A Public Response to “Grounding is a New Age Idea.” Part 2. – Focus on Barefoot Walking
Sarah Boots
March 11, 2025
If you missed the first part of this article, please find it here. Today we will look at a very basic history and science of Barefoot Walking, how it helps with natural healing and the dangers of mixing science with “spirituality.”
The Simple History of Barefoot Walking
As with any health idea I have mentioned in the past, between seeing my own health transformed into one of energy and vitality (as well as watching the health of thousands of others transformed) AND studying the science behind it to understand why something this simple can have such a profound effect on our health, I am again and again awed at God’s infinite wisdom so far beyond our understanding.
Just like being outside at sunrise and all throughout the day has been a normal habit for humans since the beginning of creation until the modern era, barefoot walking is just the same. People went barefoot (or in leather thongs or shoes) for thousands of years and thought nothing of it…that is, until the health crisis in more recent years, particularly in the States. Everyone was getting sick with some sort of cellular dysfunction or inflammatory disease! What was going on?
It wasn’t until Clint Ober, an everyday man with a background in communications, had a random thought one day when he saw several people getting off a bus all in white sneakers. He wondered if the invention of rubber soled shoes in the 1960’s was having an effect on our health. You see, he understood in his line of work how everything had to be “grounded” to prevent hazards in homes, workplaces, telephone wires, etc. EVERYTHING had to be grounded. And whenever there was static electricity or something wasn’t working right, he says the answer was always “more grounding.” Homes were grounded, TV’s were grounded, computers were grounded…and up until just a couple decades before, humans were also “grounded.” Could being separated from the ground by a pair of rubber sneakers be affecting our health?
He began doing research. After doing all kinds of experiments on himself, he went to some well-known colleges like UCLA to see if he could get some bigger names on this discovery, but according to those “finely educated and wise people,” there was NO WAY his discoveries had any sort of validity. They thought he was a quack. Finally, some students helped him put together a study that he could do on his own. With their assistance, he put together a study with 60 people, and after the astounding results, realized that this was no placebo effect.
After this first study, his discoveries began to gain traction, and several scientists and doctors got on board for his next study. This was finally going somewhere.
Their discoveries are fascinating! And since then, many more have been done. Click here to read the studies on earthing benefits.
The {Very} Simple Science of Barefoot Walking
Every living thing is made up of cells, from the trees all around us to the ground we walk on, to the animals we love and even to the human body we each live in. As you dig deep into the recesses of your memory, you may remember learning in school that every cell is made up of atoms, and that the three building blocks of atoms are electrons, protons, and neutrons. Therefore, all humans are a walking home to trillions of those three building blocks.
Different aspects of our modern lifestyle can cause these basic building blocks to become unbalanced which in turn leads to cellular dysfunction and eventually cellular disease.
But as Clint Ober discovered, just as grounding a home to the earth eliminates static and hazards to that home, grounding a body to the earth (which simply means touching the earth with foot or hand or any part of the body) balances the basic building blocks of the atoms our bodies are made of—which in turn balances the cells. As the cells balance in the body, the cellular dysfunction begins to disappear, and the body is able to heal.
Although mainstream medicine rarely promotes or acknowledges this idea, and half the world believes it’s pseudoscience, barefoot walking studies have shown improvement in inflammation, sleep, blood flow and overall natural healing. In fact, scans even show changes in the body within minutes grounding by simply touching the ground!
As Clint Ober says, the best research is your own research. No background knowledge is needed. Just go outside and enjoy a walk on the beach barefoot or water your garden in your bare feet each morning. Over time, you may notice that you are sleeping better or just feeling better in general, especially when you pair this with getting sunlight and eating whole foods among other grounding techniques for healing through nature.
When Science Merges with “Spirituality”
A HUGE problem arises when people take the simple science and begin to mix it with religion and spiritualism.
