Do you frequently find yourself daydreaming, out of the moment?
Do you feel that parts of your body are “breaking down,” causing you to be unable to function optimally to earn your place in society?
Do you constantly feel like you have to fight to defend yourself?
Do you find that you second-guess yourself and your decisions, almost like you are battling from within?
The ability to be grounded in the workings of the world on a physical level is a slow vibration, resonating stability, certainty, and physical strength.
HEALTHY ROOT CHAKRA BEHAVIOR
When our physical energy is functioning optimally, we will feel and know that we can survive adequately in this world. Even though there is truly no security because life is full of change and unpredictability, a healthy grounded person will feel on a core, deep level that he or she will always be provided for, whether through themselves, family, or society. These people are independent and determined, yet not afraid to confide in and depend on others if needed. Healthy grounded behavior means holding energy for an acceptance of family or tribe, whether actual (that is, blood relatives) or developed (that is, adopted family, marriage), and trust originates from the feeling of commitment to the tribe. Individuals who are grounded often have healthy boundaries, a strong feeling of their life purpose, and believe at their core that they have a right to exist or to be acknowledged as worthy. Other key words resonating with the healthy form of this physical energy include commitment, purpose, patience, consistency, and security.
THE SLOW VIBRATION OF PHYSICAL ENERGY
Why does it sometimes take so long to make a shift in our body, behaviors, actions, and thoughts? You can thank your root chakra for the slow steadiness of your change! Reflecting back to our discussion of vibrating matter or energy in earlier chapters, the ability to be grounded in the workings of the world on a physical level is a slow vibration, resonating stability, certainty, and physical strength. It is the foundation of our identity. To be grounded translates loosely into a feeling of being “with it” or “in tune” as it relates to a physical reality of performing tasks and engaging in activities. It encompasses a harmonious network of thinking, feeling, and sensing, revolving around being present in the physical world. When we acknowledge our physical form, our awareness of the surrounding environment is enhanced, making for fewer accidents and inefficiencies and, as a result, our life feels full and under control.
This energy provides much of the framework on which the rest of our energy system is built. It could be compared to laying the physical foundation for the “house” of our energy and who we are. Without a firm foundation and established layers of trust, security, and safety, we can easily crumble when our other faster-moving vibrations are affected. As you will read later, the slow, grounded vibration is the “mother” of other vibrations carried within us to sustain our personal power (solar plexus chakra) and to express ourselves with the assistance of personal and Divine will (throat chakra).
When we acknowledge our physical form, our awareness of the surrounding environment is enhanced, making for fewer accidents and inefficiencies and, as a result, our life feels full and under control.
WE ARE A LIVING ROOT OF ANCESTRY
Another way to view being grounded is to think of having a root or an anchor attached to the bottom of your feet. The human body is symbolically designed as a starlike structure. The two lower spokes, the legs, ending in the feet, make physical contact with the Earth. The two upper spokes, the arms, reach in the opposite direction of the heavens. Putting them together, we contain the balance of Earth and heaven within our structure.
It is important for us to feel and connect with our pelvic shell, harboring our sacrum and our reproductive organs (men), as well as with the long stretch of legs and feet. For most people, the feet are the only part of us that physically contacts the Earth for a majority of the day—a fraction of the expanse of our body! Through our feet, we can transmit the Earth's slow, steady vibration upward into our structure, allowing it to nourish us and to enable us to be comfortable with being Earthbound.
On a larger, more cosmic scale, ancestral energies live within the dense root chakra vibration. Cultures like those that are Shamanic in origin hold tight to their traditions and lineage. As a result, they are closely tied to the root chakra energy. If we choose to look very deeply at our origins, we will find that every single past event creates our being. We are the cumulative sum of our ancestral and individual energies, spiraling together, forming the matrix of our outer body shell. Our bodies are testament to this memory. We reflect who we have been and who we have chosen to be by our selection into our tribe. Every moment of our personal history has been perfectly crafted. The memory of the past is found within every cell in the human body, encased within the strands of DNA. So, when we hear the phrase, “It's in your genes,” we are really talking about our connection to ancient cellular memory. This vibration carries with it the foundations of physical life and needs of survival, including core issues relating to family, food, shelter, sexuality, safety, and trust. There is no doubt that we are wired for survival.
THE NATURE OF THE GROUNDED VIBRATION
The slow vibration of grounded earthliness that is a part of our being often resonates with the color red, like the rich, scarlet color of blood. Blood connects us with our lineage, our ancestors. However, other colors, such as black, charcoal gray, and dark brown, colors of the moist, loamy soil and clay of the Earth layers, are also associated with this vibration. The vibrations of our grounded self are slower than other aspects of our being, and as a result of this dense vibration, it typically takes relatively more time and work than the other vibrations we carry to heal or to change. The good side of this vibratory rate is that once change has been implemented, it can more readily stay strong and full and be difficult to imbalance.
Core Issues Associated with the Root Chakra
Ability to defend oneself
Ability to provide for life's necessities—to survive in the world
Communal safety and security
Familial and social law and order
Feeling “at home” with self, family, and community
Physical family
Many people place little emphasis and value on connecting with their earthly bodies and even disengage from it, causing them to appear flighty. However, it is worth remembering that grounding to the Earth through our being is essential for carrying out our life mission. We are spirit beings in a human body for a reason. Our dreams manifest with healthy grounded vibrations. Additionally, being grounded and feeling secure in our physical existence allows us to access a wealth of solutions for earthly matters by being more interactive with planetary life. We find valuable solutions by being in the present moment and grounded in our Earth experience.
PHYSIOLOGY AND THE ROOT CHAKRA
In addition to supporting our energetic structure, this slow, assured vibration provides the instinctual, primal template for who we are as physical human beings. It is responsible for the energy of body systems that provide us with physical structure, allowing us to make
