How Faith-Led Fasting And Earthing Sharpen Your Mind And Calm Your Body

I used to get asked, “Why are you so happy?” and for a while I didn’t know how to explain it without sounding strange. This conversation is my honest answer: my energy comes from faith, from practicing self-control, and from getting back to basics with my body. I share what happens when I put Jesus first, when I choose peace on purpose, and when I stop treating my cravings like they run my life. 

We dig into Lenten fasting in a very real way, including my decision to give up sweets, the discipline it takes, and the humbling moment I slipped and ate four cookies anyway. From there, I break down what fasting has taught me about brain fog, emotional eating, and how a simple cutoff like not eating after 8 p.m. can change your sleep and your mornings. I also connect the dots between spiritual fasting and practical health topics people search for every day: insulin sensitivity, inflammation, ketosis, autophagy, mental clarity, and building habits that actually stick. 

Then we shift into grounding and earthing, because spring is calling. I tell the story of an intuitive nudge on a hike that led me to kick off my boots and walk about five miles barefoot. We talk about grounding benefits like stress relief, better sleep and circadian rhythm, calmer mood, recovery, and feeling connected again when modern life makes you feel scattered. We close with seeds, gardening, plant allies, and a reminder that healing can be simple, local, and free. 

If this spoke to you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs a reset, and leave a review. What are you fasting from right now, and when’s the last time you put your bare feet on the earth?

