Grounding

The theme for today is Grounding.

Two other recent themes were Base and Space.

We might have thought of these as nouns, as things
but how to they work, and especially, work together?

Many fields of knowledge are converging
to the realization that what we do, who we are
is intimately threaded with and expresses
physical being
embodiment and situation

where we are in the world
how we move
how we touch and are touched

how we dance with what is real
is what it is to be real

This includes
feelings and emotions
sensing and perception
thought, language

and even mathematics
of number, space, and frequency

so a lot depends
on where we sit
and how,
how we stand
both physically and metaphorically

in relationship to the many realms.

What does it mean to be "grounded"?
It means to be functionally related to a base,
to what we stand in
or what holds us.

Consider what conditions are in place
when you are most alive and creative.

When you are securely based
grounded,
relaxed
and energetic:
this combination
creates "space".

Space is not distance or hollowness
but a kind of full emptiness
that enfolds and embraces all things.

Power rises up from the earth
step by step
and descends from heaven
making a connection
and one's sense of being becomes full

Freedom to move.

Being grounded is not a prescription,
an element of spiritual hygiene or a "good idea"

It's a fact to be investigated.
We might find some freedom
and a basis for improving things
but in many ways, we have no choice.

One can be grounded in different things,
simultaneously,
consciously or not:

Grounded in a sense of "this" self
in individualism
in a sense of separation
and a sense of community
in various kinds of faith
in one's habits and skills of thought
in one's enthusiasms
in one's emotional commitments to others
in a belief in the power of intention

in a meditation practice
in the interactive surfaces of a computer screen

in a body
with its mixed vitalities and frailties

in the air and water one takes for granted
in the earth one takes for granted
we rely on its good graces
and, in the background
know its troubles

One grounding condition we might experience
is to be "double weighted"
This means, committed to two incompatible things
at the same time
as when one is distracted
or disturbed in some way.

If this goes on for long
it saps energy and makes it hard to move.

Sometimes a solution is
to commit more fully to one thing at a time
and move clearly from one to the next
but this works only when the alternatives
are truly important
and a sacrifice makes sense.

As long as the house is not burning down,
when tired, sleep
when hungry, eat
when with others
host them graciously.

There's a paradox of perspective in looking at this:
anything conceptual one entertains usually gets a spin on it
to make things make sense for whatever "I" is currently in charge
interprets things to its own profit and loss,
turning things into prescriptions or goals,
shoulds or "that would be nice if..." perspectives.
A loss for this one,  is often a gain for the collective,
the whole self or community of selves.
Let's look for some very concrete examples.

My chair is crooked
(because it needs to be fixed)
and as a result, my body is a certain way too
and as a result, my attention is a certain way too.

Attention is focused to the screen and task
but part of it is taken by distractions.
A clutter of papers:
double-weighted.

And in the back of my mind
an ongoing story of concern for a friend.
We live many lives in parallel.

How big does an effect have to be
to be significant?

I's just a small example
but the awareness of small things
can be a big thing

as can small things themselves.

We don't live in environments of zen-like simplicity
but might start to appreciate
the quality of space they embody
and the way they support grounding and presence.

We can enter calm, spacious places
and then take some of it with us when we leave.

Getting "away from it all"
as in going on a retreat
is a way of letting go
and re-grounding
in something more basic
and becoming more single-weighted
one-pointed.

Or we can do this in a few moments
with internal awareness
letting go of some concerns
to return and settle into good relating.

So
sleep was good last night,
the laundry is fresh and folded,
the kitchen is clean
food production systems are reliable
the city's waste management programs work well
and all the rest...

The earth is solid
the sky is high
and here we are.

What examples of ground and space
are in your life now?