In today’s modern age we’ve become so accustomed to hearing catchy buzz words like “vibe,” “aura” and “energy” in our day-to-day conversations, but what do these words actually mean and what does the fact that we’re talking about these things so casually say about our current collective’s consciousness? It’s a big sign that we’re evolving and it’s a beautiful thing that we’re now finally talking about what I believe is the most important part of our third dimensional experience, which is energy, or our spiritual experience. For centuries, we’ve only focused on the mind-body connection, which is 2/3rds of our current reality here, but we (as a human race) have now finally achieved the consciousness level to start addressing the spiritual connection in this powerful triad.

But what if this spiritual existence, one we mostly can’t see, taste, smell or touch, is actually the core foundational element for our physical existence here as humans on this planet? And without this foundational spiritual energetic element - also known as the 5th element, Ether, (or “Akasha” in its original Sanskrit) would our physical existence universally cease to exist? The potential answers to this question show just how vital the spiritual energetic component of our existence is to our current reality, yet it’s been barely spoken about in mainstream culture. Only recently, due to what I believe is the result these dire times of increased awareness and constant discussion around life and death, have we as a culture started to collectively reconsider what life is really about.

Some Eastern cultures and native and aboriginal groups, however, have been living through this awareness of the energy around them and their spiritual Selves for centuries and have put it at the forefront of their internal teachings and understanding. It is mainly those of us who have been following colonial practices, that were originally instituted to keep us “civilized”, that have lost our connection to Spirit - in ourselves, in our land, and in our daily living. The fact that we are finally accepting the universal truth that we are truly spiritual beings inhabiting a physical existence is why we are seeing so much changing in our current culture today. The importance behind ancient practices is now being rediscovered and resurrected into our daily living as things like self-care, connecting with nature, organic farming and connection with our local land are becoming more and more popular and prevalent in modern day pop-culture.

So, how can those of us that are new to this concept of “spirit” being the actual foundation for of our experience as human beings, start to get closer to ourselves and know ourselves in this “new” way? This is where a fusion of beautifully passed down ancient traditional practices and newer modernized energetic practices can help to spark the connection and awareness we have of ourselves as more than just our physical bodies or thoughts. We are spiritual beings of vast infinite consciousness that are ancient and timeless in our existence, yet we only see a tiny fraction of this in small glimmers of moments when we actively choose to take the time to do so. This connection I’m speaking of is not to anything “outside of ourselves” but is instead to our Highest and most true version of ourselves, which is a portion, or a fractal, of the original organic Source Creator (God, the universe, insert whatever term feels most comfortable to use.)

We are not seeking outside of ourselves or going to (our through) other people for this connection, we get to do it for ourselves, at home, for free. The only thing it takes is a willingness and dedication of effort to forge this inner connection.

This is where daily energetic healing practices come in, or what I call our daily ‘energetic hygiene.’ In a similar way that we have made it important and essential to keep up our physical hygiene (shower and brushing and flossing our teeth every day) it is now becoming essential to keep up our energetic hygiene in short and simple ways, since it is our energy that creates and effects the physical. Through consciously working with our energetic field, we are able to create positive changes and shifts in our daily lives much more quickly, efficiently and effectively for our benefit and well-being. Culturally, we have already been addressing the mind (or the mental component of the mind-body-spirit triad) through things like mindfulness meditation practices, therapy, psychology and journaling to name a few. We have also been addressing the Spiritual energetic component in different ways, like seeing an energy healer or an acupuncturist for example - or on our own through practices like yoga, silent meditation and breathwork (these are just a few examples, but the list is vast!) But now, with the level of consciousness that we have collectively risen to, along with the ability for information to be shared so quickly throughout the world through the internet and in books, we’re able to begin to learn these practices on our own. As we do, we start to remember and reactive the ancient knowledge of these innate practices that we Spiritual beings hold within our own DNA around how to work with our energy field and energy body.

