You
could very well be an empath and not even know it. When I first heard
this term years ago, I started to recognize this trait in other
people, but never in myself. Then one day I heard my spirit guides
tell me that I was. Of course I argued with them. I couldn't be an
empath, could I? After weighing the characteristics of an empath with
my own life, it made sense.
So what IS an empath?
An
empath is someone who can automatically psychically “tune in” to
the emotional energy of another person, place, thing, or animal and
will often “take on” the emotions and feelings of that which they
tune in to as if they were the empath's own feelings. Because of
this, some empaths find it difficult to go out in the world
(especially where there are a large number of people) because they
can get overwhelmed by feeling what others are feeling. For that
reason, some (but not all) empaths prefer solitude or just have a
small group of friends.
Being an empath can be confusing because it can be difficult to tell what their own emotions are separate from the emotions of those they are psychically picking up on. Because of this, it can be challenging to the empath to know what “issues” they themselves need to work on.
Distance between the empath and the feelings they can pick up from another does not matter. Whoever they are psychically connected with (parent, child, partner, close friend), they can still pick up on their emotions and feelings. Some empaths can even pick up on the emotions and feelings of people within a 100 mile radius and not even know it.
Generally, empaths lean more toward peace than violence. They may prefer to stay clear of confrontation and will likely walk away from such circumstances. (Even if they feel they have to defend themselves first. Which can be exhausting to them.) This may cause them to avoid watching TV shows, the news or movies that depict violence in any way. If they are exposed to mental or physical pain (on self or others) or confrontation, it can literally bring them to tears or could even make them physically ill.
Empaths are generally compassionate people. Their compassion naturally attracts people and animals to them and people (even strangers) feel very comfortable telling any and everything to an empath – sometimes even their darkest secrets. Empaths are usually great listeners, problems solvers, thinkers, and may even study a variety of different subjects.
So what does this all mean?
First, you must recognize if you are an empath. If you are, know that it is a gift to have this ability, though at times you may feel like it is a curse. It is a wonderful thing to know the hearts and minds of others, but you do need to learn how to protect yourself from taking on other people's emotions as if they were your own. It is highly recommended to protect yourself with some type of Empathic Shielding (check the Products and Services page on this website) and to learn how to cleanse yourself after interacting with others. The best way to cleanse other's energies from you is with water. Either physically (in a bath, shower, etc) or you can close your eyes and imagine standing under a waterfall to cleanse your energy. In the latter, imagine the water cleaning the energy from you and washing into the earth below and away from your feet. Do this until it feels “complete”, which could be anywhere from a few seconds to about a minute.
WHAT IS LIFE ALL ABOUT?
Life in human form is about experiences. It is about learning. It is about expressing your soul in human form. It is about learning to live in a place of duality (good/bad, up/down, left/right, male/female) and having choices. You have “lessons” to learn in life. By definition, that means you have obstacles to overcome. You were given specific major lessons to learn in your life before you were born and you acquire other minor lessons to learn throughout your life too. The more lessons you learn, the faster your soul will progress, the more rewards you will receive, and the easier life will become for you. When you learn a life lesson, you will be tested to make sure you have actually learned the lesson. (Usually multiple times.) Once you have proved that you have in fact learned the lesson, then you move on to other lessons to master.
Now, you are not alone in this world for a reason... with the help of other people, you can see what lessons you have to learn. In the bonus report that is included with my Transcend To Ascend™ program, you can read how people are mirrors for you in your life. Everyone who you interact with in life shows you insight into what you have within you and what you have to overcome. This doesn't necessarily mean that if someone in your life is one way then you are that way too. You will understand better when you read the section called “Mirrors Of You”.
For example, if you expect something bad to happen, guess what, it WILL likely happen! In talking to a friend of mine, she told me about how she would never lock her house or her car doors. Then one day, she had the thought that something was going to be stolen from her so she started locking her doors. A few days later, she got in her car and the ashtray, where she kept all of her lose change, was stolen from her car!
If you believe that everything “bad” happens in 3's, you will always find proof of that. If you believe that you are unworthy of anything good, then you will attract people into your life who will prove you right. If you constantly say “with my luck...” and follow that statement with something negative, you will always have bad luck. If you feel sad and depressed, you will repel anything and anyone who is happy and good.
Using these examples, let's flip them around. If you believe everything “GOOD” happens in 3's, you will always find proof of that. If you believe that you ARE WORTHY of everything good, you will attract more good into your life. If you constantly say “with my luck...” and follow it with something positive, then you will start always having good luck. If you feel happy, you will naturally repel people and things that are negative and bad.
If you do tend to carry negative energy, it can make you physically sick or even just raise your blood pressure. I recently found paperwork from when I went to the doctor in May 2011 and my blood pressure then was 142/92. When I went to the doctor the first part of August 2013, my blood pressure had dropped to 126/79 without drugs, herbal remedies, or change in diet! (I had only started doing the "Transcend" energy work on myself 6 months before then.) I also noticed a few months before then that the heart palpitations I had daily for well over a decade had stopped all on their own. This is one of the greatest blessings from this energy work!