Though it may seem much less exciting than watching herbs or petition papers go up in smoke, layering a colorful spell jar, or intricately preparing a candle for candle magick, a grounding and centering practice is one of the most important things to learn how to do as a beginner witch for successful spellcrafting. Grounding and centering are the very foundation of energy manipulation, the way we can direct that energy circulating through us at all times to a center point, gathering it so that it becomes more powerful.
We manipulate energy when doing spells, so it is important to first “ground,” or get rid of excess energy. If you feel exhausted after spellwork, there is a good chance you are not grounding properly. Centering is getting our thoughts and intentions in the right place to properly cast the spell. If you don’t learn how to control the energy within you, casting a spell, or controlling the energy around you, can have inconsistent results.
How to Ground
If you have a lot of chaotic energy coursing through your body, it is impossible to center that energy without first grounding. The practice of grounding sends excess energy into the earth and connects us with earth energy.
The energy of the earth is neutral, unlike crystals or herbs which have energies of their own, so it is a great place to draw from in magickal workings. Once you are grounded to the earth, you can then pull that energy up to power your spells and balance your unstable energy with the steady energy of earth.
If you are someone who often feels jittery or wired after casting spells, the practice of grounding is important for you to do after spellwork. Done before spellwork, It is a way to prevent energy depletion since we are moving energy up from the earth instead of using our own energy that we only have in limited quantities.
You may choose to do it both before and after a spell, or one or the other depending on your personal energy. An optional step for grounding would be to eat before or after a spell when you need to ground. Dark chocolate is a quick and easy choice for a food that is naturally grounding. If you need emergency grounding and you have access to a yard outdoors, you can plant your feet and your hands on the earth at the same time.
Grounding Meditation
To prepare, come to a quiet space in a seated position. Consider using headphones and playing calming music if you are unable to find silence.
If you are sitting on the ground, imagine roots coming out from the base of your spine and rooting into the earth. If you are sitting in a chair, plant your feet on the ground whether you are inside or outside and imagine the roots coming from your feet.
Take several deep breaths before beginning. With each exhale, visualize your excess energy moving through the roots into the ground. With each inhale, visualize more balanced, stabilized energy coming up from the earth to replace it.
How to Center
Centering is getting our energy in alignment with our intention, desire, and our higher self. It’s like the center of gravity for your energy. The center of energy may be different for everyone, but the most common places you might feel it gathering is your heart or stomach (the gut). You will know when you are centered when you become unattached from scattered thoughts and the only thing you are focused on is your intention.
Before you begin practicing centering, you will want to familiarize yourself with how energy feels in your own body. It feels different for everyone. Focus on a small part of your body, such as your fingers. Do you feel warmth, tingling, or something else? Close your eyes. What does that energy look like? Is it glowing, pulsing, or something else?
Now think about why you are centering. Is it to calm and direct the chaotic energy in your body? Or is it to gather more energy into your body? You can also gather energy from outside your body and bring it into your center. Either way, focus on the source of the energy you want to collect and visualize the energy moving to your center, wherever that may be for you.
Centering Meditation
After you feel completely grounded, begin to locate the energy around you. Notice the places in your body or outside your body where you feel the energy the strongest. Visualize your scattered thoughts like marbles rolling around you, or pieces of some type of puzzle, shimmering stars, liquid droplets, or anything else that resonates with you.
In your third eye, see these items gathering together at your heart center (or your gut if that’s where you feel it) and fusing together to become a ball of controlled energy that you have power over. Imagine it like a vacuum suctioning the energy, for example from your fingers through your hands then your arms and shoulders to your center.
This centered energy is yours to use in spellwork, or to get rid of it you can ground it into the earth by standing on the ground and pushing it down through your feet.
Casting a Circle
Since we’re talking about spellwork, I wanted to include a closing note about circle casting and why it’s important. A circle in the way we talk about it in witchcraft and magick is an energetic wall of sorts. It gives you the power to declare a bubble of energy around you as protected so you can do your spellwork without energetic interferences. You can also do this if you know you are going to be around others who tend to drain your energy as a way to protect yourself.
After grounding and centering, visualize a circle around yourself, keeping the balanced state of energy you created inside. Invite any spirits you want to work with inside your circle by name. Some practitioners like to use a wand or an athame, or even their hand, to physically direct the energy into a circle. Depending on what you want to use it for, have your intention in mind if you want it to follow you and protect you for a time, or if you want it to be stationary for when you are doing spellwork. Keep in mind that this does keep everything out, so it is not a long term solution as it may affect your intuitive abilities and connection with others. Think of it like having a guard up, it keeps you from letting people in, both the bad and the good.
When you are finished with it, make sure to close the circle. You can say, “This circle is closed,” and thank the spirits who worked with you. Or you can reverse the way you cast the circle if you used a tool instead of visualization.
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