A Grounding Ritual for the Uprooted Mind

What does it mean to be grounded? If you're an energetically sensitive witch, chances are you consider grounding a magical skill, much like protection or glamour magic. If this is the case for you, your grounding practices might look like brewing yourself an enchanted cup of chamomile tea, spending ten minutes with your naked feet in the earth, or laying back against a tree to breathe. But what if grounding is less about the environments we have access to, and more about the internal environment we're able to create in collaboration with our bodies?

When our physical and psychic senses are heightened, we come to depend on our grounding rituals to discern our own energy and feelings from the cacophony of energy around us — but getting grounded is a lot more accessible than you think, witch! This practice rarely requires us to step out of our homes, wander off into a magical glenn, and set aside our responsibilities. In fact, when we develop our grounding skills as a form of self-devotion, getting centered in our bodies can happen in any environment, at any time. This might look like the simple ritual of taking your anti-anxiety medication in the morning, touching your belly when you notice yourself spacing out at work, or narrating your day-to-day tasks out loud so you're more consciously present. Grounding allows us to revel in the magic of the mundane, and more often than not, we can achieve realignment without access to our full witch's toolkit. Think of the last time you experienced an argument with your partner, or got a flat tire on the way home from the grocery store — what tools did you utilize to soothe yourself and drop back down into your body?

Approaching groundedness in this way requires reverence for your body's capacity for sensation. When our environment shifts, destabilizes, or transforms, our nervous system can kick into overdrive, making it difficult to feel the full spectrum of sensation our body has to offer us. But when we consciously practice grounding, we remind ourselves that our bodies are landmarks for us to return home to when we've strayed too far.

A Grounding Ritual for the Uprooted Mind

When our minds have been uprooted, we're severed from the information our sensual bodies have to offer us. If your desire is to root down and return to center, but it feels like a tornado just ripped through your nervous system, use this guided grounding ritual to return to energetic neutral.

Wherever you are in the current moment — whether you're sitting, standing, or laying down — locate your body in the environment. Spend some time orienting yourself within and around your body; is it more comfortable to perceive yourself from the inside out, or the outside in? Are there areas of your body that want to share information with you? Simply give yourself an opportunity to sink into awareness. You don't need to do anything with your discoveries at this time. Just notice, and get curious about how you're noticing.

Gently bring your attention to your center of gravity. Where in your body feels like center? Alternatively, where in your body does your consciousness sit? What is the most sensitive, aware, or fluid area of your body in this moment? If it feels good, bring your hands to this area. Imagine a small, warm seed of light right beneath your hands — how does this seed want to stretch and expand? Where in your body does this seed want to get to?

Help this seed travel; imagine soft, glowing roots branching out from the seed, and let your hands guide these roots where they need to go. Move your palms along your belly, up onto your diaphragm and chest, out towards your shoulders and elbows and fingers. Imagine each root of light stretching to follow your hands, until your entire body is lit up from within. What does it feel like to hold the sensation of warmth in your throat, your ribs, the backs of your knees? Are there any messages from your body that you feel ready to hear right now?

Take a moment to welcome yourself back into your body, and your body back into relationship with you. Modify this visualization to suit your needs depending on your environment, and remember that grounding is a skill anyone can develop! You don't need anything to do this work beyond the present moment and a willingness to turn towards your body for connection and support. Groundedness looks and feels different for every witch; it doesn't only mean standing with your feet in the grass, or setting aside half an hour to meditate and journal in the morning. Getting grounded can happen wherever you are,