The Basics - Step 1 - Ground

All of life really comes down to two things, energy and awareness (or consciousness). We are beings of awareness inhabiting bodies made of dense slow moving energy which we call “physical”. We are force inhabiting form. If we shift our belief that we are physical beings trying to become spirits and begin to see ourselves as spirits choosing to manifest in the physical realm, life will take on new context and dimension. It is a very subtle difference but opens us up to the deeper truth of our existence. That shift in consciousness will also help you more fully integrate the teachings which are ahead in this series.


To honor the process of manifesting in the physical realm, there are some “energy basics” which we need to learn and keep in place. I’ll begin this series with instructions on these basics. They are:

• Ground

• Clear

• Bind

• Core



SPIRIT MANIFESTING

Each of us is an eternal energy being that inhabits a temporary physical body which enables us to manifest in the physical realm. Our spirit, or soul, is our direct connection to the spiritual, energetic realms. As an energy field it is more fluid than our physical body and is able to move beyond the physical limits of our bodies. Most of us function under patterning, or unconsciously repeated actions, and limiting beliefs passed on to us by our ancestors which holds us in the “we are humans trying to ascend to Heaven” paradigm. As we journey deeper together, I hope to help you see how you already are that “heavenly being” trying to manifest on Earth.

Each night as we sleep our spirit is able to reconnect with the spiritual realms and journey to other places. This happens when our awareness shifts from our conscious mind into our subconscious mind. When we awaken our awareness returns to our conscious mind. As we disengage our consciousness from our dense, physical bodies, it withdraws up and out of our bodies. When our awareness returns to the body however sometimes we do not reconnect fully with our bodies and are ungrounded.

Our natural energy home is in the energetic or spiritual realms and physically manifesting requires a great deal of energy but not all of the energy that we have available. We are so much more energetically than just our bodies. If our bodies are experiencing physical pains, if our lives are chaotic or unfulfilling or if we’re highly stressed, our spirits are more attracted to the loving, peaceful non-physical energy realms. When this happens or when we are too caught up in thought or fantasy, we are not grounded into our bodies and this can cause problems.

Most spiritual practices and organized religions in particular draw our awareness up into the upper energy centers in the body. They keep us focused there and direct our awareness to the non-physical. If we don’t ground that awareness and energy into the body then it remains nothing but energy. Many believe themselves to be focused on their spirituality but yet are almost completely disconnected from their body. The body is our “ticket to ride” in the physical and grounding helps secure a platform for that energy to come into. Later in this series, I’ll be showing you techniques for increasing the energetic capacity of the body to enable you to pull in even more of the spiritual energy, but first we have to create a platform for that experience to occur.

Think for a moment of how you feel when you are daydreaming or just really focused on something which requires a great deal of thought. Typically when we do these things, our bodies become very still and quiet. If you tried to suddenly move across the room, you’d probably stumble, crash into something or even fall because your awareness was on your thoughts and not the body. For various reasons, including physical and emotional trauma, this is how most of us go though our daily lives and why so many people feel disconnected from life and their bodies. This can lead to feelings of depression, the inability to connect with others and a whole host of physical dis-eases.


WHY GROUND?

In order for us to be fully present and able to engage energy in the physical realm we need to be fully grounded into the physical body. I’d like to offer a technique for you to work with that will help you become more grounded as you move through your day and through life. This technique is especially good to use for starting your day after waking up, during times of high stress or after periods of intense mental processing to help you reconnect with your body.

Grounding helps us to stay “in the body”. If you find yourself bumping into things, having silly accidents, dropping things or just generally unable to focus this is an indication that you are ungrounded. Many people live such highly stressed lives or are just so generally disconnected from their bodies that they are almost constantly ungrounded. People who deny their physicality and only focus on the spiritual aspects of themselves will typically be very ungrounded. Trying to focus on deeper meditative practices for example without being fully grounded in the body is like building the roof of a house before you build the house and wondering why you aren’t getting anywhere. With a strong base firmly anchored into the Earth, greater heights can be achieved.


