Inspirited with gratitude during this beautiful month of November, poised in the season of harvest, deeply breathing the crisp air that animates our anticipation of the holiday season, we long for grounding. Grounding energy invites us to hold our center amid these tumultuous times and difficult decisions swirling about how and with whom we will celebrate these weeks leading to a new year.
Important anytime, but perhaps more acutely at this time of year amid a global pandemic, grounding energy sustains our mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual health and well-being. Poet David Whyte encourages:
“To come to ground is to find a home in circumstances and in the very physical body we inhabit in the midst of those circumstances and above all to face the truth, no matter how difficult that truth may be; to come to ground is to begin the courageous conversation, to step into difficulty and by taking that first step, begin the movement through all difficulties, to find the support and foundation that has been beneath our feet all along: a place to step onto, a place on which to stand and a place from which to step.”
—David Whyte, Consolations, 93–94
Reminding us that life is not cultivated in blindly rushing on autopilot through our days, weeks, months … Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh invites us to STOP running because life is HERE, in the present moment. He invites us to train ourselves via this Buddhist meditation entitled Stopping and Deep Looking.
I have arrived, I am home,
In the here and in the now.
I am solid, I am free,
In the ultimate I dwell.—Thich Nhat Hanh, you are here, 37
Once we stop, we can look more deeply and see with greater clarity what life is present in this moment. Looking deeper into the nature of things brings insight.
A spiritual practice—the mantra: “I have arrived, I am home.” Sensing these two phrases in every moment elicits joy and happiness. Peace and life are present in every moment if we ground ourselves in each experience. Welcome home!
—Ann Jackson, PBVM, Prairiewoods spiritual services coordinator