Familiarity with Nature has bred contempt for her ultimate secrets; our relation with her is one of practical business. We tease her, so to speak, to discover the ways in which she may be forced to serve our purposes; we make use of her energies whose Source yet remains unknown. In science our relation with Nature is like that between an arrogant man and his servant; or, in a philosophical sense, Nature is like a captive in the witness box. We cross-examine her, challenge her, and minutely weigh her evidence in human scales that cannot measure her hidden values.

(Lahiri Masahaya, quoted by Paramahansa Yogananda)

The disconnection between humans (the local dominant species, at least at the moment) and the eco-system that supports them is, in my opinion, the main reason why in recent decades we have been spiraling towards a planetary catastrophe. Unfortunately, global trends, like the increasing urbanization, point to an intensification of this gap.

Our contemporary lifestyle has increasingly distanced us from nature. We live in buildings surrounded by buildings; we move on trains, buses or other vehicles; we eat food that comes mostly in containers; we socialize via digital media, and so on… Currently, more than 50% of the world population lives in cities, this means that the majority of people now spends most of its time in increasingly artificial environments.

Furthermore, most of our jobs entail exclusively cerebral activity or machinery operations. Very few marginal jobs still involve a real connection to earth, even in the production of food, and those are definitely not the most sought-after positions.

It’s undeniable that modern science has done a lot to improve our lives and expand our knowledge. However, all good (and bad) things have a limit and when they are taken too far they start to produce negative effects. For example: sugar. A little sugar is good and gives you energy, too much and your body is overwhelmed and you become sleepy and slow. The problem is that the mechanistic, infinite-growth model on which is underlying our science-based progress has been based on is flawed.

The development of quantum physics and the unraveling of the planet’s ecosystem are proving it. The idea that all the other life forms on this planet are inferior elements of a system that humans can fully control, dominate and exploit for their own advantage, is misguided. The planetary crisis is showing us that those hidden values mentioned above have certainly not been considered in the corporate balance sheets. All life on this planet is interconnected and to thrive needs to maintain a certain balance, when this balance is lost the consequences are dire. In the summer of 2021 we have started to get a glimpse of the future: extensive fires, droughts, deadly floods, extreme temperatures …

Photo by sippakorn yamkasikorn on Unsplash

Looking ahead through the lens of COVID

If that is not enough to give us a perspective, let’s consider what happened during the recent pandemic. Some of the most momentous effects of the COVID lockdowns have highlighted how dysfunctional the relationship between humans and nature has become. Many authoritative studies, like this one by The Lancet, have observed widespread deteriorating mental and physical health. Forced into indoors isolation, people had the opportunity to test where their current lifestyle would lead to, if the digital virtualization of life and the resulting social alienation were taken further. On the other hand, we also observed the beneficial effects of reduced human outdoor activity on nature everywhere (sky, waterways, land, etc…). Nature’s extraordinary capacity to bounce back rapidly has indeed raised my hopes for the future.

Now that we have become more aware of the nefarious effects of the increasing alienation from Nature what can we do reestablish our connection with her?

Reconnecting with Nature

When we are faced with the enormous problems looming over us because of climate change, many people feel overwhelmed and despair. I prefer to believe that change is possible -as I just noted, nature is more resilient that we think, and it starts at a personal level.

Let’s begin by dispelling the idea that we are separate from Nature. And here we’re in luck, because re-establishing our own personal link with nature entails several very simple and pleasurable activities like walking in the park, on the beach or to any nearby corner where you can enjoy some trees and quiet. The benefits of taking a walking break in nature are well known and documented. It’s super easy and effective; therefore, we have no excuses not to do it. During the lockdown my favorite escape was strolling along the East River. Diligently, every day after lunch I was there, rain or shine -or snow, escaping   … rivers have an incredible energy. But I’m digressing!

If you want to take it a step further, one of the most powerful, wonderful and yet simple ways of reconnecting with our planet is earthing.

What is earthing?

It may sound like a big scientific word, but earthing is very simply putting your body in direct contact with the earth, like standing or walking barefoot. Grounding is another word for it. You don’t need any special equipment, just take off your shoes and let your skin touch the Earth’s surface. All life forms on this planet live with a constant direct connection between their bodies and the planet that created them, the only exception are humans. In the last sixty years especially, we have become even more insulated from the Earth’s surface thank to the increasing popularity of rubber and plastic soles, instead of the traditional and more conducive leather.

The science behind earthing

To some people, walking barefoot, touching the earth’s surface might sound a little hippy-trippy; however, there are scientific facts behind this ancient gesture. Since the end of the 19th century, there have been several studies that have confirmed the beneficial effects of touching the Earth’s surface. How does it work exactly?

