To help us relate to the positive, I recommend a couple of basic practices for cleaning and dusting. Many cultures have a ritual cleansing practice, often done with smoke or water, to remove negative energy or stagnation. There are also many practices that refer to the idea of grounding: connecting to the body and the earth while calling on divine energy for support. These rituals involve regularly removing that which does not serve us and rewiring our entire being – and especially our body – into a pure channel of love and light.
Without these experiences, things will not go as they should. This creates grounds for doubt. At best, we feel uncomfortable, which makes it difficult to continue doing what we need to do. At worst, stagnant energy hangs around us. We feel that we are losing touch with reality; Our suspicions are off the charts. It’s an unfortunate situation to be in and completely unnecessary. We are better off if we avoid it altogether.
Choose a way to cleanse your space, your body and all the sacred things you hold dear. I encourage this level of freedom, this spirit of DIY style, with everything. This means that if you want to clean with incense, go for it. If you want to burn sage or palo santo or any other plant, this is fantastic. If you’re into holy water, either tap water with essential oils or even water you’ve collected from your favorite forest stream, place some on your heart or your third eye (your intuition site, located on your forehead between your eyebrows), or maybe pour some on your head or hands. You can pray, chant, chant a mantra or clear your mind of all thoughts while doing this. Pay special attention to the parts of your body or your mind that feel energetic – your heart, hands, third eye, etc. The most important thing is that you intend to release what is not serving.
The same principle applies to grounding. Grounding is about protection. It’s about being present enough to guard our home and ask our guides to join us. In most cases, we physically fall to the ground – think praying, sitting in meditation, etc. – or at least draw attention to the lower parts of the body. Then we ask for help from something outside of ourselves. By reconnecting with the light, we remind ourselves what our soul is doing here – live in this body for a while and use that time wisely. Then we allow divine energy to flow through us, filling us with positivity and replenishing our resources.
As with cleaning, there are many ways to go about landscaping. If you feel connected to a cultural tradition where this happens, practice it. If you’re invited to make your own or adapt a version of someone else’s teaching, that’s fine too. How you protect yourself is your business; my only goal is to convince you to do so.
When I use words like cleanse, ground, and protect, I don’t want to give the impression that there is anything dirty or dangerous about spiritual lights, because I don’t believe there is. Rather, we owe these rituals to ourselves and our team as a mark of respect. We do not allow anything to accumulate, any external energy to cling to us. We affirm ourselves over and over and hold ourselves accountable for what we are here to do: when working with light in the human body. Repeating these practices is a necessary part of turning to the spiritual life.
Conclusion: find your thing, choose your path and do it regularly. I’m a stickler about that last part. As you practice clearing and grounding, you’ll know when you need to. These rituals will provide comfort; become your spiritual home.
ACT
Slide and insert light
You may have already identified the cleansing and grounding practices that work best for you. If you’re still curious, let me introduce myself. My clearing practice is redolent with passion, and my grounding practice is an adapted visualization meditation that I call Light Loading.
To stain
We start with spraying. It’s a technique developed in many Native American traditions that uses smoke to purify the air, which in turn can clear any negative energy that hangs over people, animals, places, and the like. Although this practice reflects similar incense and smoke clearing techniques from Europe, East Asia, and the Middle East, the use of white sage—my preferred plant for purification—is unique to the indigenous communities of the North American continent. White has a powerful and immediate effect.
To make a stain, light the tip of a dry leaf or the tip of a stick, place your intention on the fire and allow it to burn before extinguishing it. I love the smell; it immediately opens me to the Spirit. Then, using a small bowl or other sacred object (I like to use a sacred roller) to catch any burning bits that may have fallen, wave the feather to direct the smoke into your space and clear away anything that is not in your highest good and that of others. Blow the smoke all over your body and be sure to clean your hands, heart and third eye. When you are finished, you can allow the sage to burn itself in its bowl or if it is very well lit, consider placing it in a bit of sand or fresh soil.
Bringing in light
“Raining in the Light” is a meditation based on something I learned from my teacher, Pat Longo. This grounding ritual helps us recharge our energy directly from the source. It offers us a surge of protective energy while spreading the universal energy of Source throughout the world. This exercise is done while sitting with palms up.
Begin by saying inwardly or aloud: “Dear Leaders, I gratefully ask that you fill my body and soul with your love and protection. Please ground my energies so that I may serve the greater good with a new vibration.” Feel that your body is connected to the earth. See your personal energy reach the core of the planet. Then imagine a bright light coming from above and filling you with divine energy. If the visualization comes easily to you, chances are you can actually see this light in your mind’s eye. If you have never in your life “seen” something with your eyes, don’t worry – just imagine. Let the light come in from above your head and splash over your face and let some of it spread out through your ears and send out all the knowledge of the universe. Allow the light to flow down your throat, neck, chest and shoulders; into your arms; and through your fingertips. Allow it to move down your torso and abdomen and down your legs until your legs are out. See the light that connects you directly to the floor (if you are indoors) and the ground below. Now, let that light ground you even more. Take a few breaths and feel how the light stimulates you. When you are ready, open your eyes.
I encourage you to adapt this ritual to your needs over time. You can probably learn it quickly, sometimes even invisibly if you need to. The more you do this, the more you will be able to recognize when your energy needs some adjustment to align with Spirit.
Mary Ann DiMarco is the author Middle school coach: 10 powerful techniques for awakening divine guidance for yourself and others. An internationally recognized psychic medium, healer and spiritual teacher, her work has appeared in media such as New York Times, The Dr. Oz Show, Women’s Health, Elleand Red book. To him online http://www.MaryAnnDiMarco.com.
Excerpt from the book Secondary coach: 10 Powerful Techniques to Awaken Divine Guidance for Yourself and Others. Copyright © 2022 by MaryAnn DiMarco. Reprinted with permission from New World Library – www.newworldlibrary.com.