And just as physical hygiene takes simple steps to improve our physical health, anyone of any level of experience can now build a simple energetic hygiene practice to take care of their Spiritual health. In my book, The Ultimate Guide to Energy Healing, we go in depth into several energy healing exercises, and discuss how to prepare the physical body and mind for these to allow for the most success. This includes everything from looking at our energetic (spiritual) bodies in new ways, such as learning about our aura, the “biofield” or cocoon of layers of our own energy around our physical body. The next key component is the chakra system, or the spinning wheels of energy that process, take in and exchange energetic information with our environment. We have many major and minor chakras all around the body (acupuncture points incorporate many of these), but the ones that are most important to master are the 7 main rainbow-colored chakras, which move from the base of the body (our red root chakra) upwards to the crown of our heads, (the violet-purple colored crown chakra.) In The Ultimate Guide to Energy Healing, we go into depth on each layer of the aura and its function, and all of the 7 main chakras, certain minor chakras, and the chakras that exists within our aura - so if the energetic anatomy of your own spiritual makeup is something that interests you, I would highly recommend continuing your reading there.

Another important and key foundational aspect of energetic hygiene is called “grounding” or “grounding our energy,” which essentially means making a conscious connection to Mother Earth with our energy. Out of the hundreds of different styles and types of practices, this would by far be one of the most important exercises to practice daily for our energetic health and well-being, and the best part about it is that it’s quite simple to do! As energetic beings having a physical experience, it is extremely important to keep our energy grounded and connected to the Earth since we live here, and this is our home! This practice keeps us from getting too “spacey” or having our “head in the clouds.” Grounding also allows us to gently release and drain away any excess mental and emotional energy that has accumulated over the course of our day, and trade it in for nourishing, healing, nurturing Earth energy, which ultimately helps us move into a state of peace.

Since grounding your energy is so vital for both you and those around you, let’s flow into our first energetic practice. To begin, find a comfortable seat with both feet rooted flat on the floor and gently begin slowly breathing in and out of the belly so that it expands on the inhale and retracts on the exhale. This is called diaphragmatic breathing. You can close your eyes once you’re comfortable with this deep belly breathing and do this for as long as you need to begin moving into a calm and relaxed place. Once ready, visualize from the base of your tailbone, dropping a golden line of energy down (similar to a plum line or ship dropping its anchor) all the way down to the core of the Earth. Just as we are energetic beings in physical bodies, the Earth is too, and within her physical core is her energetic crystalline true light core, and that is the energy of Mother Earth that we are connecting to in this exercise. Take your time to visualize this connection in any way that works for you. Your cord can look like a light column, or a Sequoia tree trunk, a mountain, or a rope with an anchor on the bottom – the possibilities are endless so choose whichever image that works best for you. Once “connected” into Mother Earth, begin to visualize roots growing into the crystalline core -similar to a tree or plant in nature. From here you are officially “grounded.” Take a moment to sit here with this connection and notice how it feels for you. If you get a little sleepy, that is very common when first practicing grounding, as the energy can be very soothing and calming. Right now, all of your excess mental energy and stress is gently draining down this cord to the core and the Earth is using this compost as fuel to create new positive energy to radiate back out.

We have minor chakras in the centers of the soles of our feet, which can open and close like a camera lens, so next, picture opening these chakras almost as wide as each foot so you can gently begin to receive the Earth energy moving up from the core. Most people say they can begin to feel their feet or legs tingle with gentle, slow, cooling energy at this point. If you’d like to take your grounding one step further, visualize your grounding cord expanding to the circumference of your body (make that tree trunk or light column bigger) and notice how this feels. Take your time getting used to this new conscious connection with the Earth and the energy she shares with you. This grounding connection happens naturally every time we walk barefoot in nature for a few minutes or sit under a tree, but now you’re doing it consciously, on your own accord, from wherever you’re located. You can practice grounding in nature (where it’s easiest) or from the top of a sky scraper. You can keep this conscious connection to Mother Earth open for as long as you’d like. Anytime you have stressful or anxious moment throughout the day, I’d recommend dropping your awareness away from the mind and racing thoughts and returning it back down to your grounding connection with Mother Earth.

I hope you enjoyed your conscious connection to the Earth! This grounding practice is an ancient shamanic energetic practice that many different native cultures all around the world still practice today, and hopefully one that many others will include into their daily routine. This was a very brief summary of one of the many exercises included in The Ultimate Guide to Energy Healing, where we go into depth on many energetic practices and continuously build from one level to the next. Imagine a world of peaceful, calm, grounded, happy individuals and how amazing our reality could be. It all starts with each of us individually making the simple decision to take the time to consciously connect with our own energy daily, with simple practices like grounding that can take under a minute. Thank you for your open-mindedness and willingness to try new things! You can find this exercise and many more, explained in depth in The Ultimate Guide to Energy Healing, available globally now.