Transcript

Why I Stay Joyful

Lent Fasting And Quitting Sweets

Cookie Slip And Self-Forgiveness

Juice Cleanses And Learning Hunger

Why I Fast For Faith

Fasting Benefits For Body And Mind

Spiritual Clarity And Starting Small

Prayer For Heavy Times

Kids’ Faith And Good News Club

Grounding Basics And Spring Revival

The Barefoot Hike That Changed Me

Grounding Benefits For Mind Body Spirit

Seeds Gardening And Plant Allies

Closing Prayer And Invitation

SPEAKER_00 0:02

All right, I think I am unlocking a whole new level. It's a yes for me. Let's go. Okay. Beam. Ah. Alright, so this is rockin'. This is good news. This is very much good news, my friends. I'm excited. I'm ready to rock. And in five, four, three, two, one, beam. Let's see if we can cross post and connect. Yes, I'm still trying to figure this out. Okay. It is that easy. There's a lot of moving parts and pieces. And guess what? I am learning. Okay? I've never done a podcast before, but well, we're in season two, episode 19. And I think I have 24 episodes before this one with sweet sunshine. And I am Bubbles. My that is my spirit name, Bubbles. For those of you who don't know, my sweet Uncle Dave gave me that name on the farm here. And I've been told I had a bubble butt before, but using bubbles to describe my personality is just such a wonderful honor. And it stuck. And so I was like, I love that spirit name. And so I'm rolling with it. So that's where Sunshine and Bubbles' name has come from. And of course, we're missing our sweet sunshine. But you know what? Sunshine can be found everywhere. And currently she is inside my soul. And I'm continuing on the legacy because there is work to be done and things to be shared and uh lives to uh bring a smile to. And that is my goal here for the podcast. Honestly, I mean it's that is my why. I think if we could spread the good news and mission that our good Lord has given me to even one person and touch someone's heart or bring a smile, my work is done here. Bada bing, bada boom. So I just wanted to express some sincere gratitude for hanging in and hanging on with me for this epic wild ride because I love living, loving, and learning with you conmigo, together, juntos, and it's just been a ton of fun. So I'm open to any feedback, any topics that you want to delve into or for me to talk about and explore. Heck, even if you want to come on this podcast and share your story, share your piece, I am open to it because I am just gonna continue being unapologetically Ashley, aka Bubbles, and I expect the same from you. And in order for me to be vulnerable, I need you to be vulnerable. And so together, we can make a difference. As I was talking about in one of my uh last podcasts, you know, ripples, waves, tsunamis out there is the vibration and the energy that we are passing along the ether waves. And I just love to spread peace, love, and light. That's what's at my core. That's what's at my center, and that is the serenity that I want to bring to the scene. And I hope it's contagious. And I've been getting a lot lately of like, you know, you know, why are you so happy, Ashley? Where do you get your energy? Like what what what and why and how? It's like I'm some wild creature out there, and and I get it from everywhere. I get it in my workplace, I get it, you know, from random encounters on the street, I get it from my children, I get it from my children's children. People are like, how are you so happy? And it's taking to figure out how to respond that to that. And a lot of times I was like, hmm, is it the hemp? You know, is it is it my grounding? Is it the herbs that I use? Is it because you know, fruits don't lie that I've cultivated this wonderful life? What is it? And why, how am I so happy? And then it hit me like a ton of bricks, and I was like, well, how did I not have enough faith and confidence to share this before? And the the aunt, the simple let's go. Yes, and it did work by seriously putting Sweet Baby Jesus above this little camera right here. Ha ha ha! Winning! Work, work, work, work, work. I like knew it would work because this this whole thing by NetGare ATT doesn't always work. And that's one of the blessings of the farm is that we don't have strong internet because the kids cannot connect in that manner, but that also has its its ups and downs. But anyways, it we're here in the now. I was explaining how I had some lovely things to share on this episode, um, and that had to do with grounding and fasting. Okay. Grounding because I had an altering experience doing it uh this past week, and I definitely wanted to cue in some people on that awesomeness, and then fasting because we're here in the Lenten season, and fasting is a whole vibe as Jesus went into the wilderness and fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, and that's what we're doing. Currently, I am fasting for the 40 days and for the 40 nights, no sweets. And I'm telling you, it has been hard. Okay, I love meats and sweets. I have a sweet tooth. And they say, you know, it's 80% of what you eat, 20% of exercise. So 80% diet, 20% exercise. I'm realizing this. And they just, I want to be living my best life, both in my mind, in my body, and in my spirit. And I know in order to live my best life, I have to cut out the sweets. Not all sugar. Uh, Mari, my friend and coworker, told me that, hey, you know, like there is a difference between, you know, sweet things and all sugar. Like, sugar is found in a ton of things, like yogurt, for example, that I was like, wait, well yeah, well, geez, I can't cut out yogurt. That's my that's my breakfast in the morning. So I just thought like sweet treats like donuts and brownies and cookies and cake and bakery. And I was going down a slippery slope for a while there because of my sweet tooth. I, and because I do exercise throughout the day. I'm like, well, I earned, I earned this donut. And I I earned this cake, but I found myself that every night I was eating something. And, you know, I tried to control my portion. Sometimes it did get a lot a little out of control. But it didn't seem very conducive to my fitness goals and what I wanted to do, both spiritually and in my body. So I just knew that in Lent it's a wonderful opportunity to be able to fast from something and give something up for the glory for his glory, for the glory of God. And I said, I'm giving up sweets. This is my second year doing it. Last year, I was able to withstain me giving up sweets far after Lent. And