Ancient people groups such as the Greeks, Egyptians and Hindus, who didn’t even understand the science at that time, discovered how “good they felt” when they were “grounded to the earth,” and as the Bible says would happen, they began worshipping the earth. They began teaching their followers about a “divine energy”—a life-giving creative force that is a power that exists within everyone.
You can see where this is going. Today, this same ancient idea of “divine energy” is often referred to as the Divine Feminine and is found in most religions as well as across many aspects of modern culture. Even feminism, maybe without even realizing it, pulls many of their thought processes from the Divine Feminine.
The Bible warns Christians about this thinking in Colossians 2:8, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
I find the language in this verse particularly interesting, and decided to dig a little deeper. “Through philosophy…after the rudiments of the world…”
The Greek word for “philosophy” here, φιλοσοφία, philosophia, means, “love of wisdom,” (Strong’s) …no surprise there.
While more interestingly, the Greek word for “rudiments,” στωικισμός, stoicheion, means, “any first thing, from which the others belonging to some series or composite whole take their rise…{such as} the elements from which all things have come, the material causes of the universe; the heavenly bodies, either as parts of the heavens or (as others think) because in them the elements of man, life and destiny were supposed to reside; the elements, rudiments, primary and fundamental principles of any art, science, or discipline.
Put the two together and here is what the commentator, John Gill, says of this passage, “The apostle does not mean to condemn all arts and sciences as useless and hurtful, such as natural philosophy in its various branches…when kept within due bounds, and in their proper place and sphere…but he means that philosophy, or science, which is falsely so called… such principles in philosophy, which in themselves, and in the things of nature, are true, but, when applied to divine things, to things above nature, the mere effects of divine power and grace, and of pure revelation, are false. Philosophy may be useful as a handmaid; it is not to be a mistress in theological things; it may subserve, but not govern; it is not to be made use of as a judge, or rule in such matters.”
He continues, “In a word, the apostle here condemns the philosophy of the Jews, and of the Gnostics; the former had introduced natural philosophy in to the worship and service of God, and the things appertaining to their religion; and had made the tabernacle and temple, and the most holy place, and the things belonging thereunto, emblems and hieroglyphics of natural things; as of the sun, moon, and stars, and their influences, and of the four elements (earth, air, fire and water) as appears from the writing of Josephus and Philo… In short the apostle’s meaning is, that philosophy is not to be mixed with the pure Gospel of Christ; it has always been fatal to it…”
That is what it looked like in Bible times. And does that not sound EXACTLY like what we are dealing with today with the New Age movement?
Alice Bailey (1880-1949), today known as the mother of the New Age Religion, said the following in her book, The Externalization of the Hierarchy (pg. 202), “In the new world order, spirituality will supersede theology; living experience will take the place of theological acceptances.” Meaning that if we “feel” the divine in nature and experiences in life, then that supersedes God’s Word. (!!!!!)
Beware! Beware! Beware! I love what Matthew Henry says about verses preceding, Colossians 2:6-7, that they are a “sovereign antidote against seducers.”
“As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith…”
Henry says, “The more closely we walk with Christ the more we are rooted and established in the faith. If we walk in him, we shall be rooted in him; and the more firmly we are rooted in him the more closely we shall walk in him.” And as we are walking more closely with him and rooted more firmly in Him, we will have spiritual discernment to easily spot the New Age religion. Verses 6-7 is exactly the prescription we need to “BEWARE!”
The Language Crossover
Our obstacle it seems is that scientists and “spiritualists” crossover in their language quite often, and this causes the greatest confusion as well as extreme contention for Bible believers.
The scientists may be talking about the “negative charge” of the earth and the “positive charge” of the sun. They may mention that when lightning strikes the earth the “energy is neutralized.” They may say that in the same way, “electrons in the body are neutralized when you touch the earth.” This is all scientifically true. This is Gill’s, “keeping within due bounds” as stated above.
The New Age-ers will also talk about the “positive energy of the earth” and the “positive energy of the sun.” But they take it further. They say that when we “connect” with the earth there is a “divine energy” that enters into our body and we become “one with the earth,” etc.
