Empaths, Flora and Fauna, Part 2

     Last time, I told the story of the tree that yelled for my attention, and now I'm going to tell you the story of my empathic adventures with a member of the animal kingdom.

     A few years ago, one of our furry babies, a normally aloof and imperious feline, looked at me strangely when I was on the floor stretching.  I thought that perhaps he desired me to tell him how beautiful he was, or to get him more food, but then he did something completely out of character.  He came over and sat on my legs in mid-stretch and looked me full in the eyes for a long minute.  I knew instantly that he was telling me that something was wrong.  I told the Significant Other that something was wrong with our primary feline, and he pooh-poohed it.  "He looks fine.  Let's just wait and see," S.O. suggested.  We waited, but then I noticed that primary feline was visiting the litter box frequently, but with no result.  He looked at me again, (I heard a "hurry, Mom," in my mind) and I knew he was in trouble. 

     Unfortunately, it was New Year's Day and I knew that our vet would not be available.  Without waiting any longer, I found an emergency vet clinic that was open and took him there.  In spite of looking completely healthy, our poor primary feline was very ill with a urinary tract blockage, infection, and high fever.  I was glad I listened to his psychic vibes.  He lived to a ripe old age, aloof and imperious to the end.

   

Empaths, Flora and Fauna

     As an empath, I've noticed over the years that I'm not only extremely sensitive to what people are feeling, but also to other living forms.  Here's a story to illustrate the point:

     I was once sitting in the house of some friends, admiring the lovely back yard area in their new house, when I had the distinct feeling of compression or strangling.  I wasn't actually choking, but the feeling that I couldn't get enough living force, like air, was strong.  I looked around and noticed that one of the trees in the yard, which had been stabilized with wire attached to posts for support, was calling for my attention.  I don't know if it's possible for a tree to psychically yell, but this tree was doing something very much like that.  I looked closer and saw that the support wires had grown into the trunk as the tree grew, and the poor tree was being starved of nutrients.  I pointed out the wires to our friends (omitting the fact that the tree was still yelling at me), and they said they'd take care of it later.  It was hard to ignore the tree's insistent "now, now, now!" but there are times when you just have to do your duty and let it go. 

     Yes, the sound you hear is the woo-woo alert bell ringing. Sorry, I should have warned you sooner.

Different Types of Knowing, Part 2

     Last time we discussed how we empaths have been validated as to our way of knowing.  Jainism, a religion originating in India and at least twenty-six hundred years old, describes eight different ways of knowing.  Two of those ways involve some of the skills which we empaths have -- gaining knowledge from clairsentience and clairvoyance, and knowledge gained from telepathy (I would put that also in the realm of what some empaths can do). 

     In The Gemini Bond, the characters of Rissa and Trey represent two very different ways of knowing.  Trey, of course, is always spouting off about this book knowledge gained from his studies at various universities, and he brings a large amount of knowledge about the issues that Rissa is facing.  In contrast, Rissa is the one acquiring knowledge, whether she wants to or not, through her psychic gifts.  Part empath, part telepath, and part clairvoyant, she gains a different type of knowledge about the subject of Twin Souls.  I remember writing these characters in order to explore the whole notion of Twin Souls not only from a "book knowledge" point of view, but also to describe my own psychic/empathic experiences with my Twin Soul.  Rissa and Trey, in this sense, act out my two ways of examining and coming to know about Twin Souls.

Different Types of Knowing

     Sometimes I like to look at sacred writings from other traditions, and I was struck by how some religions -- Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism in particular -- like to classify things.  Think of Buddhism's Eight-Fold Path, or Hinduism's three gunas.  Classifications can be great sometimes, as when they bring clarity to a thorny issue.

     Take knowing, for example.  While we may see the difference between the type of knowledge gained from books and the knowledge gained from experience, the Jainists describe eight (yes, eight) types of knowledge.  Here they are:

• Mental knowledge, which is gained from sensory experience and then analyzed, remembered, or felt emotionally;
• Verbal and non-verbal knowledge, which is usually acquired from hearing or study; it is dependent upon signs, symbols, and words;
• Knowledge gained from higher faculties such as clairvoyance, clairsentience (that's us, fellow empaths!), and  mystical insight;
• Knowledge gained from higher faculties such as telepathy and mind reading, in which one comes to know what another person is thinking;
• Ultimate knowledge, which is omniscient, omnipresent, limitless and transcendent, and is only obtained when one reaches Nirvana.
• The remaining three are considered wrong types of knowledge:  erroneous knowledge, invalid knowledge, and wrong knowledge.  We'll not dwell on these.

     The cool thing about this way of looking at things is that the Jainists recognize that there are other ways of gaining knowledge besides that gained from books or experience in the world.  They validate us empathic types and our way on knowing.  Way cool!

Empathy and Psychic Stuff, Part 3

     When I created the character of Rissa in The Gemini Bond, I modeled her psychic abilities on the ones I experienced.  You know what they say -- "write what you know."  Liker her, I am an empath, able to feel the moods, emotions, and attitudes of others, as well as feel their ailments in my own body.  I am quick to assess people and emotional situations, and have a strong urge to help when I can.  Like her, I do not fear being alone, and often relish it.