I felt really good. I felt like on top of my game, I was sharp, I was clear, I was with it. And so I slowly fell off the trail and started eating lots of desserts. And I felt it. I felt it. I felt a little brain fog. I felt me getting, you know, gain some poundage in some places I didn't want it. And let's face it, I'm not getting any younger. I feel like as I get older here, I really do need to be conscientious of what I'm feeding my temple with, my body. And it the truth is that I mean, I know it's an age-old saying, but you are what you eat. And so I was reading this book. It's called The Garden of Eden, and it really talks about when you're making decisions when you're eating, is it life-giving? Like, is it giving you the vitamins and nutrients and proteins that you need to sustain a wonderful life? Or is it life-taking? Is the thing that you're feeding your temple with literally taking years from your life, minutes, moments, hours, days, what have you. Is it life-giving or life-taking? And so that made some of my decisions really easy when I went when it came to feeding myself. And I'm like, oh, it was life-taking. It's like the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other shoulder. And then sometimes he would win, I'm not gonna lie. But with Lent, I've decided to really buckle down and kind of and get to it. But and I know the easiest way I do most of the grocery shopping for the house. Danny does help out, but I caved and I said, well, just because I'm fasting for Lent doesn't mean my kids have to fast for Lent. They chose to give up other things. So I wanted to treat them with like some toll house cookie like batter in a tub. You know, I know this is far from far cry from homemade cookies, but it's just, you know, like quick, easy, and you could, you know, cook a couple cookies and you could have yourself a nice warm cookie, you know, during the week, and and the kids would be just like living their best sweet little innocent life. And so we've made these cookies. It was getting down to the end of the tub, and I've resisted them thus far. But last night, it was actually my way. I was I just got home from worship practice in which we were giving our praises to the Lord a lot of Hosanna. Hosan, Hosan. And I was just filled to the brim with his grace, glory, and goodness. So much so that I was like, wow, I can just have this one cookie this one time. Well, I ended up eating four, I think, four chocolate chip cookies. Good to know that I'm forgiven. And I was like, oh my gosh, but I felt terrible. Not only like I was beating myself up for it, I'm like, darn it, look, we're gonna stick to lent, my kids were giving me grief. They're like, Mom, you know you're not supposed to eat that. Mom, why are you eating that? But then of course Danny's like, just eat it, just eat it. So I felt like I had like the angel, the devil, all the things like happening. And at the end of the day, when I laid my head down to rest, I did feel guilty and I did feel bad, and I didn't feel as clear and I didn't feel as focused. And I was just like, this is inconducive to my health goals. Why? Why do I do this to myself time and time again? And I feel like it's just really relatable for people about what you're trying to give up and habits that bad habits that you're trying to break. All of us got them. All of them are, you know, work in progress here. And I know sometimes you will slip and fall, but it's getting back up and do doing it yet another day, yet again, just step by step and day by day. And you do what you can. So that was like my little confession there about my fasting adventure. But I've also, you know, not only for like fasting for Lent and beyond, I have also dwelled into the world of like fasting for a day, fasting for 24 hours, fasting for 36 hours. I've never made it to 48 hours. I've never made it for two whole days. Pretty darn close. And I think I could, but I have not as of yet. And I just kind of want to share a little bit about my fasting journey. Um I'm gonna back up just a little bit. I've been waving around my little sage smudge stick here, and it's just another mindful practice that I wanted to share that I clear the energy and the space of the scene so we can all come into this with an open mind and an open heart. And so that was just that. If you're wondering what I was waving around, that was a sage smudge stick that actually like clears the energy and kills bacteria that is in the room. So thank you for the earth gifts. Woo! Fasting. Let's get down to it. Get down to it. So fasting. Uh, on this hollow app that I've been listening to, they do fasting Friday. And I was like, hmm, fasting Friday, that sounds actually really good. I used to fast, meaning like not eat anything on Wednesdays. And that all actually started with the sweet ladies and gentlemen who own and operate the Daily Dopes, which is a juice bar, juice and smoothie bar. We have one in Slinger. There's also one in Cedarburg and Port Washington in Pewaukee. But they introduced the notion to me. I'm this has been done time and time again, you know, way before definitely I thought of it, but was a juice cleanse. And it was introducing the notion of fasting, and this was a couple years ago, in which you weren't to eat anything, you were just to drink these juices. And it was six 16-ounce juices, and that is all you could consume aside from water and possibly some black coffee if you absolutely could not kick that caffeine throughout the day, whether it's in the morning or afternoon or what have you. But besides coffee and lots and lots of water and this juice that came pure from the source of the sweet fruit and vegetables that Daily Dose sourced. That's all you could have. And so I decided to give it a try. I was super intrigued. And I was like, wow, this just seems amazing. Like, I'm willing to give anything a try once. Well, I did it. I stuck to it. I kind of mentally prepared myself. I'm like, this is what's gonna happen. This is what we're gonna do, setting these goals. I know they're achievable, attainable. Daily Dose had a wonderful sheet of instructions to follow as to like when to start the fast, and what increments, and what times, and what drinks, juice drinks that you should have throughout your day. So, really setting myself up for success, and I did it. And I honestly never felt more alive after that juice cleanse. And I just loved it, and it was just made my body feel so, so good. I felt super clear, no brain