Getting Grounded
Sometimes I travel a lot on business. In the past 10 days, I have made 2 trips to a town 2 hours from here, and one trip to a town nearly 4 hours from here. I made presentations and attended workshops.
I’ve discovered I have gotten ungrounded. I am taking steps to get re-grounded. First, how do you know when you are not grounded? You may feel tired or out of sorts. You might call this being ‘out of whack.’ Other people may helpfully point out that you look tired or sound tired, or something like that.
How do you reestablish groundedness in these cases?
1. Unpack from your trip. Literally unpack your luggage and put things away and do your laundry. Get all the junk food wrappers out of the car and fold the the maps back up and put them where they belong. If you traveled on business, put the files away and fill out your travel voucher. Brief your manager.
2. Return to your regular rituals and habits. Figure out what day it is, and perhaps even what time it is. Drink the water you are accostumed to drinking, and get rehydrated. (This is really critical if you were inside a hermatically sealed conference hotel for 2 solid days.) Return to the food that you know agrees with you, that which you should be eating. Eat when you should, and the quantities you should be eating. Attend to your personal care needs. Sleep in your own bed. Get enough sleep for you. Return to your exercise schedule. (Particularly the one you keep meaning to start!) Conduct your daily spiritual rituals.
3. Return to the People and Animals in your world. Visit with your friends and family, the ones you live with or talk to on a day to day basis. Catch up. Play with your pets. Groom them or take them for walks. Run little errands to the places you go, to see your acquaintances.
4. Go Outside. Experience fresh air, sunshine, sit on the ground, and go somewhere where you can perhaps play in water, or at least see/hear a body of water. Greet the Stars and the Moon.
5. Conduct a special Ritual or Ceremony to acknowledge you are home. For me this involves writing, and the use of music and sage.
Whale Maiden-Suburban Shaman 