There is no greater picture of being spoiled “after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ.”
The scientists are simply stating facts. From data and testing they prove, when you do A, then B is the result.
The New Age-ers are taking those facts and turning them into something more than they actually are—a supernatural power. BIG HUMONGOUS RED FLAG!!!!!
Can you see how this would have such a stronghold on people? In their minds, humans have the opportunity to be divine! We have the opportunity to be a god! We have the ability to experience supernatural power! You see, they have been spoiled through vain deceit and the rudiments of the world. BEWARE!
When I go outside and get the sunlight in my eyes each morning and get some exercise in while wearing barefoot walking shoes, and as a side effect my cells have have slowly become healthier over the last year and a half and all of my symptoms have slowly disappeared…that’s the truth, staying within the bounds of what God allowed it to do, and science tells me why.
But if I start saying…or even believing, that I have become one with the earth, and I can feel divine energy surging through me because I’m going out and soaking in the sun’s energy and the earth’s divine potential. Uh! We have a problem! This is Gill’s “things of nature, which are true, applied to divine things, which becomes false.”
What To Do With Those Buzz Words like “Energy”
But you see, both scientists and New-Age advocates both use buzz-words like “energy,” or “electrical,” or “positive charge,” resulting in Bible-believing Christians to immediately write it off. “It’s New Age!” they say, throwing the baby right out with the bath water.
They may hear someone say, “The body is electrical!” And the immediate response is, “Stay away from that! It’s New Age!”
They’ll hear again, “The sun has positive energy. The earth has a negative charge.” “False! That’s a New Age statement!” They cry!
But let’s think about this logically.
If the body truly wasn’t “electrical,” how is it possible for a heart to be restarted or an irregular heartbeat restored by defibrillation—an electrical shock?
If the sun truly didn’t have “energy,” how is it possible to make electricity from solar panels?
My point is, all of these statements are TRUE staying “within their due bounds.” But the New Age people are doing exactly what Romans 1 says they will do. They are “holding the truth in unrighteousness,” “professing to be wise, they became fools,” and they begin “worshipping the creature more than the creator.”
Biblical Principles and the Glory of God
Does the Bible say, if you go outside, the earth will heal you? No, absolutely not.
But there are principles in scripture such as,
“O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.” Psalm 104:24
“Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.” Ecclesiastes 11:7
“He causes grass to grow for the cattle and herb for the service of man.” Psalm 104:
“Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.” Ecclesiastes 5:9
I am not claiming that the earth has supernatural healing powers. IT DOESN’T. I am not claiming that God created the world specifically to heal. It doesn’t say that anywhere in the Bible. What we see is that God’s creation, including the human body, which was made to heal on its own when given the right conditions, is here to display His glory!
“…bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.” Isaiah 43:6-7
“For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” Romans 11:36
“The heavens declare the glory of God…” Psalm 19:1
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:” Colossians 1:16
But what I am saying is that by these biblical principles, are we surprised that God’s creation CAN aid in our health? If the “riches of the earth” ease our anxiety and depression, if our “eyes beholding the sun” balances our hormones, if herbs grown “for the service of man” help us recover from illness, if our health “profits” from the earth, does not God STILL get all the glory and praise for his wisdom in His creation?! All of that is literally all because of HIM and His infinite, incredible wisdom and how precisely and exactly He created everything down to the tiniest atom found right here in the human body as well as all the way in outer space on the sun!
Biblically I cannot see it any other way.
Friends, hold the truth in righteousness. Exercise God’s wisdom when coming to this conversation. And most of all, as you behold His awesome power, WORSHIP THE CREATOR!
If you would like to learn more about the New Age, and the Divine Feminine in particular, from a Bible-believing stand point, I’d like to recommend the series called Third Adam on YouTube. This will open your eyes to the stronghold the devil has on our world, and it will also further equip you with spiritual discernment as you run into New Age ideas in books, media and culture.