Understanding Residual Energy vs. Spirit

If you identify as an empath or highly sensitive person (HSP), you've probably experienced residual energy and encounters with Spirit. Here's the thing, though. Each of these is totally different; they present in different ways, have different purposes and should be dealt with in different ways. 

Empaths and HSP's are much more sensitive to extrasensory information. Check out this past post if you want to learn more about empaths.

One thing you need to know as an empath or HSP is how to differentiate and deal with different kinds of energy.

Once you understand some of the fundamental differences between residual energy vs. Spirits, you'll be able to approach them in a way that makes more sense too. 

What's Residual Energy

Residual energy is emotional energy that's been imprinted from a person (living or crossed over) onto clothes, furniture, objects, and places. Residual energy is often most potent when the person who left the imprinted energy experienced strong emotions or was around the object/place regularly. This is why homes will often have such a strong feeling, especially for empaths, because our living spaces collect and hold onto so much energy.

Jewelry, keys, wallets, and glasses are everyday items that can collect a lot of residual energy. Any place or object that a person frequently visits or uses is subject to collecting residual energy. Crystals are also a prime target for residual energy to hang out as they're so great at storing information, especially the quartz family. Learn more about caring for your crystals here.

Being an empath made so much more sense to me once I understood residual energy. I've never been a fan of thrifting and don't like to own secondhand furniture. It always felt overwhelming to me. Thrift stores are energetically "noisy," and being in one makes me feel like I'm being bombarded with information and feelings that aren't mine. When I learned that I was an empath, this made sense. Because antique stores are rife with residual energy, they are a strong pass for me. 

Watch more on this topic on our IGTV here.

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What, or who, are Spirits? 

Before I dive in here, I want to point out that I'm using the term "Spirit" very broadly. Breaking this word down could literally take up a book in and of itself! Spirits could be loved ones passed on, ancestors well before your time, angelic beings, animal spirits, guides, elemental spirits, or even malevolent spirits. A Spirit could be an entity that was once human (loved one passed on or an ancestor) or a being that was never in human form (angels, animal spirits, guides, etc.) For the purposes of this article, I'm grouping all of these into one and referring to them as "Spirits." 

The reason I'm doing this is that there's one big difference between residual energy and Spirits, and that's consciousness. All Spirits have consciousness, residual energy does not. Think of residual energy as the leftover imprint of someone's emotions. Whereas Spirits are aware of what they are doing and what they want. 

How to tell the difference between residual energy and Spirits?

Residual energy doesn't decide to let itself be known or try to contact you. It just is. On the other hand, Spirits usually have a goal or a desire to make contact with you or let themselves be known. This distinction is the easiest way to discern between residual energy vs. a Spirit. 

The way that you experience residual energy or Spirits will depend a lot on how you experience extra sensory information (clairsentient, clairalience, clairvoyant, etc.) If this is new to you, hop on over to this article to learn more about the different clairs and how they each present. 

Regardless of how you experience extrasensory information, a few things can be a clear sign of residual energy vs. a Spirit. 

Residual Energy: 

• Will cause you to notice emotions when you pick up an item or walk into a space. 

• If you ask the thing or space a question, you usually won't get an answer, or the answer will not be directed at you.

• The sensations you experience with the object or space usually lessen over time. 

• Though you may experience images and sounds connected to an item or space, they're not directed at you; they're just there. 

• They are usually easier to cleanse away (if desired), or you can simply distance yourself from the object to place. 

• Residual energy can be composed of both positive or negative emotions. 

Spirits: 

• Usually have a purpose or a goal in making themselves known to you. 

• Will continue to let themselves be known to you, even if you move locations. 

• Will be more forceful in letting themselves be known to you.

• May be contacting you to help you, request help, or could have maleficent intentions. You will need to determine this by communicating with the Spirit. 

• Similar to residual energy, Spirits can inhabit objects, people, and places. Use the above points to discern. 

• Though typical energy cleansing methods (herb cleansing, etc.) may work (if desired), a Spirit may require more in-depth techniques to communicate with or remove them.  

Why does it matter and how to work with these energies? 

If you identify as an empath or HSP, it's essential to understand outside energies affecting you. If you inadvertently surround yourself with objects with strong residual energy, it may be difficult to discern between your emotions and the emotions of the residual energy. Understanding when residual energy is present can cue you to take the necessary steps to either remove the object or energetically cleanse the object or space. 

Here are some general suggestions for clearing residual energy from objects, places, and your aura.

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There are some instances where you might like to keep residual energy. If you have a cherished object from a loved one that has their residual energy on it, you may very well want to keep it and that's totally fine!

It's equally important to be aware of a Spirit occupying your energetic field. Now, how you approach and handle connecting with a Spirit is much more in-depth than what I can cover here.

Generally speaking, you'll want to communicate with the Spirit to ascertain its intentions and then take action based on what you learn. Here are some suggestions for honing your ability to communicate with Spirit. 

• Hone your intuitive abilities by working with your third eye chakra. Learn more about this here. 

• Use a tool to help you communicate with the Spirit like a pendulum, oracle or tarot cards, or through meditation. 

• Be straightforward and ask the Spirit for clear communication. 

• If you think you're being contacted by an evil Spirit, don't hesitate to reach out to someone with more experience in this realm to help. 

As Spiritual beings in physical form, we must understand both physical and extrasensory information. This may seem like a small shift in understanding, but it's a powerful one. I hope this made you feel more empowered to discern and work with the different energies surrounding you. If you have a question or a comment, I encourage you to ask on our Instagram page here.

