Empath

In my humble opinion, karma is kind of like spots or blemishes on you, and can drastically hinder your spiritual development. How? Because negative karma creates blocks, it ties up your light and your energy, and can affect how you perceive things. In some spiritual communities it is defined as, “energy / consciousness in action.” Every thought, word, feeling, action, and deed that you send out into the Universe will return to you, according to the law of the Universe.

The law of karma is exact, and states that whatever energy is sent out into the Universe will then travel around, gather more of the same, and return back to the sender either as positive or negative karma. Sometimes the return of karma is instantaneous and other times it is not. Because of this it is essential that we learn to properly balance any negative karma we may have consciously or unconsciously made throughout this lifetime or any previous lifetimes. One way to do this is through the path of initiation.

We are all being initiated, or tested, everyday. Many of these tests are the return of karma and deal with everyday things that happen in our lives. Some tests have to do with balancing negative karma made from lifetimes ago and some deal with recent events. Their purpose is to test and strengthen your soul and help you to master a virtue. So, who is giving us these tests? Sometimes it is your Higher Self compelling you to deal with situations that you have neglected or been consciously avoiding. And, other times these tests are given to you by an Ascended Master. It is very important to remember that the purpose of any test is to help you make progress on the spiritual path and that you are never given more than you are capable of handling.

Now, how then can we go about balancing this negative karma?

There are 3 ways that you can do this.

1. Enduring Your Karma: This method of balancing your karma is pretty straight forward. You simply let your negative karma come back to you naturally and deal with the consequences. Most people will choose to balance their karma this way, and it will usually involve a certain amount of struggle or hardship.

2. Service to Life: This method involves reaching out to others and going the extra mile. Helping a sick friend, or giving an elderly stranger your seat on the bus. Or, perhaps you choose to volunteer at a soup kitchen, or homeless shelter. The list goes on and on, and all of these actions create positive karma that will help to balance any negative karma created recently or in any past lifetimes.

3. Transmutation with the Violet Flame: This method is the easiest and quickest way to balance negative karma. You must ask for the gift of the violet flame from the Ascended Masters. Once given this remarkable gift, you must use it daily to transmute, or change the negative karma into positive karma. Over time, the violet flame works to literally dissolve negative patterns and can help you to obtain mastery over yourself and your surroundings.

After all, your sole purpose while in embodiment on Earth is to raise your consciousness and qualify for ascension back to Source.

If you want to be successful with the Law of Attraction and manifesting you have to learn to love yourself. For me, this is a difficult concept because for my entire life I have always put others first, and I always thought that was an unselfish way to live and even prided myself on it. Now, many years later I have finally realized that this behavior is only prolonging my true happiness, and that I must learn to put myself first if I am ever going to be successful at manifesting my desires. Because, after all of the research that I have done and all of the reading and interpreting I finally discovered the key to it all….and that is self love!

If you do not love yourself you will never be able to manifest your desires, nor will you be able to become your true self, and that means you will never reach the ultimate place of happiness that so many of us are seeking. Why? Because for any of our thoughts to become our reality we must passionately believe them with an unwaivering desire, and if you do not love yourself and truly believe deep down inside that you are worthy and deserving of those desires you will not be successful in your manifesting efforts.

So, it is imperative that we all learn to love ourselves unconditionally and without judgement. Because the longer we continue to put others and their needs first the longer we continue to be out of alignment with our true selves. And, once we become aligned with our true self the Universe will begin to deliver all of our desires to us very quickly. I know this is much easier said than done, but we must all reach a place in our life where we decide to love who we are and accept all that we are without any type of negativity attached to it. Trust me, once you can conquer the self love thing you are well on your way to seeing all of your desires come to fruition.

The Law of Attraction (LoA) is a powerful, universal law that provides the opportunity to shape our lives and attact our deepest, greatest desires.  This universal law states that you will attract into your life whatever you give your energy, focus, and attention to. There are many different tools for utilizing the LoA, but making a vision board is undoubtedly one of the most powerful tools out there.  When you are creating your vision board be sure to take the time to narrow down your desires and really zone in on the ones that matter to you the most.  

