The Empath Connection Blog

The Sun never says to the Earth.....

2011-12-15T15:32:00.000-08:00

This poem by Hafiz was sent to me by a client, and it struck so true!

Even
After
All this time
The Sun never says to the Earth,

"You owe
Me."

Look
What happens
With a love like that,
It lights the
Whole
Sky.

Thank you C for this beautiful way to start the day!

Winners of the 2011 Empath Scholarship Program Announced

2011-12-05T17:43:00.000-08:00

Empath Connection Scholarship Winners for 2011 Announced!

Congratulations to Carla Perotte, and to Shanna Gwilliam, both of whom were chosen by an impartial 3-person panel to receive training to further a career in the healing arts. Here are some excerpts from their scholarship applications:

Carla Perotte
"Since my childhood years I have always felt the energies of others but mistakenly thought it was my own energy leaving me in a constant depressive state thinking something was wrong with me. After listening to many spiritual teachers, especially Dr. Michael Smith, I realized I simply had the gift of being an empath and I am perfect the way I am. This gift has allowed me feel the energies of others, hold the energy and assist in raising or transforming their vibrational frequencies. I have also recently felt peculiar sensations in my hands discovering that I have a gift to heal with my hands. The importance of (my attending) the Reconnection Healing program will help to enhance my ability to be an empath healer and eventually branch out to be an energy healer."

Shanna Gwilliam
"I have been a licensed psychotherapist for eleven years, and running across the term "empath" has changed my life. I feel so validated, understood, and as if I have some tools to alleviate the symptoms that have presented over the years. I have an interest in many alternative modalities and an excitement for learning them. This would benefit myself and my clients. I hope this help will enable me to know which emotions are mine and which belong to others. I hope to be able to go to the grocery store on a Saturday afternoon and not leave exhausted. I hope to meet with people and feel exhilarated rather than depleted. I use my empath skills daily. I want to learn to use them in a way that is beneficial to all, including myself. I have had incredible experiences where I have let go and let myself be guided, without fear, and these moments are the moments I seek. I am seeing more and more people who relate with the word empath and I know they are needing help. I want to be that help for them."

Update 12-19-2011: From Carla: I completed levels 1 and 2 and am now a qualified Reconnection Healer. During the seminar we were given tools on how to access this healing energy, how to set up a business atmosphere and handle clients professionally. But the most important thing during the seminar was the knowing of my healing ability. My hands were on fire and tingling. I knew that I had a gift and when we were given the opportunity to practice on other student attendees, I could literally feel the energy coming from my hands and was pleased that those I worked on felt a difference after my session with them. As an empath, I did feel certain sensations in my body that indicated to me that I was feeling the other persons physicality and/or energy. I am still trying to absorb the whole experience. So I want to thank you once again for the opportunity that have enhanced my career skills and finding something that I will truly enjoy making a living off of. I am going to enjoy ...bringing in the coming grand year of 2012 which I am extremely excited and joyous about. What a time to be alive!

Congratulations to our 2011 winners! The applications for 2012 will be released sometime around May or June, 2012.

Sign up for the Empath Connection newsletter to be notified of when the applications are released for 2012.

Michael Smith

Empaths: Learn Skills to Cope with Electrical Sensitivity

2011-12-05T17:40:00.000-08:00

By Michael R. Smith
(Reposted From the October 2012 Empath Connection newsletter).

Last month, to quiet our minds before the launch of "Awakening the Genesis Within," LD Porter and I spent a weekend on a boat on beautiful Lake Powell near the Utah-Arizona border. After I returned, what I heard emanating from the walls of my home provided a natural subject for this month's Empath Connection column!
For better or worse, most of us empaths live in a culture that exposes us each day to the harsh realities of electricity, to which many of us are exceptionally sensitive (computer screens and florescent lighting are two of the worst examples).
As empaths, the more you can learn about how electricity impacts you, and also how you impact electricity, the better your physical and mental health will become. Each day, our senses are bombarded with alternating current. This type of electricity is a stressor to the nervous system, and because the polarity changes so often, constantly oscillating and reversing direction, it is akin to being on a roller-coaster with no escape. (Not to mention the ugly monsters that litter the geographical landscape in order to produce the current!).

