Ok, so let me preface this post with some logistics. This is basic information for this tribe because the original audience for this article was those new to meditation, but the information is still information I'd like to bounce off those in this tribe.

So what exactly is grounding?

As we interact with each other we exchange pieces of ourselves in the form of energy, moods, opinions and behaviors. These pieces float around our space and often begin to cloud our perceptions and actions. A good example is when you interact with someone who’s in a terrible mood. In just a few minutes you could find yourself in a terrible mood as well, even though the circumstances of your day have not changed at all. This is because you are picking up someone else’s “stuff” and holding onto it. You begin to function through those elements as though they were your own.
Grounding creates an exit hatch for foreign elements, and the old patterns that no longer serve you. You can view it this way; ungrounded electricity is potentially fatal, while grounded electricity serves many of our daily needs. The ability to harness and direct raw power is a cornerstone of our evolution. So now the task is applying that same skill to our own lives.

When we find ourselves frenetic, or behaving in old patterns even though we know better, it’s likely we are not grounded. In other words, we are not directing that raw energy towards a healthy channel.

The more we practice grounding, the more clearly we are able to discern our own dynamic from that of others. We start functioning from our own truth instead of expectations others place on us.

How many of us pursued careers our parents pushed us towards? How many of us are raising our children the way our parents raised us? How many of us respond the exact same way in our current relationships as we did five, ten or twenty years ago? These are all ways in which we could be functioning through other’s elements, or even our own antiquated patterns. Grounding helps clear that space. We can then have an authentic reaction to the moment or situation, rather than a prescribed response.

It’s a process that releases much unnecessary clutter, and reveals a cleaner representation of yourself. As you start grounding be prepared to look in the mirror and begin noticing facets of you that may not have been evident before.