There is power in focusing on the details of how to represent your desires. The process of making those choices sends a very specific and personalized message to the universe about your desires.

Visualization is nearly as powerful as performing the action. When you visualize yourself living in your dream home, your brain trains your body for that reality.

By creating a vision board and placing it in a spot you see every day, you create the opportunity for consistent visualization to train your mind, body, and spirit to manifest your desires.

Let’s try it!  I will post my own personal vision/dream board once it is completed and please feel free to post images of your vision/dream boards as well.  I would love to see them!

I don’t know if all Empath’s struggle with self love or if it is just me, but I definitely have an issue with loving myself.  It all sounds so silly when I actually put it into writing.  I mean, I will spring into action if someone asks me to do something for them, but if it is just for me well, I tend to procrastinate or not do it at all.  Why is that?  I mean, obviously I love myself, but why do I care more about helping others than actually helping myself?  Even the smallest of tasks can become a burden, for example cooking for myself.  Rather than making myself a nice meal each evening like I would do if I had someone there to cook for, I eat something quick and cheap and call it a night.  But, if I had someone to cook for then I would eagerly come home and begin preparing a scrumptious meal for the two of us.  I know, I know, that sounds ridiculous, but I promise you that it is so true.

And since I have been on my spiritual journey it has been bothering me that I do not give the same urgency to helping myself that I give to helping others.  Does anyone have any advice they can give me on being an Empath and learning to love yourself?  Please, I welcome all comments and suggestions.

Thanks!

Have you ever been around someone that causes you to feel completely exhausted when they leave?  Or someone who brings about a nauseous or dizzy feeling when they are around?  If so, then you have experienced your energy being drained by an Energy Vampire! An energy vampire will suck you dry of all of your vibrant energy and leave you feeling completely spent.  Most energy vampires are not even aware that they are zapping other people’s energy, but nevertheless, it will still leave you empty and depleted.  How can we protect our energy from being siphoned by these energy vampires?  I have researched this question and have finally come up with several ways in which to prevent this psychic attack.

How to prevent energy vampires from stealing your energy?

1. Realize they exist. Most people who are in relationships with energy vampires are empaths.  We empaths believe that everyone is good and often will stay in a toxic relationship too long while making excuses for an energy vampire. We don’t want to admit they are really in it for themselves and lack empathy so they don’t care about you. Ouch!  Realizing that there are some people who are not good will help you protect yourself.
2. Keep a gut instincts journal. Empaths are highly intuitive. But, after many years with an energy vampire, you can lose the ability to believe what you feel. One way you can start to re-trust your gut is to keep a Gut Instincts Journal. Pay attention to what your gut says about a person. For example, does the person engage in risky behavior or threaten self-injury? Does he or she lie, cheat, or have recurring problems with the law? Then keep track of how situations play out. Even if your vampire is compelling and charming, don’t talk yourself out of your gut instincts about a person. Be sure to pay attention to how they treat ALL of the people they encounter, such as a waitress at your local restaurant, or an entry-level employee.
3. Find a reality-check friend. Be sure to have a clearheaded and trustworthy contact with “vampire radar” whom you can reach out to when you are feeling uncertain. Often this is a good friend who knows you well and who hasn’t been taken in by your vampire. Call this person whenever you’re feeling unsure about a situation.
4. Put yourself first. Energy vampires will fight for control. They can also be angry and manipulative, or often passive aggressive. And, they are great at “splitting behaviors” – or pitting one person against the next. When you encounter these qualities, take a step back (or out of the room or building) and remember that you were meant to live a joyful life in which your needs and feelings count too. Then, pledge allegiance to yourself. You can say “I pledge allegiance to myself and to my soul for which I stand. I honor my goodness, my gifts, and my talent. I commit to remaining loyal to myself from this moment forward for all of my days.”
5. Pat yourself on the back regularly. Most empaths give others far too much credit and deflect praise for their own contributions which we tend to downplay. Instead, pat yourself on the back regularly for who you are and for what you do well.
6. Say “no.” One of the best ways to protect yourself is to minimize your interactions with a vampire. You can do this by becoming “empowered in the negative.” In other words, learn how to turn people down. Saying “no” takes practice.  And, it’s all about compassion, which as an empath, you have plenty of.  If you find it too difficult to say “no” at first, start by saying, “I’ll get back to you.”  The main thing you need to master is stopping the knee-jerk “yes.”
7. Get support. When you finally “get it” about energy vampires, you will need support – and not just from your reality-check friend.  A psychotherapist who specializes in narcissistic abuse recovery can be invaluable in these situations. There are also narcissistic abuse recovery groups. If you haven’t completely split from your vampire relationship, find a couples therapist who knows how to deal with character-disordered individuals.