When relaxed, the human body and its brain waves operate at a natural frequency of approximately 8 cycles per second. Not surprisingly, this is the same frequency to which Earth vibrates. However, alternating current has a jarring frequency of between 50 and 60 cycles per second, depending on where you live in the world.
I encourage you to stop what you are doing, close your eyes, and listen to the sounds that emanate from the walls of your home or office.
Do you notice a buzzing sound? If so, the vibration of electricity is probably affecting you more than you may have realized. (An empath's sensitivity to the hum of electricity is one reason why I encourage Empath Academy participants to turn off their refrigerators during our classes).

Also, because we as empaths are healers and can "hold more charge" in our big energy fields, this sometimes disrupts the computers, Ipods, telephones, and fax machines around us! For example, here's a story from one of our readers: "In the last year my effect on electrical components has been increasing at quite a clip. The following are still not working correctly: my car, my cellphone, my laptop (completely fried), and myself (I am constantly being shocked all the time). I have had to neutralize myself by carefully monitoring what I eat and drink and think and of course be very selective about clothing and footwear so I don't combust!"
I would imagine that many of you reading the above story can relate!

Now is the time to take charge of your environment to decrease stress to your physical body. Here are some new skills you can learn to reduce the impact of electricity on your sensitive nervous system:

* Unplug appliances that are not being used, especially in the bedroom.
* Lower your refrigerator setting to the absolute minimum. This is usually more than enough to keep your food cool (and will lower your electricity bill).
* Use a battery powered alarm clock.
* Some empaths have reported success with EMF protectors.
* At least once a week, spend a day in nature, even if the weather is "bad." Getting caught in a rain or snowstorm is a good way to keep your aura clear.

The most effective way to decrease electricity's disturbing effect on our nervous systems is to spend time in nature. This is a common-sense but often overlooked method of "self improvement" to help you become more aware of your empathic skills. Mother Earth will keep your aura clear, you just need to give her the opportunity to do it. Even a few hours is enough to clear our energy fields of the accumulated "ick factor" that we experience in our wired-worlds.
Until next time, wishing you all the best in happiness and health and love!

:)
Michael Smith
Although we can't be sure, electrical sensitivity may be increasing as a result of the changing vibration of the Earth (This subject is further described in my book, Navigating 2012).

(Reposted From the October 2012 Empath Connection newsletter).

Empaths are Awakening the Genesis Within

2011-12-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed the amazing new high vibrational energy on the planet? For many of us, It's exciting because the influx of energy is allowing us to move into a new personal and collective reality.

As we each continue to recognize our own creative power, we become better creators of Light energy. Your own recognition of your empathic and psychic abilities is causing all of us to ascend into a state of more Light and more Grace. This is an ongoing process that will continue to intensify over the coming years.
This process is forcing us to drop our old ways of being. We simply cannot exist in our 'old' patterns and ways of being. Because of the new energy (there's also been lot of solar activity happening the past few weeks that you may be picking up), many of us are experiencing 'symptoms' that we might think, at first glace, are negative. In actuality, these so-called 'symptoms' are actually a positive force, asking us to change our patterns and getting us to do something different than we have done previously. This is a good thing, because the Earth itself will not support our previous ways of being.

If you're having challenges dealing with the additional energy, you're not alone. Some of us are reporting mysterious new physical sensations (headaches, insomnia, fatigue), while others are feeling the changes on a more emotional level (irritation, frustration, or a feeling that 'something is up' as one Empath Connection facebook poster reported).
Whatever your own experience, an important spiritual message for right now is to be gentle on yourself, and act in a gentle manner. Ask yourself "how can I conserve my energy right now so that I don't overdeplete myself?" We can learn a lot about this process from watching how animals conserve energy, especially from how bears hibernate. (This is discussed in my recent Global Teleclass shamanism class, which you can listen to as a part of the Empath Toolkit).

These months ahead are about nurturing your own Spirit to keep up with the changes. Take a walk in the woods, take yourself on a 'play date',or create an 'altar' in honor of your Highest Self, or listen to some gorgeous meditative music (purchase here & you'll contribute 100% of your purchase to the empath scholarship program).

In the spirit of this message, I recently recorded a new teleclass with my friend LD Porter that contains uplifting discussion to help you embrace yourself during these times of transformation. Set aside 45 minutes to listen to the recording and connect with your highest self, and you'll be a different, lighter person tomorrow!