SHARPEN YOUR FOCUS - TAKE YOUR TIME

The main key to this technique is to do it consciously with your full focus on the activity. While you are learning to do this process it will initially take a bit longer than it will once you are comfortable with it. Gradually the process will become almost automatic and can be done in a matter of seconds once you know what you are trying to accomplish. Being able to be in a constant state of groundedness can take years to fully develop and that ONLY happens by beginning the process and staying with it.



STEP 1 - GROUND

Begin by sitting comfortably upright and relaxing the body. Take three slow conscious breaths and really focus on the movement of air into and out of the lungs and abdomen. Next take a full, slow, deep breath and as you do gradually increase the tension in the body by squeezing the muscles tighter and tighter as you inhale. At the top of the inhale, your body tension should reach its maximum. As you consciously exhale, slowly allow your body to relax until you reach the bottom of the exhale where your body should be fully relaxed. Coordinate the clenching with the inhale and the relaxing with the exhale. Repeat this for at least three cycles. Do not retain the breath for more than a second or two at the top or bottom of the cycle.

The next part of the process will involve some visualization. We all process energy differently. Some of us “feel” it, some “hear” it, some “see” it and others just have a “felt sense” of it. If you don’t consider yourself good at visualizations, begin with just allowing yourself to “think it” and trust that it will be occurring. Over time your ability to visualize the process will increase as you work this energetic muscle. Don’t worry if this doesn’t happen easily for you right away.

Our energy system responds to our thoughts or awareness. We communicate between our unconscious (or subconscious) mind and our conscious mind with images or visualizations. Language is the product of humans and is not an energetic vehicle. How our energy system will actually accomplish our request is far more complex than any visualization that we can use but the visualizations are how we communicate our desires to our subconscious mind to begin that process. Non-consciously created thoughts or visuals that come back to us is our subconscious communicating back to our conscious mind.



Grow roots

Focus on the tip of the base of your spine, known as the coccyx. Now imagine that one thick tap-root begins to grow from this area down towards the Earth. See (feel, intend, imagine, will) it go down through your chair, through the floor and into the Earth. Really think about each part of the structure above the Earth that it would have to grow through to reach the Earth. You will have more detail on the upper layers because we are familiar with this area. For example: the chair, carpet, flooring, perhaps the ceiling below, then the room below and next floor (if you live over others), and finally to the physical ground, deep into the soil.


Continue to imagine it growing through the ground, through the outer layers of the planet, the deeper layers and all the way to the core of the Earth. You’ll have less detail here as most of us can only imagine how far down we’re actually traveling through the Earth’s crust. Once there, focus on the entire connection from you down to the core and allow the root to fully connect (grow into, surround) into it.

Next feel like you’re drawing energy up through that root as you continue to reach down with the roots. Feel the energy moving up the root from the core, up through the Earth, the housing structure, the floor and back to you. Allow this energy to be visualized as a zesty deep red as it makes its way to you. Imagine it coming up into your system as if it were filling you up from the bottom. Let it fill you up until it spills out the top of your head. Imagine that any excess energy flows out through your body, surrounds you and radiates out to others to help them ground.


Focus on this connection for at least 30 seconds or more. Really allow yourself to focus on the visual of all of that and hold your awareness on it. Research has shown that it takes about 22 seconds of focused awareness for the subconscious to engage and continue the action. Intend (affirm, decide, think) that this process will continue without your conscious mind being focused on it and it will happen.

Once you complete it and get a sense of how your body feels after doing it, check in on that feeling 1000 times through the day. You really cannot do this too much for you can never be too grounded. Ultimately what we’re after is being able to constantly feel grounded while engaging our regular activities. That only comes with repeated practice. If you feel it missing or just think about the roots for some reason during the day (especially after stressful interactions with others or high-stress periods), mentally feel that you are reconnecting those roots and drawing that grounding energy up. The reconnection process can be as simple as just getting a quick image of that root going to the core of the Earth from the base of your spine. Your unconscious mind will do the rest from there with that image...but start the day with the full visualization to set that up.


