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Thursday, January 20, 2022

How to Ground and Center After Spell Work

grounding, centering, spellcrafting, spells, rituals, witchcraft, pagan, neopagan, wicca, wiccan, witchcraft, spell writing, magick, magic


After you cast your spell, you may notice that you are still brimming with energy, feel out of sorts, jittery, or extremely tired. It's very common to feel this way, but all can be quickly remedied through grounding and centering. Grounding and centering, however, can also be employed before spell work to get you into the right mindset or any time you are feeling off. Since witches work with energies, grounding and centering are probably two of the most important skills a new witch should learn.

Grounding

Grounding, sometimes referred to as earthing, is the process of connecting with the Earth to release unwanted energies and gain stabilizing healing energies from the Earth. According to a study published in Explore in 2020, grounding reduces inflammation, stress, and pain while improving circulation and sleep, thus promoting healing (source). While this study isn't perfect, I know from personal experience that the process of grounding reduces my stress level so it's not surprising that others have reported similar experiences.

There are several different techniques you can use to ground yourself, so try out a variety of methods to see what works for you. My personal method is to stand with my feet firmly planted on the ground and visualize roots sprouting from the bottom of my feet, sinking deep into the Earth. As the roots grow, I focus on the energies I wish to get rid of radiating into the earth while sucking up the healing energies. This is best done outside where you can actually touch the Earth, but this is not always possible so the floor of your home will also work. You can see a more in-depth guide in Elemental Magic: Earth Spells and Rituals.

If you struggle to visualize, try holding a grounding crystal such as black tourmaline, obsidian, or onyx in your hand, transferring the unwanted energies to it. You can also create an 'energy pot' by filling a pot with dirt and plunging your hands into the pot whenever you wish to ground. Feel the soothing coolness of the soil draw away the unwanted energy.

For people like myself that are desire control, grounding may be difficult because you don't want to let go. However, with practice, I know you'll get there. If you are finding yourself struggling, take a break and try again. When in doubt, focus on the part of the body that is in contact with the earth, whether it be the ground or a crystal. Focus on the temperature, texture, smell, etc, and allow yourself to slowly relinquish control.

Centering

Much like grounding, centering is the manipulation of energy, but instead of redirecting that energy into the Earth, you are bringing that energy into focus within yourself. Generally, this energy is pulled to the center of your being, which makes centering an important skill to master as it can be used to focus all that energy you raise before a spell as well as redirect it after a spell. This is a great way to bring everything back into focus, especially if you are feeling restless, overwhelmed, light-headed, or forgetful. Sometimes during spell work and especially during astral travel, we 'lose' a part of ourselves. Centering brings all these pieces back together, making you feel whole once more.

There are several techniques that can be used to center. In its simplest form, eating a piece of chocolate can center you. While this has most recently been popularized by the Harry Potter series, the practice is much older. Indigenous peoples of Central and South America knew the value of the cacao plant, using it in all manner of rituals, one of which included helping a person focus. If you wish to use chocolate to help center, try to find the purest chocolate possible. Avoid Hershey's and overly processed chocolates. If you don't mind the bitterness, try using cacao nibs. Sipping chocolate with a dash of cinnamon and chili pepper is also a great option that will not only help you center, but ground you as well. I do not suggest using chocolate to center in the middle of a ritual, as chocolate is also rather grounding. Instead, use this method after spell work or whenever you are feeling out of sorts.

Other techniques involved energy manipulation. These are more complicated and time-consuming, but certainly worth the trouble as they are invaluable to spell work overall. Begin by lying or sitting down in a comfortable position. Enter into a light meditative state, focusing on your energetic center. For some, this is the center of their chest, abdomen, or even their head. To find your center, feel around your body with your mind. Where do you feel most of the energy naturally pulling? Once you have found your center, begin pulling all the energy inside you and around you into that spot. You can do this by visualizing little hands or tentacles reaching and grabbing the energy, or actually grabbing it yourself. Another way you can do this is by rubbing your hands together for a couple of seconds then holding them a couple inches apart. Feel the energy in between your hands and compress it into a ball before pushing the ball into your energetic center. This particular technique requires a lot of practice but is just as effective as the other methods mentioned. Finally, you can also center using breathing techniques. Focus on your breath pulling energy into your center on the inhale. On the exhale, feel the unwanted energies leaving you. Visualize the energy entering slowly forming a ball that grows brighter and brighter until you feel it swelling in your chest.

Many times I see centering written off as easy or given very little thought, despite the fact that this is one of the harder energy techniques to master. However, if you are used to meditation, centering will likely come easier to you than it would if you struggle with meditation.

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For the next week or so, practice grounding and centering before going to bed. This is a great relaxing practice and you'll likely find yourself sleeping better because of it. In the next post, I will cover how to break your own spells. This is a practice commonly left undiscussed regarding spell work, but is extremely important should a spell start to go awry. 

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2 comments :

  1. Excellent, helpful, and very caring suggestions. Thank you deeply.

    Interestingly, one of the feelings that I experience most often after spellwork (particularly that pertaining to problems/causes of stress in my life) is that of having a sizable weight lifted from my shoulders. Even though the outcome of what I just worked is rarely known/evident so soon, the mere idea that I am (hopefully!) creating a positive/needed/helpful outcome is frequently enough to evoke this sense of beneficial release.

    Autumn Zenith 🎃 Witchcrafted Life

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I feel like that with some spells, particularly spells where I am releasing something. That feeling of elation when the weight has been lifted is one of a kind!

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