On Being Grounded – Or Not
I was at a workshop recently, and one of the other participants was complaining because her spouse’s lack of groundedness created difficulties in their relationship. The conversation turned to grounding, and the importance of being grounded, and everyone eagerly shared tips for becoming grounded, staying grounded, living grounded.
And then it was my turn.
There are times it’s good be to grounded. I agree. I think it’s important to know how to ground so we can be grounded when we choose.
Key words – “when we choose”.
I have a lot of air in my astrological chart. I live in my head most of the time. I’m aware of that, and I like it – there’s a lot of interesting stuff going on in there.
Having to take time to eat, drink, sleep, stretch – tedious. I want to be, to create, to think. I do not go to the Michelangelo extreme of sleeping in my clothes to minimize the time I spend on grooming, but I can work right through lunch and breaks without notice. You know those intangible blue energy field characters in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? I am so there – no laundry to do, ever again.
What I shared in the workshop is that a lot of the time I am intentionally ungrounded. On purpose, I am not in my body and not connected to my physical reality. And I’m okay with that choice. I was surprised at the strong – and negative – reaction this disclosure elicited. “You can’t work if you’re not grounded!” “You aren’t living when you’re not grounded!” “Being ungrounded is bad!”
Being grounded slows me down. I can reach more intense places with my creativity, think more expansively, and simply do more if I’m not grounded. I can focus my energy in ways that I can’t achieve when I’m grounded. I can move faster, process information more quickly, and make connections and solve problems with greater ease and speed. Creativity, for me, is an out-of-body experience.
Focus? Oh, yeah. I got focus. Having focus and being grounded are two very different states. They’re not mutually exclusive, but if I can choose only one of them, focus wins. Every time.
Grounding slows me down. Makes me stop. Requires that I contend with material plane issues, like food and sleep and the ever-present ache from the back injury I sustained when I was 17.
I do ground for some meetings, events, etc. Some days I’ll ground so I can slow down, give myself a break, be more in the moment and less caught up in everything. Being grounded as much as people seem to think we “should” be grounded doesn’t work for me.
When it’s right, I’m grounded. The rest of the time, I’m focused – and happy – in the ether.
Anastasia –
With Sun and Moon in Capricorn, I don’t have to worry about being grounded! 😉
Blessings,
Bonnie
That’s really interesting. I’m a big one for being grounded. I always put it down to not having a lot of earth in my chart. You have now given me a whole new perspective.
For you, being grounded is being true to the Air in you rather than being grounded in the earth. Maybe what we mean in ‘being grounded’ is being true to our highest good and to the elements that inhabit and sustain us.
And anyway, none of this is good or bad in that judgemental kind of way, it’s all about what serves our highest good.
Thank you for the wise and wonderful post.
Hi, Bonnie – Lots of strong energy there! And you seem to make good use of it!
Anastasia
Hi, Gail – Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I like your idea of ‘being grounded’ as being grounded in our personal element, rather than being grounded with earth energy in the traditional sense of the meaning. I also appreciate the non-judgment – I was rather surprised in the workshop how everyone immediately went to a place of my ungroundedness being a negative state.
So many times we’re told to concentrate on improving where we are weak. I’ve always been puzzled by that. If there are certain skills we need to develop to manage our lives, that’s one thing – for example, if someone is chronically unable to be on time and this creates problems, then perhaps grounding in earth energy is something they need to work on. However, I think it’s more useful and more rewarding to focus on where we are strong and make the most of the talents we have. I think this is more rewarding and less frustrating for everyone.I’d rather be amazingly good at what I’m good at than just mediocre at something that doesn’t fit my authenticity.
Anastasia
Great article. I’m the same way, but appreciate reading about it from another person’s perspective. Helped me understand myself a bit better, and that this isn’t necessarily a negative thing. (I never thought it was because it doesn’t bother me, but others don’t necessarily agree.)
Hi, Jessica – I’m glad you enjoyed it! It does surprise me how strongly people feel on the topic, but I’m hopeful that bringing it up will remind people that not everyone is the same and everyone’s “ideal” state is different.
Anastasia
Hi Anastasia –
New reader here, and I loved this post. Thanks for sharing! I also have a tendency to not be grounded, despite having a lot of Earth in my chart…
…and maybe you’re different from me, but I found not being grounded made me, how do I describe it … hostile… towards the physical side of life. So I got a lot of feedback to look at that. Do you feel the same way? (Just curious if this reaction is a me thing, or a common thing).
Cheers!
Hi, Holly Sue – Thanks for the comment! I don’t find that I’m hostile to the physical side of life, just detached from it. I’m perfectly capable of slowing down and enjoying a nice massage, an exquisite meal, or other pleasures of the material plane, but I have to be in the right space for it. It’s actually something I had to learn, as I can be quite good at ignoring signals from my body that it’s time to eat, sleep, etc. After a few really spectacular physical crashes, I got the message that basic maintenance isn’t optional, and that by taking the time to do that maintenance, I’m able to enjoy my ungrounded time even more. Does that make sense?