Awareness

The Ultimate Empath Survival Guide: 7 Solutions For You

Published

1 year ago

May 14, 2020

Empaths are individuals who get overwhelmingly concerned about other people’s feelings and emotions. An empath survival guide is important because, in the process, they take up negative energy that later manifests itself as physical, emotional, and spiritual imbalances.

How does one survive living as an empath? This is an empath survival guide that you can incorporate into your everyday life.

Carry Out a Self-Assessment into Your Sensitivities

What triggers you to be oversensitive? It could be a difficult childhood phase you had or the loss of a loved one or even unresolved issues from the past. By knowing what makes you behave the way you do, you can come up with strategies to protect yourself and still be of help to others.

There are many empath quizzes that you can take and determine what type of empathic person you are.

Develop Strategies to Protect and Replenish Your Energy

Now that you know you are an empath, you have to be proactive in protecting yourself from the negativity that you tend to absorb unwillingly. These 7 survival tactics will see you through. You can use them as a basis in developing your own empath survival guide:

1. Deal With Your Anxiety

Empaths may find themselves being anxious for no apparent reason. If they are not worrying about themselves, they are worrying about another. It is as a result of a lack of faith in one’s capabilities. Being in this state is counterproductive. When faced with anxiety, communication is vital in keeping feelings under control.

Learn to communicate your feelings so that you do not pick on other people’s stress levels. You can, for example, explain to a spouse that you need some quiet time to think about the problem at hand. Make it clear that this has nothing to do with them before they conclude that they are to blame.

2. Build Your Self-Confidence

One way to live a healthy life as an empath is by engaging in activities that build your self-confidence. Have daily affirmations reminding you of your strengths. These affirmations will instill the belief system that you want to live by.

List your fears and have a plan to conquer them.

What is that one thing that scares you the most? Just do it. See yourself the way you would like to be and make plans to achieve that.

List all the things you find wrong in yourself because most of the things we criticize ourselves for never make us better people. Why not start approving yourself and see what happens?

3. Set Clear Boundaries and Live By Them

In order to develop a tough skin when you are an empath, you need to set boundaries to what you can and cannot do. This is because, naturally, you are inclined to give to others. Whenever that urge of selflessness overwhelms you to the point you have no disregard for your own wellbeing ask yourself if you really need to do this now.

Know who you are, what you want to achieve in life, and how you plan to do so. Use this to set clear boundaries on what you are willing to tolerate. Never let others get past your boundaries.

4. Deal With Over-eating or Under-eating

Know what triggers your poor eating habits. Be mindful of what you eat. Read food labels. Measure your portions. Have a specific time for eating. Eat small frequent meals instead of a few large meals.

Our bodies tend to interpret thirst as hunger. Therefore, ensure you drink plenty of water throughout the day.

Take part in sports or regular exercises to keep fit. However, don’t overdo it. Start with regular walks and cardiovascular exercises and slowly progress to HIIT workouts.

Keep yourself busy. Idleness tends to make our minds to wonder a lot. In the process, we engage in poor habits that affect our health.

Live by this rule: Do not try to fix someone who has not asked you to do so.

5. Deal With Your Clinical Depression

Empaths are hit the hardest by clinical depression because they tend to take shock and trauma personally. Additionally, instead of dealing with the depression, empaths put the feelings and emotions of other people first, therefore ignoring their own needs.

Unlike other forms of depression, clinical depression takes more than just the will power to overcome it. If you suffer from clinical depression, you need to take a step back and analyze the possible causes of your depression. This is because clinical depression accumulates for many years before it becomes noticeable. Remember, ignoring the triggers will only make your depression to escalate.

6. Deal With Unintended Guilt

Empaths tend to internalize other people’s guilt to the extent of falling into clinical depression and even committing suicide. To avoid the bad effects of guilt, you should know that you can never control how other people feel about you or about themselves. The best you can do is assist them as much as you can, doing so with honest intentions.

