Feeling the World

It is the sacred gift of sensitive souls to feel the world. It can be a source of great personal power but often it causes pain and overwhelm. Especially when there is so much violence and suffering in the world—from extreme weather to global health crises to violent human conflict.

On a basic human level, these world-wide issues are worrisome. The pain runs deeper for those who are highly sensitive and empathic. We literally feel the world. At the best of times It is hard to be a highly sensitive person, but being an empath in this turbulent climate can be unbearable—especially when the suffering comes from senseless and avoidable choices.

So how do you make the shift from feeling powerless to being powerful?

The key lies in the very thing that causes us the overwhelm—feeling the world.

We are taught to ignore, avoid, suppress our feelings from day one when well meaning caregivers tell us not to cry. Sadness becomes something we need to get over, anger must be managed and fear must be conquered. People are uncomfortable with the heavier, shadowy emotions and will go out of their way to try to avoid them or dismiss them.

They tell us…"Chin up". "Think positive". "Get over it".

These well meaning attempts to cheer us up while avoiding their own personal discomfort, teaches us that there are good feelings and bad feelings. Of course we don’t want cause anyone any discomfort—especially when we feel other’s pain as if it were our own—so we hide those inconvenient feelings.

But is the dark side of the emotional spectrum really bad?

From my experience in life, I’ve seen that …

Sadness does not lead to depression. Suppressing sadness does.

Anger does not lead to aggression. Suppressing anger does.

Worry does not lead to obsessive thoughts and behaviour. Suppressing fear and doubt does.

Even then the feelings themselves are not “bad” they are just how you feel. Hiding them and condemning them is hiding and condemning yourself because you can’t separate yourself from your feelings.

Flip it

So how can you flip the experience of these emotions from draining your power to being the greatest source of your power…feel them!

Feel your feelings. Sounds simple and seems obvious but yet we’ve turned off our feelings so many times, we don’t even know what they are any longer. So many of life’s most challenging issues are a result of the suppression of feelings, which then leads to shame and blame, which get promptly bury along with the rest. The last to be buried, these unbearable emotions sit right on top and when we open up, they are often what rise up first. Of course that does not feel good so it’s quickly back to suppression.

What you can do right now

So what is just one simple thing you can do right now to begin tuning back into your authentic self and tapping into some of that promised power.

Begin with one simple question:

How do I feel?

I know it seems counterintuitive to ask how you feel when you don’t know how you feel, but the first step to knowing the answer is asking the question.

One Simple Question

That one simple question, when asked with true desire, opens up the space for the answers to come up. They might not come easily at first but keep asking and you will soon become clear about how you are feeling.

This one simple question can do more than just lead you into personal transformation. It can change the world—you’ve heard the famous idea…“be the change you want to see in the world”!

One person who is courageous enough to feel the truth, gives permission to others to do the same, creating a potential cascade that can spread quite far, quite quickly. Consider how quickly a tiny ember can become a vast wild fire. Think of the tiny pebble that begins a giant avalanche. And what about the leaky faucet which, when left to drip one drop at a time, can flood a whole house.

Your Reflection

If it is hard to shift out of a lifetime of conditioning, that’s understandable. There are many places to get encouragement and support—just turn to those who will encourage self trust because that is key.

Crystals are brilliant at reflection and can help us be with our feelings in a very gentle way. Any crystal can help but two that have helped me with this are Lepidolite Crystal Books and Lithium Quartz Crystals. (Lepidolite contains Lithium). They put me in touch with my deepest feelings, helping me to bring them up to the surface where I can experience them without judgment. When you look at yourself through this crystal mirror, the ugliness you are expecting softens into something quite beautiful.

Feelings are messy. They are uncomfortable. They are scary. But they are truth and truth is beauty—real beauty. The kind of beauty that creates great works of art, Renaissances, paradigm shifts, and peace.

So don’t be afraid to feel the world.

 Originally published: March 6, 2022