Body As Sanctuary: Grounding into the Altar of Your Body

The Hermit offers many foundational lessons to a practicing witch. How to find comfort in solitude, how to find clarity and movement that is in alignment with values, and so much more. This archetype can serve as a guide when turning to your body as a sanctuary, when collaborating with your body as an altar. Through a common magical practice called grounding you can step into the landscapes of your physical vessel and find the tendrils of comfort and safety reaching out to meet you. Grounding is a form of meditation that typically involves noticing where your body meets the ground and centering yourself around that sensation through breath work and intentional focus. You might choose to practice this when you're feeling particularly frazzled, stressed, nervous, or otherwise disregulated. It is a chance to slow things down and regulate the nervous system, creating an opportunity for self-attunement. Even non-witchy humans partake in grounding practices of some form, although their definition might be a little different! The magical component comes from the intricate sense of self understanding, which in turn comes with practice; grounding is an act of self devotion.

If we are to treat our body as an altar, we are to consider what it needs to feel properly charged and worshipped. What does discomfort feel like? How do we know when we are approaching our window of tolerance and need a moment to slow things down? This is a skillset that requires practice, but it can be as simple as taking time to name what you're feeling and where you feel it! Try starting with more easeful feelings like joy or excitement; "I am excited about life and I feel it in the soles of my feet" or "I'm really happy right now and my body feels calm and floaty, and my senses are super heightened". You might try keeping a journal or a notes tab in your phone as you build this vocabulary for how your body is feeling. When you know what it feels like when your body feels good it's easier to recognize when something is off, which creates an invitation for grounding and recalibrating.

It is a worthy venture to begin this dialogue with your body before facing activation —whether that's emotional or physical. It can be difficult to navigate words when your body is actively experiencing a flare or your system is scrambling to find safety. Try sprinkling an intentional body check in once or twice throughout your day. Set an alarm on your phone or reach out to a friend if an accountability buddy would be supportive! Ask yourself: is my body comfortable? How would I describe the sensation of what I'm experiencing currently? What is happening in this moment to make me feel this way?

As your descriptive language expands you'll be able to build a toolbox of ritual for yourself. Start by listing three states of being in your mind (more or less is a-ok, babe!) and then name what feels most supportive when this is happening. See if you can simplify it to 2-3 components. For example: Stressed; slow pace, soft music. Anxious; self touch component, supportive scent. Untethered; slow pace, supportive scent.

Then list three states of sensation you experience in your body, and also what feels most supportive in those moments. For example: in pain/ hyper-aware; a soft texture or sensation, resting off my feet. Disconnected/ dissociated; a bright zappy sensation. Neutral; whatever sounds most pleasureful in the moment. Visual queues can be incredibly helpful — try writing these down so that you have a grimoire to consult!

These moments and supports create a map of feeling that can be pieced together to create a grounding ritual. For example: "I am stressed and disconnected from my body; my ritual should have a slow pace, soft music, and earthy scents to support me grounding into my body".

A Ritual for Grounding into the Altar of Your Body

Dedicate time to yourself to submerge into this ritual uninterrupted, we'd recommend at least 15 minutes but take as long as you would like. Start by cleansing your space and offering an intention of attunement; My body is an altar of collaboration. I am open to the messages my body offers and am devoted to their well-being. Bring yourself into a position of comfort, whether that be sitting or laying down or anything in between, and place your hands on your stomach. Take three slow breaths into these hands, noticing the way your belly rises and falls. Let your mind wander to how you're existing in this moment. Are you comfortable? Frazzled from a busy day? Holding onto the grief that late stage capitalism so readily doles out? Notice your state of mind, and notice your state of being. This is a body scan, and can offer you the information needed for your ritual.

If you are experiencing familiar sensations and have the vocabulary of support so that you can then dive into ritual, great! (Think of the previous examples and how body disconnection queues soft music and earthy scent). Gather the tools you need to bring this ritual to life. Take your time with it and make it as luscious as your heart is calling for. Linger with the offerings of tending and see if you can create a dialogue of devotion where practicing ritual feels like honoring yourself and your needs. You'll know the ritual is complete when you feel a sense of centeredness in your body.

If during your body scan you discover sensations that don't have words to support it yet, let this ritual serve as a deep dive into curiosity! Light a candle, grab your journal and start offering context to your experiences. Focus on the experience itself: what are you feeling in your body, what are you feeling in your mind? What would feel most supportive to you? Let yourself write freely and without judgement; if you find your mind getting stuck, watch the flame for a little and then try again. Sit with this as long as feels helpful. You'll know the ritual is complete when the well of words runs dry, and then you have options: end the ritual and make yourself a soothing cup of tea, or ground yourself again and create ritual around what you've just learned about yourself.

It is truly a gift we are giving ourselves when we stoke intentional practices that bring us back into our body. It makes space for magic that feels exciting, it creates conversation around your needs and wants. That is some POWERFUL magic. Your body will have different desires every time you intentionally ground yourself and every time you create ritual out of those messages. Let yourself be open to adjusting these practices in whatever ways feel most supportive to you. Remember as you dive into this that magic is a practice, babe. The more you do it the easier it becomes. You deserve to come back to your body.