7. Take the 100 Days Rejection Challenge

Have you ever heard of the 100 days rejection challenge? Your purpose for the next 100 days is to engage anyone you meet without having the fear of rejection. Just like Eleanor Roosevelt said, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

By doing this challenge, you learn to desensitize yourself from the fear of rejection. Since it takes at least 3 months to develop a habit, by the end of the 100 days, you should be more confident and assertive when interacting with colleagues. The 100 days rejection challenge makes your empath survival guide easy to live by.

Conclusion

An empath is like a psychic sponge. You suck up both the good and bad energy around you in an effort to make the other person feel better. In turn, you end up getting clogged emotionally and physically. In order to live a healthy lifestyle as an empath, you need to make sure the negative energy accumulated is removed on a regular basis. You also need to develop survival tactics that proactively keep the negative energy absorption under control. This empath survival guide gives you key strategies you need to cope with.

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Personal Development

What Type Of Empath Are You? Take This 2-min Quiz To Find Out

Published

9 hours ago

June 15, 2021

SOLANCHA STAFF

An empath is someone with the unique ability to mirror the feelings of another person even without undergoing their circumstances. In its purest form, it means being able to be in another person’s shoes emotionally or having that extra dose of empathy within you. Being an empath is not easy, and sometimes it takes a toll on you. The good thing is that when you know what type of empath you are, you can use your gift in a healthy way and create a lasting positive impact on people and the environment around you. Or you can even build a fulfilling career!

You see, empathy is a true gift when you know how to use it. You can heal, guide, protect and deeply understand the lives of the people, animals, and the environments around you. Or, maybe you can predict events and even save lives?

The key is to know exactly what type of empath you are and how to open up your potential so that you can be helpful and, at the same time, protected from negative energies you could be picking up.

Types of Empath

There are many empath types that deal with different aspects with empathy with their own specifics and unique expressions. In this article, we decided to focus on the 6 most common types that represent the most common expressions of empathy.

You may ask, “Why label ourselves when we can all just be called ‘an empath’?” Well, you see, being an empath can have its many positives and benefits, but it can also weigh us down heavily with confusion, disorientation, and anxiety. That is why it makes sense to put a name to what we individually experience to better understand ourselves, and identify others who share the same abilities as us. By understanding who you are, what gifts you possess, and where you stand in life, you will be able to understand your life purpose much better.

Take the quiz below to find out what type of empath you are and what special gifts you brought to this world!

Quiz: What Type Of Empath Are You?

Do you tend to absorb the emotions and sorrow of other people as if it was your own?

yes

sometimes

Do you tend to feel and absorb pain and symptoms of other people physically?

sometimes

yes

Do you tend to 'sense' the specific 'vibe' of a building, landscape, or place?

yes

sometimes

Are you able to feel and understand the emotions and feelings of animals?

yes

sometimes

Do you have a tendancy to feel and sense the thoughts and emotions of others and then act them out in front of another person, showing him/her his/her unwanted aspects (shadow self)?

yes

sometimes

Do you tend to know the outcome of a situation before it happens?

sometimes

yes

Can you tell if someone is being dishonest, be it emotions or expressions?

sometimes

yes

Did you have trouble learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols in pre-school?

yes

Are you left-handed?

yes

Can you communicate with animals and receive messages from them?

yes

Do you have a deep connection with the earth to the point that you can even predict natural disasters?

yes

Do you usually intuitively sense or know what ails a person and what they need to feel better?

yes

sometimes

Do you tend to experience the emotions of other people within your body?

sometimes

yes

What are you naturally drawn towards?

Taking care of animals

Healing people

Counseling people

The unseen spirit world

Understanding Mother Earth

Psychology, dreams, the unconscious mind

Types Of Empaths Quiz

Emotional empath

You have a unique ability to pick up another person’s emotions or energy without even having to talk to them and you do so without asking questions. When you say, “l feel you,” you mean it to the core. If your friend or family member is upset or sad, you may soon find yourself upset or sad. As an emotional empath, you can get truly exhausted by friends who are constant complainers who dwell in the negative, or narcissists who suck up all the attention and never reciprocate when they’re feeling down. Because of this, you tend to get drained by emotional vampires. Therefore, it is essential for you to practice self-care and learn how to differentiate other people’s emotions from your own.

