Hooray You are an Empath!
Curse or Blessing? I’ve heard people saying both. So, I suppose it must be both.
Being an empath is a double-edged sword. It can be both a curse and a blessing. On one hand, you have the ability to intuit exactly what you need to do to make someone comfortable. On the other, it is easy to lose track of what you need, because you are so accustomed to caring for other’s comfort before caring for your own. You have easy access to information about what is going on with the people around you, but sometimes it is hard to know your own mind.
An Empath Can Be a Real Chameleon
I have this theory that people become empathic as a way to stay safe in their world. If you know what those around you are feeling, then you know how to adjust what you say and do to make them comfortable, so they are safer people to be around, both emotionally and physically. An empath can be a real chameleon, shifting tone of voice, conversation styles, body posture, and choice of tactics and actions to help the people around them to feel more at ease.
The problem with this is that they often lose track of what is actually authentic and true for themselves.
Self Care or Self Detriment?
Empaths tend to care take their environment as a way to care take themselves. This is a pretty roundabout way of doing self-care. Doing or saying something that will make someone else angry or sad is uncomfortable for an empath, so that they often avoid confrontation in order to avoid feeling other people’s uncomfortable emotions. It is easy for them to lose track of the fact that they themselves are feeling uncomfortable.
I know firsthand, because I am an empath. It’s been a gift and has often exacted many painful lessons from me. I could never be the healer I am today without having been an empath. When I lay my hands on a person, I can tell almost right away what emotions are lodged in that person’s body, what issues they are dealing with, and sometimes, even what they are thinking. On the other side of the coin, there have been times in my life where I was not true to myself because of the needs and the emotions of others, often greatly to my detriment.
So what are we to do about this quandary?
Essential Practices for Empaths ( Just think about it like caring for yourself is the first step in caring about everyone else. There, did that help?)
Develop Your Energetic Protection Methods
Around your physical body, there is a layer of your etheric energy that is specifically for dealing with your environment. Its shape and health can show how you are with the world at large. People who are empaths often have a “thin skin” in relation to their shield body. When it has holes in it, we are more easily influenced by our environment. Grounding yourself is key, to establish a stable foundation. Then as you raise your etheric vibration imagine a shell or a shield around your physical body. See is as radiant and complete. You may see it as a particular color. Some people like to see it as white or gold. Decide what color would work well for you, and see it that way. Imagine the shield body as flowing and moving..not static, we are developing a shield here, not armor. It is good for it to be flexible, so you can let in what serves you, and keep out what doesn’t. Snap your fingers to hold it in place. Do this exercise regularly.
Centering yourself AKA “Grounding”
Once you have your shield in place, imagine that there is a golden light in the center of your spirit. This is your pure essence. Focus your attention on the spark, being all your senses to bear. Also be aware of your sensations, emotions and thoughts. First try this when you are alone, and then, after a time, practice it around others. See if you can switch your awareness from your environment to your self, and back again. Notice the difference between the two. Please breathe deeply while you do this exercise so that you may draw in more light from the Divine.
Don’t Take On Responsibilities That Aren’t Yours
A person can get so used to care taking, that they can feel as though they are supposed to do it. You are not. It is good to be as compassionate as possible without going beyond the limits of what you need to do to maintain your health and sanity. You are responsible up to that line, and not beyond it. If you are an empath, your idea of where the line is might be a bit fuzzy. Once you get to know where the line is, try to stick to it. It will make all your relationships clearer and cleaner.
Get Used to Being the Bad Guy
Empaths are often outwardly kind and caring. They usually get the benefit of everyone thinking that they are almost saintly sometimes. It is easy to get attached to being the “nice guy.” It is not easy dealing with people’s negative emotions, but care taking others does not ultimately serve them or you. It does not help them to protect them from their feelings. It keeps them from growing up. Besides, it’s not real. Better to live in reality than a padded reality. Yes, people may get angry or sad at you or with you if you don’t do what they want you to do, but it is important to remember that their feelings are not your feelings, and your well-being is not dependent on their wellbeing.
Develop Your Throat Chakra
Sometimes an empath will know what they need to say or do to make good boundaries, but have a hard time following through in expressing it. The throat chakra is the center for the expression of personal truth. Through the opening of the throat chakra, we open ourselves to expressing our true needs and feelings, as well as expressing the creative force as it moves through us. Some good exercises for opening the throat chakra are singing and chanting, sharing your feelings and thoughts with friends, and meditating on the throat chakra. Some healing stones that help with the throat chakra are chrysacolla, turquoise, lapis lazuli, amazonite, and blue lace agate. You can meditate with them, put them in a medicine bag, or wear jewelry (particularly necklaces).
