Are You Forgetting Your Mother?

We are so disconnected from our Mother. Mother Earth, that is!

This year I took the day off and celebrated my birthday doing things I love - my ITP Kata at sunrise, hiking the Falls Trail in California's Mount Diablo State Park (practically in my back yard), eating amazing sushi, writing this article, and connecting with my mother.

My hike was very special - I made it a sacred journey by bringing my full attention (best I could) into every moment. Whenever I would think about the future, or something I had to do, as soon as I noticed I was doing that, I let it go and brought my attention back to the amazing world I was in.

I also gave myself permission to do some things I wouldn't normally do: I gave a big oak tree a full body hug for about 5 minutes (yes, it hugged me back!); I laid in a beautiful meadow looking up at the perfectly blue sky listening to the wind, birds, and bees buzzing around; I sat on a rock outcropping Indian-style and meditated for 15 minutes; I walked very slowly and quietly for periods of time while activating all my senses; and I practiced Earthing. Earthing? Yes, Earthing. Maybe you've heard of it. I found a nice stream next to a small waterfall, took off my shoes and socks, and set my feet down into the sandy bottom, and for more than 30 minutes I connected myself - my entire energy field - directly into the HUGE energy field of Mother Earth herself.

Over the years I have heard a great deal about the benefits of connecting directly barefooted with the earth, and even practiced a bit of it. On retreat with John Gray ("Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus") at his hilltop ranch in Mendocino California he talked a fair amount about it. In the instructions for my Egyptian Healing Rods they suggest while using them you place your bare feet on the earth. And guidelines for Sun Gazing also recommend connecting to the earth barefooted while practicing the method. Now, a whole book on it (shown in the picture above and available on Amazon.com) recently came out called "Earthing - The Most Important Health Discovery Ever?" by Clinton Ober, Stephen Sinatra, and Martin Zucker.

Here's the thing: in our modern world and lifestyle WE ARE INSULATED FROM THE EARTH! And it's only relatively recently in our human history that this has been the case. We are now coming to realize the detrimental effects of this insulation and disconnection from our Mother herself. There are many ways we can connect with the Earth and Nature - just going on a walk outside can transform you! Connecting with the Earth is one of the steps in my proprietary system - it's part of Step 9: "Feel good in your body - look after it!"

"We live on a planet alive with natural energies. Its surface teems with subtly pulsating frequencies, a phenomenon unknown to most people. Who regards the sand, grass, sidewalk, or dirt beneath their feet as an energy field? But that indeed is what the ground is and always has been.

"Put another way, your planet is a six sextillion (that's a six followed by twenty-one zeroes) metric ton battery that is continually being replenished by solar radiation, lightning, and heat from its deep-down molten core. And Just like a battery in a car keeps the motor running and the wheels turning, so too, do the rhythmic pulsations of natural energy flowing through and emanating from the surface of the Earth keep the biological machinery of global life running in rhythm and balance - for everything that lives on the land or in the sea."

- From the book "Earthing - The most important health discovery ever?"

We have become a society of people who are focused from the neck up. Stuck in our heads, we are so often completely disconnected from the power and wisdom of the Earth, our body, and especially our hearts. This disconnect, created by high-tech systems and skewed priorities, leads us to think about the world, and to analyze and manipulate it, rather than be in it. Furthermore, this habitual way of being creates an experience of separation, so that we feel, "I am here, and the world is out there." And since the world is "out there separate from me," then we try to analyze it, understand it, and judge it. We try to control and manipulate it. All this we do to ensure our survival, satisfy our needs, minimize our suffering, and maximize our pleasurable experiences. How tiring!

We have been conditioned out of our bodies, away from the Earth, and into our heads, where we have been stuck, wondering why life is not more rich. We sense life could be more beautiful and yet cannot think our way into making it so. While thinking as a process certainly can be valuable, thinking about life is the booby prize!

As one part of my proprietary system I include a variety of powerful processes to reconnect my clients with the elements they are made of: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Right now we are talking about the Earth element. In our world of rational, logical, thinking and doing, Earthing could be seen as a radical, even revolutionary action! Earthing requires no thinking - you just put your bare feet on the earth and sit there for 30 minutes or more. Beyond that, you do not have to "do" anything else - you don't have to manipulate anything. Mother Nature, Mother Earth (and the wisdom of your body) takes care of everything else. Isn't that miraculous? This is an EXPERIENCE, an experience of becoming connected to your Source, of becoming integrated back into the world from which you come. It's an experience of coming home.

Try this simple exercise: take off your shoes and go connect with your Mother! Mother Earth! Bare earth and dirt is best. Find a place outside where you can clear a small patch of earth where you can place your bare feet in direct contact - you can use a lawn or patio chair if you like. Slightly damp or moist earth provides the best connection; you can add water if needed. Just put your feet there and sit for 30 minutes or more. See if you can FEEL the electron exchange and balancing taking place throughout your body. Like many of the most powerful things in life, it's very subtle, but if you consciously direct your attention inward, you literally can feel it!