 

Etheric cords are what keep humanity connected. Without these cords we’d all be very singular and the world would be in absolute chaos. Etheric cords manifest from general interaction, love or fear. These cords keep us connected to those around us and our world as a whole. Everyone you meet during your life will connect with you through an etheric cord. Even a tiny interaction between people produces a slim etheric cord.

So what is an etheric cord exactly? Etheric cords look like silvery, floating cords/strings that connect from the etheric (spiritual) body to someone else’s etheric body. The most common place of connection is the solar plexus (top of the abdomen) as this is where the essence of ones self lies although I also quite commonly see etheric cords that run from the third eye chakra (positioned on the forehead) and the heart chakra (middle of the chest). These are cords that have shifted from the solar plexus overtime as two people have established who each other essentially is and their connection lies in the mind or the heart now. The cord can move again as their relationship changes.

Of course most people can’t see these cords but they most certainly effect everyone. Etheric cords promote feelings of empathy, sympathy, love, hate, attachment, connection, fear and loathing. Any feeling you have towards another person is usually transmitted through the etheric cord that connects you (unless you decide to tell them what you feel for them vocally!). This is how we can instinctively tell whether someone we’ve just met likes or dislikes us. Even if they’re being outwardly nice or pleasant to us we’ll still be able to pick up on any underlying feelings they have towards us.

Etheric cords can be strong or weak, thick or thin and bright/sparkly or dull/faded. Whatever feelings are running through these cords determines what they look like. The following are general explanations of why a cord may appear a certain way

Strong: Developed through close relationships such as with your mother, father, child, spouse, lover, long-term best friend or someone from a past life of yours

Weak: developed through interactions with strangers such as a shop assistant, friend of a friend etc. Walking past a stranger in the street shows an interesting reaction…usually a weak cord starts to develop and then dissolve very quickly as the distance becomes further apart. Weak cords are easily broken.

Thick: The thicker the cord the stronger the bond. Shown in people who have intense bonds with each other. e.g. A parent and child who are particularly close, lovers most commonly have very thick etheric cords connecting them and even arch enemies have thick etheric cords. Long-term rivalry and hate between two people causes a thick cord. Thick cords are most commonly associated with a few strong past life connections between two people.

Thin: Shown in a flimsy relationship between two people or one that isn’t strongly connected such as acquaintances, a marriage that is loveless but has no hate or resent in it, sex-only relationships, parent/child relationships that hold no real ground.

Bright/sparkly: These cords are beautiful to see and are very positive. They are present between people who hold deep love, care and understanding for each other. An etheric cord can only be bright and/or sparkly if it is strong and thick. People who are genuinely in love with each other, twin souls and very close parent/child relationships have bright/sparkly cords.

