Recently, I purchased a grounding mat. It’s a mat that connects to the grounding part of an outlet. You put your feet on the mat barefoot, and it “grounds” your energy like it grounds an electrical plug. It makes sure that the energy going through the plug is balanced. Grounding for people works the same way. It’s our way of connecting to the thing that we would die without, the Earth. Growing up in Hawaii, I almost never wore shoes except when we went out. I would walk around outside the house barefoot and never thought anything of it. Now that I live where that isn’t possible as it’s too dang cold to go without shoes, and I’ve lived here so long, the soles of my feet are too soft. I remember walking on hot asphalt, even in the summer. Not for long, mind you, but if I were to do that now, it would be like walking on hot coals for my delicate footsies.

My point is that I was very grounded as a kid. I was always connected to the land. Walking around in the grass and dirt around my house was no big deal. I hadn’t realized how much I took it for granted, but I understand it now. I live in a place where I can’t directly connect as often as I would like, so I thought I would try the grounding pad. I do have the ability to ground my energy with intention, as does everyone who knows how to do it, but I wanted to try a physical representation of what I used to take for granted and see if there was a difference.

Why bother with this in the first place?

As I said, without the Earth, we would die. It/She produces all of our food, water, and air. The things we need to survive. Our personal energies thrive when we connect with her directly instead of indirectly through our food. The alignment of our energies with that of the Earth makes us feel better. If you are a gardener who almost never wears gloves, you know what I’m talking about. It’s not about getting dirty. It’s about working with the energy of Earth and some of the other elements that can bring us balance. If you’re not a fan of getting your hands or feet dirty, or it’s winter, and you don’t want to risk frostbite, a grounding pad might be the way to go.

When I got mine, it didn’t come with instructions. I put my feet on it while wearing wool socks, and I couldn’t feel anything. Or should I say, I didn’t notice anything. I read somewhere that you are supposed to use it barefoot. I took my socks off and again, still didn’t notice anything until I did. For a few weeks, I had this strange pain on top of my right foot. It’s not unusual for aches and pains to show up more for me when it gets cold, but this one was puzzling. It wasn’t painful enough for me to want to have to do something about it, and it wasn’t constant. I put my feet on the mat while it was plugged in, and after a few minutes, the pain in my foot went away.

There are many articles on grounding, and you can dig those up yourself if this is something you’re interested in. They all talk about the benefits of grounding, but I didn’t see any that had any studies backing up their claims. For myself, I know that when I ground myself, which aligns my energy with that of the Earth, I feel calmer and more balanced.

I’m not advocating buying a grounding mat. I wanted to experiment, and I found it interesting. When I took my foot off the pad, after some time, my right food started to hurt again. Could it have been something my mind convinced me of? Of course. I have to say that when I ground myself with intention, it’s a lot stronger than using the grounding pad, but there is a difference after I use it, which tells me that it does do something for me. I read the comments of another person who has the same grounding pad I do, who said that she chose to sit on hers, and she felt the connection immediately. I can see how that could happen. Sitting on it would put the root chakra directly on the mat. It bypasses the legs and brings the energy straight to the first chakra.

As part of your spiritual journey, it is to your benefit to connect with the elements, especially the Earth. She balances us and gives us comfort in many ways. She also can absorb all the negative energy we generate and recycles it. However you choose to connect with her, through intention, walking barefoot, or using a grounding pad, do it. She gives us the energetic base upon which we stand and upon which we can build, which is the importance of grounding.