Until next time, and as always, I wish YOU all the best in happiness and health and love! (It is my intention that you can feel these vibrations through this posting!).
:)

Michael Smith

Empaths Spiritual Awakening

2011-12-01T17:57:00.000-08:00

We're moving into a new age on Earth. As empaths, we're waking up to our TRUE identities - that we are healers. To support you in your own development as a skilled empath who understands your healing gifts, I've co-authored a new book for you, with my good friend, psychic healer LD Porter.

The Genesis Keys to Spiritual Awakening includes the new eBook and a slew of wonderful enriching materials to support you in your awakening. (scroll down the page to read the book for free).

It's also available worldwide in paperback from our publisher, CreateSpace.

(You can get a free psychic development teleclass with myself and LD by signing up for his mailing list here - scroll down the page's left side).

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW to preview some of what you'll learn:

Empath Connection scholarship program for 2011 - Accepting applications

2011-07-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Now accepting applications for scholarship money for 2011.

The scholarship program allows empaths & highly sensitive people to gain new skills and tools and education which will allow you to more fully utilize your empath gifts & talents in your chosen career.

Download the application to learn all the details.

All the best,
Michael Smith

The Urgency of our Times: What's Happening Below the Surface

2011-03-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Here in North America, now that the Spring Equinox has arrived, we are coming out of hibernation. Winter is giving way to the masculine, yang, energy of the sun and summer. And with recent world events, we are seeing that the Earth itself is also coming out of hibernation and rousing humanity into a new action/thought paradigm.

Are you sensing the urgency of these times in which we live?   There is an intensity and pressure building in the world, beyond anything any of us have experienced up until now. These are all manifestations of what's happening below the surface.   There are workings of our mother to which we are not privy. She's shifting in major ways, and so are we.

It is TIME. Many prophecies and sacred stories (of the Egyptians, Hopi, Lakota, Seneca, Mayans, etc) speak of these times that we are in. Do you feel lifeless, out of breath, depressed, put upon? Do you feel that there is little room for you to move? Do you feel options decreasing?   Are things contracting?   If you've noticed any of these feelings, below the surface, now is the time to bring them to the LIGHT.   Go under, retrieve these feelings, bring them into the open (often through tears), and move forward with action. Sometimes a good soul cry will open the heart chakra and help you move forward with perspective.

We no longer have TIME for dawdling and procrastinating. Ask yourself, "What is my prayer for the rest of the year?" What is it that your heart is asking of you? What is the next major project, goal, task, for you?   Commit yourself, right now, in this moment, to doing something DIFFERENT.

The future of our world, of our children, of the coming generations, depends on what you do right now.   The thoughts you are thinking, right now, as you read this text, will bring forward the creation of the next 7 generations. If you act on these inner knowings, these inner urges, then the future will come more easily for the Earth, for you, and for the next generations. You have the power, right now, to prevent other major catastrophes from happening.   Any actions taken on behalf of the entire circle of the universe and all it's beings, can prevent future diseases, blight, earthquakes, tsunami's.

You are powerful beyond anything you have imagined or can possible fathom. Give up the need to know exactly why, simply say "I don't know, and I don't need to know," and take an action on faith. Sign up for a class to deepen your spiritual connection, get some physical exercise to clear out your energy field, have a good, deep, long, cleansing cry. Apologize to a loved one or friend for things you might have done in the past that are still haunting either of you. Make a phone call to a loved one who might be living alone and in need of companionship. Forgive someone who has done you wrong. Even better, communicate this forgiveness with them, without prompting. It takes the courage of action, that's all.

We each have a limited amount of time on this Earth. Make it count.

God Bless, Michael Smith.

Would you like more of this type of message? Read Navigating 2012: Thriving in Earth's New Age

Empaths & Highly Sensitive People: "Walking in the New Garden" by Argus El'iam

2011-02-02T17:27:00.000-08:00

2012: Empaths & Highly Sensitive People Walking in the New Garden

By Argus El'iam

From the time I was a small child, I knew that I was "different" and I always felt like I was out of place, and didn't belong here on the Earth. When I was 4 years old as I sat playing with my toys up alone in my bedroom, a group of non-physical Light Beings or what some would call Angels appeared to me and basically laid out the origins and cosmology of the Universe and Earth to me, the Universal principles and mysteries of life and energy, and with that how Jesus (Yeshua) conducted his healing work. It was much like receiving a refresher course for what I already knew, lest I forget in time.

