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Discussion on Empathy
By Silver Eagle Dream Dancer

I'm going to write a small series of posts on empathy. First though, I'd like to start with a
definition of empathy - what is it? To varying degrees and levels - it's where you can actually
feel what another person is feeling (receptive empath).You aren't just sympathetic to how
another is feeling (like you can understand it) - you actually feel it yourself. You could be
someone who has a mild version of empathy... it only affects you once in a while and only under
certain conditions OR you could be someone who has a great degree of it and must cope
constantly or be bombarded with others thoughts and energies.

How to tell if you are an empath:
1. Do you avoid crowds because you feel ‘lost' in them or just want to make yourself small?
2. If someone you know is ill and you visit, do you feel sick afterward?
3. If someone in your immediate vicinity is angry - are you immediately angry without knowing
good reason?
4. Do you get headaches in large groups of people?
5. If you see someone with a cast or obvious bandaging of a wound - do you feel a sharp surge of
energy at the sight?
6. Do you often have feelings that you're pretty sure don't belong to you? (if you are empathic,
you'll understand what I mean by this question)
7. If a friend is depressed, do you feel burdened when you leave them - like you're carrying
something?

These are just a few of the ways to tell if you're empathic.. Off the top of my head.
RX for empaths

This is a good cleansing exercise for letting go of energies that don't belong with you. I
recommend it for all empaths!

1. Fill a tub with water - as hot as you can stand.
2. Get a candle.. just for ambiance not ritual.
3. Put three tablespoons of each sea salt and baking soda in the water to dissolve
4. Add whatever scent you want to the bath.
5. Get your butt in the water! May as well take the rest of your body in too.
6. Stay put until you feel the energies have washed off or been dissolved. You can direct this
through will.. but generally, it'll happen anyway on it's own so why not relax? Don't be alarmed
if your water turns a hazy or very dark color. That is supposed to happen.
7. Make sure that you've been fully immersed in the water, taking care not to get it in your eyes.
8. Let the water out but stay in the tub. Picture all the excess energy going down the drain and
back to Mother Earth to be recycled into good energy. Thank the water for cleansing.
9. Rinse off in the shower or you'll be itchy.
10. Thank the candle... this is something I always do out of respect for the fire spirits. Also..
Don't blow it out - snuff it. You should never put fire out with air - even when you're not in ritual
situations.
11. Repeat as needed. I do this in the evening so that all I've accumulated during the day can be
cleansed before bedtime.

I wouldn't recommend any crystals be added to this. It's strictly for cleaning off excess energies,
nothing more. The ritual version isn't too different from this and it's one I use during the full
moon, before major healings, or if shielding others.

Northernwolf:
Why shouldn’t you put out a fire with air? It will get po’ed from having been dominated by
another element, or at you for using another element on it?

SEDD:
LOL.... it was something I learned while training in shamanism. Fire should be grounded if
possible. I blew out a candle once, (course that was a ritual situation) which in effect mixed fire
energies with air energies. The energies grew exponentially and I was sick for a week! So
anytime now that A process requires me to recommend putting out a candle - ritual or not - I
recommend snuffing or grounding if possible.

Earthwalker:
I am a little confused. Empaths have the ability to feel others moods. I can sense feelings and
moods of individual I know and of some I don't too. However, I do not take on their moods as an
empath seems to. At times I have consciously told people I understand and I will offer
suggestions but you need to solve you own problems. Are energies actually attracted to the
empath? Can't the empath just say no thank-you and send the energy away?

SEDD:
From what I've experienced and seen, yes - energies of all sorts are attracted to an empath. They
can refuse, but most of the time, they don't know this is something they need to do.

Here's a bit more on the subject that may help clarify: There's a big difference in being 'sympathy
and empathy'. Definitely - most people are sympathetic as a byproduct of emotion. But in
situations where a sympathetic person will feel something about another's feelings - an empath
will feel what the other feels. A sympathetic person is able to let go of it or walk away from it
when the emotion passes - an empath will find that difficult if not impossible because what the
other person felt has now become a part of them.

