I’ve gone through thick and thin trying to sleep-train my 14-month old. I tried the cry it out method and the no-cry solution, but nothing seemed to work. I paid sleep consultants to sleep over at home – which cost me a refrigerator… Again to no avail. Most recently, with the burst of Spring I decided to go for the most natural and inexpensive method – Earthing.

So, I took my baby to the urban park across the street and let her loose and barefoot. She crawled into the garden covered in tree bark and soot and began to dig in the dirt. She rolled and swirled, and laughed and screamed of joy. She played with the stones, sniffed the budding bushes and teethed on the tree bark. I didn’t stop her and soon enough other tots joined her. It was an endearing sight to behold. Five toddlers getting to know the Earth, making friends, having fun. I thought politicians should learn from them…

Then, I went over and told them the story of how the stones they were holding crystallized from melted magma or were formed from the layers of sediments on the sea or river beds. And when they teethed on the bark I asked them to listen to the whisper of the tree. We went through the branches and the roots, the buds and the gravel, the ants and the squirrels, the pigeons and flowers. The entire library of knowledge carved in stone and etched in sand and bark…

They were too busy playing, but I felt they got the message intuitively. And then a chubby bumble bee buzzed through, and they learned the story of the keepers of our ecosystem. Then they tasted the sweetness of honey in their honey rich yoghurt. All this while digging in the dirt, their little feet red and moist, their cheeks blushing with wonder and their eyes twinkling with curiosity.

Then, there was a strong gush of wind that shook them off their feet, and buried them to the ground…They loved it – they befriended the wind, and cheered the balancing effect of grounding, bringing them to their natural state. I made up a story about the good guys – the negative ions from the earth’s surface who rushed into their bodies to discharge the many unpaired positive ions and free radicals, they had picked up indoors. And then showed them how to breathe into the Earth and let Earth’s healing powers swoop and bring them back in sync with the Earth’s energy field. Because the electrons from the earth have an anti-oxidant effect, and sadly all the coverings which we use such as asphalt, wood, rugs and plastics have separated us from this contact. Isn’t it ironic – we pay to the wazoo for detox programs and anti-inflammatories, when the Earth is the ultimate anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory.

Then, all mommies and nannies watched the kids chase the squirrels as we ate apples and let them nibble. Until we got the seeds to find that every apple holds a star inside. A five pointed star, just like the human body. And we opened our arms wide and we reached to the Sun! Thank you Sun and thank you Earth! What a beautiful way to end our Earthing improvised play date. What a library of knowledge unearthed!

That night I went home happy and beaming. When I tucked the baby in bed, she slept through the night – a luxury I hadn’t experienced in more than six months. Only because she evened her energy with the motherly frequency of the Earth. The natural source of electrons and subtle electrical fields of Gaia had lulled her into sweet slumber…

Then, out of curiosity I googled “earthing”…the next big thing, the “new fad”…products for Earthing, courses in Earthing, books on Earthing stared from my screen.

Does it take all this to connect to the Earth?

Next time you venture out walk barefoot, or put your naked hands to the ground, close your eyes, the way virtually all of your ancestors have done for hundreds if not thousands of generations. Ah, Earth is home!

Earth Day Meditation: Living Library

This meditation anchors us into our divine embodiment on Earth – relishing its beauty and cradling in its motherly womb. A powerful, imaginative trip through outer space catapults us back into the future to land us in a place of sacred belonging and pertinence to this planet, so we can map our role as creators of the greater whole. A thanksgiving mudra prayer of interconnectedness wakes us up to this lush and wondrous planet, called HOME.