Urban Connections

​Part of being a witch, or even just being spiritual, is making the connection with the Earth/Nature and the universe/all that is. If you live in a city you may find you have to make a concerted effort to find ways to do this. It can be difficult to find safe quiet spaces to tune in to nature inside a busy city. Not to mention that city life can be hectic and fast paced, very loud, and full of many (sometimes conflicting) energies. This can sometimes feel draining, and while spending time in nature is an excellent way to ground, center, and recharge your energy, it is not always possible to get away. One way to bring nature into your life, of course, is to have house plants. While not everyone has a green thumb, there are some houseplants that are quite easy to care for if you would like to try, and even some that are nearly impossible to kill. One such plant goes by many names. Dinosaur Plant, Rose of Jericho, and Resurrection Plant just to name a few. You can not water this plant for years, and then give it a little sip, and it will unfurl and grow for you. Some other interesting plants that need little attention are the Snake Plant, Zz Plant, Yucca, Haworthia, and the Jade Plant. Having even one plant to care for, talk to (yes, you really should talk to your plants), and connect with can help keep that connection to nature going even when you schedule is full and you just can’t get away. Plants also help keep your living environment feeling alive and clean by scrubbing the air of pollutants and converting CO2 to oxygen. If you have more than one plant, you can experiment with trying to connect with them and feeling the different energies they emit.
If plants are not your thing, or you just can’t have them, there are other ways to make those connections too:

1. Making time, with mindfulness, to enjoy the sun or moon; whichever your preference may be.
2. Working with the elements. Candles and incense are easily used indoors (use safely and never leave unattended), opening a window to feel the breeze on your skin, taking a cleansing bath or shower, collecting crystals that make you happy (meditating with them is a good way to connect with their energies), get a small table top water fountain, or anything else you can think of that connects you with the elements.
3. Cooking/eating mindfully, using good healthy ingredients, acknowledging where they came from, and nourishing your body with good/good tasting food that makes you happy.
4. Grounding and centering your own energies and mingling them with Earth’s/the Universe’s energies.
5. Connecting with the Genius Loci. If you are not familiar with this term, it refers to the natural energies/spirit of a place. In Roman times it was thought every place had a protective spirit, which was called the genius loci. In more modern times we may consider this less of an actual guardian spirit, and more of the atmosphere or energy of a place. Regardless of how you think of it, connecting with the genius loci of your personal space/particular location could be a good way of connecting with your home as well as the Earth/Nature.
6. Finding a safe green space to walk barefoot in the grass ( called Earthing). This is said to decrease stress, help you sleep better, improve blood flow, and many other healthy benefits. If you can find a place to lay down and relax, or sit with your back against a tree and ground yourself, even better!
7. Try tuning in to the “hum” of the city. It has its own natural rhythms that, if you tune into them, you may find you connect better with the city itself (which is, in a sense, its own living, breathing organism).

There are lots of ways to help one feel grounded and connected to the Earth, even in the city. Find whatever works for you. Experiment. Choose a few activities to do over a few weeks, and see how you feel after doing them. Keep a journal to keep track, if that speaks to you. So, what activities make you feel connected? Do you prefer to do the little things when you can, or do you like to plan bigger trips into nature so you can enjoy it for days at a time? Do you enjoy big city energies, or do you prefer the energies of the country more? Or maybe you fall somewhere in between?