How To Be a Lightning Rod: A Direct Route to Wellbeing
“When we are connected to the ground, and to each other – we can become lightning rods: dispersing chaotic, overwhelming energies and forces that so often surround us in these uncertain times.”
Being ‘grounded’ carries some pretty negative connotations. I grew up associating grounding with punishment – or in the case of planes, not being allowed to fly. So often, we hear about grounding as a source of being stuck, trapped, or being without power.
In 2020, the majority of us around the world were physically grounded in some way – unable to do the day-to-day ‘flying’ that busy personal and working lives so often require. We’ve been physically grounded. In one place. Staying home. We’ve spent much of our time within our local communities, or even the same four walls - many of us haven’t gone further than a few miles for months. We know the very real and negative edge grounding can embody - the sense of isolation, the boredom, the disconnection and frustration.
An alternative definition of ‘being grounded’ is very different to the kind of negative forces associated with being unable to move. In fact, grounding in its foundational sense is about being connected to ourselves - to the very roots of our being. In this sense, grounding represents being balanced, making good decisions, being centred within.
In my work as a self-development teacher, I see grounding as one the linchpins and foundational pieces of the work I do. I invite individuals and groups to practise it in some form at the start of all my sessions, courses and immersions. I passionately believe that before we can be truly well, we must be grounded. We must be in reality; being present in our bodies, connected to the ground and able to connect to each other and our environment. More simply, we cannot be well if we are not here. Cultivating the skill of grounding is about learning how to come back to that sense of here, now – in order to feel balanced no matter what is happening around you. Feeling our feet on the ground. Noticing our breath in our bodies. Cultivating our resilience. Bringing awareness to our inner states and guiding ourselves back to wellness moment by moment. Without this, we are vulnerable to being overwhelmed and thrown off-course regularly by whatever life throws our way - a constant possibility made very real in the year we’ve all just weathered.
In many ways, the image of electricity and earthing come to mind for me when I think of grounding. Anything metal conducts electricity; if you ground that electricity, it disperses. Lightning rods on buildings play this essential role in lightning storms – the rod goes into the ground - and the energy is dissipated.
The very same concept is true of us as humans – when we are connected to the ground, and to each other – we can become lightning rods: dispersing chaotic, overwhelming energies and forces that so often surround us in these uncertain times. We can learn to grow our own subterranean roots into our essence so we can safely channel and redirect these energies in a conscious, balanced way. These roots - mental, emotional, psychological, energetic – connect us into the deeper essence of who we are. Learning how to do this is rarely explored in our always-on culture (where flying around at top speed has typically been promoted as the key approach to getting things done). And yet, now, in a time of sustained physical grounding, the invitation is there in a way it never has been before.
So, here’s my intention and invitation as we step into 2021 – that we can all individually and collectively find our ground. That we can learn to grow roots into ourselves to hold ourselves steady.
If you’re interested to find out more, you can watch my short video ‘New Year, New Ground’, the first part of my monthly series ‘Know Yourself in 2021’ on my YouTube channel. It contains some practical grounding tools to help you find your roots. This is the first in my monthly video series in 2021, exploring the many ways that we can access our unique Knowing superpower to create a more connected, joyful and meaningful life. I’d love you to join me and an inspiring community as we journey together into this brave new world - let me know how you get on!
