I’m currently writing Coming Home to Magnolia Bay, the third book in my Welcome to Magnolia Bay series from Sourcebooks. A couple of days ago, I wrote a scene in which Reva uses the help of a pony at Bayside Barn to teach the hero how to protect himself from inadvertently absorbing the energies of other people and animals—a common problem for empaths.
Wondering which of my animal companions I should interview for this week’s Animal Connection Monday, the scene I had written popped into my head. Most horses and ponies have a very grounded-feeling energy, and grounding is the first step toward building and maintaining psychic protection. I thought it would be fun to ask our horse Zeus for advice. Here’s what he had to say:
“Humans are at a disadvantage when it comes to grounding because of the shape of their feet. Animals who are best at maintaining their connection to the earth have round, flat feet like mine. The bigger their feet are, the better they are at grounding.”
I thought of some animals fitting this description. Elephants, rhinos, camels, horses, ponies. When you stand near any of those big animals, it’s easy to observe—and even feel—their connection to Mother Earth, isn’t it? But we can’t do much about the shape of our feet, so I asked Zeus for tips we could actually use.
“You humans do have unfortunate feet, and that’s too bad for you. But maybe you could imagine that your feet are hooves. Imagine that your feet can spread out wide and connect to the ground. Stand still. Close your eyes.” (Have you ever noticed that horses often close their eyes when they’re grazing?)
“Feel the heartbeat of the earth coming up through your feet to resonate in your own heart and spread outward from there. Move slowly, and take the time to reestablish contact with the earth through your foot with every step you take. Horses do this when they graze. You can do this when you walk.”
I tried it, and I immediately felt a calm energy flow through my body. Take a few minutes to stand still with your bare feet on the ground. Close your eyes and feel the soles of your feet connect to the earth. Feel the earth’s heartbeat, and let your heartbeat sync to the rhythm of Mother Earth. Open your eyes and take a few slow steps, reestablishing and maintaining your connection to earth with every step. I hope you’ll try it and let me know how it goes!