fog. I felt energized. I wasn't hangry after the fact. Now, I must say that during the juice cleanse for my first time, I was a little bit hangry. There was periods throughout the day, like when I would normally have lunch, I was like, oh, I really want to eat something. And maybe I was a little bit short, or maybe I just wasn't as cheerful as I normally was. I I'm not sure, but I know hanger is a real issue for me. I do like was one of the things that my father always told my husband was keeper fed. So I know knowing that this is an issue for me, it was something I had to be very conscious and aware of. So I didn't fight someone's head off throughout the day because let's face it, you do interact with people. So I was I was at work. So I was, I did get a little hangry, and there was a point where I had like a midday lull too, like around in like the later afternoon. I was kind of like, hmm, you know, I couldn't really go for a nap. I was just feeling a little bit tired. But I pushed through, and that's kind of where the spiritual aspect for me kicked in because when I was feeling and experiencing these emotions and these things that came up for me, I just said a prayer to my dear Lord. And I was like, Dear Lord, help me, help me, give me courage, give me strength, give me the grace, give me all the mercy to be able to push through and achieve my goals and treat my body as my temple and do as you do. And believe it or not, it worked. And so anytime I felt a moment of weakness, I just gave it to God and He always came through. So I survived. And I'm telling you, the next day I felt so amazing. And I wasn't like super hungry either. I thought I was gonna wake up like ravenous, like, food may, I want to eat everything inside. And and it was actually the quite opposite. I really wasn't that hungry. I ate out of habit. I ate breakfast because I knew that I should, just to kind of keep things moving and flowing in my system. But I think then too, I was like, well, I could really then in the afternoon, I think I ate like a big juicy burger, which was amazing, but maybe it was a little I don't know. I remember breaking it with like not the best thing, like the not the healthiest, healthiest thing. And I was like, oh, that's what I broke my fast with. Like I should have just kept on this, on this health wave. But hey, you live and you learn. And that was the first time I experienced the juice cleanse. I had done it a several times after that. I mean, multiple, like maybe two handfuls of time, like about once a month, I was doing this and just kind of dipping my toe in the fasting pool. And that's when I really started doing my own research and figuring out how fasting would best benefit me and my why. And that was the thing is that a lot of people were like, well, why are you fasting? What's going on with you? And then and it wasn't so much to like lose weight or to like starve myself. That wasn't like my intention of like, well, I'm just not eating because I want to lose weight. It was totally like a spiritual thing for me of like proving to myself that I could, and and and with his help, of course, co-creating with him. And so I feel like fasting has been used spiritually in Lent, Ramadan, Yom Kippur. It's used as a like a tool for prayer, meditation, and reaching higher states of consciousness. So I feel like I intuitively knew this going into the fasting. And that's what really intrigued me is like I really want to level up my vibe. I really, because I feel like I normally do eat pretty healthy on a regular basis. And the older I get, I've come to realize that I don't have the metabolism like I did in my 20s. So really taking care of myself and leaning into that notion that my body is my temple. So I want to know who out there has tried fasting. What have you tried? Has it been a juice fast? Is it fasting just from complaining or fasting from social media, fasting physically, from from food? There's so many different types of fasts out there. In this instance, you know, I really do want to talk about uh fasting Fridays and what I've experienced during the sled season and how, you know, this ancient wisdom and hard science merge together to help us live our best life. And that's what's really exciting. I've kind of done like my background research on it that I wanted to share with you because I'm learning as well. And I've broken the knowledge down into three distinct chapters, and that of course is the mind, body, and the spirit. So we have the physical restoration of fasting, and it's kind of like a biological house cleaning, if you will. And it happens when we stop eating. And physically, what happens when we stop eating? We go through autofaggy. I'm totally destroying that word. Give me grace. Autophagy. Autophagy. Think of it as the body's cellular recycling system, okay? It without the task of digestion, shells be cells begin repairing themselves and clear cleaning out damaged cells. So I find that really interesting that it's like we don't actually need to eat three times a day or five, six times a day, snacks, meals, whatever. And when we don't eat, it tricks ourselves into going into what we call ketosis. And that is the body switching from burning glucose or sugar to burning fat or your ketones. And so that's what happens when we don't eat. So it's giving you that metabolic flexibility, which is super attractive for fasting. And also the insulin sensitivity that comes with this too. Fasting helps reset blood sugar levels, which is a massive help and boost for longevity and weight management. So, yes, the weight management comes with it because you're not consuming so much, but it is just one piece to the puzzle, if you will. And, you know, most of us suffer from inflammation. And a lot of that is caused by what we eat and our environment. And fasting can actually help reduce inflammation. Uh, scientific studies often show a significant drop in inflammatory markers, which is the root cause of most chronic illnesses and disease. It's pretty wild. So when we take all the junk out and we can just let our body do its magic while not having to constantly work through digestion, beautiful things can happen for you. And let's talk about some of the mental clarity that can happen when you're fasting. I think that fasting high. That I was describing, especially like the day after, is what keeps me going back for more. It's like you got to put in that little bit of work, that little, that little bit of giving