As Within: A Perspective on Grounding

There is that precept in many spiritual and esoteric traditions, I believe all sourced from The Emerald Tablet, that states, "As above, so below.  As within, so without."  It describes the mirroring principle of the Universe and, in total context, encourages us to work from the inside out in that whatever we say or do we should first "do the inner work" or engage with it energetically, even prior to the rational-planning stages.  The idea and practice of this concept is something many of us aspire to accomplish in our self-mastery process, it's fundamental and basic... and often taken for granted.  The experience of this concept is quite different from understanding it, knowing it, and practicing with it.  And, to experience it consciously & conscientiously, on purpose, at-will, presently, while operating from it... that's the magic.  

One meditative visualization that has served many well is during a grounding and centering practice, which is when it consciously dawned on me that this is what was happening.  It may seem rudimentary and basic, but did you ever learn something or have one of those revelations that hit you like, "Oh! That's what I've been doing this whole time!"  And that is exactly what prompted the writing & sharing of this article.  

A common visualization for grounding and centering is to imagine Divine Light streaming in through the top of your head, filling your body, radiating out into your aura, and pouring from your feet down into the earth.  This is commonly used when calling in healing, protection, magical power, or connecting with Angels and Spirit Guides, etc.  And, that's true whether you are doing it for yourself or channeling in the service of another, such as before doing energy-work, healing, or a psychic reading.  Everyone one is different, but that's the basic visualization many learn first.  

There is also another technique, often used for healing, self-care, and nurturance.  It may also be taught as a technique for grounding and centering, spatial awareness, and protection.  This technique is not about calling in Divine Light from an outside source or the Universe "out there".  It's all about going within and finding that point of connection, the source of Divine Light, within your own Spirit-Mind-Body.  Usually the meditator will then sit with their personal ball of Light energy somewhere in their belly and feed it love and watch it grow until it fills the whole body and every cell.  It can be a powerful experience of Divine love & connection & well-being... literally, a Light feeling. 

Tantric Buddhism teaches a practice of following your body sensations and just observing them - like when you're focusing on your breath and your nose starts to itch, and then a twinge pinches your side, and a tickle dances on the top of your foot, then a shoulder-blade itches.  This Tantric technique teaches to let your awareness follow your body but without responding to it, just observe the energy moving around and use these jumping points like you would the breath as a focus of awareness.  You can then learn more what it's like to observe-without-reacting to thoughts and feelings that wave through you as you sit to quiet yourself and focus. 

Similarly to the Tantric technique, when we put our awareness deep within to or own personal Source of Divine Light, we are presently Spirit-Mind-Body -- grounded, centered, & emanating.  I had a teacher who once said (I'm paraphrasing), "Stay in it. Don't journey back from this energy-space.  Don't close down the visualization."  Usually, we think of closing a meditation or journey with a return to our physical senses and grounding our Spirits back into our Bodies, etc.  Her point was that we went within, we didn't go off anywhere "otherworldly".  We were right here, right now, and the purpose was to shine our light, to bring the Divine out into the world and our lives through this Spirit-Mind-Body system.  It's not like opening the treat, taking a bite, and wrapping it up to hide it away again - like it's a secret stash that would somehow dissipate if revealed.  So, she encouraged us no to force it but to practice just "going there and saying there" or operating from there for as long as we were aware of it.  Practice really does make progress...  

The highlight of all of this really is, that moment of awareness that -- "Oh, this works because I AM it, not because I called it.  I don't ever have to be 'ungrounded' unless I am operating the system manually instead of automatically."  It was a big moment because I experienced it - simultaneously aware of the feeling of it, action of it, and intellectual understanding of it.  And, so, the words that rang through the experience were, "As within, so without".  

Peace & Lughnasadh Blessings, Everyone!