They informed me that I would be going through what would appear as very difficult trials and tests in this lifetime and would "go dim" for a portion of my life, but it would all be for the greater good. The main piece they imparted to me, was not to 'forget' who I really was and that there was a "grand plan" of which I was part and a greater reality always.

At age twelve, I began a quest for the truth and what was really going on, my own cosmic "behind the scenes" investigation. I began to see the hypocrisy and distorted truth presented by many religions, including my own Catholic faith. I found I had two sets of eyes develop, the eyes in my head and what I call the eyes of my heart. The eyes of my heart were tuned into a very different reality than the former.

Instead of focusing on my regular schoolwork, I had my head buried in parapsychology and metaphysical literature. As a new teen, rather than bumping my head against a buddy in a game of touch football, I was bumping my head against my bedroom ceiling during an experiment with astral projection. I would go outside at night and stare up at the starlit sky for hours and long to be back "home" where I belonged. I kept hearing the words, "mission, you are on a mission" in the back of my mind. I got the sense that I was part of some unseen group that I was selected to be on 'earth' assignment.

My parents and other family members now pegged me as "strange, odd, and over-sensitive". "Don't be so damn sensitive!", my parents would chide me on many occasions. Yet, I knew no other way to be. It seemed I was steeped in a sea of ever changing tides and currents of emotions and energies. I could sense and feel peoples energy and emotions, sometimes better than they could and usually amplified. Many times these experiences were extremely intense and eventually got to the point where I began to "shut down" in order to alleviate this and protect myself. On more occasions than I can count, friends, acquaintances, and even total strangers, without provocation would disclosed their most intimate thoughts and feelings to me, and say "I don't know why I'm telling you all this."

It wasn't until many years later, when I was working with a very conscious and tuned in therapist, that he told me frankly and lovingly, " Argus, you can never be "too sensitive"! I think it's a good thing. Did you ever consider your sensitivity to be a gift?" This statement really helped turn my perspective and understanding around. I began to see and understand that this sensitivity and empathy was indeed a gift and also very natural. I also started channeling these sensations and visions through my artistic creative expression.

It has been 50 years now since my Celestial Light Being friends had visited me and imparted their profound message to me, and I have been witnessing the amazing unfolding and perfection of all that has transpired since that time and my role in it all. I have come to see how people like myself have actually been trailblazers and pioneers in the world. How I have energetically forged a path, with others like myself to make the way into this time easier for others to follow. In many ways, empaths have assisted to set the stage for this amazing time we are entering into. Many of us have sensed the vibrational shifts on the planet for some time now. All souls incarnated into this earth experience at this particular juncture of time/space, are here to participate in this amazing shift. We are now metaphorically, if not literally standing at the gate of the New Garden and our hearts and souls are stirring and expanding with intense anticipation.

2012 represents a marker for the end of one grand cycle and the beginning of another. It is the convergence and alignment of universal and cosmic energies, that is part of a grand and glorious evolutionary expansion of consciousness on all levels. The playing field we have been playing on is shifting dramatically, and will culminate at the 2012 juncture. What this means in day to day life, is that what we see show up in our reality will be much more closely related to our thoughts, feelings, and intentions. This is good news for empaths as this has been the domain we have primarily been operating in.

In the time to come, empaths will play an important role in assisting many who are struggling to find deeper meaning and connection, and teach a way of being in the New Earth Garden ; a way where heart and mind work together in a balanced harmonious way, and a way where seeing with the "eyes of the heart" will become more the norm than ever before. - Argus Eliam

This is an excerpt from Navigating 2012: Thriving in Earth's New Age

To see visionary artist Argus Eliam's artwork, "Empath Energy Art," Please visit his website & click on "Web Store."

Empath Scholarship Winners

2011-02-02T17:22:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the first Empath Connection Scholarship Winners! These were announced in the December 2010 Empath Connection newsletter but I also wanted to post their stories here. Coincidentally, both will receive workshop training in spiritual development at the Kripalu Center in Massachusetts.

If you would like to donate to the 2011 Empath Scholarship Fund, please contact me (Michael Smith) here.