up what you want to get what you actually need. And that's what I would like to report after my initial hunger pangs subside. And they call it a BDNF boost. And fasting increases levels of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor, essentially a miracle grow for your brain, helping with focus and memory. So it boasts that, which is a beautiful thing, and the mental grit. It is a lesson in delayed gratification. Choosing when to eat builds the discipline muscle, which spills over into work and your personal habits. It's okay to tell your brain no, like, no, I don't need to eat right now. It's I'm I'm not just gonna eat because I'm bored or out of habit. I it's actually a no for me. And I can learn how to say no. And again, when you need a little strength or a little guidance, just it's a prayer away. And it almost seems like when you stop eating and you fast for a period of time, the fog lifts. All right, by stabilizing your blood sugar sugar, you can avoid the afternoon food coma or the brain fog. And that is pretty awesome to think that instead of feeling like bogged down and weighed down by the heavy, the heavy load you just consumed, you you won't get that. You'll actually be like, oof, all right, let's rock and roll. And mind over matter, essentially. And then this is the element, the third chapter that really gets me excited. And it's the journey that I'm on is the spiritual intuition and connection. So I thought without all the sugar, the glucose, the sweets, the junk, the garbage, or even having my body constantly working to digest, I was really be really able to get crystal clear with that divine source connection. And I felt just more alive. I don't know how else to say it. Like I just felt like more in tune with my inner self, which is very necessary with all the distractions and noise that can surround the average American here in today's society. And this just moves fasting more beyond than just health hacking, okay? It's breaking the habit. Fasting reveals our emotional relationship with food. Again, are we hungry? Are we bored? Are we just stress eating now? Like there's different ways to cope with those factors rather than just eating something that you know darn well isn't good for you, okay? And it's the, you know, the historical context and the connection there. Where you, like I said, we've mentioned before, you know, Lent Ramadan, Yom Kippur, they use it as a fasting tool for prayer meditation and meditation and kind of like ascending into the higher vibration, which is just amazing to think. Like how much what you feed yourself can have an effect on your state of consciousness and your heightened senses. Many uh practitioners report that in their senses, smell, taste, and even intuition become much more acute when the digestive system is at rest. So I highly recommend fasting, friends. And if you haven't tried it, it's worth a try. And honestly, I know people will do intermittent fasting as well. Like you don't have to go hard right away. You don't have to do the full 24 hours right away. A lot of people would consider it fasting, and I I would too, that even if you stop eating after, you know, eight o'clock, even seven or six o'clock at night, and not eat until the next day, until 6 a.m. the next day. That's 12 hours where you have an eight from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and consider it a 12-hour fast. And that's really good too, because if you don't eat right before you go to bed, then your body can actually get into that full REM dream state and not have to use some of that brain power and cognition to digest. So start small and always meet yourself where you're at. I feel like that's how I started before the juice fast. And I didn't even like realize this is what I was doing, but I knew that I shouldn't eat right before bed because again, my metabolism is slowing down and I didn't want to feel heavy the next morning and I have to be digesting all that right before bed. So I just made it like eight o'clock, like a hard cutoff. I was like, I am absolutely not eating after eight o'clock. It's not happening. I don't care if you got the biggest, juiciest broth right in front of me. I'm not eating it. Okay, it's a no. It's a no for me today here now. Okay. And so I got really used to and comfortable with those boundaries and saying no. And then it just got easy, and then it just became like a habit, like a well-formed idea to my family, especially. Like, don't offer me things after eight o'clock, please. All the love and support, I'll check all the love and support I could get. And they did it. And then it's crazy when you see that your family starts modeling your behavior, and they're like, oh, well, geez, you know, again, like, why is she so tipper in the morning, every morning? Well, maybe it's because I didn't spend my entire evening working through that bag of old hunk of muffin I decided to eat or whatever it is. I'm just trying to think like what I have around my house right here, right now. But I love fasting, highly recommended, and it's become very much so a spiritual thing for me, and that's why I do fasting Fridays, because right now it goes in conjunction with the hollow app that I'm listening to, which Marky Mark, Mark Wahlberg, comes on there and says sweet little prayers. And I just wonder what his fasting regimen is. Does he not eat on, does he do fasting Friday? Is he not eating? Is he, you know, just talking about his fast for what he gave up for Lent? Like, I want to know more, Marky Mark. And I'm sure it is just one click away from finding out some more answers about, you know, Marky Mark's spirituality and his religion and his journey. That's really exciting because you just don't think of him as the guy that would be talking on a Christian app, but here nor there. I am here for it and cheering him on. I think it's such a wonderful, beautiful thing. Okay, so where am I at here now? All right, I'm just checking on my time. I love talking about fasting. And please let me know if you have any questions or you want any more clarification. We can explore and talk about it together because this togetherness is why I am here to make these beautiful sweet connections and hopefully connect the dots. It's such a beautiful and wonderful thing. Okay, so from that, I want to plug in a little bit of prayer and hopefulness and of reminding you not to worry and to always just take it one day at a time. I just feel like more than ever when I