     Rissa, however, became more and more her own person as I continued writing, and she developed some other psychic gifts that I have in very limited amounts.  She seems to be a strong clairvoyant and has precognitive abilities, especially in her dreams.  She has a strong sense of her inner guidance, although she sometimes struggles with the strength of others' desires.  When she is keyed on her inner knowing, the answers will just blurt out of her mouth.  At other times, she feels overwhelmed and lost. 

     Like me, Rissa discovers her Twin Soul through her psychic gifts.  And that's all I'll say about that, since I don't want to ruin your reading of The Gemini Bond.

Empathy and Other Psychic Stuff, Part 2

     In the last post, I discussed what being an empath was like, and how it compares to clairsentience.  According to most psychics, there are other forms of psychic knowing.  They call it the five "clairs."

     [The "woo-woo" alert is still sounding strong and loud.]

     Clairsentience is the ability to gain psychic knowledge through feeling.  It can be an emotion, mood, or attitude they sense from others, or it can be a pain they feel in their bodies that relates to an ailment in the body of another.  It is most related to empathy.

     Clairaudience is the ability to gain knowledge through a form of inner hearing.  I also have this gift.  I hear the voices of my guides in my left ear when I ask for guidance or am channeling [the "woo-woo" alert is now at level 3].

     Clairvoyance is the ability to gain knowledge through what is commonly called "second sight."  I have had flashes of scenes, almost like a quick glimpse of a photograph, but some people are able to see entire psychic "movies" in their head.

     Clairalience is the ability to gain knowledge through a psychic sense of smell.  Smell, as you well know, is one of our strongest links to memory, and carries powerful information with it.  I've had a couple of experiences of this, both involving my Twin Soul. Like my quick clairvoyant  "photograph" experiences, they were linked to a scene that I experienced in my head, complete with scent and taste, which brings us to . . .

    Clairgustance, which is the ability to gain knowledge through the psychic sense of taste.  For me, taste and smell are closely linked, as they were in those couple of experiences of my Twin Soul.

     You know, I think we broke the klaxon on the "woo-woo" alert!

Empathy and Other Psychic Stuff

     Today we're going to talk about what empathy is and how is compares to other defined psychic abilities.  There's a major "woo-woo" alert going on -- red lights flashing, klaxon sounding.  Just to give you advance notice . . .

     I've often referred to myself as an empath.  Just what is an empath?  Well, for me, it is someone who feels what others feel -- whether an emotion, mood, attitude, or feeling in the body (such as a headache).  Distance doesn't matter because the connections I have with the people in my life are both timeless and distanceless.  When my boundaries are low or I am tired, it doesn't seem to matter if I have a personal connection with a person or not.  I can easily catch a headache from the stranger ahead of me in the checkout line, or feel a passing sense of anger from the person driving in front of me. 

     Empaths often feel overwhelmed because they are constantly bombarded by the feelings of others.  They hate crowds.  They sometimes don't like to be touched, because they know it heightens the emotional connection and don't want the added burden.  They love animals and nature, and have a deep connection with them.  They have trouble saying "no," and often put others ahead of themselves, leading to burnout.  They are great listeners, and people often open up to them because they feel so comfortable talking to an empath. Empaths relax by being totally alone.  

     How does this compare to clairsentience?  They are very similar, according to most psychics.  One of the major differences is that clairsentients gain their psychic insight through their senses of feeling, just as empaths do, but they may not be as overwhelmed by it.  Perhaps it's because clairsentients have evolved an ability to place boundaries around themselves so that they don't have to suffer in order to understand.  Either that, or they received the owner's manual, and the empaths are still waiting to receive theirs . . .

A Poem of Longing and Unity

From Rumi:

A little mixed-breed apple,

half red, half yellow, tells this story.

 

A lover and beloved get separated.

Their being apart was one thing,

but they have opposite responses.

 

The lover feels pain and grows pale.

The beloved flushes and feels proud.

 

I am a thorn next to my master's rose.

We seem to be two, but we are not.

 

 

Reaching Out for My Twin Soul, Part 2

     Sometimes I may feel a little sad that I haven't met my Twin Soul in person yet, even though I've prayed for it every day.  No, I'm not unhappy in my life.  Far from it.  I consider myself quite blessed.  Rather, it comes from a desire to know if my psychic/empathic experiences have been valid, and I think it also comes from a deep longing to be reunited with my other self.

     Still, when I look at others who have experienced a longing that went unfulfilled, I can't help but notice that things of profound beauty were created because of that longing.  Take Rumi, for instance.  When Shams left (or was killed), Rumi's heart was torn open and from that wound gushed out reams of the most sublime poetry.  Rumi's poems speak about longing and the desire for unity, both with one's other self, and also with the divine. 

     Perhaps that's what The Gemini Bond is for me.  It was born from my desire to make sense of my experiences concerning my Twin Soul, and my research into what Twin Souls truly were.  It came from my unfulfilled prayer to meet my Twin Soul, and in some ways came from the desire to make contact.  Am I in the same ballpark as Rumi?  Not even remotely.  But as Rumi advised, I'm being my note and I'm singing it loud.