Here are excerpts from their essays.

CHANTAL COHEN - SILVER SPRING, MD

"Four years ago, I had a near-death experience and was in a coma for 11 days-- I came out of this experience with a deep knowing feeling that I had been granted a "prolongation" of my life for a reason and that during this time I would have to use whatever gifts I had been given in the healing, intuitive field and be of service to other people. Why the healing field? Because I had a dream where I clearly saw myself assisting a woman giving birth and placing a Reiki symbol on her forehead and I am very sensitive to energies-in my own hands, in gemstones, in trees and plants and other people's energies.

Having spent most of my life denying, ignoring and running away from my intuition, blocking out messages and dreams that I have been getting, I believe that energy training would give me a head start in pursuing the necessary training for what will be my second career now and improving my spiritual awareness and energy management skills. It is really an essential step for me in accepting myself as a spiritual person, and my growth as a human being, and an effective empath and intuitive."

TRINITY NIEVES - BLOOMFIELD, NJ

At the age of 10 I realized I was a "sensitive" and that I possessed "intuitive" abilities. I had no idea at the time what these things meant or how it would impact my life. All I believed was that I was a "freak" and that "something was wrong with me." For the next 26 years, I suppressed and repressed my feelings, intuition and truth. I experienced trauma and abuse and in the process forgot who I was and why I was here. During the past 3 years, I have been diligently working on healing myself, discovering and remembering who I am. I have been peeling layer after layer of programming - "I am not good enough, I don't deserve and I am not worthy." The hardest part of my healing journey has been to fully accept and love myself - ALL OF ME. My greatest challenge has also been to allow happiness be my natural state of being and not judge my experiences or myself.

My mission is to help others like me - empaths, single mothers, abused women and children and others who are looking to discover who they are and fully live and love their truths. This type of education will assist me on my journey and also for the work I do with clients. "You are so loved so love yourself just as much," is what I teach my clients and is my own mantra. As an empath, I sense through feelings and vibration what feelings/emotions a client is repressing and suppressing, and help them to feel and flow with them. I know why I am here and what I am to do and I trust the deeper I go into me the more I am able to assist and attract the emerging population of empaths and soul's awakening to their truth.

This program has been such an inspiration! I believe that we can all benefit from reading the wonderful life stories of each applicant. Michael Smith

Empaths & Metaphysical Aspects of Food Preparation

2010-12-16T11:26:00.000-08:00

A Metaphysical Theory of Food

By Kevin Friel, Empath

I'll preface this with keeping Masaru Emoto's intention water experiment in mind (sending 'love' produced beautiful crystals, 'hate' jagged ugly ones...). I started thinking about the value of food after touring a top nutritional testing facility near Chicago this summer, and hearing that facilities CEO speak. My thought process brought me to the conclusion that not only what and how we eat and how it is prepared is important, but who handles the food through the farming/supply chain/distribution/preparation/serving process. More importantly, what is their INTENTION while taking part in this process?

Families used to prepare, cook, and in a lot of cases even farmed their own food together. They would then sit around together and eat. For the most part (sibling rivalry aside), the intention of all those people was to basically love the food that would keep their loved ones going. Even if we directly transpose the results of Dr. Emoto's findings to this, water is used quite a bit in preparing and cooking. If the intention is set in the water surrounding the food products, then no doubt that same energy would transfer into the ingredients. But I'm sure intention directs the building blocks of food (as we already know, energy effects everything!) in the same way. In the end, we ingest the loving energy 'intended' into the food. That has to transfer into our bodies too! Empathic receptions aside, why do 'home cooked meals' taste and FEEL so much better than an equivalently prepared meal at a mediocre restaurant?

So, the flipside. Much of our 'cheap' food comes from poverty stricken nations in large, factory-style farms. People are happy to work for the limited money, but the conditions are often poor to uphauling with long-hours and many accounts of abuse. The intention is set right from the crib of our ingredients. Hate for their boss, for their health, for missing their family etc, gets infused into the ingredients before they even get to the next stage of prep. If they are shipped across seas, more often than not the shipping crews are in a similar situation as the farmers. Sometimes this is compounded by having adjacent containers (or in some extreme cases, even the same shipping container) carrying drugs/weapons/human traffick. Another point for negative intention infusion. The truckers who spread the ingredients to the rest of the continent often lead dubious lifestyles, or miss their families greatly. Yet another point.