meditate in the morning, and I like to say prayers for all the beautiful people in my life and people that I don't even know that are out there. I'm saying prayers for the world, praying prayers for the community, saying prayers for my family and my friends and my people in my household. And I just think there's a lot of weight right now, a lot of heaviness. People are going through some things, right? And and I even heard the term searching this week of that they were searching, searching and searching and searching, and and they don't even know what they're searching for. And I just don't want to shove this, keep shoving this down your throat and and keep being like Jesus, but like honestly, all this hurt and anxiety and worry and suffering and turmoil that is out there is just so undone the moment you decide to step into your salvation and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. And I just came from my son's good news club that is offered at Addison Elementary. It is my son's last year in good news club as he's a fifth grader, and he'll be graduating from elementary school into middle school next year. My daughter has already moved on, and she's joined another youth group that is tailored to her age right now. So I know there's next steps for him, but it was just so heartwarming yesterday to be able to join these beautiful, sweet, innocent, vivacious young we ones and witness their walk with God, walk with Jesus, and how they internalize things and how they teach them and what they come home saying. And Nixon was into it, man. He was, and I was right there with them, honestly, because they put up uh videos and you sing songs and you have like actions with it too, and teaching the commandments and teaching about Jesus and in fun, engaging ways for them. And I just absolutely loved it. I'm like, it's so easy for these kids to grasp on these concepts. Why is it so hard for us? Why is it so hard for us as adults? Why are we so much in this resistance phase and like not even like an open ears to it and a hardened heart where we're like, absolutely not? Like, I just, I just a lot of my prayers is for to to bring lightness and to bring fun and that childlike wonder back into uh the to everyone's all the chosen ones everyday lives and and don't forget it. Never forget it. Walk by faith, walk by just knowing that we are royalty and chosen ones because we have this enlightened knowing of who we are, who is our father, and what is our purpose here to do. And I just love that I can, because of Nixon bringing me to meet our good Lord Jesus, that beautiful time at St. Paul's Little Learners, uh, where we sought out to know and develop a relationship with him, and then watching him grow in his faith has just been in awe and wonder in and of itself, honestly. And it's just like for me, for working with the kids, it's just beautiful concepts of like love God before over anything else and love your neighbor more than yourself. And it's it's just really that simple. And I feel like sometimes people give a bad taste of religion or of who God is into our minds and into into our mouths. And it's not people who we're following, it's him. And if you give him the opportunity, if you just open your eyes to it, you could really open up your world into a world of peace, of grace, of mercy. And it just kind of brought me back to this book. And this is like a Catholic book. It's 33 Days to Eucharistic Glory. And there's a spiritual communion of it, and I would just like to read it to you. I read this a while back. It was during Lent season, I believe, again. And it's like this awesome journey where it's each day you do a reading and kind of practice what it preaches. And this always stuck out to me, and I always try to keep it like kind of front and center, this sweet little prayer. And it says, Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist. Every day I long for more of you. I love you above all things, and I desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot receive you sacramentally at this moment, I invite you to come and dwell in my heart. And that's what they did yesterday at the Good News Club is invite Jesus to come and dwell in their heart, which was just so innocent, pure, and sweet. May the spiritual communion increase my desire for the Eucharist. Here it is. You are the healer of my soul. Take the blindness from my eyes, the deafness from my ears, the darkness from my mind, and the hardness from my heart. Fill me with grace, wisdom, and courage to do your will in all things. The grace, wisdom, and courage to do his will in all things. My Lord and my God, draw me close to you, nearer than ever before. Amen. I just love that. Just love it. The hardness from my heart, the deafness from my ears, the blindness from my eyes, the darkness from my mind. Just lay it all at the cross and give it to him and walk with me on this journey. You are invited. You are welcomed, and you are so, so loved. And that's what I hope to preach until the day I die. And I just feel like my son also, I just keep Nixon, the little sweetheart, on Monday. We were had like 10 minutes before we had 10 minutes to of free time before the bus came. And I always do read like a daily Bible burst from this thing that sits on my counter. And I looked at Jesus or looked at Nixon and I said, Nixon, would you like to do like a short, like inspiring video that I could share with my friends for Jesus? And he's like, sure, why not? And he just spoke from his heart and it was so so pure, so true. Uh, we did have to record it a couple times. It was like two, I tried to, I wanted to get it on the first take, but you could tell he had like a little bit more to share. So I videoed him a couple times. By the third time, he had like nailed it down that he felt, you know, I he would have shared the first one, so I can't even put it on him. But I was like, let's just dig a little deeper. And so uh we ended up sharing the third time's a charm, and it just I had such proud pride throughout my day of like knowing that my job is done here, and really none of this has anything to do with me. It has everything to do with the children, and they are a future generation, and I'm just so looking forward to what they create. It's gonna be absolutely amazing. So I love it. And you know, breaking chains, breaking ties, and building new ones, he's just really amazing. And so is my daughter, who is literally on fire for Jesus. She sings about him, she goes