Grounding Meditation:

A Tool for Working with Difficult Entheogenic Experiences

by Krystle Cole - June 26, 2009

 

When we embark on the long road toward self-discovery through the use of entheogens, we often have bumps along the way. Difficult trips are unavoidable; and pitfalls are an inherent part of the growing process. These bad trips are often our best trips because they help us to more fully understand our deeply rooted fears and weaknesses. So, in many ways, difficult trips are a positive thing. With that said, it doesn't mean that any of us should go into these headspaces without the tools we need to work with them once we are there.

When you delve into the dark corners of your transcendental self, you must learn to crawl before you can walk. Entheogenic travelers are much like toddlers that struggle to take their first steps. Walking isn't easy for toddlers; they get lots of bumps and bruises along the way! Young children are lucky to have parents to pick them up, dust them off, give them a hug, and encourage them to keep going. Entheogenic travelers, on the other hand, often find that there are no "parents" around to provide support. Even when tripping in groups, there are moments when we are completely alone with our thoughts and are terrified by the fractured nature of our own consciousness.

In these moments, we all need something to help us feel safe. We need something like a security blanket to cuddle up in, to keep us warm, and to provide us a sense of safety. This security blanket must have no shape or form; and it must be able to travel with us through the timeless, infinite nature of the cosmos.

Incorporating a spiritual practice or practices, other than transcendence through the use of entheogens, into your life can be a very good security blanket. In this article, we will discuss a basic grounding meditation that can facilitate stabilization during a difficult entheogenic experience. It is best to practice this meditation on a daily basis, while sober. This way, when you are actually in a difficult situation during a trip, you can tap into the focus and self-confidence that you learned from practicing this meditation.

During your next trip you can decide to actually try to do the grounding meditation during the experience, if you feel the need to. The goal with this, though, is to not feel the need to use it during your experience. To exemplify this further we will go back to the analogy of the toddler.

Practicing a grounding meditation before embarking on an entheogenic journey is very similar to a toddler practicing balance when they are learning to walk. When toddlers are first learning to walk, they must practice balance. Once they learn balance, they no longer need to think about it when they walk. The physical act of walking becomes second nature to them. In our analogy, trippers learning meditation techniques are akin to toddlers learning balance. When you view it this way, you can see that meditation can help you to be able to "walk" or maneuver through your trips. And with practice, it becomes second nature. The strength, focus, and self-confidence learned from grounding meditation will become an inherent part of your being.

To begin practicing a grounding meditation, you must first understand basic meditation techniques. Once a basic understanding of meditation is attained, you can move on to adding a visualization to the basic meditation that promotes grounding. Side note: You don't have to practice the following visualization; you can make up your own, as long as it promotes a connection between you and the earth.

Here is an example of a grounding meditation:

Sit with legs crossed, in the lotus, or half lotus position. Visualize a pillar of light and loving energy arising from your heart, through your head, and extending upward infinitely into the sky. Imagine a huge white light where the light anchors itself into the sky. Next, imagine the pillar of light continuing through you down into the floor. Imagine the light as it continues into the ground. Then imagine the loving light as it continues through all the layers of the earth and anchors itself into the earth's core.

You should practice this visualization for a minimum of twenty minutes. During this time, make sure to take slow, deep breathes and try to eliminate all other thoughts from your mind. Focus completely and entirely upon the visualization.