A Card Spread for Empaths

I've been on a writing break after completing three new books this year. Today I'm dipping my toe back in and sharing a baby blog post with you! I've been feeling called to talk more about processing emotions as an empath. I'm not going to dive into what an empath is, because I've already shared a post all about it, here.

With all that's happening in the collective, you might be feeling like your energy is constantly being bombarded. I have a secret for you. It feels like this because that's basically what's happening. The intensity of emotions arising in the collective, whether people are aware of it or not, is affecting you, especially if you identify as an empath. 

So, what's a super-sensy empath to do? Though it might be tempting to crawl in bed, zone out on Netflix, or enjoy some other form of escapism, I'm going to ask you to do the opposite. The dense and heavy emotions floating around like fear, anger, and judgment really need your full attention. 

Hear me out. Rest is 100% necessary and needed, but so is an equal amount of action, especially right now. It's fine to zone out sometimes, just don't stay there. This world needs you and your unique spirit!

Today, I'm going to share a sweet and simple little empath card spread with you. This card spread is a tool to help you "check-in" with your energy. If you're feeling a little off, this card spread is your call to pause and tune into your energy. Use whichever deck feels best to you. I've performed it with my Ritual Deck and Starchild Tarot Deck and have received wisdom and healing from both. 

Here's the spread. As always, before you perform any spiritual work, take a moment to ground and center. Whatever that means for you, maybe take a few breaths, meditate, or visualize your connection to Mother Earth. 

1. What stuck energy is keeping me from growing? 

2. What do I need to invite in to help process my energy? 

3. In what areas of my life does my energy need more protection? 

4. How can I use my empathic abilities to be of service? 

Looking for more tools? Check out an older blog post I shared here, for eight suggestions to thrive as an empath. Purchase an Energy Reset Meditation Bundle here if you need some extra support. 

5 Tips to Learn How to Trust Your Intuition

When was the last time you felt a little nudge to do something? Did you trust it immediately or question it a bit before acting? Maybe, you doubted it so much that you ended up dismissing the internal whisper. Maybe you wondered, “What if that little voice is my ego or fear, not my intuition?”. When working with your intuition, it can feel difficult to sift through fear, ego, and other people’s energy. How can you know that what you’re sensing is really your intuition?

We all want to be able to rely on our intuition more. The truth is everyone is intuitive, even psychic, yes, even you! Like anything, your intuition is a muscle, and the more you use it, the easier it will be to rely on it throughout your day. One of the biggest hurdles for working with your intuition will likely be knowing when to trust or dismiss the nudges you sense. 

I hear this so often from others, “how do I know when it’s really my intuition trying to guide me?”. This is so common and something I catch myself doing as well! Fortunately, there are several ways to identify whether or not those nudges you feel are your intuition. There are also a variety of tools available to you to dive deeper into your intuitive nudges, which can help you learn how to trust your intuition.  

As a highly sensitive empath, discerning my intuition from other people’s energy, fear, or ego, is something I’ve become quite good at. I’m going to share five of my favorite ways to learn how to trust your intuitive nudges when you receive them once and for all!

1. GET QUIET

Quieting your mind is the first and most important step for tuning into your intuitive nudges. If you receive an intuitive nudge, get quiet, close your eyes (if it’s safe), and focus on your breath. This is one of the fastest and easiest ways to ensure that your intuitive nudge is coming from your intuition, not from fear or ego. This doesn’t need to be a full-on meditation session, just take 20-30 seconds to go inward and quiet your mind. If you do this, and you’re still getting the same intuitive nudge, trust it!

2. GET INTO YOUR BODY

As an empath, I know that I can pick up the feelings of other people easily, which can interfere with my intuition. For example, if I’m around someone having a hard time, I might feel the urge to overstep my boundaries to help them out. Initially, I might think this is my intuition telling me to be kind, and sometimes it is. Other times it’s just the energy I’ve picked up from the other person. This is where going inward and tuning into my body can help. 

If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s how my intuition vs. other people’s energy feels in my body. This will be different for everyone, so this is something you will need to experiment with! For me, if I go inward, my intuition feels like a pleasant warming sensation in my heart center. If I have an intuitive nudge that is based on someone else’s need that might not be for our higher good, the energy will often reside in my stomach and feel more frantic. As I said, the way that you feel your intuition in your body may vary from mine. The next time you’re faced with a decision, get quiet and tune into your body. Notice where you feel it in your body. Start doing this every time you use your intuition so you can begin to trust your intuition based on how it feels in your body. 

3. WAIT FOR MORE

I’ve found that if I don’t listen to my intuition or am unsure of the nudges I’m receiving that the universe always makes itself known! For me, this often turns up as thinking or feeling the intuitive nudge often if I ignored it the first time. The other way this shows up for me is numeric messages. For example, I might start seeing 11:11 or 1:11 every time I look at the time. If you’re unsure about the intuitive hit you received, give it some time and see if spirit has more to say. As I said, if it’s crucial, spirit will definitely continue sending you intuitive nudges! 

4. RECRUIT PSYCHIC TOOLS

There are so many amazing tools available to work with your intuition! Oracle cards, tarot cards, pendulums, and scrying are a few of my favorites. If I have a question for my intuition that I’m feeling a little unclear about, I always recruit some psychic tools. Think of psychic tools as another way for your intuition or spirit to talk to you. If you’re seeking guidance about something that’s very painful or difficult, it might be challenging to sift through your intuitive nudges and ego. This is a great time to rely on psychic tools. I suggest trying all of the techniques mentioned above. If you try everything above, you can pull an oracle or tarot card to see if it helps clear up any questions you may have. 

