Muse

The root chakra, though it gets less attention than its upper counterparts, is implicated in some of the most important aspects of the development of the soul's consciousness.

The root chakra serves as the anchoring point for divine consciousness as it is stepped down from a very high, fine vibration to the dense energy of the physical body.

Consider the notion of electric power moving from the high voltage of a massive powerline to the 120 volts that run your household appliances. As power flows through the system, it is "stepped down" to a level you can use. The root chakra is the equivalent of the system's grounding rod.

The integration of higher vibration consciousness into your personal, human existence requires an active, grounded root chakra.

Enlivening the root chakra requires that you engage in the process of becoming empowered. Empowerment provides a sense of safety, which helps you to let go of fear and defensiveness.

It is much easier to be present with what is going on in the moment if you aren't worried about what is about to happen.

In order to live a determined and intentional existence, your root chakra needs to be active and capable of grounding energy. 

A well-functioning root chakra provides the foundation for spiritual transformation, and the momentum to get on your spiritual path and practice. 

The root chakra contains the energy of potential. An engaged root chakra can help you bring dreams and desires to fruition–like creating a home that feels good to you, making money, or connecting with your creative passion. 

Spiritual practices that focus exclusively on opening the upper chakras may create ecstatic states. But if you are unable to ground this high-vibration energy, you might end up feeling emotionally and physically imbalanced and uprooted. 

A high-vibration state of consciousness in and of itself is not enough to create healing and change. We are human beings living in dense, physical bodies. In order to function well in these bodies, we need to be able to stay grounded. 

A spiritual practice that gives attention to the root chakra will allow your healing path to unfold more easily and gently.

Here are some suggestions for working with the root chakra:

1. Learn how to ground your energy. This takes time and practice. For a simple grounding exercise see the Muse post Getting Grounded, Staying Grounded.
2. Spend time getting to know your root chakra. When you bring your attention to the base of your spine, what does it feel like? What thoughts or images come to mind? What does your root chakra mean to you? For more information on the subject of chakras, I recommend reading Anodea Judith's book Wheels of Life.
3. As you learn how to take root in this chakra, notice what issues arise for you. Use compassionate mindfulness to gently observe what comes up. A harsh and judgmental stance will shut your root chakra down.
4. Exercises that focus exclusively on awakening Kundalini Shakti should generally be avoided. Many people have gotten themselves into trouble by prematurely awakening this energy. If you think this may have happened, you can find helpful information through the Spiritual Emergence Network.
5. If you engage in practices that open the crown chakra–such as chanting or drumming–it is important to stay grounded, which enables you to draw the energy down into your root chakra for integration into consciousness. If you are unable to stay grounded, perhaps back off these practices until you are able to bring your energy down into the root chakra at will.

As you shift into fully inhabiting this chakra and grounding through it, your healing journey will flow more easily. You will also access deeper levels of consciousness and subsequently feel more expansive, while at the same time feeling firmly rooted in your human experience.

Growing strong roots will help you reach for the sky!

Be Well,

Rebecca

"Treetop" photo image by Jennifer Hopkins ( http://jenhopkins.com/about/artwork-2/ ) with a Creative Commons license.

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They are nurses, therapists and employees of nonprofit organizations. They come for healing because they are burning out on a life of giving. Earth Mothers often are depressed and exhausted, and their lives are not going so well.

I came up with the term Earth Mother because the energy fields of these individuals are wide open as they extend their hearts and healing hands to others. Energetically, they "carry the weight of the world on their shoulders".

As Earth Mothers reach out to try to heal the pain of the world, they end up absorbing negative energies into their bodies. This can be toxic, overwhelming and depleting. Earth Mothers can become so stuffed with the energy of others that their own bodies feel dense and heavy--even numb.

Much of the healing that Earth Mothers engage in comes from the heart. However, there is generally an aspect of the giving that is driven by unconscious needs.

If you are someone who feels compelled to heal and take care of other people, the chances are good that you are absorbing emotional energy that isn't your own. This excess emotional energy can contribute to depression, anxiety and fatigue.

The act of giving is a wonderful thing. But, it is important to give in a way that doesn’t end up leaving you overwhelmed, exhausted and--ultimately--burned out.

