Time to welcome Aquarius with the New Moon on January 20th!

Aquarius is the sign of freedom and that need to be our own independent selves. To let our freak flag fly, and embrace our own uniqueness. Sure, being an original is super cool and all, but Aquarius is also the needing to bring the collective together for the greater good and for the future. As a result, Aquarius can be very future-focused. I was once told by a teacher of mine, “depression is attachment to the past, and anxiety is attachment to the future”. With Uranus as the co-ruler of Aquarius, mind and body can get buzzy and almost electric, especially where thoughts and inspiration are concerned. So much sometimes, it can be difficult to get out of that genius mind. And what happens when we are in our minds a lot? We can, and often do become ungrounded. We forget to connect with Earth. Forgetting we are not our thoughts, we are not our minds and the future isn't here yet. So by grounding ourselves, and really connecting with Earth, we bring ourselves back to the present moment, and back to the simple things in life that make it so special and connect us all as one.

Here are a few simple energy medicine techniques to help us to stay grounded and present:

One, take off your shoes and walk in wet grass. This is so easy to do, especially here in verdant Portland, Oregon. Our body has a natural polarity that aligns with the earth, but sometimes through stress, daily activities, being in our heads too much and so on, our polarity can flip, therefore ungrounding us. I know this well, as I have to ground myself daily. My polarity flips all the time. So get your feet wet and go for it!

Second, sit or stand with your back to a tree. We often think of hugging trees right? Ever try putting your back to a tree and breathing deeply? When we do this, the tree connects the flow in the governing meridian, and takes energy down the roots of the tree into the earth, then back up again into the body, and creates a loop around the front and back of the body, kind of like a ferris wheel. I do this at least once every time I take I walk. When I hike, I stop often to do this. It feels wonderful. Tree medicine! Try it!

Third, if you are somewhere away from wet grass or trees, I'm sorry. But, good news is, you can always spoon the feet. Take a stainless steel spoon, and use the back side. Rub it lengthwise, back and forth on the sole of your foot, then across from side to side, then make figure 8’s. Repeat on the other foot.

So, get out there and commune with Nature. Enjoy!

Love, Melina