If we are buying these products from a large discount chain, the warehouse staff are underpaid, and underappreciated. If we end up with these ingredients at a sub-par restaurant or fast-food chain, some preparers even PHYSICALLY put intention into the food (spitting, unsanitary practices...), never mind the metaphysical effects of such actions. So we end up with multiple points of potential 'hate' energy being infused, and then digested into our systems. Would this explain the broader link between depression and fast-food consumption (nutritional considerations aside)? Are GM foods filled with the negative intentions of their penny-pinching project-managers?

There are so many ways to be exposed to 'intentional energy', this seems like a very important one. And it puts so many pieces of our societal paradox together.

I would love to hear the reader's comments on this. Have you heard of a "theory of food" anything like this floating around out there, and any other viewpoints along the way. I intend to make a short film on the subject, so your comments will be helpful.

Kevin Friel, Canada

Odds & Ends

2010-12-14T06:36:00.000-08:00

Hi y'all. I am now fully settled in at my new home near Denver, Colorado. I've always wanted to come back to the Rocky Mountains where I lived in my childhood. Found a dream home on a side of a mountain in Evergreen, CO with lots of animals and wildlife to keep me company as I complete my daily work! I'm still waiting for that first snowfall though!

The first empath scholarship winners will soon be posted. Looking forward to sharing the wonderful stories with you!

All the best,
Michael

September Updates: Scholarship, Academy, & more....

2010-09-27T07:36:00.000-07:00

Where has time gone? Seriously it's speeding up. My last post was a month ago? Lord...

1. Here's the link to the September Empath Connection newsletter.

2. Here's the link to download the scholarship application. Applications are due November 15th.

3. (I'm the featured artist (on behalf of empath awareness) for September, 2010 as well.

4. Empath Academy registration opens (and closes) on November 15th.

5. Just posted a new video on the connection between paranormal healing & the star people.

Until next time, BLESSING!
~~michael

Empaths and Dark Souls: Sarah Strudwick and Dr. Michael R. Smith on Attracting Narcissists

2010-08-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

An interview with Dr. Michael R. Smith, author of Navigating 2012, and Sarah Strudwick, author of "Dark Souls".

Thanks to Sheila Kelly for transcribing!
--------------------------
This is an edited transcript of the interview between authors Dr. Michael Smith and Sarah Strudwick in August, 2010.

Sarah: Why don’t you introduce yourself, Michael.

Michael: Thanks so much, Sarah. My name is Michael Smith and my website is EmpathConnection.com. I offer spiritual healing, online classes, and spiritual teachings.

Sarah: You’ve written a couple of books. Your main emphasis is on empaths and highly sensitive people, isn’t it?

Michael: Yes, I work exclusively with empaths. I have a coaching practice devoted to teaching, mentoring, guiding people who have identified or recently discovering themselves as empathic and/or highly sensitive people. There are some overlaps there in terminology. I’ve written “The Complete Empath Toolkit” and in 2010, I wrote “Navigating 2012” about some of the spiritual changes on the planet. (As of Dec. 2011, I have also a new eBook "The Genesis Keys to Spiritual Awakening").

Sarah: I want to interview you because I’m looking at the reasons why empaths seem more likely to be drawn to what I call ‘dark soul’ personalities; i.e., sociopaths and narcissistics I’d like your take on that, if possible.

Michael: There is such a strong correlation between empaths and what you want is to make it clear that even though I have a PhD in counseling, I am not an expert in personality disorders, narcissistic personality disorders, nor any of the personality disorders. However, I do have some thoughts on them, particularly on the relationship between dark souls and empaths. I believe that people who identify as empaths (adept at perceiving the thoughts, emotions, and feelings of other people in a way that other people are not). It is my belief that those types of people are re of the Light. They come into the world to help heal other people. They carry within them, in their soul, a high vibration. We understand the world of spirit, we understand God, whatever label we want to use for the Divine. We understand that, we get it, and because of that, we have a mission (don’t know if that’s the right word) but a job to do in transforming (again, this is just my belief. I don’t want to come across as some kind of tome), but we have a job to do with the ultimate goal of healing the darkness. It would be natural, then, that we would encounter dark souls for a variety of reasons; ultimately for healing or transforming the darkness.