A good example is how viewing the news affects an empath verses a sympathetic person. A
sympathetic person will view suffering on the news and say ' That's so sad. Something really
needs to be done about that. I'm going to sniff around and see if there's anything I can think of to
help.' An empath will cry and feel, not only a bit of personal trauma related to what they viewed,
but likely feel a bit angry that they were exposed to it.

Boiling this down to the simplest parts - whether an sympathetic person or empath - it's all about
energy interactions. The basics that I've seen and experienced... a sympathetic person doesn't
'take' any of the energies internally during the energy exchanges that happen all the time. An
empath does and then it becomes a part of them in some degree or another.

Earthwalker:
Thanks for the information and clarification between sympathetic and empathetic. I can see
where empathy would be an excellent tool in the healing fields but it also could be very difficult.
I cannot imagine what it would be like to feel everything everyone else feels in a hospital setting.
I guess what I feel is more sympathetic or at least feeling their feeling but from an objective
perspective. While I care a great deal I don't take the problems on at a personal level.

Wisowl:
Well, SEDD, I noticed lately that I seem to be more of an empath than I thought. Most of your
questions here I could answer with yes, partly to my surprize! *S*
Pity, that I cannot follow your advice of what to do, as I can no longer make it out of a bathtub,
as I do not have the strength.

Katt:
((HUGS)) I know it's hard for you to get out of the tub. How about smudging yourself? Or
sweeping your aura with a feather? Another way to clear yourself is to sweep the front of your
body from one shoulder (L) to the opposite hip (R) with your (R) hand, then from the other
shoulder to opposite hip, straight down one arm, straight down the other arm...shake the hands
off, either towards running water or towards a flame (my personal preferences), stomp and
shake your feet...all with the intention of removing negativity from yourself. I hope that helps.
((HUGS)) PS, I'm not at all surprised you were able to answer yes to so many of the questions!
You are highly empathic I think! xo

Ravenstone:
That is the story of my life. I have been that way for as long as I can remember. Back in college I
would avoid shopping in malls during busy times because it would literally make me sick from
all the crashing emotions around me. My shields have gotten a lot stronger and my sense of self
is greater so I can actually stand crowds now, but it’s not always easy. It's not really such a bad
thing, but it does dictate a lot in your life. It has actually proven to be a big help in some of my
more recent undertakings.

Earthwalker:
Just a question for empaths? Can't you just choose to tune everyone out and not listen or even
see them? How do you work in a noisy environment if you cannot block out noise and other
individuals that are working in the same room or laboratory? How do you plan your day when
you are walking to work if you cannot blocks other out. I don't mean completely; you are always
aware that someone is there but your mind is focused on something else and don't really see the
individual; you are only aware of the presence of others. For those in school, focusing on a
project or your homework in study hall. It must be extremely difficult to focus on accomplishing
a task if you cannot block out others let alone their emotions. Aren't there tricks to overcome the
intrusions so that you can function well in the world of people while also using this gift.

CinnamonMoon:
Your questions are all valid, Earthwalker, but sadly the answer is both yes and no. Not everyone
can block out their empathy for others and it can be a very painfully debilitating condition.
Many people (those caught up in the fluff and white light of the spiritual paths today) are under
the misconception that these gifts are always wonderful and painless. The truth is that it's just the
opposite. As an empath, thankfully one who can block (when I see it building up, there are times
it hits me too) it is something that I tend to be able to control but not everyone is like that. For
some people this is a very painful experience that cannot be overcome in the conventional sense.
They need to literally avoid crowds or public situations. Empathic and other abilities often bring
with them the onset of physical pain. For example, many clairvoyant people find they have
headaches or nausea that accompany their gift when it is active and that's not something they
enjoy. It's not all glitter and light. Whatever a gift might be, it can and often does have side effects
be they painful or disorientating.

Another example I can give you from my own experience is when my Guides want to get my
attention. A ringing takes place in my ears, very high pitched, and very soft. I stop what I'm
doing and enter the Silence to listen to them. That's not always possible though, and then that
sound gets louder and louder (insisting I heed the Call). Even then I can't always step out of the
situation I'm in. When that happens it can be very distracting and un-nerving to contend with.
There are times when I can't connect too, and the sound continues for lengthy periods making me
feel like I'm about to lose my mind if it doesn't stop. Eventually the connection comes and it does
stop, but going through that is not always pleasant.