Featured card from The Ritual Deck. 

5. CALL ON YOUR GUIDES

As you’re learning how to trust your intuition, you may find it helpful to ask your spirit guides or anyone you work with on the other side, to show you a sign when you’re on the right track. Asking your guides for signs along the way can make trusting your intuition feel a lot easier, and take out the guesswork. 

Anytime you’re working with your guides, you must be clear about what you want. I suggest asking for a very specific sign, so you know it’s your guides. For example, when I ask for signs, I might ask for a white feather to appear at some point in the day or a specific numeric pattern. Once you receive your sign you can trust your intuitive nudges 100% and know that you’re in an intuitive flow. Read more about working with your spirit guides here.

I hope these tips help you feel more empowered to work with and trust your intuition! Learn more about honing your intuition in this blog post about the third eye chakra.

7 Rituals to Help You Sleep Like a Goddess

Want to skip the sleep meds to get your best rest? Much of getting a good night’s rest has to do with repetition, which is why adding ritual around your bedtime is a perfect way to train your body into falling and staying asleep peacefully.

I’ve struggled with insomnia on and off throughout my life and have personally used all of these methods, most of them altogether. As a bonus, several of them have some science backing them up! I protect my bedtime ritual fiercely which has enabled me to stay off sleep medications and sleep well throughout the night. Of course, I still have the occasional sleepless night, but now they’re far and few between.

Sleep deprivation can be serious or indicate a bigger problem, so if your lack of sleep continues, take care of yourself and be sure to talk to a health professional. If you want to try a more natural route first, here are seven rituals for getting better sleep.

Use the same scent every night

Scents create a potent cue for our bodies. Try rubbing the same essential oil (with a carrier oil) on your chest and neck or diffuse your favorite scent every night. There are a variety of essential oils that are ideal for priming you for sleep, and the act of using the same scent every night as a ritual will help cue your brain and body that it’s time for sleep. Here are a few scents that will help calm your mind and prep your body for rest:

• Lavender

• Bergamont

• Vanilla

Crystals on your nightstand or under your pillow

If you’re sensitive to the energy of crystals, placing one or two on your nightstand or under your pillow makes for a nice visual, as well as a tactile reminder to get in the sleep zone. Here are some of the most soothing gemstones that can help your body calm down and sleep better at night.

• Amethyst

• Rose quartz

• Howlite

• Selenite

Take this ritual a step further and try holding your sleepy time crystals in your hands and meditating before bed.

Salt lamps or other soft orange light

Around 9:30 pm all of my screens and lights start to go off in my house and my salt lamps and soft orange lights go on, annoying as it may be to my husband. You’ve probably already heard the bad news, but the light from your cell phone, tablet, and computer are blue lights. Blue lights tell your brain that it’s time to wake up, which is one reason why it’s important to set good boundaries with your screen time.

Soft orange lights, like salt lamps, will signal to your brain that it’s time to start getting ready for bed. You’ll also enjoy the bonus negative ion benefits from using a salt lamp. Having a ritual in place of scrolling on your phone while in bed can help you detach from your beloved sleep time. Try making a special place where you charge and power down your phone every night that’s out of reach.

P.S. Salt lamp night lights are a thing, and they’re amazing! Learn more about the benefits of salt lamps in this previous post.

Herbal tea before bed

Indulging in a cup of sleep-inducing herbal tea is a great way to get your sense of taste in the ritual action. The more senses you can recruit for your bedtime rituals the better! Aside from the taste sensation, there are a variety of herbs that are ideal for calming your mind and body for sleep. You can use them on their own or get creative and make your own blend. Here’s a list of sleepy-time herbs to try in tea form before bed.

• Chamomile

• Valerian root

• Passionflower

• Lavender

• Lemon Balm

Don’t like drinking tea? Try finding a tincture using any combination of the herbs above for a quick sleep-inducing tonic.

Check out this blog post for more herbal remedies. 

Rest for your pineal gland

Your pineal gland controls your circadian rhythm which helps your body know when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to be awake. Your pineal gland loves a healthy dose of total darkness at night. Once you’re ready to catch some zzz’s, turn off any remaining soft lights or salt lamps and try to minimizing light pollution in your room. Try shutting out all light from the outdoors, and any inside lights to give you some pre-sleep time in a light-free space. Cohabitating with someone who reads at night or won’t abide by your new nightly ritual? Try a sleep mask.

Learn more about the pineal gland here.

Regular meditation

Your meditation practice goes beyond mindfulness and also directly correlates to the health of your pineal gland. Yep! The same teeny gland that controls your circadian rhythm. That means your morning or afternoon meditation practice goes beyond peace of mind throughout the day and can actually help you get better sleep at night too! You can also work a meditation practice at bedtime if it suits you, just know that meditating anytime throughout your day will benefit your sleep habits.

Make your sleep space a sanctuary

How do you feel when you walk into a cluttered space? Probably not like you want to go to sleep! Your body and mind will benefit from making your bedroom a clean and calm respite. This is especially true for the energetically sensitive and empaths. All that clutter carries energy, so if you’re sensitive to it, it will certainly disrupt your sleep.

This is my new favorite sleep ritual! After moving recently, I decided to make our bedroom as minimal and soothing as possible (turns out this is a lot less costly too!). I protect the cleanliness of our bedroom fiercely and I can’t believe the difference it has made. If you didn’t just move and want a quick fix for your sleep space, try cleaning your room and then cleansing the energy of your space with herbal smoke.

