Pictures and Words

I've been writing about several activities recently- nature, the Divine, organizations, dads, sons and all of the interactions in between. In researching a Rumi poem, today I found the Panhala site and afer looking through it... I am excited! I know nothing about its origin nor understand its full objective but this site lists poems and the publication. But what made it stand out even more is that along with each poem is a really colorful outdoor picture. I recognize many of the authors, I've recognize a few of the poems- but what a great gift to have a picture and poem arrive in my inbox on a regular basis.

G1 needs redefinition

The definition of G1 is not sitting well with me. I am not trying to pose connectedness G5 as a polar opposite of focus, which is how I am interpreting the current G1 definition "I am floating above Earth; My thoughts are like leaves in the wind."

So today I'll rest with G1 - G5 as defined in the last post and know there is a better way to state the idea of less groundedness yet to come. Happy Father's Day.

The G Scale

How do you measure things that are subtle and that don't lend themselves to words? Once during a hospital stay the nurse and doctor introduced me to a pain scale. They would ask, 'on a scale from 1 (the least) and 10 (the most), how is your pain?' In the next days I calibrated my pain scale so we could dialog on the relative amount of discomfort I experienced in any moment.

So this post is about two things. First, the introduction of an experimental G scale, G1 to G5, that you can use to measure your groundedness in any moment and second, how to use this scale to support your movement to a higher feeling of grounding.

The G scale
Ask yourself, 'how grounded do I feel right now?'. Select your score from the choices below. My belief here is that I want to maximize my time where I feel greater peace and connection to Earth. Here are the 5 levels of the G scale.

G5 I am experiencing deep roots. I am peaceful. I am powerful.

G4 I feel connected. I feel my roots are deepening in the Earth.

G3 I remember what deep roots feel like. I can get back just give me a moment

G2 I am feeling challenged. I am doing many things. I feel unsettled and unfocused.

G1 I am floating above Earth; My thoughts are like leaves in the wind.

How to use this scale?
Check in and assess your G score 4 or 5 times during the day. Wherever you are is ok. Then make a quick note of your G score and what thoughts are on your mind?, What are you working on? Begin to correlate your activity, thoughts and G score. Over a few days or a week, go back and look for your patterns.

Next, identify the things you do that bring you peace. This is your grounding practice. Perhaps it's reading or spending time in nature, doing a hobby, or just being silent. You're the only one who knows what's right for you. When you're at G1 and want to increase your G number, note how you feel after spending time doing your grounding practice. Understanding the activities that bring you great peace, clarity, focus and grounding, you can apply them at any time. You create a ground shift.

Grounding

In electricity, ground is the source and the terminus of the electron. The voltage is the pressure that gives reason for the electron to flow. Ground completes the circuit.

The Hindus describe a system of energy centers or chakras. What I like about chakras is that they present a language, of body location, color and sound to describe the multi faceted aspects of existence, from the physical base to the pure mystical. In chakra terms, when you feel grounded, you feel a connection to the earth. You are rooted in a stable base from which to make daily decisions.

A teacher I knew described a grounding technique that I still use. Tree Hugging. Tree hugging is an experience of grounding and it symbolizes the idea of being deeply rooted. Find the park or backyard with a tree, your legs spread shoulder width or a little wider and simply wrap your arms around the tree. Close your eyes, breathe and let the tree's strength and deep roots support you, fill you, ground you. As you breathe in feel the nourishment coming from the earth into the tree and into you. Breathing out, imagine your breath, your energy moving out of the tree, into the ground, out through the roots and back into the earth. Stay in this breathing pattern for a few minutes or longer. I don't do the tree exercise everytime I'm in the woods but there are times where a tree stands out and I approach, hug it, hold it and remember my groundedness.

'Men Descend to Meet'

Ralph Waldo Emerson is greatly quoted. There are many great one liners which for years I have appreciated but could never find at my finger tips. I'd see a quote and wonder if it included the complete context of what Emerson meant. After teaching a course on his Essays for the second time I feel like I get it. The great thing about teaching a course is that you get to experience the work twice- first in preparing and then in presenting and discussing with the adult learners interested in understanding Emerson's writings as they pertain to spiritual life.

The essay Oversoul is about the great idea, the Divine and how we are part of the Divine. It is considered to be his most mystical essay. Filled with metaphorical descriptions in this essay RWE says, "From within or from behind, a light shines through us upon things, and makes us aware that we are nothing, but the light is all'. The light is the Over-Soul.

For the past week I have been walking with the idea found about midway through Over-Soul. 'Men descend to meet'. Let me explain why it's been enlightening to me. I see it as there is a Divine idea, the Universe, that wants to articulate, to create, to show up in form here on Earth. We are a form of this creative energy. And so in my daily walk, daily life this passage reflects what I am here to do. The idea of me, the idea of you; both having descended into human form to meet. We are not identical but we are unique forms of the same Universe. How simple, how clear, how elegant, how purposeful.