This is part of my ongoing series on a ritual template. Check out my introduction post, and my posts on Preparations, Creating Sacred Space, Invocation, Purpose, and Gratitude.
You’ve finished the main purpose of your ritual, extended gratitude to the Divine and elemental energies involved, and now you need to return to the mundane world. As tempting as it is to just stay permanently in ritual headspace, we are inhabitants of this plane of existence, and unfortunately the laundry and dishes won’t magically wash themselves.
I use the phrase “Returning to the Here and Now” to encompass a few different ideas, but most fall under the large umbrella of Grounding.
I wrote a bit about this in my post Why Do We Ground, Cleanse, and Shield?:
At its most basic, grounding connects you back to the Earth, to yourself, and back to this time and place. Grounding draws you back into your body and can stabilize your energy. This can be accomplished in different ways in different contexts.
Why specifically do we want to ground after a ritual?
Depending on what your ritual purpose was, you may feel fairly grounded by the end or you could be soaring up in the clouds or anywhere in between! Ritual purposes that involve altered states of consciousness, such as meditation, trance, and especially journeying and channeling, can leave you feeling like you are somewhere (or someone) else. A special note on those circumstances in a bit.
For the majority of rituals, a simple grounding exercise should be enough to return to the here and now. Taking several deep breaths, observing the sensations in my body, noticing my surroundings, and eating and/or drinking something are generally enough to bring me back into myself.
Grounding is often included in a public ritual structure in the section of Cakes and Ale. This is just a fancy phrase for food and drink – in the many rituals I have attended or led, it has very rarely been actual cakes and actual ale. Consuming food and drink necessitates a connection to your physical body, which is important for grounding. The properties of the food and drink contribute to this as well, since all the ingredients came from the Earth. If you are in need of serious grounding, I don’t recommend alcohol, as that can potentially contribute to further feeling ungrounded, and certainly so if consumed in excess. For food, pretty much anything will do. You may want something with a strong or distinct taste if you anticipate needing more serious grounding. Salt in particular is good for bringing you back to the here and now at times when it is a bit more difficult to come back to the mundane world.
If you are performing a ritual with others (or have loved ones around even if they weren’t doing the ritual with you), physical touch can also be very grounding. I will frequently hug a friend after ritual, which both brings me back into my body and reminds me that I’m loved. Barbara Carellas talks through a specific technique for a “grounding hug” in her book Urban Tantra if you are looking for a particular technique. I’ve found that hugs of all kinds work for me, but you may be different. Another grounding physical touch is to have someone place their hands on your shoulders with a slight pressure. This literally pushes you down into the Earth and is very stabilizing.
Physical activity or gestures are other common ways to ground, such as touching the Earth, wiggling your fingers and toes, or stamping your feet after a meditation. You can also ground through visualization – One I see used frequently is that of a tree sinking its roots into the soil. I’ve also heard of people imagining becoming a mountain. I sometimes like to visualize/feel myself lying on a giant block of crystal – of whatever type I want or need the energies of in that moment (usually rose quartz, which isn’t typically associated with grounding but that works for me).
You can also use tools to help you ground, such as a physical crystal (like black tourmaline or hematite) or other object with grounding properties. You can play an instrument, like a drum or a singing bowl, to create a sound to call you back. I wear sacred jewelry, and touching it has a grounding effect for me both in ritual and mundane contexts.
Bringing consciousness to your physical body helps as well. Feeling a smooth stone in your hand, becoming aware of the breeze caressing your face, feeling the Earth beneath your feet, smelling an earthy fragrance, or tasting salt can all bring you back to your physical body. You can also pay attention to your internal sensations like hearing your heart beat or feeling your muscles contract.
After grounding, I do a full scan of my body, to make sure I’m entirely back. I also do a mental check of what I’m thinking, feeling, and sensing to make sure it is mine, and that it matches where I am in the mundane world. If it doesn’t, I employ further grounding measures.
Sometimes a combination of techniques and tools works best. Always have a few on hand, and experiment to see what works best for you. Specific tools or techniques might work better in certain situations than others, and some may not work for you at all.
You’ll want to practice extra care and have some more serious grounding measures on hand if you are doing something within your ritual that involves altered states of consciousness. Meditation is a lighter version of this, followed by trance. Journeying and channelling are probably the two ritual purposes that would need the most grounding. I don’t recommend doing either of these by yourself until you get accustomed to how you transition in and out of that headspace. Altered states of consciousness by their very nature disconnect you from the here and now. You quite literally go somewhere else mentally or open yourself to someone/something else (as with channeling). You need to be able to fully return to yourself on this plane after any altered state of consciousness. Being disconnected from yourself and this plane of existence isn’t great for going about your daily life, and at worst, it could even be dangerous. I don’t say that to scare anyone – far from it! I just want to highlight the importance of this step in your ritual planning, especially if you are venturing into altered states of consciousness.
