Recently I have been thinking about all of those empathic witches I meet every day. I even considered what it means to be an Empath. I don’t know if you have seen or know about Star Trek the Next Generation, but on this show there was a counselor named Deana Troy. She was half Betazoid and half human. She had the skill of Empathy. She could share the feelings or feel what others were feeling at great distances. Sometimes, she would be overcome with others feelings depending on how strong they were and sometimes she could simply explain what others are feeling without being overwhelmed.

I hear so often from other Witches that are emotionally sensitive to the feelings of others that they can’t seem to separate from others feelings and it is affecting them in a way that is causing them to feel dysfunctional because they can’t get past it.  A lot of advice is to shield and yes I practice this as I am expecting to go into places where I expect it to be high in emotions. I sort of prepare myself for the experience. The best advice I have heard recently given is something that works very well whenever I am caught off guard and even as I prepare for an emotional situation.

The best advice was to ground. Grounding is a technique that is used to level or balance energy and emotions. It is used often when chaos seems to be overwhelming and the practitioner is feeling unstable. There are many different techniques for grounding and I have given one good example of how to practice one technique in this post, Working with energy.

I don’t get out much. Most of the time I can usually brace myself with shields and for the most part people in public are fairly balanced unless poor customer service is annoying someone so it is usually ok. There are several occasions that I wasn’t able to control the overwhelming feelings and I am usually not prepared on these occasions since I have been studying Witchcraft. These occasions are when I am emotionally involved with the person such as a close friend, family member or partner. Another occasion was when I was beginning and I didn’t know how to ground or shield and I got caught by surprise at work. It happened so fast I was balling my eyes out before I knew what was happening and it was unexpected because I was at work. (a co-worker got some bad news and collapsed deep into emotions – was heart-breaking).

One thing tThe Empathic Witchhat is important for any Empathic Witch to consider is the difference between empathy and compassion. I believe these two things go together.  So, according to the internet, the definition for empathy is “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another“. Isn’t this a human trait? A normal human trait that many of us share. Granted we can’t really hear the thoughts of others like the Star Trek Betazoid but isn’t empathy naturally occurring. I mean, unless you genuinely don’t care about others or don’t have compassion you should share their feelings.

So what is compassion defined as? According to the internet, compassion is defined as, sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. Compassion is also a trait that I hope is possessed by every human being on the planet. The misfortune in society is that although these traits are normal and human, not all humans possess them. Obviously people like Hitler and other sociopaths are not capable of these things. But, if we consider society as a whole, not possessing these traits is actually against the norm. At least from my point of view.

Recently at Pagan Pride in my area, I had someone offer a psychic reading of me. The reading could fit anyone and everyone who were present at the event.  It was stated that I am an empath, a healer and I have two pets. I don’t really have any pets and I am not actually a healer although I focus on self-healing and I, like everyone else who is connected to the human race, I do possess empathy. I’m not saying that empathy isn’t a gift. I am merely suggesting that it is a gift that the majority of the human race possess, just like the gift of love and compassion.

Recently I went to a public establishment. This is one of my favorite places because I can purchase books, magazines, beverages and even food if I want while I sit and visit with someone. My first date with my current boyfriend was at this location. Usually, I meet the average impatient, sometimes attempting to be courteous average consumer. It is a public place and I expect everyone to display their public face. Pretty average and rarely in need of serious grounding or maximum shielding. Unlike a funeral or even a courthouse.

I met a very pleasant woman. She was very nice. My date went to find a tarot set he was looking to buy. I sat at the table with my very hot cup of coffee and this very pleasant woman struck up a conversation with me. It started out to be the average conversation. Then she told me why she was there and why she was alone. She told me about the loss of her dear friend and how they shared the loss of each of their sons to different causes of death. Emotions began to surface for her very quickly and in turn very quickly for me. I was soon overwhelmed with the sorrow of loss.

I had to take a deep breath and ground to regain control of my own emotions as she told her story. I saw the beauty of her spirit within her at that moment and I am thankful that I was able to connect with her emotionally. It not only reminded me that I am a human being but an imperfect human being who is connected to everything and everyone in this universe. Some call it the web of life. When we, as the Empathic Witch finds that we are overwhelmed in the connection of human emotion, you and I will know we are alive and connected to something greater than ourselves.

I know someone who struggles with making “the connection” with whatever is on the other side. I see this person as a very compassionate person. Sometimes I think when we feel disconnected we are simply looking for the connection from the wrong perspective. I believe that our emotions are the connection to our spirit which is the connection to everything else in existence. Connected like a cable or strands of the web. Our Empathic abilities are the result of that connection. If you are feeling disconnected maybe what you are truly disconnected from are your own feelings.

Is it possible that the stronger your empathic gift, the more in touch with the spirit you are? Or maybe your gift is for you and to you in the way that the universe allows you to find your compassion for others. We don’t only feel the negative bad stuff, we also feel the good and happy stuff too. Or maybe I take my gift for granted although I appreciate it too. Although I believe some possess the gift of empathy more than others, life as we know it is experienced through our own perceptions.

 

 

Summer Song

 

 

PS, If you are an Empathic Witch, What are your thoughts on empathy? How do you perceive your gift? Leave a comment below.