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When I talk about feeling energies or “energetic connections,” non-empaths usually think I’m crazy. They don’t understand if they’ve never experienced their world through that particular sense, much as a man blind from birth might not understand when I talk about the subtle hues of different colors. Experiencing energy is really another sense—not a sixth sense but really more of a SEVENTH sense that goes above and beyond the intuition that is commonly accepted as sixth sense.
Empaths and other “highly sensitive people” experience energy in the same way as non-empaths understand sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste—and even sometimes intuition. It’s a new level of interaction with the world around us. Some people are born with it and for others, it must be cultivated, as with a sense of taste. I have learned to like the taste of fine wine, dark chocolate, and to a much lesser extent even broccoli. I have never liked the taste of beer, coffee, or cigarettes and have no intention of cultivating what others find pleasurable with that particular sense of taste.
My younger daughter is also an empath, but she doesn’t like it and shields against almost everything. Her first significant experience with it was when she was a little girl and could pick up on my unhappy emotions, even when I was smiling, and would go to bed shaking because she knew things weren’t good between Mommy and Daddy, even though Mommy and Daddy were good at hiding it at that time. In spite of so much shielding, she’s still the first one to know when a relative is dying, and perhaps that’s why she dislikes it so much.
She says that I relish being an empath, and truthfully, I do. There is nothing quite as amazing as merging energetically with a romantic partner and feeling each other’s emotions, sensations, and passions. It takes sexual chemistry to a point of alchemy. There’s also a security to reaching out a tentacle to check on my mom or kids and knowing that they’re okay or to feeling something’s wrong and calling at just the right moment to talk them through it.
It’s the wonderful connections that help me to deal better with the overwhelming emotions I feel from others, the times when the energetic connections become a curse instead of a blessing. With the sense of sight, it would be like looking into bright sunlight and being momentarily blinded. With the sense of sound, it would be like standing in front of 15-foot speakers at a AC/DC concert in the 80’s until your ears hurt and later everything you hear seems muffled. With the sense of touch, it would be like gentle rubbing turning to chafing turning to a bad case of monkey-butt. The same with sensing energy—sometimes it’s so discordant that it hurts.
Usually when I speak of energetic connections, it’s in reference to feeling them. This is when my “antennae” pick up the feelings of people in my environment as well as to people I’m emotionally connected to, even if they’re hundreds or thousands of miles away. In fact, I’m more likely to feel the discordant emotions strongly when I’m not physically with a person but have that emotional connection.
Whereas I can “receive” these waves of energy like communication signals, I can also broadcast them. I’m often not aware of it, unless I’m speaking with a fellow empath. My daughter has stood with me when I’ve been drawing down a Full Moon and urged me to “Stop that!” because my energy was heating up the sphere around me. I have many consecrated objects in my home, but I don’t feel their energy all the time. Maybe that’s good because otherwise, I’d be buzzing in my skin. I can easily feel someone else’s energy on an object or the sizzle of energy of a consecrated sacred object, but my own can be identical and I cannot feel it. Others will walk into a room—even people who don’t consider themselves to be empaths—and either feel the energy coming off my consecrated items or be instantly drawn to them.
I liken my not being aware of my own transmission of energy or the energy of my sacred tools to the sense of smell. Initially, it may be strong, but then I get used to it and it fades into the background of daily life.
Tags: Empathy, Energy, senses, seventh sense, sixth sense
“feel the energy coming off my consecrated items or be instantly drawn to them. ”
OH! That explains so much! Before the chain broke and now I keep it on my altar, my consecrated/imbued necklace frequently attracted interest, mostly people just looked (it is kind of unique, however), but a few would reach out and grab. Ack! I soon learned to grab it myself as if to say, “look, but don’t touch, please!”
p.s. recently found & am enjoying your blog when searching for more books like Once upon a Beltane Eve. BB.
It is something very difficult to explain to those who do not experience it. The connections for me are quite powerful when they happen and I have never been able to describe what it is I feel. Thank you for posting this.
