I arrived in Cape Town last week and have made sure I take time for small rituals that make me feel grounded here.
I grew up in Cape Town. I have been away often. Although I have a gypsy spirit and am the eternal traveller, I have a strong heart connection to Cape Town. My family is here, a lot of my friends are here and it is all so familiar. It is one of my homes. Spending quality time with family and friends always makes me feel at home here. And adding these little things helps me to ground myself more quickly.
I breathe in. I breathe out. I am present.
My first sighting of Table Mountain from the plane has always taken my breath away whenever I fly into Cape Town. It doesn’t matter how many times I have landed here, it’s still a special moment looking out of the window at the mountain. It feels like she is my mountain (I happily share it with many, many other people 😉 ) and just seeing her grounds me to this place. She is an amazing energy centre and a well-known landmark.
Walking on the beach with the sand between my toes and feeling the cold seawater wash over my feet also gives me the stability I am looking for. This is something I always try to do as quickly as possible. And if I can do it with a soulsister, it makes it a really happy and shared moment.
Of course, let’s not forget the magical African sunsets that appear daily. My heart skips a beat and I can gaze at the changing colours forever. Every sunset is a wonderful reminder that I am indeed in Africa for now. I am grateful and truly lucky.
I am in Cape Town, I have seen Table Mountain, walked on the beach and in the seawater and been magically transported away by a few sunsets already. All of these small rituals help me to connect with my surroundings and my self especially after I have been away for a while. I can be quiet and feel more grounded by taking time and going slowly.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Be present.
What do you do to feel more grounded wherever you may find yourself?
with gratitude, Delicia x
The beach is truly a cleansing and centering place to be. I love breathing in the sun, it fills me up, lightens me and connects me. Connecting is grounding for me. If I really need to ground; to feel the pull of the Earth Mother, the gravity of belonging… I find the earth, the moist rich soil and the crystal rocks made from iron, granite and magnetite really bring me into myself. 🙂
Gratitude and thank you for sharing your grounding and connecting rituals. Crystals are such powerful tools to work with and your connection to them is really inspiring. Thank you my soulsister sister 😄 and for your lovely energy sharing our beach walk above. x
I challenge you to view a sunrise in Africa – crisp air and this morning an even clearer colour palette – orange, pinks and purples turning to grey blues… The kidz were shouting: “Mom Mom Look – the sky is pink!” Such a blessing that my little ones are so connected and have the privilege of living these moments with me…
Much love
Challenge accepted as I also love sunrises, so watch this space, my soulsister. Thank you for connecting and sharing. It is lovely that your little ones are so connected and you inspire them to connect even more. Awesome! Love and light x
WOW! No way to compete with African sunsets! I can feel the magic through the photo, but I definitely have to see one myself once.
Interesting question, thank you for asking and for sharing your experiences. Actually, as I was recently going through specific old memories I have been thinking a bit about all of this. I did not take note before, but I now realise that the first thing I do when I arrive in a place is to smell ☺ It is amazing how much the smell can tell! And smell powerfully awakes my memories. So yes, the way I connect to a place, which can be home or completely new, is through the nose! Then the smell makes me breathe more deeply, I close my eyes and pay attention not only to the smell but also to the consistency: the air full of salt of Trieste was very different from the very fine air of St Gallen. And without realising I enter meditation and pay attention to the energy of the place, especially when I am at my favourite spots. Of course connecting with people and spending quality time with family and good old friends enjoying local food and wine, do the rest – together with plenty of walks at slow pace!
Breathe in. Breathe out. I am here. What do I feel?
Thank you for sharing your rituals on connecting and grounding. And I hope you will take the time to see an African sunset for yourself. They are really divine! As are African sunrises.
Yes, smell is an interesting way of noticing the difference in places 🙂 though I must admit that I go by sight (lighting/nature) and touch a lot myself. And probably sound and taste after that. Smell I often relate to food and wine more than to a place.
Sharing your thoughts has made me aware of taking more notice of the smell of a place. Gratitude for that.
Breathing in. Breathing out. We are here.
Namaste
Well, I have a good nose, so it is hard not to take note of smells 😉 You should definitely explore with your nose beyond food and wine! But it is true, when it comes to nature sight, touch and sounds are simply overwhelming. And grounding power of Nature is simply amazing, to connect us both with ourselves and with a place. As you beautifully wrote in your Seasonal cycles post, follow Mother Nature and her great wisdom.
Thank you for reminding me to be more conscious of the smell of things. I will try to be more aware as I go through my day. I must say that I am particularly aware of the smell of the sea and always have been. It’s one of my favourite smells along with that of fresh, wet grass. Oh and of course, freshly ground and made coffee!!! I will be on the look out for which other smells I notice. Gratitude to you and keep following your nose. 🙂 x
mmm… funny that you write it as I forgot to mention it myself as one of the most pleasant smelling experiences 🙂 Smell of freshly ground and (even more!) made coffee is wonderful! Have you ever noticed how coffee always smells better than it tastes?! not that the taste does not bring amazing pleasure, but for me it is the smell that makes a morning coffee so special and brings me good mood!!
Oh yes that smell makes it. Coffee love 😉 x