10 Uses for Labradorite

It’s hard not to fall in love with labradorite. Ancient people who came upon labradorite believed it was connected to the Aurora Borealis. Just like this natural wonder in the sky, no two pieces of labradorite look quite alike with their flashes of color.

In addition to its colorful glow, labradorite comes with a slew of metaphysical and spiritual uses. The best part is that this stone is easy to come by and relatively inexpensive to acquire.

Labradorite is said to be the stone of magick. This title isn’t surprising due to its long list of magickal and spiritual benefits. Keep reading for ten uses for labradorite.

Aura Cleansing

Labradorite is queen when it comes to cleansing your aura (learn more about auras here). If your aura is weak, has tears, or holes in it labradorite can help with that too. Keep that aura squeaky clean by meditating with a piece of labradorite or going around your entire body with a piece of it in your hand.

Psychic Protection

Beyond protecting your aura, labradorite can help shield you during psychic work too. Whether you’re practicing tarot, using a pendulum, or scrying with a crystal ball labradorite can help protect you from any unwanted spiritual energy. Try wearing or placing a piece of labradorite nearby you the next time you practice any form of psychic work.

Enhancing Intuition

Labradorite connects strongly to your third eye, especially if you can find one with some purples in it! This third eye connection makes this stone ideal for honing your intuitive abilities. Start including labradorite into your daily life and see if it makes a difference. You may even try placing some labradorite on your nightstand to work on your intuition at night too.

Connecting with Guides and Angels

If you’re trying to connect with your spirit guides or angels, labradorite can help with this too. If you haven’t noticed, labradorite has a thing for helping you with the spirit realm! Think of labradorite as a window to the other side. This stone will make connecting with your guides and angels easier, and the best part is that it will also offer protection too. Wear or hold a piece of labradorite in your hand as you call on the guide or angel you’re trying to connect with.

Balancing Chakras

Because you can find labradorite in just about every color, it’s a potent healer and balancer for your chakra system. If you know that you have a specific chakra that’s out of wack you can try to find a labradorite stone that matches that chakra's color. Or, you can grab yourself an extra rainbowy labradorite that has every color in it to have a powerful chakra balancer for all of your chakras!

Astral Travel

Labradorite is a must for astral travel. It will help open the doors to the other side and will offer you protection along the way. Wear or hold labradorite in your hand anytime you intend to leave your earthly body for a trip through the cosmos or to the Akashic records.

Aid for Magick and Spellwork

Of course, the stone of magick is ideal for performing any magick or spellwork. Anytime you’re performing magickal spells you’re enlisting forces on the other side to help you. Because labradorite helps open doors to the other side, it’s the ideal stone to have nearby for any magickal work you’re practicing. If you already have an altar space where you perform spellwork placing a piece of labradorite on it won’t hurt!

Creativity and Imagination

Looking for a way to get more in touch with your creative side? Think of your creative thoughts as little nudges from the other side; labradorite can help let them in. If you’re looking for labradorite to help with a serious creative block, try finding labradorite with an orange flash to it so it can work on your sacral chakra too.

Anxiety

If you have anxiety or identify as an empath, labradorite is an excellent stone to keep handy while you’re out and about, especially in large groups of people. Because this stone is so good at protecting your energy, it’s great for super sensitive souls too. Don’t let labradorite take the place of your doctor or therapist, but it can offer some added protection when you’re feeling triggered.

Light Bringer

Remember when I said ancient tribes believed labradorite was connected to the Aurora Borealis? Remember that anytime you use it. This iridescent stone is all about bringing self-awareness and opening pathways for you. Labradorite is a true bringer of light in both appearance and its many applications.

I hope you’ve found ten more reasons to adore this stone! It truly is a stone of magick and has so much to offer.

8 Ways to Thrive as an Empath

If you identify as an empath you probably already know that it comes with a slew of benefits and challenges. As an empath, you absorb the energy of others even when you don’t intend to. You might also notice that friends, family, and even strangers feel called to unload on you. Both of these instances can leave you feeling drained, depressed, and anxious. What’s an empath to do?

I’m going to share eight simple ways to help you thrive as an empath. As an empath myself I’ve personally used all of these techniques and use them often.

Not sure if you’re an empath? Check out this previous post to find out if you are.

Learn how to set better boundaries

Becoming a boundary-setting pro is key for anyone who identifies as an empath. Because you feel so much, you must learn to set limits for yourself and what you’ll allow from others to protect your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

Setting healthy boundaries as an empath may include: limiting time with people who drain you, choosing to only work in environments that promote a sense of safety, limiting stimulating screen time, and being kind to yourself when you have to remove yourself from an unhealthy environment.

Being a master of setting boundaries takes practice. Think of it as a muscle and try setting small boundaries first and then work up to bigger ones. Learn more about the spiritual side of boundary setting in this post.

Schedule regular alone time

Living in a realm that never stops empaths will benefit from scheduling in alone time. If you find yourself exhausted but can’t pinpoint why it might be time to ask yourself “When was the last time I spent a few hours alone and away from stimulation?”

As an empath, you may tend to overextend yourself to others and not even realize it. Empaths care so deeply for others; it’s in our nature to always offer a helping hand. Schedule time for solo revitalizing activities, quiet meditation, baths, or any solo activity that restores your balance.