Physical empath

You are able to pick up physical symptoms from other people and absorb them into your own body. You intuitively “sense” or know what ails a person and what they need to feel better. You can feel the subtle energy of a person and even change that person’s subtle energy field so they can be healed. However, you have to be very careful you aren't taking on other people's pain. Being a physical empath, may help you to become a highly skilled energy worker, Reiki healer, acupuncturist, massage therapist or yoga instructor. What an amazing gift!

Geomantic empath

You can read the energetic signals transmitted by mother earth. In fact, you may have already felt and/or predicted a natural disaster before it occurred. Or, you may be able to relate to the pain, joy, or fears that form the history of a particular location. You have your energies intuitively adapted to your environment. As a geomantic empath, you can be strongly affected energetically by natural disasters, weather, and the environment being harmed. Remember that connecting with nature works restorative wonders. This could be as simple as meditating under a tree, "earthing," or prioritizing enough outdoor time. You, as a geomantic empath, have a strong need to feel close to nature, so honoring that is important for your health and energy.

Animal empath

You are highly skilled at feeling and embodying the energy of other animals. As an animal empath, you have a deep understanding of what animals need and are trying to communicate. You have an uncanny ability to connect with wildlife of every kind. It may feel like a somewhat telepathic connection, where you sense what an animal wants. You are naturally inclined to go into work with animals, particularly where you directly caring for the animal. Being around/helping animals brings you joy. Think about using more of your time to foster this part of your life, by volunteering with a local shelter. You could even take it one step further by practicing energy healing, such as Reiki, on the animals in your life.

Heyoka empath

A Heyoka is a Native American term that means mirror. You feel and sense the thoughts and emotions of others and then act them out in front of another person. You show the person all the unwanted aspects or their inner shadow. In a sense, you are very much like a guru because you come here to help others evolve and do so by playing a stage character for the others to see a reflection of themselves. You may find yourself doing things such as reading and eating differently or in an unconventional manner. You process things in a completely different pattern and think outside the box. Crowds and public places tend to drain your energy. That is why you often prefer being in your own company. Alone time gives you enough time to decompress from all the negative energy you take in and re-energize.

Claircognizant empath

Claircognizance is the inner knowing of an event without having prior knowledge. Information, insight, and special knowledge comes to you in the form of thought, or a subtle sense of knowing. Sometimes you know what somebody will say before they even finish speaking. You are a human lie detector who has an uncanny knack of determining when someone is being authentic or not. You always know the outcome of a situation before it happens or even provides hints on how it will turn out. You love figuring things out, and people always seek your opinion, be it work-related or personal stuff. In addition, you do a lot of analytical thinking and help people find solutions when they are stuck. You don’t have to feel like a weirdo every time you make an inference that turns out to be true. Pick yourself up and dust off the self-doubt. Look yourself in the mirror and make peace with that person looking back at you. Embrace the claircognizant empath you are.

Mantras

How To Connect With Vasudhara: the Goddess Of Abundance & Wealth

Published

4 days ago

June 11, 2021

Katya Ki

Vasudhara is a goddess of wealth, prosperity, spiritual wealth, and wisdom. She is considered to be one of the 21 Taras, also known as “Golden/Yellow Tara“. This beautiful Goddess blesses anyone with spiritual and material abundance to anyone who recites her mantra. In this article, I will introduce you to Yellow Tara and share with you her sacred mantra that can help you significantly improve your spiritual and material wellbeing.

Who Is Vasudhara (Yellow Tara/Golden Tara)?

Vasudhara, whose name means “stream of gems” in Sanskrit, is the Buddhist bodhisattva of wealth, prosperity, and abundance. She is also known as Golden Tara or Yellow Tara.

The goddess originated in Indian Buddhism and was later transmitted to Tibet. In India, Vasudhara is compared to Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, fortune, and abundance. Both goddesses have identical iconography and often appear with their husbands. Lakshmi’s husband is Vishnu, and Vasudhara’s husband is Dzambhala.

