sense of fullness, solidness or well-being that they were not aware of before.  They may notice that there is a qualitative difference in how they are able to carry through with the demands of their day, responding to other people and situations.  Creativity may be stimulated and the energy to express it is more easily available.  The ability to fall asleep and the quality of sleep are supported and may be enhanced.

Being in a well-grounded state can have great benefits when one is in a stressful or emotionally-charged situation.  Staying firmly rooted to the Earth at these times can help a person to stay firmly planted on their own personal foundation, accessing inner strength, wisdom and other resources to respond to the situation with greater clarity, creativity and effectiveness.  Being grounded may help the person avoid unconsciously taking on the subtle emotional energies of others at times when they feel emotionally drawn into intense or upsetting circumstances around them.

In less volatile situations where one’s emotional buttons have had a tendency to get pushed, grounding may help the person to pause and respond in a more balanced, refined way because they are drawing from the flow of neutral, refined energy through the Heaven-Earth circuit, rather than the emotionally-charged energy of old, stored emotions and experiences.

Deeper Grounding, Greater Benefits

Just as a lamp must continue to stay plugged into an electrical socket in order to benefit from the flow of energy so that it may shine, fuller grounding must be maintained in order for the person to most fully benefit from the flow of energy between Heaven and Earth through the Light Axis. The longer and more fully a person grounds, the stronger their energetic roots can become and the more their personal energy can refine.  As outer layers of heavy energy fall away from the person’s energy field, heavy or stuck energies affecting the physical body may have the opportunity to clear rather than remain and contribute to the limitation of healthy energy flow and body functioning.

As a dynamic practice rooted in the present moment, a person’s grounded state varies from moment to moment.  Regularly checking in throughout the day to discern the state of your groundedness is important.  Over time, you may notice particular flags that help you recognize that you have become ungrounded or less grounded and that it’s time to re-ground:  having scattered thoughts, forgetting what you were about to do, performing a task or practice out of sequence, being on auto-pilot or thinking of other things rather than being fully present when driving, etc.

Through grounding, you naturally begin to bring your body, mind and spirit into greater alignment and integration.  As you continue to ground regularly and deepen your grounding practice, you may become aware of opportunities to beneficially access and  integrate deeper parts of your being and stored experience.  There can be something fresh and new to learn about yourself each time you consciously ground.

On a daily basis or in a particular moment, the experience of grounding may feel easy or challenging, energizing or relaxing, as a state of fullness or lightness, depending upon the particular circumstances of the moment.  Whether challenging or rewarding, it is valuable to continue to stay with the experience of grounding in the moment to receive the fullest support of Heaven and Earth through the Light Axis and to experience the gifts that can be discovered in this state.

Special Considerations for Those Who Have Experienced Trauma or Abuse:  In circumstances where a person has experienced trauma or abuse, it is very important to adapt the practice of grounding to honor and support the person’s sense of safety, level of comfort and current boundaries because the process of grounding can open or increase energy flow to particular areas of the physical body and human energy field where trauma is stored.  Consulting and working with a healing professional trained in trauma healing is advised for those who experience discomfort, upset or feeling unsafe when beginning to learn or deepening their practice of grounding.

Daily Practice

As a practice that contributes positively to everything you do, grounding is as important a part of daily hygiene and self-care as brushing your teeth.  Incorporating it into your daily routine can flow naturally throughout your day.  When you first awaken, take a mid-morning break, prepare to eat a meal or prepare for a nap or evening sleep, taking a few moments to re-ground can bring you back to a healthier, more nourished state of flow, vitality, clarity, ease and well-being.  Over time, you may discover that other daily practices such as yoga, exercise and eating may also support your state of groundedness at a particular moment.

In the busyness of daily life, some people forget to ground or find it difficult to take the time to ground and turn to it only when they find themselves in challenging circumstances. Yet, I can think of no other daily practice that has such far-reaching benefits or impact throughout life.

* I gratefully acknowledge the teachers who have contributed to my knowledge, understanding and practice of grounding: Dr. James Kepner, Carol DeSanto, Sarah Weiss, Naisha Ashsian and Dr. Aimee Apigian.

©  2014, 2022, 2024  Deborah Bookin    All Rights Reserved.