An Empath’s Courageous Journey
By rough estimates, empaths comprise somewhere around 2–5% of the total human population. Just imagine, you share this world with 400 million other perceptive souls.
I invite you to reach out for a moment and energetically connect with all these other bright points of light around the globe. Empaths in every country, every community. Can you feel the collective energy?
As empaths, we share some common characteristics, yet we’re also quite diverse. You’ve been influenced by the culture and family system in which you grew up as well as a myriad of personal life experiences.
However, I’ve observed a repeating pattern, a common trajectory that many of my empathic clients have traveled.
I call it, The Empath’s Courageous Journey.
It began in childhood. Many empaths describe their youth as the time when they were most tuned-in, most connected to Source energy. Until age seven, you were very impressionable and still corded to whence you came.
You had not yet been socialized to the structures and expectations of society, so your imagination, intuition and empathic gifts were abundant.
As a child, did you have vibrant dreams, visions or daydreams that came true? Could you sense everything going on underneath the surface? Were you deeply tuned-in with nature, stories, animals, dance, music and art?
Life was magical. You reveled in your own infinite wonderland, your inner world of energy and beings and joy.
Then something happened. It wasn’t your fault.
At some point, your connection to the greater web of consciousness was shut down. Your gifts may have been questioned or even outright suppressed.
When you shared what you knew, what you sensed, some people in your life got scared or skeptical or angry.
The denial of who you really are, was absolutely devastating. You began to question your inner knowing.
You learned it wasn’t safe to be empathic or intuitive or gifted. You felt pressured to conform to systems and ways of being our society deems ‘normal.’
Back then, I remember hearing the ‘Logical’ song by Supertramp and feeling like this group totally captured what it felt like to be shut down.
Your journey continued into adulthood as you surrendered to the illusion of fitting in. Maybe you tried to work the 9–5 job, do what was expected, keep up with the fast pace of our modern, technological world.
You tried on different jobs, you engaged in different relationships. Some went well because you used intuitive and empathic skills to adapt. You likely also experienced some harsh situations and numerous people who drained your energy or hurt you deeply.
As you continuously picked up mixed energies and other people’s strong emotions, you began to isolate. Retreated within, put up walls around your heart, became a hermit. Self-protection was your top priority.
How challenging it is for an empath to have a knowing of our collective Oneness and yet at the same time feel the strong need to be closed off, separate from others. This duality is perhaps the hardest thing we face.
You wonder, why is the world so harsh, why are people so hateful to each other?
Is there anyone out there who could possibly understand me?
Are my gifts even real?
How long you stay in this state of limbo varies for each empath. Regardless, there was valuable learning and growth. Please know you followed the exact timing needed to explore this experience called life.
Then one day, something shifted within.
Your strong inner voice cries out, that’s enough!
I can’t pretend anymore!
And you begin to reawaken. You read and watch everything you can get your hands on, searching for answers and deeper meaning. You start listening to your intuition, noticing signs and synchronicities that show up every day to point towards your new path.
You’re no longer willing to fit in, but you’re not sure of the next step. Who to trust? How to live more authentically. So, you seek out other like-minded souls. You meet others who get it because they’re empaths too. Gratitude expands because you’re not alone.
Slowly, the wall around your heart releases, you open the door a crack. The light comes in, warming and illuminating your inner sanctuary.
You practice modalities for the healing of Self. You identify what you really need and want to be healthy, happy, have vitality, be connected.
You make choices about who stays and who goes. These are not easy choices, as some people are painful to release. However, you understand the necessity of surrounding yourself with a kind and loving inner circle.
Reciprocity or give-give becomes the healthy dynamic in your world. It’s no longer necessary to carry anything that’s not yours.
You train to be an empowered empath, fully expressing your gifts. Biologically and spiritually, you were born different. You’re a super antenna, able to notice subtle shifts in the energy fields around you. Your body, your mind, your heart are powerful perceivers of the language of energy.
Stepping fully into your power is a continuous flow, a life-long process. Your soul speaks, tells you how it wants to serve. You trust completely and follow. You become a sacred mirror for others, holding space and reflecting their journeys, uplifting them, believing in them.
You are now the conscious creator of your own reality. You see the bigger picture, you join with others who are serving, each in our own way. Creating a ripple effect, a foundation for the future of humanity.
This is the courageous journey of an empath.
What story will you write?
Find free resources, guidance and community support for your courageous journey at PerceptiveSouls.com.
