Letting the Earth heal my pain

      Lately I have been spending 15 or so minutes a day outside barefoot on my patio, because I read a tweet by Dr.Christine Northrup that said doing so for 10 weeks caused folks to "experience pain relief". I decided to try it because my right leg has been hurting for a couple of months ( old ski owee). It's only been a week, so I can't say yet if it is successful.  What I can say is that this has become a second daily meditation for me and I couldn't be happier about that.

      In my last blog I wrote about  pilgrimages in everyday life. But as many of us know...we take our own advice sparingly. My habit was to get up, meditate,walk my small patio labyrinth, make tea and watch the news. A downer way to start the day hearing about the local car accidents, thefts, DWI's, or worse. Supposedly I was checking on the weather, but all the other dismal stuff came with the temperature. The juxtaposition of the serenity of meditating and spiraling and the harsh reality of... whatever the reporters are reporting today, was a bit unsettling and had the potential to set the tone for the day.
      So now I meditate: sitting- breathing or counting and head outside to earth with my tea. The ground is cool this time of the year. Wrapped in a sweater, I walk the labyrinth, putter in my plants, chat with the cats or just sit (the study said standing) and listen to the bubbling of my fountain. It is so peaceful and just like meditation I let the moments flow, let the thoughts pass without much notice, my feet in constant contact with the patio soothing my leg but more so my soul. I draw in the natural electromagnetic vibration of the earth and align my inner vibrations.
      In the story of the Buddha's enlightenment as he was meditating under the Bodhi tree, Mara the Lord of Illusion was trying to tempt him. When that failed Mara asked the Buddha what right he had to attain enlightenment and the Buddha simply put his fingers over his knee to touch the earth, calling the earth to witness.
     I have often wondered what this meant. It is depicted in numerous representations-art and statues, but little has been written about the subject to explain it. A Goddess of the earth features in a scant few of the stories, but I am convinced he was earthing. He aligned with the energy of the earth and sent Mara packing.
     I plan on continuing my research on the Buddha calling the earth to witness. It is depicted far too often to be insignificant. But for now I will continue to earth as often as I can, calling the earth to sooth and heal.

                Find a place outside where you can sit or stand comfortably.
                Grass, dirt, sand, bark or cement, are all ok.
                Slip off your shoes or place your hands on the ground in full contact,
                 (if it is cold your hands are probably best)
                Relax... meditate, listen to music, drink tea: whatever soothes you.
                Do this for 15 minutes or longer.
                ahhh

   
      This is a good daily activity similar to meditation practice, connecting us back to nature at a time when disconnection is the norm. As my feet connect with the earth I am reminded that stones and crystals have metaphysical attributes and are electromagnetically charged as well...we can talk about that another time when we look into the use of prayer beads for meditation. For now, if you are interested in earthing, more details can be found at
 http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/04/29/james-oschman-on-earthing.aspx
 or you can read Dr. Northrup's tweet on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/DrChristianeNorthrup/posts/10152132479790029

                                         blissings, amber

MENDs FYI tidbit:
    If you are like me you have a few herbs growing in your backyard or on your window sill. Autumn is the time to harvest them unless you are a southern hemisphere visitor to this page=time for you to plant. :)  Here in the north just clip your branches, make into bundles and hang in a dry spot out of direct sunlight. When they are completely dry you can store them in a glass jar, in a cotton tea bag or you can make flavored salt in a recycled salt or pepper grinder. Put 2-3 parts leaves only of your herb (they do not need to be pre-ground)  into a bowl and 1 part salt, mix then funnel into your clean, dry recycled grinder.You can use more salt...I prefer more herb flavor. I used mint, rosemary, thyme and basil. Woodier plants like rosemary can be used independently, but leafy herbs need a little salt to move them through the grinder.  To use just grind onto foods for some extra flavor.

 see you soon...