Grounding and Balance: Foundation

Consider ways in which you might be out of balance. Only when we are grounded - rooted in sensation, feeling, action, and in the solidity of the material world - can we heal.

Grounding is an important principle in all energy work. Balance is the goal of all spiritual practice. When we give or receive Reiki, our energy system is automatically balanced: if we are too 'cold', Reiki will warm us; if we are too 'warm', Reiki will cool us.

Our major energy energy pathways run vertically through our bodies, while subtler currents run in other directions. This earth-centered pole keeps us connected to the earth and in balance with the natural world in which we live. When energetic contact is made through the body, it is called grounding. Grounding means we are conscious that our body is connected to the earth, and it comes from the solid contact we make with the earth through our feet and legs. Any excess energy is discharged down into the ground. We feel, then, that we can stand on our own two feet and move forward in life.

The polarities within this archetype are centered and scattered. When we are centered, we feel whole and complete. We need to be able to respond to the world around us and not ignore its legitimate calls. When we are centered, we have a centerpoint, and we know where it is and how to get there. When we get offbalance from the stresses and strains of everyday life, we know how to become centered again in a healthy way.

When our energy is scattered, we don't accomplish much and we are in a constant state of upheaval. When a trauma occurs, our energy will become scattered, and if the situation goes on too long, we may even become fragmented. We cannot live in a state of chronic crisis; problems must be resolved if we are to return to our center.

Consider whether you are offbalance in some way. Maybe a life trauma has hurt you and spread your energy around. You may need to do a healing or meditation ritual to be in harmony again.

Consider also whether you need equilibrium in your life. You may need to do an exercise to ground you again. Try this: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, hands at sides. Find the center of your body by rocking gently from side to side and from front to back until you feel a still point. Imagine yourself to be an oak tree, your roots connected to the earth with branches reaching to the sky. Carry this feeling with you for the next week.

AFFIRM with feeling: 'I am firmly connected to the ground of Mother Earth. I am balanced in my life."