Vasudhara’s heart is filled with compassion and loving-kindness toward all beings. She is the embodiment of the boundless generosity which is the first of the six transcendent perfections that are fundamentals for the Bodhisattva path. According to the Buddhist tradition, Vasudhara is able to materialize the wealth for the one who chants her mantra and performs the rituals that invoke the goddess.

The origin of Vasudhara in Buddhism appears in the Buddhist text “The Vasudhara Dharani”. According to a legend “The Inquiry of the Layman Sucandra,” described in the text, an impoverished layman named Sucandra came to the Buddha Shakyamuni and asked if he could give him a way to obtain large amounts of gold, grain, silver, and gems in order to feed his large family and engage in acts of charity with the surplus fortune. Shakyamuni said that the Vasudhara mantra would suit this purpose. He gave Sucandra the Vasudhara mantra and sacred ritual that when followed would result in good fortune and prosperity brought on by Vasudhara herself. Upon commencing the rituals and teaching them to others, Sucandra began to prosper. Noticing his success, the monk Ananda asked Shakyamuni how he had obtained this fortune so quickly. Shakyamuni instructed Ananda to also practice the Vasudhara mantra and the ritual and told him to “impart it to others ‘for the good of many’.

Vasundhara is a bodhisattva-liberator, who gives a person piously acquired wealth. This beautiful goddess also ensures that spiritual wisdom is accompanied by favorable circumstances: high standard of living, longevity, and happiness.

Yellow Tara Symbolism

Yellow Tara is beautiful and attractive. She is youthful as a sixteen-year-old, and her golden body scintillates with radiant light.

Her skin color is golden-bronze. This color is associated with precious metals and symbolizes nobility and generosity.

The goddess has three beautiful smiling faces. Her right face is red, which represents control. The middle face is golden, which represents increase. And her left face is red, which represents compassion.

The goddess is adorned with the five divine silks and the eight jeweled ornaments.

Usually, Golden Tara is depicted seated on a lotus flower base in the lalitasana, or royal pose, with one foot tucked in towards her and the other hanging off the flower base but resting on a small treasure. She can, however, also be depicted in a standing position.

The number of her arms may differ from image to image. She can have as few as two arms and as many as six. The two-armed representations are more common in Tibetan and Indian art, while six-armed representations are almost exclusive to Nepalese art. Although the six-armed image originates in India, they are rare and only a few examples have been found.

Her first right-hand makes the gesture of generosity, while her other two right hands hold the ‘Three Jewels of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, – symbolizing the necessity of maintaining the commitments of refuge to the three jewels, and a golden rosary, symbolizing continuous practice and self-examination, vital to enlightenment path.

With her three left hands, she holds a small treasure-vase (a symbol of long life and initiation), an ear of grain (a symbol of abundant harvests and earthly benefits), and a sacred text (a symbol of wisdom).

Representations with more arms, such as the six-armed Nepali representation, also depict Golden Tara as a goddess that is holding a full vase and the Book of Wisdom. With her free hands, she performs mudras. The most common mudra in paintings and figurines featuring Vasudhara is the Varadamudra, also known as the charity mudra, which symbolizes the “pouring forth of divine blessings.”

When depicted with two arms and one face, Vasudhara has a golden body (which symbolizes the earth element) and Ratnasambhava in her crown. Sometimes she is depicted with two or three eyes. The three eyes depiction represents perfect awareness, understanding, compassion, wisdom, and insight into the past, present, and future. Her two hands holding a sheaf of corn represent the process of sowing the seeds of enlightenment. A single wish-fulfilling jewel or a bowl of wish-fulfilling jewels represent wealth and wish-fulfillment.

In Tibetan iconography, the goddess is depicted sitting beside her husband Dzambhala or in union with him. In these cases, she holds a stem with grains in her left hand and a rosary in the right.

In her Tantric depiction, the goddess is red in color, with ornaments of bones holding a stem of grains or precious gems in the right hand, and a skull cup with blood in her left hand. Her red form is also depicted in union with Dzambhala, who is in the same color.

Vasudhara Mantra

Vasudhara practice requires dedication and self-discipline. Therefore, before starting the practice make sure you’ll be able to invest your time and energy into it.