to the youth group. But, you know, I think we could all be just reminded in our everyday encounters to just love like Jesus. And it's it's just these conscious decisions and choices that we make throughout our day that again can send healing frequencies throughout the world, and we might not always even be aware of it. So I just, I just love that for us, you know, this season. And another thing I wanted to kind of switch in gears here is to share throughout the week with the springtime coming and embracing all this beautiful spring revival, a good time for for a lot of a lot of different revivals happening, but to get down and ground down. And there might be some people out there that are like, what the heck are you talking about? What is even grounding or earthing, as we call it? And really, it's like the rubber shoe conspiracy where they're putting rubber shoes on our feet because they don't want us to connect the earth, so we can't get those naturally happy endorphins flowing through our body from what the good Mother Earth has to give to us. And that's why they put on rubber shoes. So I even actually have a pair of sandals that have like a copper toe that goes through my toe, and it's like a grounding copper piece that's to connect with Mother Earth and through like the sole of my shoe. And I also have grounding pillowcase covers that my kids use and I believe in them. Yes, yes, dear, I do. And I also have a blanket as well, but I did misplace it, so I do have to find that grounding blanket. But I get plenty of time with my feet in the dirt. It's just really hard in wintertime here in Wisconsin, especially where ground is frozen and we can't eat, we can't put our feet into the ground. So now that it is springtime and we're having beautiful warm days, I want to really just encourage everybody to get out there and get your feet in the ground. And I had this really interesting, intuitive experience this week. I was taking my dogs for a hike in Fox Hill area, which is actually part of the Ice Age Trail and a private ski hill, too, that's kind of like co-mingled. And it's one of my favorite places to hike. I just love it back in there. It's just so peaceful, and they take really good care of the trails, and it's always seems like I'm discovering something new when I'm out there and listening to the birds and you know, observing the trees. It's just magical. Anytime we're in nature, right? But that's kind of like one of my little happy places. And I was taking the dogs, and I had my she boots on, and I was chopped them on, and I was ready to go for a hike, because the Lord knows the dogs needed it. And I just have this overwhelming voice come through that was like, take off your shoes, take off your shoes, ditch the she boots, get rid of the boots, get rid of the rubber soles, take off your shoes. And I think it was actually from a seed that was planted this winter. I had an interesting and lovely encounter with an angel girl named Crystal, and she's always loving and cheering me on and supporting me, giving me calls on messages. Shout out to you, Crystal, because I know you're gonna be listening to this. She's just lovely. But I encountered her randomly on a hike with my dogs. She was walking barefoot. Mind you, it was a warmer winter day and there was no snow on the ground, but she was out there in her bare feet, and I was like, damn, like, aren't your feet freezing right now? Like, what are you doing? How are you doing that? And she goes, You should try it. Kick off your foot, kick off your shoes. It feels lovely. You will not regret it. And I resisted and I was like, mm-mm, nope, not taking off my shoes. I don't want to catch a cold. Nope, not doing it. So instead, she had me put my hand in the river. And as she said, the water is like another master conductor, right, of energy. And I did actually, I felt it. I felt like more alive and more zingy after I put my hand in the freezing cold water in the street, in the natural water source there. Wonderful. Anyways, I think Crystal planted that seed of like walking, you know, grounding out in the day, out in public, out in nature, out in the trails. And I've always had grounded before, like on the farm or at my house, or you know, like on the beach, or you know, like natural areas where you would normally take off your shoes and ground down, but never like on a public nature hike like this. And I just I couldn't shake the urge this week. It was like, it was like having a Pocahontas moment. Honestly, like it was quiet and the wind was breezing and my hair was flowing, and it was like, have you ever walked through the sycamore trees? Can't wait not know the song. I have to revisit that, but I could you know taste the colors of the wind. Or can you hear the colors of the wind? Fly high. Anyways, I have to revisit the Disney song. I love Pocahontas, she is my hero. But I was having a Pocahontas moment of like, ground down, take off your shoes. So I did. I sat down on a log, kicked off my shea boots, tied them together, strapped them over my shoulder, and onward I went. I must have walked about five miles or so without my shoes on. And yes, by the end of my walk, especially where things were areas uh were getting a little marshy and a little damp, and my feet were getting wet, my feet were cold, but I did not catch a cold. I'm still alive and well and here to tell the tale. But I was so happy I did it. I honestly was like coming home from that hike, I was like zing, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. And not only because I honored. And trusted my intuition, but because I got that amazing earth energy. And so I know grinding is a whole vibe, and there's a ton of health benefits that are associated with grounding. And this isn't just like woo-hoo stuff, like, come on. Like Mother Earth has an electrical charge and she wants to give it to you freely and generously, just like Jesus, who provides it. That's such a weirdo. And and you gotta tap in and tune into that. So um, grounding or earthing is actually the practice of connecting your body to the earth's natural electric charge. Whether you're walking barefoot on grass or using a grounding mat, our goal is to bridge the gap between our modern insulated lives and the planet's energy. The benefits are often categorized into the triad of wellness, again, the mind, body, and the spirit are the chapters that I will disclose with you. The physical restoration. From a biological perspective, grounding