On a physical safety level, you don’t want to still be tranced out from ritual while trying to drive or walk home, unable to pay attention to your surroundings. Mentally, you need to be able to distinguish between what is mundane and what is spiritual. Rituals are often very emotionally charged, so being able to come back to a more centered state before going about the rest of your day will help you to more easily navigate mundane life. We are frequently in a more open and receptive state during ritual, and so consciously being aware of this is good for your energetic hygiene. You might not want all of your sensitivity levels on max volume walking into work the next day (I know I don’t!). Spiritually, especially if you have been channeling, it is important to have a purposeful closing of the channeling session or a bookend to your deity communication. You need to be able to know what thoughts/feelings/impulses are you, and which are coming from outside of you. Grounding helps with all of these things.
As I mentioned before, most of the time, grounding after ritual will be fairly straightforward and simple: Take some deep breaths, notice your surroundings, and eat/drink something. There are times when those things won’t be enough, especially if your ritual involved altered states of consciousness. Below, I’ve compiled some lists of grounding actions and items that can serve as inspiration for different techniques to try. It is always a good idea to have a couple of these around or available after any ritual, just in case you end up going a bit further than you intended and have trouble coming back.
Physical actions
- Touch the Earth or the floor
- Take three deep breaths
- Practice a breathing pattern (Engage your parasympathetic nervous system: Inhale for 6 counts then exhale for 8 counts [exact counts don’t really matter – just make sure your exhale is longer than your inhale]; Square breathing: Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, exhale for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts; and there are many others. Breathing exercises for anxiety/stress are typically also grounding.)
- Stamp your feet
- Wiggle your fingers and toes
- Observe your surroundings – Name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste
- Touch your body – Run your hands along your body from the crown of your head to your feet and physically feel yourself coming back into your body
- Hug someone
- Have someone put their hands on your shoulders
- If seated, place your hands on your knees and gently press down
- Dance (For me, this brings me back into my body and can be grounding in certain contexts. It can also be energizing, so figure out when/if this is appropriate for you.)
- Wrap yourself in a weighted blanket
- Place your hands on your heart and press gently
- Hug (or place your hands on) a tree
- Cuddle your pet
- Hug a pillow
- Do mundane chores like dishes, laundry, or vacuuming
Physical objects to touch or hold
- Crystals associated with the root chakra (black tourmaline, onyx, obsidian, hematite, garnet, et cetera)
- Crystals associated with the sacral chakra (This works for me because I am very sensually connected to my body, but your results may vary – carnelian, et cetera)
- Wood
- An object with positive sentimental value
- Sacred jewelry
Visualizations
- A tree extending roots into the ground
- Become a mountain
- See yourself settling back into your body
- Feel yourself laying on a large block of crystal
Sounds (several of these can work both ways for getting into and back out of ritual headspace)
- Singing bowl
- Rattle
- Drums
- A bell
- Your favorite song
- Have a conversation with someone
Tastes (some of these might not be all that pleasant, but can be used in cases where serious grounding is needed)
- Salt (mild version = a salty snack like crackers or chips, serious version = put a very small pinch of salt on your tongue)
- Sour (vinegar, lemon, lime, et cetera)
- Bitter (dark chocolate, et cetera)
- Spicy (chilis, wasabi, horseradish, ginger, garlic, et cetera)
- Comforting spices (cinnamon, clove, cardamom, et cetera)
Scents
- Woods (cedar, sandalwood, et cetera)
- Herbs (kinds may vary depending on your personal associations and relationships with the plants, but rose, lavender, basil, and rosemary work for me)
- Your pet (call them over and sniff them if you are at home)
- A loved one (in person or a shirt they’ve worn)
There are some spiritual contexts in which returning to the here and now on your own may be difficult, and for those I highly recommend doing those rituals with someone you trust and/or getting a friend to check in with you afterwards. The friend doesn’t even necessarily need to know it’s for a spiritual reason, if you aren’t open about your path yet (though I do encourage you to find at least one person you are comfortable sharing with), just that you might be having a rough time, and the friend can visit/call/et cetera. It’s always a good idea to have someone you trust around when you are starting out with journeying. Learning to go somewhere and come back are skills that have to be trained and developed. Some types of past life or trauma healing work can leave you feeling stuck in a place or a memory, which can be difficult to pull yourself out of alone. Just be aware if your ritual purpose might fall into this category, and make sure you have a good plan for coming back to yourself in the here and now.
Another important note: The purpose of grounding isn’t to erase the effects of your ritual or kill the good vibes you got in ritual space! Grounding, when done properly, helps to anchor the effects of your ritual into your mundane life. It helps to merge the magickal and the mundane together by integrating your spiritual practice into your everyday routine. You may even incorporate something into your ritual to that effect – a crystal that you charge that you can put in your pocket and carry with you, a piece of sacred jewelry that you wear, et cetera. These things can help ground you in the “reverse” direction, too – they can remind you of your spirituality, your ritual purpose, or your larger goal when you get caught up in mundane worries and work.
Next up is the final part in our Ritual Template series: Follow-Through!
Priestess of Aphrodite 