Preparation:

Before starting your practice, write down your intention on a piece of paper. Speak from your heart. Start with words: “I dedicate my Vasudhara mantra practice to … (describe what you intend to gain)”

Instructions:

On the first day, you should recite the mantra 800 times.
Then, every day afterward, recite the mantra 300 times. 100 times in the morning, 100 times in the late afternoon/evening, and the final 100 times before going to bed. Or, you can recite the mantra 300 times all at once at any time of the day.
It is advisable to get a Vasudhara statuette or Yellow Tara thangka so that you can recite the mantra in front of it.
While reciting the mantra, visualize Golden Tara and how her blessings are coming to you in a form of golden energy.
Always express your gratitude to the Goddess before and after practice.

Mantra text:

Om Śri Vasudhara Ratna Nidhana Kashetri Soha

Though it may seem like a lot of work, such dedication will definitely pay off. It is said that devotees of this practice will accumulate seven kinds of prosperity – wealth, quality, offspring, long life, happiness, praise, and wisdom. Vasudhara will bless you with enough resources to be able to engage in spiritual practices without worrying too much about your finances. It also believed that this practice leads to spiritual enlightenment.

Short Vasudhara Mantra

If you don’t have enough time or energy to dedicate to the full Vasudhara mantra practice, you can recite a short version of the Vasudhara mantra. The practice of this mantra increases good luck and well-being, as well as helps to overcome difficulties and achieve progress in many directions.

The text of the mantra:

Om Vasudhare Svaha

Recite this mantra 7, 21, or 108 times.

Astrology

Saturn Retrograde Is Here: This Is What ‘Lord of Karma’ Is Going To Teach Us

Published

5 days ago

June 10, 2021

Katya Ki

On May 23, Saturn entered its retrograde phase, which will last until October 11, 2021. Saturn’s retrograde motion will encourage a return to our past experiences, rethinking, mistake analysis, and deceleration. Retrograde Saturn has an impact on global, large-scale processes. The period of Saturn retrograde will affect social life, business, government institutions, and the functioning of large companies. Saturn Retrograde often provokes a reorganization of structures, orders, rules, and a rethinking of goals and strategies.

In this article, I will share with you how Saturn retrograde will affect us, what karmic lessons this period can activate, and how we can soften the impact of this period on our lives.

Saturn Retrograde: What Does It Mean?

Like any other retrograde period, this is the time when Saturn is moving backward. Of course, the planet isn’t actually moving backward! It’s just that Earth’s position relative to Saturn makes the planet look like it’s moving backward. From an astrological point of view, this is an important event, since retrograde periods bring lessons and challenges in the spheres that the planet controls. In the case of Saturn, the lessons it brings are usually associated with our inner self, wisdom, responsibility, and discipline.

Saturn In Vedic Astrology

In Vedic astrology, Saturn is ‘Lord of Karma’ and time. As ‘Lord of Karma’, he is often the most feared of planets. However, it doesn’t punish you for your bad actions, but rather gives you the ‘harvest’ from the ‘seeds’ you planted yourself. If you planted the seeds of love, compassion, self-discipline, spiritual dedication, then you will reap only positive results of such actions. But if you planted the seeds of judgment, anger, cruelty, addiction to pleasure, and material possessions, then you will reap the negative consequences of such actions. Saturn always makes sure that we reap what we sow.

Shani (Saturn) is considered the greatest of teachers. His methods are not particularly gentle, but they teach discipline, restraint, concentration, and economy. Saturn teaches us to follow traditions and take responsibility for our actions. He is responsible for introversion, focus, truth, work, limitations, organization, democracy, fairness, and asceticism.

What To Expect From Saturn Retrograde 2021?

Saturn retrograde period started on May 23 and will last until October 11. During this period, Saturn will draw attention to such areas as work, career, and, in general, the scope of your activity. During this period, karmic situations are activated that require patience and the right focus. Instead of feeling frustrated that things are not going the way you want, look at challenging situations from a karmic lesson perspective. Remind yourself that you might be paying a karmic debt or learning a karmic lesson. Take any challenges with gratitude.