Sometimes those reactions can be intense heat or cold flowing through the body, dizziness,
blackouts, or any number of other physical, emotional, or spiritual experiences. For some it is
temporary, lasting through an initial stage of onset until the gift is mastered. For some it is
lifelong. As for choosing to tune everyone out and not listen or even see them, regrettably that
answer is no where some empaths are concerned. And working within noisy environments or
walking to work if you can’t block others out, well, unless the individual is able to shield they
are unable to tolerate those situations (in some cases being housebound). It's physically,
mentally, emotionally, or spiritually (sometimes all of these) painful for them. It is extremely
difficult. Now the average person can shut out those around them and focus on things as a rule,
but certain people simply can't. It's sad things are like that but it's also a fact.

With regard to tricks in overcoming the intrusions that would allow one to function using this
gift, there are methods of shielding, centering, and grounding that work and a fairly wide variety
of methods as well. The trouble is that for many of these inflicted people those methods are
useless as they don’t understand what is happening or why. They are often individuals seeking
the help of Spiritual Healers to overcome their inflictions. In some cases that is effective, in
others not. This does not just apply to empaths. It applies to all psychic abilities that we hold and
the work we do. For instance, when I transition on a spiritual level and undergo change I have a
very physical reaction to it. I will have dizzy spells where I nearly blackout and have to grab
hold of something to steady myself. I have moments when it feels I've been physically hit by an
unseen force that shoves me off balance from the side, as when someone bumps into you. When
that happens my inner self is shoved around too. It can be very strong and my spirit is literally
pushed out of my body to some extent and then snaps back. This is usually a side to side motion
but can vary. It serves to align me and I know my Guides are doing this. However it's still
shocking when it happens because there is never a warning. It just hits. That's part of the process.
If we knew we'd steady ourselves to take the blow and that would hinder the results. So we are
taken off guard and it's done very quickly, and sometimes intrusively too.

There are times when my power centers are aligned for me by my Guides so that I can work
more accurately. That's a sense of Kundalini (warm rushes) moving up and down my spine
lasting anywhere from a few brief moments to hours. It actually tickles and gives me the giggles
when that happens, but it's much different from the onset of Kundalini going active in my
pathwork. It's an adjustment and it goes to a cellular level. When people transition that cellular
restructuring is something that forces us to purge negative energies and can cause physical illness
to be part of that process...expelling dis-ease or spewing up what we no longer need. It's all part
of the whole. For an empath unable to control their reactions this is often a constant state for
them.

All of us, while basically the same, have different strengths and weaknesses to our makeup. Each
level of our being varies, and we need to learn to master those aspects of self. That's what the
spiritual path brings to us among other things, but it's often a long and painful search to find
those answers for an empath...if they find them at all. For those who cannot it becomes a chronic
and debilitating condition. Those of us who understand it try to help in whatever way we can,
sometimes that's just reduced to the level of understanding and our hands are tied, but at least
they have someone who knows what they're talking about and doesn't label them as psychotic.
There may not be a whole lot of comfort in that, but it's better than nothing. We make
suggestions where we can and sometimes that helps. Like I said, there are many techniques to
try, it's a long list though and that means a lot of searching.

Wisowl:
Well Earthwalker I had to wait until Cinnamon could answer you here first (me not having
enough words to express myself properly LOL).

“Empathic and other abilities often bring with them the onset of physical pain. For example,
many clairvoyant people find they have headaches or nausea that accompany their gift when it is
active and that's not something they enjoy. It's not all glitter and light. Whatever a gift might be,
it can and often does have side-effects be they painful or disorientating.”

Now here I can say, YES that is exactly how it feels! I have various abilities that come together
with various reactions. I am not always sure what the *problem* is. Sometimes it could also be a
simple panic attack, simple in the sense it would be purely physical, my own physical problems.
The day before yesterday I had another strong empathic reaction to what somebody wrote on
another board, there it was clear to me why I felt the way I did. Yesterday and today I am totally
giddy and can barely walk straight lines, now this time I am not sure why! Now I could walk
about with shields around me, but I do not want to bother with them, the take too much strength
for me to keep up. I am one with multiple abilities who has to live a bit isolated, but that is good
for me!

