EARTH

Earth is a German-English word that simply means “ground.” Of course, earth means much more than that to the inhabitants living upon it. Mother Earth supports our very life existence. Just as the importance of breathing air or drinking water or getting adequate sunlight is life-sustaining, so too is contact with the earth.

Unfortunately, most earth inhabitants have lost that contact through synthetic clothes and shoes that create a disconnect to the earth. We live in buildings that create a barrier between ourselves and the energies of earth, and there are even physical, mental, and emotional illnesses that have been created and have also increased in variety in part because we have moved away from the nature of self and forgotten the reality of the makeup of our being: earth, air, fire, and water.

The vital importance of earth’s energy is without question, and when we are lacking earth energy, conditions can arise, such as chronic lower back pain, sciatica, varicose veins, problems with the rectum, depression, immune-related disorders, bone weakness, adrenal problems, shaking, and possibly an inability to maintain balance or to walk.

When our earth element is balanced in cooperation with the other elements, we have abundance, security, prosperity, strength, and health. When our earth element is unbalanced, it can lead to fear and clinging to security, possessions, land, home, and body.

The challenge of earth energy is security/survival, the ability to take care of our basic needs, such as food, rest, warmth, and shelter. And then we protect ourselves, our family, our home, our land and our country.
There are earth emotions that can affect our lives in many ways: they may manifest as insecurity, panic, anxiety about known and unknown things, and worry. Some people overcompensate and invest in material security but sacrifice the freedom of the flow of life. Others may talk themselves out of doing anything because they fear the worst, and thus miss opportunities. Worry and anxiety take away the joy of the present moment because we waste our energies imagining things that rarely happen.

How do we bring more peace and comfort to unbalanced earth energies? By re-establishing our connection with the earth through physical contact to the earth—this is called grounding. There are very natural ways to make that contact: take off your shoes and socks and step directly onto the earth’s surface. In order to make contact, your skin must touch the earth directly. Some people like to lie down on the grass in a park, some go swimming in a lake, or wade in a stream. Grounding eases the tension and helps release nervous or stuck energy.

Our family is devoted to grounding and because of work schedules and such, we use grounding pads and sheets that can be purchased online. In fact, my yoga mat is grounded as well. The mats and sheets are connected to the grounding outlets in our home and provide us with the earth energies that create a very noticeable easing of aches and pains and produce a calming effect. The science of grounding has also discovered it is useful for bringing down inflammation, which is a root cause of many illnesses. You can find more information online. The company we bought from is Earthing.com and there are other companies as well. Grounding does much more than I can share with you in this abbreviated explanation, so I hope you will do your own research and make your own discoveries.