Practice protective meditations

Even though it might be tempting to avoid large crowds as an empath, it may not be realistic. Protective meditations and visualizations can go a long way when it comes to shielding yourself from absorbing the energy of others. There are a variety of techniques and methods to do this, and most involve shielding your aura (energetic field around your body).

Imagining a white protective light around your body and your aura can do the trick. Click here to learn a more detailed protective meditation and more about protecting your aura.

Have a plan for energy vampires

Do you have any people in your life that you dread meeting with because you know it’s going to be an hour or more of listening to them lament about all of the horrible things happening to them? That’s an energy vampire. As an empath, you’re a target for energy vampires because you care so deeply. You want to listen, offer a shoulder to cry on, and be there to make that person feel better; it’s one of your strong suits.

I’m not saying you can’t be the shoulder to cry on, but you need to have a plan for it. If you know you’re going to be spending time with an energy vampire, be sure to set clear boundaries for how much time you can spend with them, do some energy clearing after you meet or talk with them, and maybe pencil in a revitalizing solo activity after your time with them.

Dive into Shadow Work

Have you experienced any addictions? Empaths are constantly bombarded with the emotions of others, so it’s common for empaths to find ways to “numb out” through food, drugs, alcohol, sex, or spending. If you suspect you may be overusing a substance or feeling outside of yourself as a way to handle your feelings digging into shadow work is a good place to start.

Here’s an explanation of why shadow work is so important for empaths from Awakened Empath by Luna & Sol.

In order to heal ourselves, function well in the world. And reclaim our life purpose as empaths, it is vital that we learn how to identify and embrace our Shadow Selves. When we are not conscious of our Shadows, they have the tendency to secretly run our lives and sabotage our efforts to be happy.

Learn more about what shadow work is and how to get started with it in these previous posts by clicking here.

Use protective gemstones

There are a variety of gemstones that can help shield, block, and absorb the negative energy that as an empath you may otherwise be getting all for yourself.

• Labradorite: Great for physical, mental, and spiritual protection labradorite will shield you from unwanted energies.

• Smoky Quartz: One of the most powerful grounding stones, smoky quartz will help keep you anchored to the Earth and feeling safe and protected.

• Snowflake Obsidian: This stone is not only grounding and protective but a great aid for diving into shadow work. Snowflake obsidian is the ideal stone to use to help you identify and release negative patterns.

• Black Tourmaline: This stone is perfect to use anytime you’re planning to spend time with a lot of people. It will create a protective shield around you while also clearing and balancing all of the chakras.

• Hematite: Will help to block negative energies from entering the aura and help to rid the aura of any current negative energy. This is a great stone to place on your desk at work.

Cleanse away negative energy often

The simple act of making a trip to your grocery store could leave you dripping with unwanted negative energy. As an empath, it’s important to cleanse yourself and your space often. Think of it as brushing your teeth! There are a variety of ways to do cleanse yourself, here’s a list of some of my favorites.

• Meditate with clear quartz. Clear quartz is the master balancer and healer and can help cleanse your entire energy system. Learn more about clear quartz here. 

• Cleanse yourself and your space with smoke. Learn more about herbs and herbal wands here. 

• Take a shower or a salt bath and visualize any unwanted energy being washed away from your body.

Spend time in nature

Mother nature has a wealth of revitalizing energy to offer; you merely need to tap into it. Because you’re already primed to feel the energy as an empath, you’ll be able to absorb the nurturing and healing energy from Gaia with ease. Try taking a break and walking barefoot in some grass, feel the energy of the Earth below you offering her support. Learn more about getting grounded on this previous post here.

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Now that you’re armed with tools to protect yourself and your energy go forth and help heal the world, sweet empath, but don’t forget to take care of yourself first!

Are You an Empath or an HSP? How to Know & What to Do!

Did you grow up being told over and over again that you’re “too sensitive”? If you did, you might be an empath, a highly sensitive person (HSP), or both. Being sensitive is often deemed as a bad or undesirable personality trait, but this isn’t true.

I grew up being told again and again that I was too sensitive, and for much of my life, I believed that this was my burden to bear. It wasn’t until I discovered that I was an empath that my sensitivities started to make sense and I began to love and cherish these qualities.

Being highly sensitive is a powerful skill that many don’t possess. It’s time to start celebrating it in one another, especially in our youth, rather than branding it as a negative trait. Today, I’m going to share what the differences are between HSPs and empaths, a checklist to help you determine if you might be one, and some next steps on your journey towards embracing your empathic abilities.

Are you an empath?

Do you identify with most of these statements? If you do, you may be an empath.

• I’m often told that I’m sensitive or an introvert.

• I feel drained by large groups of people.

• I struggle with anxiety.

• I prefer more intimate group settings.

• I have don’t have a lot of friends but am very close with the friends I do have.

• My body is sensitive to medication and caffeine.

• I absorb the emotions of others easily.

• I often get hunches about people before speaking to them.

• Loud sounds, bright lights, and strong scents agitate me.

• It takes me a long time to recover from spending time with large groups of people or people that are require a lot of my energy.

• I consider myself clairsentient. (Learn more about clairsentience on this blog post.)

• Strangers open up to me often.

• I tend to attract the same kinds of partners that aren’t healthy for me.

• I consider myself to be very intuitive.

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What’s the difference between being an empath and an HSP?

The term empath is often used in the spiritual community whereas highly sensitive person or HSP is a more clinical term used by therapists and counselors. Their meanings do overlap in many places but also have differences.

The primary difference between being an empath and an HSP is that HSPs don’t absorb the thoughts and emotions of others and don’t get the same hunches that empaths do. Most empaths fall into the category of HSP, but not all HSPs are empaths. Think of empaths as highly sensitive people with the ability to absorb or feel others' emotions.

