Grounding Via The Elements II
Grounding Via The Elements II
How fire and air can help you come back to yourself.
HSP retreat update: There are still some places left of the retreat that Jules De Vitto and I are co-hosting next month at the sublime Quadrangle in Kent, UK (June 15-18). We’re very excited to be convening an in-person gathering, and have some very special guests for what’s shaping up to be a fantastic few days. For more details, please click here:
In last week’s newsletter, we talked about the importance of grounding, and I offered a few ideas for how you can use earth and water to help bring yourself back into balance.
Here are some suggestions for how fire and air can also help you to ground:
Sitting By Fire
I find sitting around a fire is one of the most grounding experiences imaginable — bringing me immediately into the present moment, and helping me inhabit my body more fully.
A fire brings me home to myself, connecting me to something deeply primal and ancestral.
In south-west London, I don’t have much access to fires, sadly. But on the retreat Jules De Vitto and I are co-hosting next month there is a fire pit, so there will be plenty of opportunities to gather round and enjoy the flickering flames.
For years, I attended a sweat lodge ceremony in Oxfordshire, which I still consider to be one of the most powerful healing practices I’ve experienced. (You can hear Matthew discussing the power of sweat lodge ceremonies with our friend Dallas Gudgell, a Dakota ceremony leader in Boise, Idaho, on this podcast).
And you don’t need a fire to evoke fiery energy. Try:
Dancing or singing to bring fire into your belly
Cooking nourishing, warm, grounding food
Lighting candles (You can get buy battery-powered candles with a surprisingly realistic flicker that create a very cosy atmosphere — and don’t pose a fire risk!)
Calming battery powered candles in our flat.
