🌱 Grounded
A lot has been said and written about “being grounded”. There are plenty of techniques and multitude of good reasons to seek being more present and in touch with our emotions and who we are - especially in the uncertain, fast paced world we live in.
What people speak less of is the journey towards ground-ness: it isn’t often an easy one.
Earlier this month I attended a gorgeous workshop led by nature writer and founder of Peaks of Colour, Evie Muir. Part of the Skylarking exhibition at Soft Ground in Sheffield, the workshop was a gentle adventure into nature writing and play, offering a moment to soak the sound installation at the centre of the exhibit, some creative writing and the opportunity to frolic (oh, how i love this word!) in natural items such as herbs, twigs, soil and more.
The following reflection is out came out of my meditation and Evie’s prompt “When i am grounded, i notice…”
“When I am grounded, I notice all the aches and pains that live in my body.
Like wounded animals they seek refuge in nooks and crannies, they love the shadows and come out to play harder when I stop.
My back is the playground of beasts, dark and twisty. They unfurl slowly, taking more space, sprawling over length wise and across. They mate, they mingle, they intertwine. They are one and the same. They are different. I know from experience that if I leave them to their own devices, they will morph and travel and eventually, dissipate.
When I am grounded all my shadows come out to play. Thoughts launch themselves in the abyss of my mind and spin around. Some are sticky and won’t go away. Others are slippery, like sand between my fingers: by the time i feel them, they have vanished.
What was i thinking?
Gone.
When i am grounded, a cocktail of sensations washes over me. Sorrow, joy, pain, freedom, stillness, aliveness, impatience… it is all a whirlwind. There is no difference. Feelings and perceptions are liquid. I am liquid. Behind my eyes are galaxies, spirals of infinity that are tempting to lose myself in. Colours sometimes explode everywhere but they don’t have meaning. They are pointless. Everything is.
When I am grounded, nothing makes sense, and everything does.
I realise the futility of being. I realise its utmost importance.”
Would love to know what you notice when you are grounded? Don’t hesitate to let me know below…
Wonderfully poetic and embodied, Lora