Spiritual Insights: Are You an Empath?

Kendra from Spruce Grove, Canada says:

Both of my parents come from families of sensitives, and I know that I have those abilities as well. Unfortunately, like me, my mom is new to this, so she can’t answer my questions, and though the “gift” is more prominent on my father’s side, they view it more as a “curse,” so they won’t talk about it.

So I was hoping that maybe you could give me some insight. I have trouble differentiating between my intuitions and my emotions. I’m pretty sure I’m an empath, which leaves me confused a lot. Are my feelings my own, or those of the people around me?

Also, my father says he sees me finding love and starting a family, and that there is a lot of good in my future, but as hard as I try I can’t see that for myself. I seem to be blocked when it comes to my future.

Dear Kendra,

Thank you for your perfect description of the dilemma of an empath (which you are, absolutely)! The eternal question for all of us, even experienced psychics, is, are those feelings mine, or someone else’s? Even trickier is the fact that for us empaths, intuitions usually come in the form of emotions, which gives us yet another level to sort through in order to correctly interpret guidance.

There are two important components to keeping all those intense empathic experiences sorted: practice through trial and error, and focus. Your psychic attention operates much like a radio dial, and you can learn to move your focus through the most complex welter of emotions until you find the source.

To oversimplify, you first establish a place within yourself to check first, naming, say, your heart chakra, or your second chakra as key. As you consistently return there to check, your guides and energy systems will get better at quickly showing you if the feelings are yours.

Then, if you’re not the source, move your focus from person to person (even people not present) to determine who’s having the feelings. With practice you can even learn connect through a person you’re reading to someone else they’re concerned with, and differentiate between your feelings, the person you’re reading, and a third person.

It’s also helpful for empaths to practice keeping their personal vibrations at a pretty refined or high level, because that provides a screen from others’ rampant feelings without shutting out your ability to read and understand them.

As for your father’s predictions, love and family are definitely a likely future for you, and don’t worry that you have trouble seeing your own future. We all do!

Being an empath, your beliefs and expectations have an unusually powerful influence on what you manifest. Your current Saturn return, which began in December, will help you refine your own visions and intentions, and from there create that future, if it’s what you want.