Dull/faded: These cords show negative feelings and distaste between people. Cords can change overtime so a loving, caring couple or friendship can go from initially having a bright/sparkly cord between them to a dull/faded one. Enemies and rivals who have a mutual hate for each other have a strong, dull cord attaching them

As you can see there are a variety of relationships that we come across daily and these all produce cords. Etheric cords transmit feelings so even if there is a weak or thin etheric cord between yourself and someone else, you could be unintentionally picking up some of their energy and feelings. Unexplained negative feelings can all come from complete strangers that we’ve hardly interacted with. This is why everyone needs to learn how to cut etheric cords.

Cutting Etheric Cords

Cutting etheric cords should be practiced by everyone and done regularly. The result of not cutting etheric cords are overwhelming feelings that don’t belong to you or feeling drained. Heath issues can often arise from not cutting cords regularly (Isn’t it funny how people catch the flu through the mere mention of it by someone else)  If you work with people regularly in your job then this is essential. As I mentioned earlier, etheric cords are even produced between strangers so it’d make sense to not have their negativity transmitting to you on a daily basis. Think of it as a daily slothing away of unwanted energies. I mean, do you really need to remain connected to the waiter in the restaurant that you ate at last week and will most likely never see again…no.

Another instance where cords should be cut is when a relationship has ended and needs to be let go of. If you’re wallowing in self-pity over a break up or have feelings of resent, revenge and forgiveness then some good old cord cutting needs to be done. These cords can be quite strong and thick so sometimes it can take a while for them to be properly severed. It is an idea to cut these cords if you are trying to ‘get over’ someone too.

Grief is extremely relevant to etheric cords too. Whether it has to do with a relationship ending or the death of a loved one the feeling is usually the same: a physical pain/ache in the pit of our stomach. This happens when strong or thick etheric cords are being cut and the spiritual body can feel it in the solar plexus chakra. Because the cord is so strong and thick the pain carries through to the physical body.

Cutting everyday cords isn’t painful like cutting strong cords are. The result is usually renewed energy and a feeling of lightness and relief. It is also a very simple exercise to do:

While your in bed at night or when you have a quiet moment visualise your spiritual body and the silver etheric cords extending from it. See if you notice any dull or weak cords present…these are the ones you’ll want to cut. If you can’t see the cords then don’t worry, you’ll still be able to cut them. Now imagine yourself or one of your spirit guides or angels slicing through the unwanted cords swiftly and easily with a sword (the sword can be as ornate or as plain as you’d like as it’s your sword). Watch the cords disintegrate into nothing as they’re cut.

You can protect any positive, healthy cords by simply asking for them to be protected or by asking them to disappear/hold back for a minute or two. Some people recommend cutting cords that belong to yourself and a close person in your life if there are any arguments or negativity present between the two of you at the time but I don’t recommend this at all as it can weaken the cord which eventually leads to a weakened relationship.

Empath’s are highly attuned to the energy and feelings of those around them, and that can be somewhat overwhelming at times.  However, there are some simple techniques that can be done to protect our energy from being penetrated by outside negativities. These techniques are simple and quick and very effective especially if practiced on a regular basis.

In the mornings before you start your day, take a few minutes to sit quietly and take a few deep breaths to bring your awareness to the present.  In your mind, or out loud, say I am releasing any and all energies that are not here for my highest and best good and I send them back to the Universe with love and light.  Take a few more deep breaths while allowing all of the negative energies to flow back to the Universe. Now, in your mind, imagine a beautiful, bright, white ball of light hovering right above your head.  Imagine this beautiful, bright, white ball of light slowly raining down over your body.  Starting with the top of your head, and flowing gently down the sides of your face and down to your neck.  Then, it envelopes your shoulders, back and chest while slowly flowing down your arms, hips and stomach areas.  Imagine it continuing down your legs and encircling the bottoms of your feet creating an unpenetrable bubble like shield of protection.

You are now ready to start your day.  Try to remember to do this every morning and you should start to notice that you are no longer taking on other people’s energies throughout the day.  This also allows you to become more aware of your own thoughts and feelings without having to determine if those feelings are yours or someone elses.