I am tired of the “spiritual” gurus taking advantage of people that are in a vulnerable state. I just listened to one speak about empaths and how empaths are born that way, feeling the feelings of other people and such. Well, you know what? Some empaths are NOT born that way. They are created out of a need for survival. Some empaths learn very quickly, sometimes from infancy, that it is necessary to sense the moods of their caregivers in order to survive. All it takes is one time when a child cries in hunger and then gets thrown across the room because the caregiver is in a bad mood or drunk or angry. Once a child experiences severe trauma due to crying for a need and then being punished for that need, the child becomes very good at sensing the moods of others and then silencing/numbing personal needs. Hunger comes on and a choice needs to be made. Tune in to the caregiver. Oops. Caregiver is not in a good mood. Better stay quiet and wait for when the caregiver is in a better mood. This becomes a cycle and a talent to read the moods of others. It also becomes a talent to become numb to needs. Personal needs become secondary. Does the child eat/play/sleep when the caregiver is pissed off? Or stay quiet and survive when the caregiver is pissed off? It’s a matter of survival.

The speaker also mentioned that empaths need to learn how to create healthy boundaries. This, I agree with 100%. Healthy boundaries are extremely important.

So, instead of listening to that spiritual guru tell you to go get a crystal or a mirror or some other trinket to protect yourself, say “no” and save your money. You don’t need that thing. What you need is to learn how to love yourself and create healthy boundaries. Start feeling YOUR feelings instead of the feelings of others. You don’t need to fix them, it’s their problem. But do treat yourself to energy healing and such because it is a form of self love to take good care of yourself. And in that self care, you will know you are loved. You will know you deserve and are worthy of healthy boundaries. You will know it is not up to you to fix every broken person. You will know that the feelings of others do not belong to you. And hopefully some day you will start to feel joy again and know you are worthy of nourishment and loving kindness.