Channeled Lessons in Psychic Development 2: Exchanging Information vs. Exchanging Energy

One of the most common forms of psychic sensitivity among people who have no idea they have the talent is that of empathy - the kind that picks up effortlessly on other people’s emotions, spoken and unspoken, often soaking them all in at the expense of the empath. If you are the tender kind of soul who loves to heal and comfort people, you might find your mind and body reacting in uncomfortably strong ways to emotionally charged interactions, or the mere presence of a person who is having a rough day.  You might feel like a sounding-board, amplfying the smallest fluctuations in other people’s vibrations. This is why committing to self-care and maintaining our psychic boundaries day-to-day is so important, especially when doing any kind of spiritual work that requires us to open ourselves up in order to perceive and receive information on an energetic level.

Here’s the tricky part. Psychic work is work that requires sensitivity. During it, we engage constanty with other people’s energetic imprints: their emotions, hangups, memories, physical proclivities, and in the case of mediumship, with those of the departed. Deep empathy is a form of clairsentience, falling on a spectrum that starts at basic emotional intelligence. At best, when it is paired with discipline, it can help open up the other clair-senses we use in psychic work and mediumship: clariaudience, clairvoyance, claircognizance and clairgustance. Is it not necessary for us to engage in an energetic exchange in order to receive accurate information? Is it even possible to open ourselves up to other people’s emotions without getting at least a little bit drained?

Some people who are starting out their journey of psychic development fear that if they do not take on other people’s emotions, they will not be able to do psychic work at all. This is the difference between raw talent and skill honed through discipline.

Any form of spiritual work requires self-care and a consistent foundation of emotional, physical, spiritual and mental stability in order to be sustainable. We need energy bodies that are big and strong! (One of my favorite mediums I’ve ever had the pleasure of learning from, Medium Fleur, would call this our “spiritual battery.”) The stronger we are in our self-love and compassion, the better we can serve others in the long term. This means caring for our bodies, our souls and our environments, as well as choosing our company carefully (including on the spiritual plane), and maintaining healthy, protected boundaries on our emotional and physical resources. Knowing when to “turn off” psychically is a big part of this.

Luckily for us, this doesn’t mean that we need to shut ourselves down emotionally when we do a reading. One of the most precious lessons I have received so far from my guides has been about the difference between receiving information from an energy vs. engaging in an energetic exchange.
Early in my journey into channeling, I would occasionally encounter interference from negative energies that would attempt to make me feel uncomfortable before being dismissed. When I asked Natalie why this was happening, she offered the following advice:

“Your guides know when an energy can be helpful to you even if you yourself have not set up the meeting. Even if you are being told something you think you do not want to hear, the energy itself may have something useful to tell you. Have no fear. You are in good hands. Trust your guides to help you raise and strengthen your energy.  Allowing the information that comes through to reach you as just that, information, and not as an energetic intrusion, will give you the best access to knowledge of all stripes.”

It is the last sentence here that was a real revelation. When we truly enforce healthy boundaries, we can encounter other people’s energies confidently, using our psychic senses to learn information without getting caught up in the drama of their problems. What’s mine is mine, what’s yours is yours. When we engage with foreign energy only enough to receive and interpret what information is needed, our connection becomes “light” enough that we can interact with a wide range of sources without getting drained, expanding our psychic horizons immensely. This is when our empathy can transform from an Achilles’ heel into one of our greatest strengths. This applies to everyday life, too. Try to remember this the next time political debates at the family dinner table get heated over the holidays! …And if you ever find yourself in a tight spot energetically, close off your field by touching your thumbs to your index fingers in two interlocking circles. (We will explore the subject of psychic protection and gatekeepers in a later post.)

So, dearest empaths, If you find yourself unable to distance yourself from other people’s emotions, feeling drained or weighed down, ask yourself: What is it that you are getting out of the experience? Is it helping you to interpret or open up your other psychic senses? Do you feel more needed and worthy of love when you become wrapped up in other people’s emotions? Are you able to give yourself the care you need to nourish your own sense of groundedness and safety? Then, once you find your answer, commit to loving yourself enough to work around whatever need is being fulfilled and use your empathy in a healthier way. Put your well-being first. You won’t regret it!

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