We're used to focusing "upwards" when we want to commune with God or a Higher Power or access creative inspiration. So we tend to be overbalanced in our upper chakras. Most of us have been taught meditations where we open up our heart and our crown (top of head) chakras when we seek to access divine wisdom.

But it's the lower chakras, the feet, the toes, and the Earth star chakra, that we need to use to tap into the Earth's energy. We each have an Earth star chakra. This is the key doorway that allows us to receive energy from the Earth and to be supported in our physical form. The Earth star chakra is below our feet, about 12 - 18 inches within the Earth. By getting to know this chakra and by mentally putting down "roots" from our Earth star down to mother Earth's central core, we can connect with the dynamic intelligence of mom Earth. And that's when we can ask questions, learn stuff, and stabilize our own energy.

In this modern culture we tend to be centered in our middle and upper chakras as we go about our daily lives. Driving on long commutes makes us center our energy within our heads, and we're not very grounded in our physical bodies. Working on a computer all day also activates our throat (communication) and third eye (visualization) chakras, which cause our energy to be strong on top but weak on the bottom.

So, by the end of a typical day, many of us have all of this electrical activity going on in the middle to upper half of our bodies and no energy kicking in down in our base or our root chakra. We can feel tired and spacey because we're so ungrounded.

Here's a simple trick to shift your energy around so you are fully grounded and connected to mother Earth.

Grounding Tricks

Stand straight, your feet planted firmly on the ground. If you can do this meditation outside and barefoot, it's even better! Close your eyes. Focus on your feet. Try to feel the energy of your feet. What are the soles of your feet feeling like? Have they been squooshed into uncomfortable shoes all day? Are they aching? Are they itchy? Are they cushioned within nice, soft socks? Connect with the soles of your feet and be aware of how they feel.

As you connect with the soles of your feet, you are actually activating the feet chakras. The feet chakras are wheels or gateways that allow energy to flow in and out of your feet area. Visualize your feet chakras at the bottom of your feet, in the center of the sole of each foot. You may feel a tingly sensation as you begin to focus more on your feet.

Now, place your attention at an imaginary spot about a foot to a foot and a half down within the Earth. See if you can "find" or visualize your Earth star. This will be a large energy wheel, you may see it as a sphere, that is down in the ground beneath you. Connect with the energy of your Earth star.

Now imagine a cord of energy, like roots of a tree, going down from the bottoms of your feet and connecting you to your Earth star. You are "plugging yourself in" to your Earth star as you do this. Sometimes, all of that driving in our cars and living in our heads pulls our energy field slightly out of our Earth star. So simply reconnecting to the Earth star by plugging into it through our feet can ground us back in our physical bodies and get us out of our heads.

Once you feel plugged into your Earth Star, place your attention down in mother Earth's core. Some people like to imagine her core as a molten sun. I tend to see the core this way. It's like a huge energy ball where mother Earth's central "brain" is. It's the best way to connect with her. Imagine what mother Earth's center feels like. Is it hot? Is it colorful? What's the energy like? Image how far away it is, too, all those miles within the center of the planet.

After you have a feeling for mother Earth's core, bring your attention back to your Earth star. You are going to extend your focus to allow your Earth star to plug into mother Earth's core. This will ground you and help you to feel more secure and supported in your physical life. Imagine cords of energy (you can visualize them like tree roots) threading down from your Earth star all the way down into mother Earth's central core. Picture those roots winding their way through the miles, making a handshake with the Earth's center and then plugging into her.

Now, you've activated your feet chakras, plugged them into your Earth star, and you then plugged your Earth star into mother Earth's central core.

Notice any sensations you feel. You may wish to gently invoke mother Earth's help and ask her to ground you and stabilize you. Doing this will create an immediate shift in your body, and it will feel really good. You'll feel less scattered and unfocused, and your attention will come down out of the mental plane and be on the physical plane again.

Feel free to talk to mother Earth and ask her questions or to simply honor her and thank her for all that she is. Spend as much time connecting in this way as you want.

When you're ready to wrap things up, you may want to thank mother Earth for her help and find a way to honor her when you have come out of your meditation. Water your garden. Talk to your tomato plants. Do positive things out in nature or honor the natural kingdom in your home. You might make an altar with pretty crystals in it or buy a new houseplant. There are many ways to make a physical gesture that will help to anchor your newly reawakened connection to mother Earth.

Take Note of What You Feel

Now that you know how to plug into her, this is an ongoing relationship that you can continue to explore. Once you consciously make this sacred connection, some interesting synchronicities may start to happen in your life as mother Earth starts to send messengers your way. You may see a beautiful hawk flying overhead as you are out on a walk. You may notice a rainbow that seems to appear just for you. Keep your senses attuned to these messages from the Earth, as they are evidence that you are building a stronger connection to her.

You can use the simple grounding meditation I've shared with you any time you feel like you're racing around, living in your head too much. It's also a good one to use if you're feeling tired. Sometimes our attention has withdrawn so much into our mental bodies that our spirits slightly pull OUT of our physical bodies, and this dissonance is felt as tiredness. You're not really tired at all. Your energy has just become ungrounded.

So if you can learn to do a quick visualization where you activate your feet chakras, plug them into your Earth star, and then plug your Earth star down into mother Earth's core, gently asking her for some quick grounding, you'll experience some nice effects. It's a highly portable meditation. You can do it outside or inside, in any kind of weather, with your shoes on or without.

I invite you to experiment with this meditation and to send me any feedback on your experiences and the sensations that you feel. Connecting with the Earth is a great way to start and end your day, so work with this meditationn as frequently as you like!