Develop Your Root Chakra
The root chakra helps us to deal with being fully in the world. When the root chakra is open, we are fully grounded and present with whatever is coming our way. When it is not open, we can be dis-associative, fearful, and have difficulty staying present with what is going on. Opening and healing the root chakra helps us to release the fears that keep us from our highest manifestation within form. Some exercises that help to open the root chakra are:
Imagine you are sending roots down into the earth from your base.
Imagine you can breathe in and out of you root.
On the inhale, breath in energy from he earth.
On the exhale, release any thing that is within you that does not serve you.
Some healing stones that might be helpful are obsidian, amethyst, howlite, hematite, and red jasper.
Smudging And Clearing Regularly
Whether you are having difficulty with your empathic abilities or not, it is a good idea to smudge yourself regularly to release other people’s energy and influence from your energy body. Other good clearing methods are showering, bathing and spending time in solitude. Can you feel what others around you are feeling? Are you sensitive to your surroundings? When you lay your hands on someone, do your hands know right where to go to help that person? Perhaps you are an empath. Please understand that clutter in your household and in your personal space is a breeding ground for negative energy. You are sensitive to energy, please clean. I know it can be sometimes hard, because many empathic people also have attention deficit disorder. It’s a challenge but try to come up with some systems that keep your space neat, and at least throw out your paper clutter.
We as empaths are hard wired to run energy, feel energy and manipulate energy. That means that once we understand how energy works and that we have the power to manipulate it to our benefit, then we can protect ourselves. Communicate more effectively and begin to make the things we want in our lives come in to our lives.
If you have been have attend ended my psychic circle for any amount of time you have seen auras and experienced working with energy. These exercises are not just parlor games. These exercises are to expand your understanding and your confidence in regards to your own power of using your own natural etheric energy to your benefit. Whether it be for protection, healing or for manifestation, your energy will provide much of what you need once you learn to use it, and not fear it. It is as much a part of you as your arms and legs.
The human aura extends around the body at around 8 – 10 inches in all directions.
The healthier we are physically and emotionally and mentally the greater that energy extends. The more vibrant your energy the more energy you have to do things with, and less likely it will be that you will be impinged upon by outside influences.
Those with weak auras are more easily manipulated, and tend to tire more easily in daily activities. From an emotional level a weak aura will generate feelings of being depressed, of being a failure of not being in control of one’s own life. In weakened auras, stresses reveal themselves more quickly.
What weakens the aura:
Poor Diet
Lack of Exercise
Lack of fresh air
Lack of rest
Stress
Drugs
Alcohol
Smoking
Emotional Upheaval
Fear and Worry
Guilt
Lack of Sleep
Improper psychic activity ( too much stimulation or no protection)
Things that can effect our aura’s are:
The food we eat, the air we breathe, these things are converted into energy by the cells of the body, the cells give off energy….effecting the aura
The human body also gives off light, sound , thermal energy, electricity, magnetics, heat . Some of these energies are generated within the body and others are received from outside the body.
For instance:
The natural interaction between one energy field and another ..kind of like an osmosis between our personal energies and those energy fields around us.
The energies of Nature are easily absorbed and transformed by the body. Tree Hugging…trips to the ocean….Sun bathing…. The four elements are natural and healing….fire( of the sun) water ( of the ocean) air of a breeze, sand or dirt of the earth ( you can also experience earth through crystals, I personally don’t like to get too dirty)
Our human aura absorbs these healing energies easily. Causing a strengthening and a balancing of the body and energy.
Quick energizers:
Laughter
Music
Singing
Dancing
Turing up your dial
Remembering good things
Anything that brings you joy
Drinking water or herbal tea
How to close up shop. ( or to be less empathic)
Have a sugary thing
Have a cocktail
Have a cigarette
Eat a carb
Wash you hands
Do something physical.
Scratch your head
Tell you cosmic posse that you are done for the day
And that you will return for service at whatever time you want
Signal to the universe that you are done. The signal can be what you want it to be.
Make your energy large and then wall it off.
Know your guides and talk to them.
They will help you.
Most of all, be good and kind and respectful to you. That means holding yourself accountable for the wellbeing of you. When you are a good parent to yourself, your inner child will glow and radiate your energy to spectacular levels.