is thought to facilitate and transfer of free electrons from the earth into your body, acting as a global antioxidant. Yes, it reduces inflammation, can neutralize free radicals, and leads to the decrease in chronic pain and faster recovery from muscle soreness. And it actually improves your sleep and circadian rhythm. Grounding helps normalize cortisol, which is a stress hormone, and it helps normalize those levels, and it aligns your body's internal clock with the Earth's 24-hour cycle. And many report that they have a deeper night's sleep and easier wakefulness when they choose to ground down throughout their day. A little bit goes a long way. And it actually even helps your heart, y'all. Okay, heart health. It's there are studies out there that have shown that grounding can decrease blood viscosity, making blood less sticky. Okay? It helps like help those electrons keep things moving and improves your circulation and has a lower lit risk of cardiovascular issues when you choose to put your feet on the earth or use a mat or pillows or blankets that are hardwired into the copper grounding source. And it also helps your immunity, immune support. It shifts the body from the fight or flight sympathetic state to a rest and digest or parasympathetic state that allows grounding to help the immune system function more efficiently. Isn't that wild? Just this free thing, free thing that everyone has access to. Ditch off those rubber cells and get your feet in the ground, even if it's for a couple of minutes. When's the last time you've done it? Really? It's just something to be aware of. Not to mention your mind, okay? The health benefits for what it's doing up here. In psychology, okay, grounding often refers to techniques that bring you back to the present moment. But physical earthing provides a physiological foundation for these mental benefits. Anxiety and stress relief, direct contact with contact with the earth has been shown to improve heart rate variability, HRV, which is a key indicator to of your nervous system's ability to handle stress. It actually, along with fasting, okay, reduces grounding reduces mental fog. And it stabilizes electrical activity in the brain. And grounding can help clear static thoughts, leading to a better focus and concentration. That's what the grounding or the earthing or the forest bathing can do for you. Just being out in the forest can also do this as well, touching a tree, just feeling and getting in tune with the earth. And your emotional regulation is affected by grounding too, in a positive way. Frequent practitioners often report a more stable mood and a greater capacity to handle emotional spikes when feeling overwhelmed. Just by getting in touch with nature. And I want to talk a little bit about this energetic connection out there, too. Spiritually, grounding is seen as a way to anchor your energetic body to the physical world, preventing you from feeling spaced out or disconnected. Rooting the root chakra, which is found here at the at the base of your spine. Many traditions, grounding is a primary way to balance the root chakra, the mula dahara, which governs your sense of safety, security, and belonging. That's what the root chakra is speaking to. If I had my crystal sound bowl, I'd give it a little bring, but instead I will use the earthen chime. The energetic purging. Just as an electrical circuit uses a ground wire to safely discharge excess energy, spiritual grounding is thought to help drain negative or stagnant energy into the earth to be recycled. Tell me we're not all connected, y'all. And the presence and belonging. It fosters a deep felt sense of being part of the natural world rather than of observer of it. Kind of what I was talking about on my last episode with the whale. This connection often leads to increased feelings of gratitude and environmental stewardship. It's all in our hands. It's all our trusted responsibility. And I just love that we can access this through barefoot walking, gardening, grounding mats and sheets and visualization. And even stress relief, sensory connection, mind-body connection, tactical grounding, sleep and inflammation reduction, and spiritual centering just when you get outside. So that also connects me to a couple more things that I wanted to share with you before I sign off on this incredible journey. And that would be my seeds. Plant and seeds here, both mind, body, and spirit. I went through Southern Exposure, which is a USDA organic seed company, and I'm so excited to do my garden planning and get these seeds in the ground and root down in the earth. That's why gardening is such a wonderful thing for all of us. And no excuses, it's totally accessible. Whether it's pot gardening, container gardening, or just right in the field in the dark, you can do it. Yes, you can. And if you can't do it, somebody can. You gotta hook up with them and get connected. I'll go into a little bit deeper with these seeds when I got a little bit more time, but I got some really exciting things, both from flowers to fruits and veggies and herbs. And if you haven't got your seeds yet, the Southern Exposure Company is highly recommended. And I just absolutely love it. And they seem to be coming from a high vibrational and very intentional spot. And with that, I absolutely love it. So roll with me. And I actually listened to a Zoom meeting for the Midwest Women's Herbal, and they were really talking about plant allies and how that every plant can actually alter your consciousness. Okay, it's not just those funny mushrooms or that crazy cannabis or hemp plant that can alter your consciousness. It's every plant. Every plant is supercharged with an amazing energy and healing properties, and they're just so giving and so generous to you. And they're here to help. They are your allies, they are your friends. And God put them here on this green earth for a reason. You just gotta dig it and cover it and figure it out by trusting your intuition and using these wonderful techniques to turn that vibe all the way up. Nothing can stop you. All right, I gotta go. Prayer out. I love you. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. The peace of I honors the peace in you, brothers and sisters. Remember, you are the light. You are chosen. Just keep on, keeping on. Ramble along. Sing your song around the world, around the world, beyond your way. See you later, maybe at Charles Club tomorrow on Friday. I work every Friday. Come visit me. Hello.