Grounding and centering... from my archives

I have been learning a lot lately. I have learned that i have not been grounding and centering myself like I should at times. So I have been doing research on Grounding and Centering, plus I was given a wonderful description by Cindy. I created my own grounding and centering exercise that I will be working on.

Because I like to share my research and ideas , I will post it here and look at any feedback.

Ritual experiences are both psychic and psychological. Which means that Ground and Center exercises must be oriented on both levels. The Tree exercise focuses your mind on a concrete image, then guides your psyche to a Grounded and Centered state. The image of the tree evokes feelings of stability and connectedness with the Earth, when these feelings and images are focused upon, the associated psychic state follows right along.
Being grounded means that you have established a firm connection with the physical world. Focusing on the Earth makes us more aware of the physical world that surrounds us. Awareness of the physical world keeps us from being swept away. Instead, we become able to experience these feelings with a balanced awareness that is both objective and subjective.
Psychically, the Earth is a source of psychic and physical energy, and when we connect with the Earth, we channel that energy through us instead of relying solely on our own energy reserves. Grounding properly helps prevent weakness, headaches, and the other possible side effects of energy work. But Headaches will occur to those that our new to this exercise.

Centering, involves clearing the mind and refocusing it. To become aware of the person that we are inside and not outside. "I AM HERE, AND NOW IS MY MOMENT" Is the best way to explain the purpose.
An important part of centering is your awareness of yourself; becoming aware of the Lord and Lady that lies within us all. This awareness promotes stability, confidence, and a healthy ability to express your will.
Psychically, centering allows you to work from a stable foundation, helping to keep you from being magically thrown off balance. The Eastern philosophy of chi is a very good way of explaining the psychic aspect of centering. Our physical bodies have a center of gravity that moves and shifts as we move. Likewise, our energy field has a center that corresponds to our center of gravity. The center of gravity for a man is usually between the navel and the base of the sternum Focusing your mind on this area brings your awareness to the center of your energy field. This allows you to use more of the energy you have available, while still drawing energy from Mother Earth.


One last thing that needs to be cleared. up is that Ground and Center is not the same thing as a Trance state; in fact, the two are polar opposites. If you seem to be having trance like symptoms while trying to ground and center, talk with your teacher. These symptoms can include dreamlike visions, or a general feeling of being disconnected from your surroundings, as if they don't seem real.
If Ground and Center exercises seem to take too long, you may be trying too hard; or you may be achieving Ground and Center without recognizing it. If this happens, do something else for a while and try again later. Ground and Center is a skill, like any other, which only gets easier with practice; so practice. practice, practice.
Step one. Stand with your feet together and hands together at your center of gravity. Clear the mind and view a young tree in your mind.

Step two. Trees must grow roots so spread your feet apart a comfortable distance and vision your toes and heel becoming roots Slowly push your hands down pushing away all the negative energies that you have. Then cup your hands and vision positive energy coming through your feet and legs. Repeat this action until you feel comfortable. Then return hands to the starting position.

Step three. Trees must grow branches. Raise your hands straight up and out with your fingers extended. Feel the waves of energy shoot out of your fingers. And then vision energy entering your fingers and down your arms. Hold position for a couple of minutes.

Step four. While holding position picture yourself being the tree. Your eyes are in the middle of the main trunk. You can see the many branches, the squirrels and birds hopping around. You can see your branches float in the wind. The sun is shining down on you being partially blocked by your leaves on the top branches. You look down and see the roots entering the ground and the animals walking around you. Move your toes and you feel the cool earth moving around them.

Step five. You are now grounded and centered, slowly lower your arms and open your eyes.

This is something I  wrote roughly two  years ago....

Adapting Celtic beliefs for the modern age.

I am a very strong believer in my  Celtic heritage. But I live in the modern world. There are things that I know now that my ancestors didn't know. I have been adding Modern science with the Celtic views and I am not sure where I stand . But I am coming with something stronger and better for me. This is no way meant to change how others practice their belief system. But it is something I did want to share.

The Celts lived in the northern hemisphere and had very little knowledge of the southern hemisphere. We now know that the seasons in the south are inverted compared to the Northern hemisphere. While the North is in Winter the South is having summer. So there is a dual cycle to the year. one for the north and one for the south. As the North is celebrating Samhain, the South is enjoying Beltane.

So this places a lot of rethinking of the old Celtic traditions. Cernunnos doesn't die as the days get shorter. The days get shorter due to the angel of the earth in respect to the sun. So the changing of the days would be the cycle of the goddess not the god. Cernunnos is ever vigilant looking over the animals. The battle of the holly and Oak kings is just a changing of the guards. The cycle of life continues but in a different way. Life must end for new life to start, and the changing from the north to southern hemispheres allows plants and animals to continue the cycle. The plants die and wither away to make room for the new life.