What to do now

Being able to absorb the moods and feelings of others is a gift for sure, but it also comes with its challenges. Undiscovered empaths are an easy target for energy vampires and unhealthy relationships. If you find yourself exhausted and anxious regularly and don’t know why it might be time to learn some new tools for your empathic abilities.

The good news is, there are a variety of tools available to you to help you better understand what being an empath is, techniques for turning your energy absorbing abilities off, and how to better navigate the world with your sensitivities in mind.

Being an empath myself I’ve learned a lot about how to navigate this energy-packed realm and still thrive! This blog post covers a variety of techniques and tools to help you flourish as an empath.

Why being an Empath or HSP is awesome!

Before I leave you, I’d like to share a shortlist of why being a super-sensitive empath is such a gift! Here’s a shortlist of why you’re amazing:

• You can help people more easily because you understand them.

• You’re always motivated to bring more light to the world because you also feel its pain.

• You will excel as a healer of any kind.

• You are more connected to the spirit realm.

• You are intuitive by nature and can easily hone your psychic gifts.

• You’re a good listener.

Yes, being an empath comes with its challenges, but once you learn how to cultivate your empathic abilities, you’ll likely agree that it’s indeed a gift.

The Spiritual Side of Boundary Setting + 4 Steps to Help You Set Boundaries

Many of us, especially women, have been taught to give and give and give without question. Over time, as you probably know, this becomes exhausting and depleting. You might already have strong boundaries, or maybe you’re realizing just now that you really need to set them, but you’re afraid. If you’ve been waiting for a permission slip to create more boundaries in your life, consider this it.

You are a powerful being, and you get to decide what is and is not acceptable to you in your life (if reading that gave you a strong reaction, check out this post for tips to connect with your authentic power). You are allowed to take up space. You are allowed to speak up and stand up for yourself. This is the spiritual work of boundary setting.

Boundaries are an important way of setting the terms for how it is and isn’t okay for other people to interact with you, and on an energetic level, they’re a way of protecting your own energy.

Because spiritual work isn’t all pretty all the time. Sometimes it’s the deep, unglamorous work of digging into the roots of your heart and seeing what you truly need, and then telling people that no, you won’t answer their DMs, or no, you won’t do free work anymore, or no, you can’t hold energetic support for them at this moment because you simply have nothing left to give.

I saw Gabby Bernstein live last year, and during the Q&A portion of the night a woman went up to the mic and told Gabby that she was feeling so spiritual these days— so spiritual, in fact, that all she wanted to do was lock herself in her room and meditate and read spiritual books. She said she was starting to resent her life— her kids, her work, her husband— for taking her out of that.

Gabby said, “Here’s what you don’t yet understand: your life is your spiritual practice.”

That’s always stood out to me. Meditating, ritual, yoga, tarot, all of the things we love— they can all be part of your spiritual practice. But they’re not THE spiritual practice. Your spiritual practice is how you treat people, how you treat yourself, how you move in the world, how you set boundaries.

And since we’re always evolving and growing, our boundaries are always evolving, too.

Scroll down for some tips on how to set clear boundaries.

Figure out what your boundaries are

How do you know which boundaries need to be set? How do you know when a boundary has been violated?

Practice checking in with your feelings. Boundary violations may manifest as making you feel powerless, confused, drained, disassociated, angry, or upset. When you feel that way, take an honest look and ask yourself why?

Did someone treat you in a way that’s unacceptable to you? Did you perform free emotional labor that’s leaving you drained? Are you speaking to yourself in a way that’s hurtful?

Dig in and look at why you may struggle to set boundaries

Try these journaling questions:

• What did I learn as a child about the importance of being liked, going with the flow, and saying yes?

• What did I learn as a child about saying and hearing “no?”

• What am I afraid will happen if I set and stick with clear boundaries?

Open your throat chakra

The state of your throat chakra is heavily associated with your ability to set and communicate clear boundaries. When your throat chakra is blocked, you might be afraid to stand up for yourself and be seen or fear being judged for the boundaries you set. Get seven ways to balance your throat chakra here.

Communicate clearly

Once you’ve done the work in steps 1-3, this step should come more easily. Just remember when you’re communicating your boundaries to stand firm. You can speak your boundaries with love and compassion without apologizing, feeling guilty, or making them feel optional. Be as clear, honest, and direct as you can.

Remember, you have to set that boundary clearly with yourself before you can communicate it to anyone else.

You’ve heard it before but I’ll say it again: saying no creates the space for your big YES to come in—whether that’s relationships with people who treat you well, a job that fulfills your soul, or something else. Setting boundaries aren’t just about saying no, it’s about saying YES to only the things that feel good to you and light your soul up.

What’s your relationship with boundary setting? Now’s a perfect time to take a look!

7 Tips for Psychic Protection

Once you open yourself up to working on your psychic abilities you’ll probably notice that you’re more in tune with subtle energies all around you. This is great most of the time but can also be troublesome when it’s negative or unwelcomed energy.

When you’re honing your psychic abilities it’s important that you learn ways to cleanse yourself after challenging psychic work, ground yourself, and protect yourself from unwanted energies.

In fact, you should perform some sort of psychic protection ritual anytime you perform an intuitive or psychic act. Leaving yourself so open may be seen as a welcome mat for negative energy and spirits.

I’m going to share simple and effective techniques with you so you’re able to protect yourself in a way that won’t block you off from all the positive effects of your newfound psychic abilities!

