Tuesday, May 17, 2011

*EMPATH (literally feeling other peoples emotions)

Some of us have an abundance of it, and others could use a large dose of it ! Empathy is the ability to understand or literally feel what another person is feeling. If you are highly attuned to other peoples energy and you can easily tell or actually feel within yourself, what another person is feeling, you may actually be what is called an empath. 

Being an empath is actually a psychic or spiritual gift. Another name for an empath or someone who can feel another persons feelings is clairsentience. If you have a strong ability to feel what the people you are surrounded by, it can almost seem over whelming at times, as there can be confusion as to whether or not you are feeling your feelings or the feelings of others around you. There are steps you can take to lesson the effects of picking up other peoples feelings or energy. 

You can simply ask for a bubble of protection to be placed around you when heading out to be around people, encountering someone who is spewing negative energy, or when going into a known difficult situation. There are also crystals and gems that offer protection from negative energy. Some people carry medicine bags and others where symbols that represent protection in the form of jewelry or even tattoos.

On the flip side of having an abundance of empathy, are those who do not have enough, or have buried it as a means of protecting themselves. People who suffer from a lack of empathy seem callus, mean, harsh, unsympathetic, and such. They seem to lack compassion for life, people, animals, even themselves. You may ask why they would bury their empathy as a means of protecting themselves. Here's why many people seem to lack the quality of empathy and it shouldn't come as a surprise.... They are an empath themselves, and throughout the years having to deal with an abundance of emotions, not understanding why, or having a way to protect or clear their energy or utilize their gift, simply found it easier to shut of their ability to feel what others feel, and found a sto numb, lessen, or completely cut themselves off from all emotions.

I believe sociopaths are a sort of empath. Empaths that use their ability to feel another persons pain or suffering and get off on it. For whatever reason they shut off the compassion aspect and became so disconnected with the light, they actually feed off other peoples emotions, almost always negative ones that they themselves inflicted on their victim.

Being an empath can be a responsivity because if you literally know how another person is feeling, you should act accordingly when interacting with others, never taking advantage of how another person is feeling. Empathy for another person, situation, animal, plant, or even our mother earth is a wonderful gift to offer. The balance is when you can find it in you heart to try and truly understand what another person or life form is feeling and give them the compassion it merits. You can separate (sometime it takes practice) yourself from what another person is feeling, so it does not effect or unbalance your energy, yet still put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself if I were them, what would make me feel better?

Sometime there is no action that can be done. Sometimes we only need someone to sit with us and try to understand and validate what we are feeling, sometime we just need to listen to them and say nothing. This is being an empath, just knowing or feeling what another person is experiencing, gives us the skills to interact with anyone in a very deep way and can give great comfort to the other person, as they feel validated or understood, maybe for the first time ever. Empathy is a gift or a quality, that should not only cherished, but become more talked about. If everyone could find empathy for everyone, including themselves, this world would be a much kinder and loving place.

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1 comment:

  1. Thank you that was beautifully written and enlightening.

    I myself have written a post recently on my blog about empathy. http://spiritualfever.co.uk/2011/02/28/empathy-is-healing-to-both-parties/ How when we listen to others it can help to consciously feel what the other is feeling. But you are also very correct when you say that to some this gift can be overwhelming. I suppose at the end of the day the spiritual path is all about balance!

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