In this manner, winter is not a bad thing. It is the recovery and cleansing of the earth. There is many other minor gods or dieties that die only to return the next year. The Corn king doesn't sacrifice himself for the world. The Corn King feeds the world around him as long as they respect him. He provides his bounty to man and then leaves for other lands so that the land he graced could be cleansed and prepared for his return.

not all has been figured out. For those that view Cernunnos as the Sun aspect. As the fertility god as well he travels to the different hemisphere to tend to his creations that need more attention, but never completely abandons the other hemisphere. He is the greenman to be in the woods and watch over the animals.

Never Again the burning times

Never again the burning times
Never again the pain,
Never again the dark times
Never again to be maim.
Blinded by religious fervor
Giulty for being free
Sought out by your endeavor
Punish those like me
Violence against the unchristian kind
Bringing trial through Ordeal
Your religion closed your mind
Hunting those down with zeal.
They had to hide themselves in lies
Afraid to show truth
In shadows hidden from christian eyes
Only time to soothe
They tried to live in peaceful ways
Out of christian sight
Living in those perilous days
Considered to be blight.
Never again the burning times
Never again the pain
Never again the dark times
I won’t let it happen again.

This is a poem that  I  wrote a couple years ago. With  Michelle Bachmann starting muslim witch  hunts, I  felt the need to  share it.

Cartoons (anime) are so pagan...

I  am an older guy , but I  am still  watching cartoons. Partly because I  am a divorced father that  believes I  need to be informed of my  kids TV habbits. The majority of the time I  am caughting pagan themes in kids programs.

Power Rangers had  Mystic force and which  the 5 ranmgers represented the 5 elements, they even had a snow/ice wizard that  reminded me of the pale moon goddess.  The fought elemental creatures and had a forbidden forest with mythological creatures hiding in it. Some of the evil creatures had a very  strong egyptian theme to  them. They was a cat creature that  would remind anyone of Besat.

Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog.  The title itself is heavy in Celtic mythos.  And the knights called upon thier elemental weapons and armor by  saying a phrase strong of Pagan themes. The Fire inside me, the Earth beneath me, the Air above me...  This was a live action series But some kids watched it.

There was Witch, in this series the 5 ladies were witches and they each  had a unique power.  They traveled to  a parrel realm and fought against evil.

Avater, the last Air Bender was an awesome program. It  had a lot of matrial arts training moments but a lot of meditation tid bits. They  worked with  the elements and fought against evil. The Part I  loved was when they  we teaching Ang about the Chahkras at a remote temple.

Most of us  know of Thor and Marvel comics, sometimes they  did Thor justice but I  found that  they did  the rest of Asgard a great disservice. They  made all  the rest of the Norse gods seem emotinally  challenged.

Avatar the James Cameron movie was soaking wet with  Pagan influences. I  was thinking that  he was actually promoting a pagan view on life throughout the movie.

I  think  that  these programs and movies are wwonderful  and terrible in similar ways.  They  open windows  for others to  get a small peek into paganism, but sometimes it is a distorted view.  Sadly it also  might makle some kids thing that  the paganism that  we follow is just cartoon material and not possibly real.  This is a tool to  explain some basic aspects of paganism to others. When  people have questions you could refer to  a cartoon series and use characters to  build an image in thier mind.

Overdue , Overdone, Over and Out.

    Greetings everyone, Well it has been a few months since I  posted anything here, so I  am Overdue. Life has been keeping me busy with  a wild range of things to handle, some good and so not so  wonderful.

     Earlier this week my better half had to  put a cat down.  It has been a sad week  for that  reason. Riley was a wonderful cat. He was a black manx  with  the a calm mellow attitude.  I have had him in my  life for two  and a half years.  Age was starting to effect him, and so  we didn't want him to  suffer any  more. Cindy made an altar for him.  That  cat changed my  views on cats. When I  was a very  young boy I  raised rabbits, a cat got into a cage and killed several bunnies. I  disliked cats since that  event. Riley changed my  attitude about cats, which is amazing because I  am a very  stuburn person.

                                                             Riley the Amazing cat.

     I have been trying to stay  cool, Central  Iowa is getting very hot. And as luck  turns out, within a weeks time my  power windows and my  blower motor stop  working, so I  have a sweat box to  drive  home from work in.  I  am Overdone in this heat, I  work in a cooler so I  am more comfortabe in the early  spring and late fall.

     I have been reading many  books, doing research, writing down many  journals, making plans, Drawing various artwork for a cartoon project  that  I  am planning on doing.  I have also  posted many  youtube videos. I  have been walking away from the anti-christian videos that I  used to  do  and trying to  concentrate on pagan themed videos.  The hardest part is getting a larger group of viewers.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZQNB7TCLVk

      So I  better get a plan in actions to show everyone what  I  have been working on. Take care Over and Out.