When my guides want for me to listen to something or want to make me see something the sounds
around me get more unbearable for me or the light around me hurt my eyes more. When I get a
deja vu experience my heartrate shoots up and I get more and more excited.... etc. Now I haven't
developed my mediumistic abilities yet...wonder what that feels like? Hmmm........

Clairaudience....I hear things nobody else does or at least not as clearly...etc.. etc.. LOL I am
NOT going on an EGO trip here, just to give you some more examples!

Earthwalker:
I cannot really understand since I can block out just about anything. Although that too can create
problems. I have walked down the street passed my husband and never saw him. It is not good
for relationships to do this often. Maybe that is why we got divorced (only kidding). I think the
closest I have come to your situations is when I have been asked to go to group settings with
people experiencing cancer or family members with alcohol problems. I am always asked back
and I refuse. I can feel what they feel since I had been through the same thing and can share the
way I handled the situation. But so many people want you to take on their problems or just
accept them which I refuse to do. I tackle problems, I do not just accept them. It must be brutal if
you cannot draw that line. I like the ability to be able to talk to people at a level beyond small
talk immediately and have spent hours helping people through crisis but really don't accept
limitation of disease etc. so cannot be really empathetic to these individuals.

I can also feel when people are trying to hurt me but I don't walk away I simply address the
feelings so we both can continue to function in an environment where we understand one
another. It would be debilitating not to be able to confront or deal with these emotions. I do get
some physical signs when I dance or see visions. Usually the sides of the back of my head feel
like they are pounding slightly. I guess others might consider it a headache but I can block out
most pain. I also occasionally get blisters on my toes after I dance even if I have been sitting. It is
of no concern, Hydrocortisone and cotton socks always clear it up. As for spirit getting my
attention, visions keep showing up until I spend time or get frustrated and promise to dance at
night.

Another way spirit gets my attention was shown to me a few days ago; I was probably tuning
these faint images out as I was watching TV. All of a sudden I black and white images flask
across the TV followed by a faint visions. After several times I gave in and danced. It was kind
of interesting although it did startle me.

To get back to the point I find empathy very interesting but cannot really imagine what it would
be like. How often are empaths diagnosis inadvertently as schizophrenic? This could be
extremely dangerous. Does this get stronger over time. I certainly haven't ever had to stop what I
was doing. I simply told spirit I would dance latter this evening and did. I would think that a
huge difference would be that both of you are getting messages that are important while mine are
still teachings. Probably teaching me to pay attention and not block everything out. Still would I
see the visions if I couldn't refocus and to an extent and block out the mundane. It is really more
like relegating the mundane to a secondary focus. Don't you really have this capability as well.
How does an empath concentrate on a message if they don't possess this blocking ability?

Wisowl:
Now women are supposed to be able to do at least three things at a time...I can do only one, one
reason I never have a radio on, music or people talking would drive me absolutely nuts. When I
listen to music, I listen to music; when I read, I read…nothing else.

“Does this get stronger over time. I certainly haven't ever had to stop what I was doing. I simply
told spirit I would dance latter this evening and did. I would think that a hugeh difference would
be that both of you are getting messages that are important while mine are still teachings.
Probably teaching me to pay attention and not block everything out. Still would I see the visions
if I couldn't refocus and to an extent and block out the mundane. It is really more like relegating
the mundane to a secondary focus. Don't you really have this capability as well. How does an
empath concentrate on a message if they don't possess this blocking ability?”

