When I was a child, my father would say to me, “You are just too sensitive!” It took me many years to realize that, (1) I am not too sensitive, I have the “Empath Superpower” of being able to sense emotions and other vibrations more easily; and (2) I got my empathic ability from my father. I think it made him uncomfortable when I was emotional, because he’d feel all my emotions too!
As an empath, you have the superpower to literally experience within your body and mind what another person is experiencing. You get extra information from life that others don’t. Yet all that extra information can become overwhelming. Add to that the ability to sense the vibration of environments both past and present, and you can understand how walking through life can be a challenge for an empath. Edgar Cayce, known as the father of holistic medicine and the most documented psychic of our time, said in one of his readings,
For being a ‘sensitive’ and capable of the interpretations of emotions of others is not easy…
-- Edgar Cayce reading 1406-01
I agree with Mr. Cayce, being empathic is extremely difficult, that is, until you learn some basic tools for nurturing yourself. By being mindful and taking a few steps, you can turn your empathy from a burden into a Superpower. Here are four steps that I recommend:
- Acceptance: Being an Empath requires you to accept you have needs that others don’t. You need more time to recharge, you need more time alone, you need to think ahead and plan more than a person who is not physically experiencing their surroundings. You have needs. End of sentence. If you take care of your needs, you will be able to process the extra information you receive and make good use of it.
- Protection: Protection is where most empaths put their focus. When it is cold out, you put on a sweater to protect yourself from the low temperature. As an Empath, when you go out, you need to put on a protective layer of mindfulness and strong boundaries. You can use crystals and smudging or other “rituals” like golden light, meditation, and prayer. Although there is a very effective tool in addition to protecting yourself from the energy around you.
- Projection: The empowered empath uses the concept of projecting as a tool. If you can be affected by the energy around you, so can others. The general populous may not be as affected as strongly you are, but everyone is affected by energy at some level. The important difference is that you know you are being affected. Although, you don’t need to be an empath to experience how your mouth waters and your mood shifts when you smell your favorite cookies baking in the oven even if you are in a bad mood, the same thing happens when you come in contact with a strong energy or vibration. Energy creates a shift both physical and mental.
Here are two facts about energy that can help you: (1) The stronger vibration influences and shifts the weaker vibration. Will or conscious focus creates a strong vibration. So, when you consciously vibrate at a stronger level, you won’t be “shifted” by the weaker vibration. When you are around someone negative, consciously choose to be positive and their energy won’t take you down with them. (2) Your strength as an empath comes from consciously choosing to vibrate positive energy as you go through your day and consciously affecting those around you. Then you will not be affected by lower vibrations and will shift the energy around you so that what you are experiencing is not as toxic. Although there are ethics involved with this, always intend that the energy around you is shifted in a way that is for the highest and most loving good. - Empowerment: Finally, how do you empower your Superpower? Your Superpower is the ability to process the extra information you are receiving and make good use of it. Empaths are bombarded with so much information that it can be overwhelming, but if you accept, protect, and project you are able to take control of the energy and how it affects you. You can then use that information to help you navigate today’s complex world. How? Let me give you an example.
You wake up and immediately feel stressed. First accept: Okay, I feel stressed. Did I have a bad dream? Is there something coming up today that I would be stressed about? No? Hmm. Who in the house (or my environment) might be stressed? Once you figure out this stress isn’t yours, you can protect by releasing the stress with a ritual or ceremony. I like to wash my hands and visualize whatever I picked up going down the drain. Now you can move forward on your day without carrying that stress and project calm as you offer help to the person who is stressed, if appropriate.
Now you are at work and your back starts hurting. Is there a reason your back is hurting? No? Okay, so let’s go wash your hands of that back pain! You don’t need to know whose back hurts to let that go.
Time for an office meeting. You are walking toward the meeting room and tension hits you like a brick. Breathe, check your body and mind for tension, use some lightwork on yourself, release the tension and send some positive vibes ahead to the meeting. I like a blessing meditation where I send golden light to the situation.
Boom, you have used your Superpower to not only help yourself but to also help all those in the upcoming meeting.
Now on the way home you start feeling really sad. Is there a reason to be sad? No? Hmm, oh look you are near that spot where that bad car accident happened. Send some golden light or love to that place to help shift that sad energy. Yes, you have a Superpower.
You can use all that extra data you receive to make a difference in your life, home, community, and even environment by accepting your abilities, protecting yourself as necessary, and by becoming empowered as you project the vibration you want to live in. Now you have the Empath Superpower!