For me, an empath, connections seem to be made regardless of whether I want them or not. But, when I am at peace and/or in the moment, I can catch and see so much more. Things like a busy mind, fears, and worries, stop me from seeing the connection. The connections are still there (I’ll feel things and take them in…good or bad) but, I won’t see it or understand what’s happening. It is extremely important for me to see my connections to people, events, and my environment because it helps me decipher what I want to allow in. I am not great at this part but, I am getting a bit better with experience. I think it has a lot to do with meditation and peace of mind. It is only when my mind is quiet that I can ask myself if the feelings are really mine and, then, only with a quiet mind, can I deactivate myself.
Very good points, thank you! It doesn’t work quite that way for me (I get emotions from strong bonds even when my mind is way too busy), but I like seeing how it works differently for different empaths. I think you’re right about meditation, too–I’ve noticed a big increase in my empathy since I started meditating regularly several years ago.
Thank you for writing this. It explains things that are difficult to convey to those who don’t have the ability to perceive their energetic connections. Not perceiving them, however, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. I would love to hear what empaths experience when there is a cut in the energetic connection which relates to a particular person. How do you deal with this? What are the physical symptoms associated with the phenomenon when someone you are connected to severs the connection? What is it they are likely to be doing when this energetic connection between you is cut?
Sending gentle healing to all here, in gratitude, bw
What does it mean when you feel someones energy from thousands of miles away? Me and my ex broke up a couple months back when I moved away. Things didn’t end on such a great note and we havent really talked at all. But the other day I was thinking about him and how much I missed him. Well the craziest things happened the next day. He sent me an email and told me he missed me. I feel like we could feel each others energy. What is the deeper meaning of this though?
It means you still have a deep connection. That doesn’t necessarily mean you should be “together” or a couple, etc, but it does mean that the connection is still there. Up to you to decide what to do with it.
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Me and my twin flame are split up.. I was taking on all his feelings for him without knowing, id pretty much broadcast all his thoughts and feelings thinking they are my own. I miss him really bad, but it got so intense he just sits there and doesn’t even express himself because id do it for him thinking it was my own, idk what to do. I miss him. We have trouble with telepathy because of blockages, my moms an energy vampire and latched onto the connection, he sometimes avoids me at all costs, other times he might say not even a whole sentence in a text, then I end up channeliing and typing how bad I feel, it gets out of control. Maybe that’s why he said we can’t be together, idk. I just want to know what I can do. We both love eachother so much it hurts, I’m just giving him the time he needs. But how to I separate my thoughts and his? Since I channel it all, he ends up just not even able to feel, because I do it for him. But he is empathic too, I just know. He has horrible social anxiety. I just hate that I think about him constantly. Idk what to do. I haad a vision of me and him reuniting in either our previous life, or the one after this, we were differnt ppl in a huge abandoned building using drugs to cope with bad feelings in the vision. I just want to know if me and him will unite again in this current one, even if its a no I alreadyy know ill never get over him, and ill never forget him, but because of this connection, I can’t be with anyone else I can hardly even lust over anyone, and when I finally let someone be with me, I somehow bring up my twin flame on accident. I’m just giving him a lot of time. I’m hoping that’s all that’s needed, I’m hoping he will contact me soon. I’m worried for his safety he has a huge ecstasy addiction, so do I its how we met but I can control it more than he can I helped him heal after he got a bad molly planpill that he lost himself on for awhile. But now he’s better, I’m just hoping he appreciates tha I helped him enough to keep himself healthy and clean while I’m not there. I even got sick from it, I finally just got better from my dad helping me who is also empathic. I just need some advice. My dad doesn’t fully believe in the one ultimate true twin flame connection. I think its because his is just in the spiritual realm and guides him and isn’t in the physical. I need advice from someone who will know what advice I need. Once in awhile this starts to eat me alive inside again. Lately I’m usually fine and not worrying about it anymore, but yesterday and today I just feel horrible. Broke down crying yesterday about it. Idk if its me or him honestly..