EVERYTHING IS AN EXPERIMENT 

Feel free to experiment with this technique and allow yourself to be creative with it but just be very conscious with what you’re doing. You should notice a decided difference in how you feel before doing it and after. When we operate from a centered and grounded place, we’re able to make better decisions, move more confidently and react more calmly. We also begin to become more connected to and comfortable in our bodies.

Click the following link to go directly to The Basics - Step 2 - Clear

Merging sites

The following information comes from the introduction that I was using for the paid site. I have modified it slightly to post here.


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I believe that, as a species, humans are about to undergo an evolutionary leap. I don’t know what the other side of that leap will look like for us but the stage is set for that to occur. Our planet and her inhabitants are under tremendous stress and something has to give somewhere. I believe that this new species which is evolving from within will be called forth because of our current state of crisis. You may recall from an earlier post called Guiding Principles – Part 2 < http://peacefulmichael.blogspot.com/2009/10/guiding-principals-part-2.html> that “Crisis precedes transformation”. To help us prepare for that shift in consciousness I have information to share and this is the forum in which I will do that.

In future posts I’ll be sharing information with you in addition to tools and techniques that I’ve learned along the way. I’ll be covering topics which include but is not limited to the following:

 the fundamentals of energy

 tools for consciously working with the human energy system

 working with the three states of consciousness

 meditation

 oracle usage

 learning to work with your intuition or Higher Self

 healing personal issues

 connecting with and manifesting your Essential Self

 new ways to view sacred documents to see a deeper message


The information that I will be sharing is from lectures or classes I’ve attended, books I’ve read, personal experiences, information that was given to me in person by my teachers as well as information channeled through me from my guides and my Essential Self. It will come from a variety of philosophies, cultures and spiritual practices rather than being the dogma from one belief system. I’ve studied many such systems and will share the best of what has worked for me from these systems in a way that is easily accessible to anyone, especially those just beginning to explore their spirituality.

I don’t believe that I posses all of the answers to all of life’s issues and as such I hold no requirement that you believe and accept every shred of information that I share with you. I am simply sharing information that has helped me on my journey which is still very much a work in progress. I invite you to read the information, try the techniques and sit with it to determine if it resonates with your core being. Try the exercises and techniques for yourself rather than just reading them and see how they work for you but give yourself time to really explore them before discarding them. If you feel it’s not right for you then you don’t have to believe it or use it. As with all information that you receive, keep the best and leave the rest.

I have no hidden agendas with this information, no affiliation with any organized religion and no products to sell. I simply want you to have access to information which I believe has helped me on my journey and that can be of use to you. I welcome your feedback, suggestions for topics, comments and questions on any of the information presented. I look forward to our journey together and hope to hear from you along the way. It is my deepest desire that this information will be an inspiration to you and lead you deeper on your personal path to evolutionary healing and transformation.

Pushing through fears

In life, despite outward appearances, there are no setbacks because everything happens for a reason. Anytime that we don’t meet an objective it is always for a reason even if we don’t fully understand the reason at the time. The secret is in knowing when to stop pushing in a direction that isn’t working and instead focus on what is working.


In December I made the decision to start a second blog site for those who were ready for the deeper messages and energy teachings. At the time I did it because I knew I had some information to share that might not sit to well with many of my readers, particularly those locked into a dogmatic religious belief system. I know that much of the information will challenge them to look at their religious, spiritual and personal beliefs and invite them to look at them from a different perspective.

My fear about sharing this information is that because it will challenge belief systems it will also ruffle some feathers. Much of it shook my foundation when I discovered the truth of the deeper history and messages of religion but ultimately all of it positively transformed me. In addition because I was sharing it without any request or commitment on the reader’s part, my fear was that it would be written off. When something challenges our beliefs, the first thing we do is discredit the challenging belief because it doesn’t line up with our current belief therefore it “must be wrong”. We discredit, discard, ignore and move on.