First, let’s cover some clues to know if you’ve ever experienced any negative side effects from doing psychic work. Keep reading for some common signs.

Have you experienced negative side effects from performing psychic work?

It’s true that there are many reasons you could experience the symptoms below. To be sure it was from practicing your psychic abilities, pay attention to your mood and emotional status on days you’ve been performing any psychic work.

• You feel anxious, nervous, or restless like you can’t focus on anything. This may indicate that you need to ground yourself more before practicing psychic work.

• You feel a heavy cloud of negativity for no reason at all that you can’t shake. This could mean that you picked up some negative energy from a lower-level spirit while performing psychic work.

• You feel a wave or attack of pessimistic thoughts about yourself. This might mean you’ve left yourself too open and receptive to others and are experiencing a psychic attack. People can knowingly or unknowingly psychically attack you.

• You’re receiving messages all the time and feel distracted and overwhelmed by them. This indicates that you need to learn techniques to better control when and how you receive psychic information. If you’re empathic, you likely identify with this!

How to protect yourself during psychic work

Shield Meditation

Create a psychic shield around yourself before practicing any psychic work or at the start of each day. If you’re very sensitive to the thoughts and energy of others you’ll find this tool very helpful! One popular meditation shielding technique is a white light meditation.To perform a white light shielding meditation, sit, close your eyes, get comfortable, and begin by focusing on your breath. Imagine your crown chakra (located right above your head) bright, white, and growing bigger with every breath. Next, imagine a cord of light stretching from your crown chakra out of your room, and out into the stars above you. With each inhale imagine light from this cord coming to your crown chakra and with each exhale visualize this white light creating a glowing white shield around your body. Continue this meditation until your shield is complete. You can visualize your shield anytime throughout the day as a reminder that you’re protected.

Crystals

There are a variety of protective stones available to you. The most effective are usually dark or black in color. Try having one near any time you practice psychic work or simply carry one around with you throughout your day for added protection. Here’s a short list of some of the most effective protective stones:

• Fire Agate: This stone is especially helpful at shielding you from negative thoughts from others and psychic attacks.

• Black Tourmaline: This stone is helpful at blocking negative energy of all kinds, it is also very grounding.

• Hematite: This stone is great for protecting and balancing your auric field. It is especially helpful for empaths and psychics who feel other people’s energy.

• Obsidian & snowflake obsidian: This stone does wonders for releasing and letting go of negative thoughts and energy. This stone will come in handy if you’ve picked up negative energy from a darker spirit and you’re having a hard time getting rid of it.

Salt

Cleanse, practice, repeat! Cleansing the energy of yourself and your workspace is key while doing psychic work and salt is a super simple and powerful protector and cleanser. Like I mentioned above, by opening yourself up, you may also be opening yourself up to some lower-level energy.Here are a few ways to use salt as a protective and cleansing tool:

• Create a mixture of salt and water to spray around the perimeter of your home and around yourself.

• You can also just sprinkle some salt around your house, this doesn’t work as well for cleansing yourself though!

• Cleanse your psychic tools (oracle cards, tarot cards, pendulum, etc.) in a bowl of salt (no water for this one!) every once in a while to keep them energetically sound.

• Take a salt bath! This is not only relaxing but will help wash away any negative vibes you’ve picked up.

Recruit the help of your favorite angels, guides & deities

This is a super powerful psychic protection technique that’s often overlooked. Your guides, angels, and beloved deities are always at the ready to help and protect you, but you have to ask! Place a picture or a reminder of some kind of your guides, favorite angles, or respected deities in your workspace, this will serve as a reminder to call upon them for assistance and protection during psychic work.

Ground yourself

One issue with honing your psychic abilities is that you may start to feel flighty and restless like you don’t belong here on the physical plane. Bad news, you’re still needed here and you can’t take off just yet! If you feel like your head is in the clouds call upon the nurturing and protective energy of Gaia after opening yourself up psychically. Click here to check out a previous blog post with lots of tips for getting grounded.

Cleansing Smoke

There are a variety of plants and herbs that can help cleanse your space and yourself. Bonus, some of them smell great too! Giving yourself a quick smoke bath in your favorite cleansing herb is a great way to “wash off” any residual negative energy from something you picked up while out or during a psychic reading. Click here to learn more about making your own cleansing smoke stick and which herbs are best suited for protection.

Prayer, mantra & positive affirmations

Super simple but very powerful, this is another protection technique that is often overlooked. The simple act of taking a few quiet moments to recite a prayer of protection can go a long way. Similar to asking your guides and angels for help, simply speaking it aloud and asking for what you need will help a lot. Here are some suggested mantras and positive affirmation to use during psychic work:

• I am safe and protected.

• I am surrounded by white protective light.

• I open myself up to only the highest beings of love and light.

• My guides and angels are always protecting me.

Try a variety of these tools out to know which ones work best for you. You might find that all seven bring some extra brightness into your day!

You are Psychic! How to Determine What Kind of Psychic Gift You Have

You have psychic abilities. We all do. Some of our psychic gifts are more pronounced than others, but we all have them. The best place to start when it comes to making your psychic gifts more effective is knowing what kind of psychic you are.

The way that we each receive psychic information varies. Just because you don’t see premonitions of the futures does not mean that you’re not psychic! Some of us intuit psychic information through touch, feel, sight, and even smell. Once you determine what kind of psychic you are, you’ll be able to perfect and hone your abilities.

