Being Grounded

Both my Mother and my Grandmother have always had a deep connectedness to the earth. I always remember them having their hands in the soil growing both ornamental and edible gardens. I remember my mother saying “You always need a patch of garden where you can get your hands in the soil.”

At my Grandmother's previous home I especially remember her having a little fern house that was embedded into her sloping section, it seemed rather magical to me. 

It didn’t matter where my Mother and Grandmother lived, it didn’t take long before their love of nature took over and the sections transformed, accommodating what seemed like an extension of their very being, through an array of gardens popping up around them. 

My mother sets her green fingers to growing an abundance of fruit and vegetables, and now, in his retirement, my father has become engrossed in this cycle of productivity. It’s always nice to wander around their section and admire a bountiful selection of vigorously growing foods, stopping here and there to pick some of their produce and enjoy the succulent flavours of its contents. They work with the seasons, making the most of what Mother nature has to offer, harvesting mushrooms in the Autumn and foraging blackberries in the Summer.

My Grandmother is 93 years old and still lives in her own home. She’s had a small hitch recently of getting a hip replacement, but is now recovering beautifully and is looking forward to getting back to her little house surrounded by the hundreds of potted plants and flower beds that she pours her love into. Her potted garden doesn’t end outside, it trails in and fills her house, spreading healthy vibes into every corner. I’ve always loved seeing the cuttings sprouting strong roots in tiny vases on her kitchen windowsill. Over the years when I’ve visited Grandma, she’s offered cuttings or little potted plants, and I’ve gone home with a boot laden full of her home grown love. 

They have never outwardly expressed themselves using words to explain what was happening, or why they do it, aside from visual enjoyment and the simple fact of feeding families, but now I understand the deeper levels that draw us to wanting to create these environments. It is these subtleties they are tuned into that I have grown to appreciate myself. It’s like connections to inner wisdom of being one with the earth has been ignited. I notice feelings of disconnectedness and spiritual starvation when depriving myself of being in nature. 

Hmmmm, what do I mean by this? I hear you ask. Well, I’ll try and paint a picture for you…

On a mid-winter's day you can look up and see the bare branches of a tree, it’s repetitive structure of these branches and it’s twigs splaying outwardly as it reaches for the sky. The lightning in the background strikes from the clouds above as if a reflection of the tree branches below, just as their roots are beneath the soil. The skeletons of leaves, and lichen even bear these designs. The rivers and streams scattered all around the earth take on this same pattern, as do the cracks in the ground, and our very own veins in our bodies. At a subatomic level the Cosmic web is also made up of filaments in this fashion. All having energy running through and between them. 

What relevance does this all have? There’s more to it than meets the eye. Not only do we have a stunningly beautiful planet with fascinating patterns repeatedly appearing through our natural wonders but there are also powerful energies that seep through too. Medical studies have shown that our bodies go into a healing state when connected to the earth. Our heartbeat, muscle tension and brain waves have all shown to respond this way, and especially so when connecting for 20 minutes or more. 

So, if you’re not doing it already, make the most of the powers of our Earth, nourish your body and soul, take off your shoes and wander outdoors, even if it’s just for a walk in the garden with a cuppa, or taking the opportunity to sit on the grass and read a book. You’ll soon feel the peace of being grounded and will reap the rewards of a natural healing... mentally and physically.