I took the time to set up an online store for these postings so that by paying for the ongoing lessons you were committing to the process. I then embarked on a journey to create postings for that site while at the same time tried to continue to make postings for this free site because of all the wonderful comments and feedback I’ve gotten on these posts. At the time I thought it was something that I could handle. As it turns out, it apparently is not.

Writing the first batch of lessons for that site turned out to be a very different type of writing experience for me. The information that I began sharing there was techniques for grounding and coming into the body more fully. This was information that needed explanation along with it to explain what to do, why you are doing it and what is accomplished by doing it. That process required going into my head and digging out knowledge and then studying that to ensure that I had done a thorough job and explained everything. It is a great way for me to actually get a firm grasp on what I do know and believe by taking the time to write it down to share with you. That’s been one of the main benefits of this whole process for me because really how often do you sit down and write all that you know on a topic?

That process is in contrast to the one that I use for this free site where I sit down, align myself fully with my Essential Self (Higher Self, Inner Divinity, Spirit, etc.) and let the words simply come through. Rather than focusing on knowledge I was focusing on inspiration from the knowledge. It is a process that I really enjoy and have been amazed by what has come out.

These last few months have been really stressful for me personally and professionally for a variety of reasons and I’ve unconsciously chosen to allowed those challenges to create an emotional log-jam for me. I’ve tried to handle all that was going on in my life and keep two blogs going and in the process moved away from writing for either one of them because it was just “one more thing” that I couldn’t handle at the time. Because I had people paying for the new series I felt a professional obligation to focus on those. At the same time, I had others asking why I wasn’t posting as often to the free blog site and sharing how much the information has meant to them and I wanted to keep that going too. Consequently because I haven’t had enough time to do both, it seems I’ve chosen to do neither. Not surprisingly that stressed me out as well.

Sunday my beloved partner sat with me and helped me look at all the things going on in my life to help me clear the emotional blockage. In that process I realized that my fears were what were getting in the way. In fearing that the information I had to share would challenge the beliefs of those I love and that might mean I’d lose that love, I found a work around, the paid blog site. My fear of sharing the information I received which has helped me to see things from a deeper perspective was preventing me from allowing you that have that experience. I was afraid to tell you about things that have helped me awaken and allowed me to work through some of my earlier religious wounds. This process has enabled me to see life, religion and spirituality in a new light of expanded consciousness. In essence I was afraid to do what I intended to do by starting the blog in the first place.

I now see that I need to rectify this situation by simply allowing the information to flow through me and detach myself from any outcome associated with that information. I have to be at peace with it whether you love it, hate it, laugh at it or find yourself transformed by it. My task is simply to share the information and allow you to do with it what you will. With 2012 almost upon us and all of the changes which are already beginning to occur, I just don’t have the luxury of holding back the information any longer.

To that end, I’m going to discontinue posting information to the paid site and instead post that information here on the free site. I am happy to refund any money that anyone has paid for the information previously or apply that to a private session with me. While one part of me is embarrassed by this, another part knows that it is happening for a reason. I may not know what the reason is but I do know that everything happens exactly as it is supposed to and I trust that knowledge. I know my embarrassment will pass just like any other feeling and I’ll be a stronger person for the experience.

My plan then is to pepper in the postings that I already have from the paid site in between the new information for this site. This will hopefully keep something new coming to this site at least once a week. This feels like the right thing for me to do at this point. I don’t expect you to believe everything that I’ll be posting but I do hope that you’ll keep an open heart and mind. My goal with sharing this information is not to discredit organized religion or the Bible but rather help you see the Bible and the story behind all religions in a different but more accessible light.

If you are reading this I want to thank you for continuing to read the information I’ve been sharing. The support and encouragement I’ve gotten along the way has been incredibly uplifting. I always welcome your comments and criticisms here on this blog site (which you can post at the end of any entry) and of course by email. I look forward to our continued journey together and may we both be blessed by the experience in ways that neither of us can image at this point.