This small but important book reveals the power inherent in a technique that is all too often thought to be preparatory for some other, more valuable, practice. “Grounding,” as defined by author Nell Arnaud, is “an energetic connection that anchors and secures your personal life-force energy to the life-force energy of the Earth.” The author states that, in the same way that gravity draws all things, including human beings, to the center of the planet, one’s conscious alignment with the energy of Earth results in becoming a more stable and balanced individual—one who radiates a sense of power, self-control, practicality, and focused energy. Arnaud affirms that grounded people communicate more clearly, manage their lives with greater intelligence and efficiency, and are apt to be aware of synchronicities and opportunities; such people are generally more successful. “Literally everything in your life works better with this alignment,” asserts Arnaud, who offers easy-to-follow grounding practices that can be done in any location and at any time of day.
The author notes that spiritual seekers who have not learned how to ground themselves may find that they feel “light, airy, out-of-body, and ethereal.” Associating such feelings with “being spiritual,” they believe that being profoundly grounded and at home on Earth might make them less so, yet Arnaud points out that indigenous peoples throughout the ages have learned how to establish solid connections to both their planetary home and the heavens without disparaging their physicality and connectedness to Earth; their embodied spirituality still serves as a model for twenty-first century seekers. Unfortunately, mainstream religion’s drive to impose conformity to a belief system and industrialized society’s need for masses of compliant workers have stripped people of their personal sovereignty. Arnaud’s description of fully-grounded, empowered individuals who practice an embodied spirituality makes it clear why hierarchical and controlling social and religious systems feel threatened; throughout history, massive attempts have been made to destroy indigenous societies and non-conforming individuals, with grievous results for humanity and the health of the planet.
Greater attention to sentence structure, punctuation, and word usage would have brought this book a higher rating (for example, “than” is used when “then” is clearly intended).
This being said, Arnaud’s timely book deserves to be read by all who engage in spiritual practice; although directed to individual spiritual practitioners, her work addresses what may prove to be the pivotal issue of our age: the need to heal humanity’s disconnection from Earth—a disconnection that now threatens the very survival of the planet.
Nell Arnaud has worked as a nurse and school teacher at the elementary level, and has thirty years of experience as a clairvoyant and healer. She is in private practice near Mt. Shasta, California.
Reviewed by Kristine Morris
January 6, 2011