Now Cinnamon can walk between the worlds, I cannot...yet. She has 35 years of experience I
have not in the sense of shamanic ways. I had all my life experiences of deja vu, ‘knowing’
things, seeing through people. I am still a learner/student like you, Earthwalker, only I like
everyone else have different experiences, have different things to learn. I cannot just say I dance
later, since that one time I tried over and over again without success. I also asked for dreams to
come to me, but they don't, not when I want to. They just come when they are supposed to. I
guess it is like everything else, you are given what you need, not what you want. I know when
there is something for me to learn and I wait until that is clear to me, I do not say I dance
tonight! LOL

I got *visions* like in normal TV reports, or in a news report in the newspaper. One time I was
so confused why I was feeling I had to tell a neighbor something before they left. He got into a
bad fight before a bar in town and had to stay in hospital for a while. Now I *read* that story in
the paper before it happened! After I heard that I looked through all the papers in the house and
I couldn't find that article! Before I came to this village where I live right now, I saw a report on
TV about it, in which all the people I would later meet were included! I doubt very much that this
report was *real*! These visions or whatever one wants to call them are clear to me like any
other TV program or newspaper article!

Earthwalker:
It must be wonderful to know things before they happen. Can you change things by intercepting
them before they actually happen? This would go along with an article (physics) I have been
reading. In other words if an object emits light in all directions, if you could block the light,
divert it, or change it prior to it being observed you could affect the future by changing the past. I
think it would be a wonderful gift. It sound exciting.

Wisowl:
No, Earthwalker, it doesn't sound exciting to me at all. Things I see, sometimes, are going to
happen or they come as a warning , when one can change them. Like when I lived in Nova Scotia
here in Canada on the East Coast and used to watch the news from New York. There was one
female newscaster that annoyed me...no idea why. One evening I said out loud: Oh, go home and
get killed in an auto accident. It shocked me to hear my own words. Well, the next morning I
heard the news, she did get killed on her way home in a single car accident! There was also a
story about David Rappaport, a diminutive actor, being interviewed. Now I saw him once before
in an interview and this time he was asked the same stupid questions and his answers were the
same, but this time I had the feeling that he would kill himself, as he had said in the interview. I
got all excited and hoped desperately that someone in his surrounding would notice that this
time he would do it. Well I do not have to mention that a few days later he was found under a
tree in a park dead. The way he had described it! Also with our Superman I had the feeling that
something was going to happen when I saw him on his horse in an news item or whatever, it
looked wrong to me and I said out loud Be careful! well, and we all know what happened to him!
I think it might be good to know beforehand for oneself. But seeing or knowing things like that is
more of a burden, and I do not think it is exciting! In my humble opinion only. But then there
maybe others here who have a different opinion.

Earthwalker:
To me it doesn't make sense that Spirit would only give you the gift to see things before they
happen. That would not be exciting and would serve no purpose unless it was for initial
teachings. Haven't you also been given the gift to heal or to intervene or to be able to take some
action? Isn't that the real gift? To me that is exciting and would make the pain at least partially
acceptable; doesn't it?

CinnamonMoon:
Pardon my interruption here but whoa Nellie! It can be wonderful knowing things are going to
happen...if they are good things to begin with. Seeing tragedy is not pleasant. All gifts are not
blessings in that regard and they aren't always meant for us to take action in. They teach us
things but we're not to change those things. It's a fine line to cross attempting to change the
future and there are strict cosmic laws about what is right or wrong to mess with. Sometimes we
can change things through intercepting before they take place, but we have to have permission
from the party involved to interfere in their life and free will. Otherwise it's an intrusion and we
may be interfering in preventing them from learning something important about life and
themselves.

Here energy work (channeling and directing it such as in Reiki and other methods of spiritual
pathwork) comes into play and yes, more or less directing that energy is much like directing a
light beam. Our gifts are not for amusement. Nor are they here to excite us (though they can
from time to time). To see things is to allow us in some way to forewarn others of impending
trouble and we can do that but we can't alter the outcome without permission to do so and that
would come from the person/s involved or Spirit directly.

The work of a practitioner is not always pleasant, but yes, it's a gift to work with and use.
However, we can't alter other's lives or their decisions. Free will is theirs. Nor should we take it
upon ourselves to act, we must receive a request to do so or we are invasive. We don't know why
things are happening the way they are otherwise and we can do more damage than good even if
we think we are acting for the betterment of the situation. Sometimes out of the darkest clouds we
find the brightest silver linings.