Let’s find out what kind of psychic you are so you can start mastering your psychic abilities! I’ll break down signs to look for each psychic category and a few ways for you to sharpen your skills.

What kind of psychic are you?

As you read through this list, keep in mind that It is entirely possible that you contain gifts from more than just one of these psychic categories. Many of us have two to three that stand out, or, you may have one that is very prominent.

If you haven’t been practicing your psychic abilities you may not be receiving fully formed messages from the other side just yet, and that’s perfectly ok! Determine which of the psychic skills listed below pique your interest, start paying closer attention to that ability in yourself, try out some of the suggested “fine-tuning tips,” and see what happens! If you do have that psychic ability you’ll likely notice that you become more sensitive to it.

A little note: the Latin word “clair” translates to clear, which is why each of the psychic abilities starts the same. I’ve added the English translation to break each one down.

Clairvoyance // Clear Seeing

Clairvoyance is the most commonly referenced of the clairs and is likely one you’ve heard mentioned most often. Don’t be fooled by the term's popularity. It certainly isn’t the most common form of psychic ability!Clairvoyance is the ability to see things before they happen. If you’re clairvoyant, you may have intuitive hits that include seeing visions of future events or having dreams about future events.How to fine-tune your clairvoyant abilities:

• Write down any visions you have so you can cross-reference their accuracy if/when they happen.

• Keep a dream journal.

• Practice third eye meditations often with the help of crystals like amethyst to help open your third eye.

Clairaudience // Clear Hearing

If you fall into the clairaudient category, you’re likely very sensitive to sound and may even get different feelings from sounds. Practiced clairaudients may hear messages from loved ones who have passed on, music from the other side, or hear about the future. If you’ve ever heard voices or music when there are none to be heard you may be clairaudient.How to fine-tune your clairaudient abilities:

• Try sound healing with gongs or singing bowls.

• Keep a journal of how certain sounds make you feel or any messages you hear.

• Practice sound healing meditations often.

Clairsentience // Clear Feeling

If you’re clairsentient, you’re also likely an empath or consider yourself very empathic. Clairsentients can feel the energy of others with ease through their energetic field or aura. You may even have strong feelings about the well-being of plants and animals too. If you’re the type of person that knows that someone is no good immediately upon meeting them, you’re likely clairsentient.How to fine-tune your clairsentient abilities:

• Experience Reiki and consider learning more about Reiki and the auric field.

• Keep a journal to record any intuitive hits you receive about people you come in contact with.

• Practice aura and energy meditations often.

Clairtangency // Clear Touching

Clairtangency is also referred to as psychometry and is the ability to receive intuitive hits from holding different objects. Many people that are clairsentient are also clairtangent, not always, but there are many overlaps between the two. The objects that clairtangents read carry the same energy that clairsentients pick up on. You may receive intuitive hits from holding objects through feeling or visions. Think about the last time you were in an antique store or someone’s home with a lot of older items, how did it feel? If you’ve ever had a strong sense or vision from holding an object, you may be clairtangent.How to fine-tune your clairtangent abilities:

• Keep a journal with any intuitive hits you receive from touch.

• Have friends or family test you by giving you different objects to hold, check with them to see if any intuitive hits you receive are accurate.

• Practice meditations while holding different stones and objects and be aware of how each meditation feels different based on the object.

Claircognizance // Clear Knowing

This psychic ability is a little tougher to pin down and to describe. Claircognizants know things, from either the past or the future, and may not understand why or how they have the information. Unlike clairvoyants, claircognizants may not see a vision, they simply know. If you’ve ever had a strong feeling of knowing something to be true without anyone having told you, you may be claircognizant.How to fine-tune your claircognizant abilities:

• Keep a journal for anything you know all of a sudden, so you can cross-reference it for accuracy later.

• Begin to trust your instincts more rather than questioning them.

• Practice crown chakra and third eye meditations often.

Clairalience // Clear Smelling

Smells are powerful and one of our strongest ties to our memories. Though this psychic ability may seem strange, it’s not surprising that scent can invoke a strong intuitive hit. Seasoned clairaliences receive messages through smells, even if there are no actual smells present. If you’ve ever become overcome with the scent of a loved one that has passed on this not only may indicate that you’re clairalient but that your loved one is nearby.How to fine-tune your clairalient abilities:

• Keep a journal to record any intuitive hits you have that include smell, be sure to include where you were and what you were doing at the time too as this may have something to do with the intuitive hit.

• Surround yourself with scents you enjoy like, herbs, plants, flowers, or essential oils. Record how they make you feel.

• Practice third eye meditations often with the intention set to receive intuitive hits through scent.

Clairgustance // Clear Tasting

Like clairalience, clairgustance involves one of your senses, taste. Not always one of the most pleasant psychic abilities, if you fall into the clairgustance category, you may taste things when you don’t have anything in your mouth. Odd as it may seem, these mystery tastes may be related to intuitive hits. For example, if you’ve ever experienced a familiar taste that took you back to childhood and you weren’t eating anything, you may be clairgustant. How to fine-tune your clairgustant abilities:

• Practice mindful eating to become more in tune with your palette and any feelings you receive from different tastes.

• Keep a journal to record any intuitive hits you receive through taste. Remember, you may not actually be eating anything when you receive a hit of this nature!

• Practice third eye meditations often with the goal in mind to receive intuitive hits through taste.

If you love visuals, below you can find an infographic with some of the psychic abilities that we went through:

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A post shared by Cassie Uhl (@cassieuhl)

Opening your third eye will help to hone any psychic ability listed above!