As this article published by Journal of Environmental Public Health in 2012, and available on PubMed Central® (a free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine), explains:

“The surface of the planet is electrically conductive (except in limited ultra-dry areas such as deserts), and its negative potential is maintained (i.e., its electron supply replenished) by the global atmospheric electrical circuit.

Mounting evidence suggests that the Earth’s negative potential can create a stable internal bioelectrical environment for the normal functioning of all body systems. Moreover, oscillations of the intensity of the Earth’s potential may be important for setting the biological clocks regulating diurnal body rhythms, such as cortisol secretion.”

That makes a lot of sense doesn’t it? We are the result of million of years of development in contact with an electrically charged surface. Our bodies not only have an electrical charge, but to function properly they rely on an electrical system of communication that is the nervous system that has been calibrated by millions of years of development to work in certain conditions. When the original electrical conditions change, inevitably some systems start to malfunction.

Consider for example that the base atmospheric electromagnetic resonant frequency of the earth is 7.83 Hz, this is like the Earth’s heartbeat. In his book Stalking the Wild Pendulum: On the Mechanics of Consciousness, scientist and mystic Izthak Bentov observed that human micromotions, that is the ongoing movement of the heart, cells and bodily fluids, vibrate at 6.8 to 7.5 cycles per second, which is also the frequency of the brain’s alpha waves. Yes, we are born to vibrate in harmony with our surroundings, unfortunately we do it less and less.

The benefits of earthing

In the last two decades several studies have been conducted on the relationship between earthing and human health.

Earthing benefits have been proven scientifically and they include:

• improved sleep,
• reduced stress,
• reduced pain,
• reduced osteoporosis,
• activation of the Parasympathetic (Rest & Digest) Nervous System and deactivation of the Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight or Flight)
• improved cardio-vascular health.

Improved sleep

A good night sleep is an elixir for a healthy life, an elixir that is increasingly rare for those of us who are practicing the modern urban lifestyle. In the US currently, 35% of adults sleeps less than the recommended minimum 7 hours per night.

The study  quoted above followed 12 people sleeping on a grounded surface for 8 weeks, and found that:

Eleven of 12 participants reported falling asleep more quickly, and all 12 reported waking up fewer times at night. Grounding the body at night during sleep also appears to positively affect morning fatigue levels, daytime energy, and nighttime pain levels.

Reduced stress

The research also found that the levels cortisol, our stress hormone, tended to normalize as illustrated by the tables below.

Reduced pain

After an intense exercise session, subjects who were grounded for the hours immediately after that, experienced less soreness which was measured also as a lower decrease in white blood cells.

Reduced osteoporosis

The study reported in the Journal of Environmental Public Health also found that even grounding during one single night sleeping reduced the calcium and phosphorus present in the urine, which is an indicator of osteoporosis.

Improved cardio-vascular health

Another study published by the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine discovered that 2 hours of grounding had

“intriguing effects on human physiology and health, including beneficial effects on various cardiovascular risk factors.” such as red blood cell clumping (= blood viscosity levels).

If these studies do not convince also the most skeptical to forget the pills and take their socks off, I don’t know what will!

How long should you be grounded to have positive effects? Most studies suggest 20-40 minutes a day, but, as we have seen from the studies above, sleeping grounded has the most benefits. Of course, on the web it’s possible to find products like grounding mattress covers, sheets etc..

Earthing feels so good!

I recently stayed at The Gideon Putnam, a hotel immersed in the Saratoga Spa State Park. After a stormy late summer night, in the morning I went out for a walk. The air was so amazingly fresh, clean like only in the woods after the rain can be. The temperature had just that hint of chill of the perfect mid-season morning. After the first 10 minutes of walking around, I felt the urge to take off my shoes. Yes, the ground was wet, but so what…? The sensation of walking among the trees, touching their trunks while my feet rested on their roots. Free to splash and wade in the clear cool puddles. Walking on the wet grass in a summer morning! The water drops refreshing my feet as they sank in the sea of green. That is an experience that must be enjoyed as much as possible, if not at least once in life! Don’t be afraid of wet soil, don’t be afraid of getting dirty, reconnect.

That’s when I was inspired to create this grounding meditation dedicated to Mother Earth.

Beyond earthing

Earthing, forest bathing, walking in nature, as we’ve seen, these are all very beneficial and very accessible practices. However, to really appreciate them there needs to be a further dimension, a spiritual dimension. We need to recognize that each element of this beautiful system we call Earth is somehow connected to us through the infinite network of life energy manifestation.

That’s why I would like to close this brief exploration of Earth connection with this beautiful video of indigenous people wisdom as narrated by Robin Kimmerer, author of the acclaimed book “Braiding Sweetgrass”.

The way forward for humanity must go through re-establishing balance with and respect for the planet that created and supported us so far, because Mars and international space stations are not an option yet, no matter what Elon and Jeff would like you to believe 😉 .

In Love and Light.