Certainly we cannot go back and alter history, nor can we step into the future and think we have
a right to determine the fate of the world on any level. That's all wrong. The changes we would
make would mean some people born would not have been given life, and many side-effects would
stem from such activity. We are not by any means all-seeing, all-knowing, or omnipotent and we
should never assume we have a fraction of that ability. We get glimpses for certain reasons and
we have to act as best we can. Sometimes it's simply to be an observer/witness to life itself so we
can see the need to change something in ourselves.

Wisowl:
Cinnamon. I was looking for some of those words you used to explain things! *smiles* You are
right! I think sometimes there should be people here on earth seeing things, knowing things just
to be witnesses also. We are otherwise just *hollow bones* as you say. Like I add sometimes to a
wish of healing for someone "only if I am supposed to help" put into better words then that
though. Even in sending healing energies I don't take for granted that it is granted so to speak!
Oh......I need a rest from words…they are so confusing!

Earthwalker:
Cinnamon and Wisowl,
No of course you won't just interfere with another under normal condition. Individuals need to
be respected. I am sorry that to me was a given. I just didn't express what I was asking well. I
was trying not to get into theory but maybe I need to "just a little". By observing something (deja
vu) for no other intent than just to observe seems to be a waste energy and is inefficient. Energy
by its nature is highly conserved and efficient. All things have a cause and an effect. The effect
could be to make us more aware of something in the future. But I still think it would have more
repercussions.

By absorbing the energy (observing it) in any form such as deja vu you have altered it and
changed it into something other than what it was prior to the observation. Even with no intent,
you have nevertheless blocked the wave pattern and thereby diverted or altered it in some
manner. If that change precedes the event you have altered its form unconsciously. In other
words you are changing it simply by observing. You have changed the future (at least in part) by
observing the past.

Are there different ways of adsorbing it (observing) thereby relegating the energy pattern
meaningless or meaningful by your free will as you absorb it, reflect or divert that which you are
observing? If it is observed consciously does that make it fact? If it is reflected does that change
its course?

By the deja vu experience you are already part of the process of energy transfer even if
unknowingly. I guess that is where my questions come in. Can't you consciously use the energy
that is drawn to you. As an example. In the mundane world, if I saw a truck moving along a
highway and saw a small child or any individual in front of it an immediate response would be to
pull the child / person out of the way. You wouldn't wait and ask the question if it was the free
will of the child or the person to be killed. Yet, the reality is you have altered future events
through observation of past events and action in the current time frame without considering the
free will of the person involved. Wouldn't the same be true in the world of Spirit as well?

Wisowl:
I for one have to give up on your questions! Phew (wipes sweat of her brow)! Cinnamon gave
you great answers to your questions if you do not understand them, maybe it is time to go and
dance and put your clearly formulated questions there, one at a time. As far as I can see only
Spirit has a way to make you see things/understand things the way you may need to see them!
Well, friend, here you have my clear/direct answer! LOL

Earthwalker:
Thanks, that was my intent for tonight. But actually SEDD answered my question (as well as
Cinnamon) this morning at least in part. You use the word hollow bone, but I think the purpose
of empaths are more like filters (to me, semantic difference only); attracting negative or positive
energies and either neutralizing it and grounding it so it’s no longer charged or changing it to
send "blessings" back. Purification is important work; therein a reason for the pain and to me
the purpose. I have asked these questions and guides are showing me how to work with energy
but that doesn't bring an understanding of the purpose at least as of yet.

Thanks again and I apologize for the confusion. Well, maybe at least a beginning. I have these
other questions though? Just kidding; at least for tonight. Thanks for all of your inputs! I do like
to understand purpose and intent (Cinnamon cringes). Unlike most of you I need to understand
and have been telling my guides the same. I just don't readily accept things until I understand
them and my guides do know this; it has been thoroughly addressed. Although for me it is easy to
visualize my guides, communicating is still hard. Hopefully in time I will understand their
teachings more easily.

CinnamonMoon:
You will, and then you'll get the giggles to go with it. Coyote Medicine is part of all our lives.
Believe it or not your questions are wonderful contributions to the community. They raise issues
others think about but don't want to address for whatever reasons. Thank you!

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