The first time I was led in a grounding and centered by a Reclaiming Witch, the top of my head felt like it blew wide open.

I had done many of these exercises on my own-and struggled. I had struggled to send my roots deep down into the earth. I had struggled to feel truly, deeply connected. I felt like I could easily float away. It was a very frustrating feeling for me. I wanted to feel bonded and connected to the earth, but I struggled to make connections “downward”.

The first time I was led, she took us downwards. She ran us through the traditional litany I was familiar with-sink into the earth, through the soles of your feet. Feel those roots go into the earth, through the soil, through the bedrock. Around obstacles like rocks, through where the earth is hard, through where the earth is soft. Down to where the Earth begins to feel warm, down to where the earth is liquid and molten. And draw that energy up, breathe it up with each breath, through those roots, until it reaches your feet. And then breathe it up into your calves, into your knees, into your thighs. With a deep breath bring it into your belly, let that warm earth energy meet the fire that burns in your belly always, let it rekindle that fire, and breathe it up still further, into your chest, into your throat, and into your head, let it touch your third eye, and feel the energy of the warm earth flowing through you, connecting you to the center of the warm earth.

This is where I stop.

But she kept going.

Now let that energy burst out of the crown of your head.
Let it stream into the sky and begin to reach towards the distant light of the stars.
Reach towards the stars, towards the far reaches of the solar system.
Begin to drawn down that cool cosmic energy. Bring down the cold, star energy. Draw it down, draw it down into the crown of your head, into your body, feel it fill your head and touch your third eye. Breathe it into your throat, into your chest. Feel that cool energy fill you with the dark lushness night set against the ferocious glow of the stars. Breathe it into your belly, and feel that cool energy of the galaxy meet the warm energy of the earth, feel it coil together at your center, and know that this power is always here, waiting for you.

Holy shit.

I am a channel between earth and sky. I am a conduit for energy between the two. This is why I felt so uncomfortable before—I was only opening one valve.

When this witch showed me to open the second, the feeling was extremely powerful.  My head buzzed with a clear, fine high vibration. A tight band I hadn’t realized was there had been removed from around my forehead. My mind no longer felt like it was confined to the space of my brain, but was instead able to expand and extend several inches up and around my head.

I feel very connected to cosmic, galactic energy. I feel very drawn to the stars, and the idea of immense space and infinite possibility. The creator goddess in Feri Witchcraft, from which Reclaiming was born, is the Star Goddess. She is not Mother Earth, she is not Gaia. I spoke with a Reclaiming Witch a few weekends ago who told me that she sometimes struggles with even considering Reclaiming and Feri as “nature” or “earth” religions, because she feels so strongly they are linked to the energy of space and the cosmos as much as and maybe even more than they are of Earth.

I’ll reserve my judgment on that, as five months spent studying and celebrating in the Reclaiming tradition doesn’t really give me a solid foundation on which to make a statement like that, but I certainly relate to her feelings.

This experience is evidence to me of how important working with others can be. I don’t know that I’d have made this connection and understood that there can be a powerful connection to be made with the energy of the cosmos all on my own. I doubt I would have.