Saturn, as a planet responsible for living practical experience, helps us to accumulate the necessary knowledge and skills for the formation of our personality and teaches us to realize our life goals in the best possible way.

There may be tension in relations with elderly relatives or superiors, government officials during this retrograde period.

Three Things To Keep In Mind

In order to spend the period of Saturn retrograde as harmoniously as possible, you need to remember the following:

#1: Saturn retrograde teaches us responsibility, perseverance, restraint, compliance with the rules, seriousness, and control

Therefore, during this time, it is favorable:

take on what you have been putting off for a long time and bring it to the end;
review your plans and adjust them;
to sum up the results;
develop self-discipline;
fast or eat only vegan food on Saturdays;
think through everything to the smallest detail before taking action.

#2: Be prepared for the fact that you will be thrown from one extreme to another

Therefore, try to analyze your behavior and things that trigger your emotions. Many people may experience anxiety, worries, fears, pessimism during Saturn retrograde. Pay attention to your emotions and learn to control them! Daily meditations and pranayama will help you to balance your mood and emotions.

#3: Pay attention to your health

Problems can be associated with exhaustion of the body. Therefore, it’s important to be mindful of your capabilities and do not overwork. Also, pay attention to your stress levels. If you feel tired, make sure you take time to recharge yourself in nature, meditate, and do breathing exercises.

How Will Saturn Retrograde Affect Our Health?

During this period, there may be an imbalance of Vata dosha (dry skin, allergic reactions, dry joints, respiratory problems). People may experience the following health problems provoked by Saturn:

Injuries to the knee joints
Increased acidity
Skin diseases
Dental problems
Respiratory system problems
Herpes
Problems with blood vessels

People who are prone to arthritis should take precautions, as, during the retrograde period, a chronic inflammatory process is possible. The same recommendations are relevant for chronic diseases of the liver and gallbladder.

Saturn in Shravan Nakshatra

During this retrograde, Saturn is in Shravan Nakshatra which is a highly karmic position that usually causes pain, suffering, and turmoil in the world. Saturn’s retrograde effect in Shravan nakshatra intensifies and also takes more time to get over with.

If you look at the world events of the past, whenever Saturn was in Shravan nakshatra, there were problems at the national and global levels. There have been several wars, economic collapses, deaths of kings/rulers, deaths of large numbers of people, distress, and general instability. And now we will be feeling the influence of Shravan nakshatra until February 18th, 2022.

This nakshatra may force us to focus more on material aspects of life more than on our spiritual development. Material matters may become a priority for most people so that they may forget the true spiritual purpose in this life.

The lesson here is to remind yourself that material stability is important but we should always remember to influence everything we do with the spiritual beliefs and principles we follow in life. The goal here is to find a perfect balance between your material and spiritual life.

Recommendations For Saturn Retrograde 2021

#1: Refrain From Drinking Alcohol

Alcohol is not only bad for your health but also angers Shani Dev (Lord of Karma/Saturn). Therefore, it’s essential to refrain from drinking alcohol during the retrograde period, especially on Saturdays and Tuesdays. Also, avoid smoking and using any kinds of drugs or plants that affect your consciousness. All these habits add to your negative karma.

#2: Wear Black on Saturdays

On Saturdays, it is recommended to wear black or dark clothes.

#3: Chant Mantras

There are two mantras that are recommended to be chanted during the Saturn Retrograde period. You can choose one that you resonate with the most or chant both of them. Chant these mantras on Saturdays 108 times.

Mantra #1: “OM SHAM SHANICHARAYA NAMAHA”

Mantra “OM SHANTI OM”

Conclusion

Though this Saturn retrograde may seem like a challenging time for many, try to keep your focus on positive things. Observe the world events with a peaceful mind and trust the process. Remember that Saturn encourages humility, patience, the ability to wait, contemplation, a willingness to accept any outcome of the situation, asceticism, and modesty. Nurturing these qualities within yourself will help you to live the period of Saturn retrograde in harmony and reap the positive benefits from the seeds you sowed.