Here are some suggestions for overcoming Earth Mother Syndrome:

1. Make a commitment to focus more energy on healing yourself. The nicest gift you can give someone who is suffering is to be a peaceful, grounded presence.
2. Engage in a process of inquiry about why you feel driven to heal and take care of others. Ask yourself what you are getting out of being a giver and healer. You may find that you are engaging in an unhealthy barter with others. (A classic example is "I will take care of you if you won’t leave me".)
3. Learn how to ground yourself. Proper grounding allows you to anchor and integrate the healing energies of Shiva and Shakti. (See Getting Grounded, Staying Grounded, May 13 posting.)
4. Develop skills for clearing other peoples’ energy from your system, and learn how to “own” your space so you don’t take on negative or unbalancing energies. I recommend reading John Friedlander and Gloria Hemsher’s book Basic Psychic Development for guidance in this area.

These are the first steps towards taking back your energy, your power and your health. Our planet desperately needs healers who are grounded and empowered, so don't hold back! Just take care of yourself first.

Be Well,

Rebecca

"Tule Tree" image by Jennifer Hopkins ( http://jenhopkins.com/about/artwork-2/ ) with a Creative Commons license

Grounding refers to being energetically connected to the earth. Like a lightening rod, proper grounding helps to run excess energies into the earth, enabling you to handle the diversity and abundance of energies running through you.

If you are very sensitive and open to experiencing the force of Shakti, learning how to ground is an essential survival skill. Proper grounding helps integrate the energies that meditation, yoga, and other types of healing release.

As Kundalini Shakti starts moving and opening up energetic blocks, the experience can be very unbalancing. This process of purification can be intense and unpleasant, and staying grounded will help ease some of the discomfort.

Grounding helps to move and clear energy more easily, and it creates better flow and communication between your physical body and your electromagnetic field. When grounded, you feel more stable because you are anchored to the earth. (Try doing standing yoga poses when you aren't grounded and you'll see what I mean!) 

Grounding brings you into present time, and helps increase focus and clarity. It helps gather and integrate the energy that is essential to empowerment and manifesting what you want in your life. If you aren't grounded and fully embodying your lower chakras, you may not be able to "hold" the positive effects of energy healing.

Being "ungrounded" contributes to disembodiment (not feeling the full aliveness of your body) and/or dissociation (being cut off from your emotions). You may also feel dizzy, spacey, or light-headed from lack of grounding. I suggest reading Anodea Judith's book Wheels of Life and her chapter on the first chakra for a more extensive look at the subject of grounding. 

What is a good way to ground effectively? For years I used the metaphor of tree roots in the grounding exercises that I gave my clients. While this imagery works for many, the roots just can't conduct all that energy--particularly if there is a lot of Shakti running through you. Imagine a pipe that is too small to carry a large volume of water.  

What works much better than tree roots is a bigger grounding pole. Here is a simple grounding exercise borrowed from Jill Leigh of the Energy Healing Institute. 

1. Sit with both feet on the floor, uncrossed, hands in your lap, uncrossed as well. Come into the experience of your body. Feel  yourself sitting, feel your feet on the floor, and engage the breath. Relax.
2. Bring your attention to your feet. Imagine the foot chakras in the arches of your feet opening up.
3. Move your attention to your root chakra (base of spine).
4. Imagine a bright green ball of light spinning in your root chakra, the width of your hips.
5. Drop this ball from your root chakra, imagining the ball creating a grounding pole as it moves down into the center of the earth. Your legs and feet are part of this grounding pole.
6. Allow your energy to drop down, through the grounding pole, and feel the connection to earth's energy.
7. Then come into your first and second chakras, and inhabit and enliven this space. 

If you have difficulty staying grounded, practice this as many times a day as you can. You are teaching your body to do something unfamiliar, so be patient.

You may have physical sensations and emotions that are new. This is part of the process that grounding awakens as you become more rooted in your body. If you are feeling a tingling sensation in your lower chakras, you have it! This is your body enlivened. In time you will feel more aligned, balanced, and present. So have fun and enjoy getting grounded and staying grounded!

Be Well,

Rebecca

"Fall Light" image by Jennifer Hopkins (http://jenhopkins.com/about/artwork-2/) with a Creative Commons license.