Finding the ground
People seem to use the word "grounded" reasonalbly regularly in some circles that I move in. The idea being that grounded is connected to the ground, the earth, and being ungrounded is being in the head more than in body (as opposed to a punishment of staying home handed out by ones parents- as was the meaning in my younger life!)
Finding the ground is an ongoing journey for me, and many of my pictures over the years have been about this.
This green Earth Mother- an expression of the Earth in human form- rooted from her womb, connecting upwards through her branches from her third eye, was an image that I doodled when I was living a very simple life, close to the earth, in a small self made home in a hedge. I had no electricity, no mobile phone and for some time no gas. I lived in this way because I was longing for simplicity and reconnection. The simplicity- simple physical tasks like gathering and chopping wood, carrying water, brought me present- out of my busy well honed, well trained thinking mind, into relationship with my environment.
This image was a reminder to myself what I needed. Stillness, presence and deep connection to the earth.
Nature has given me a safe place to be. Especially woodland, with the trees rooted in earth reaching for sky, I have found a sense of contentment and confidence. In wild places I have slowly remembered my human nature and slowly come home to my body.
Being with other humans is a different matter though.
The complcated creatures that we are- our different ways, patterns, personalities bouncing off one another. I have frequently found myself leaving my body, leaving the room or getting lost in chit chat and losing the sense of the earth beneath my feet.
The key has been my body. To keep coming back to my body. A willingness to feel what is going on in it- which at times is deeply uncomfortable. The self love that is needed to do this is not always available, my internal parents are not always kind, not always accepting, censoring what is 'good' to feel and what is 'bad'.
This is where this image 'The Mother' is needed. She is an archetypal energy- almost like a 'perfect' bluepint, the essence of the unconditional love of mothering. She has become for me an anchor to help me return to self- acceptance.
She symbolises the Earth. The unconditional giving of the Earth- that we take from contiunally, and take for granted.
To realise this, and feel not only the grief of the pillaging that occurs daily on this beautiful planet- but also to feel deep gratitude for its continual presence has allowed me to open more and more to its holding, to its grounding.
And yet it is still a challenge to recieve. A part of me feels so small and unworthy that it is continually isolated. And when I am shut down I cannot recieve even that which is freely given.
The journey home continues.....