It’s elemental

I took this picture of a banyan tree, while I was on a safari in Sri Lanka a few years ago.

It was a very powerful moment for me. I immediately thought of the tree of life — a symbol that connects religions from ancient Egypt and Old Norse to Hinduism and all the Abrahamic religions to the indigenous people of the Americas.

What is common in all these stories is that the tree of life connects the spiritual world with the physical one.

The root system of the banyan tree can spread thousands and thousands of feet, supposedly indefinitely if it’s not stopped.

Remembering the banyan tree or tree of life is a great way to ground myself.

When you’re in your head making up stories, grounding can take you back to the present moment. When someone is being rude or if you’re triggered by all the history you have with a family member, remember you are connected by more than proximity and blood.

Sometimes we forget these connected worlds. Many on a spiritual journey want to disconnect from the physical world, and those tied to the material sometimes forget their connection to a branch 80 feet high, or a root 10,000 feet away.

Often this time we live in praises what goes on in our heads – air element. The tree cannot survive without it, and it also cannot survive without the earth, grounding element.

You might have not consciously thought about what your grounding element is. It could be a person, the time you spend with your hands in soil or clay, or feet in the sand.

Find your ground, if you don’t currently have it.

You are not just one thing. And you are just one thing.

Grounding is the way to be stable while you connect those things — and then build from there.