Sarah: Are we more prone to attract to these types of people? Would you agree?

Michael: Yes. In the sense that it could be … a quote/unquote ‘set up from spirit.’ Could be. That we attract these people, one of the reasons MAY be, MAY be for the reason to educate US about how to deal with darkness, on how to overcome darkness. For instance, using your story that I was privileged to read in your book “Dark Souls," you had these profound experiences with dark soul personalities and ultimately that has lead you to writing a book and educating many, many people about it, and here we are talking about. Ultimately, a large amount of good has come out of your experiences. I see it that in my coaching practice, as well: people who are going through relationships and experiences with dark souls, they are, ultimately, coming out the other end, and, this is my term, they can just zap their finger and shoot Light at the dark. Using a variety of techniques, they are able to transmute the darkness, or dissolved, simply by their mere presence because their auras are so big.

Sarah: When you say their energy is dissolved, what would you say about dissipating or dissolving their energy? Most healers would hope people around them would shift. I’ve worked as a healer for 12 or so years, as an acupuncturist, but I’ve never healed anybody. It’s the person themselves who’ve precipitated their own healing. I’ve never done anything to heal anybody. They heal themselves. But when I encountered people who I term 'dark souls,' they don't have the ability to heal themselves. I'm not an expert on personality disorders, but when you say we can zap light at them ...

Michael: I understand what you’re saying. What I would say is that: Optimally, the focus for empaths and Highly Sensitive People, optimally, it would behoove us to focus on ourselves first. So ... I don't want you to think that our job is to somehow change these people. Absolutely not. We can only change ourselves.   I teach this in my classes, my coaching, and in my books. That’s the focus: Learning to create light within ourselves and, then, God/Creator/Universe will do the rest.

Sarah: Would you agree that these people are brought into our awareness so we can be more empathic or enlightened or whatever?   On reflection, people who encounter dark souls discover that the dark souls triggered something they needed to do within themselves.

Michael: 100%. We are designed to give and see the best in people; therefore, it is easy for us to see the best in people, it is hard for us to recognize or spot dark should. It is easy for us to see the best; therefore, we will ignore or simply not see or ignore the intuitive, I think you use the term, 'early warning radar' from our solar plexus and our gut.

Sarah: It's almost like we're being almost magnets to these people. You coach empaths. Do you deal with people who encounter 'dark soul' type people?

Michael: Yes. What I focus on teaching and sharing is, again, not focusing on the dark soul, narcissistic personality disorder, or anti-social personality disorder, let’s not focus on that, but focus on what an empath or sensitive person can do to make your vibration higher and create more Light in the world. That will naturally, in and out itself, empower you to change your thoughts, change your behavior and, ultimately, take action to ultimately get away from these types of people. I teach these learnings in my classes and in the Empath Academy.

Sarah: Let’s move on to tips people can use to protect themselves. One thing I’ve found extremely difficult is the cords and energy attachments. Normally, when you do an energy disconnection with healthy people, there will be a big shift between you and that person when you cut the cords. For me, disconnecting my energy from the ‘dark soul’ type personality was extremely difficult and took a lot of energy.   Cords and energy attachments. Normally, when you disconnect, the relationship becomes healthier. I find that disconnecting my energy was extremely difficult and took a lot of effort to keep disconnecting. Is there something in the empathy that wants to keep drawing the person back in?

Michael: Is there something in the empath that wants to keep drawing the person back in? Yes, IF the person doesn't do intense self-healing; i.e., issues around self worth and self esteem. Empaths often have low self-esteem and low self-worth because our nervous systems and energy fields are so in touch with other people that it is easy to lose ourselves. Is there something that naturally attracts us? Yes, if … if you haven't done your own intense self-healing work.

Sarah: I agree. Often, if an empath doesn't know they're an empath, they often lose their identity, they don’t know who they are, don't have any identity. I use the term, "energetic gunk bucket."   You’re not separate from other people’s energies.   The 'dark souls' can damage the psyche. An empath is a sponge who sucks those feelings up and feels that it is them, but it is actually the feelings of the other person they’ve soaked up. It’s a bit more complex than that, but … what would you suggest, for example, as a protection method to empaths; i.e., to your own clients and to anybody else to try to use?

Michael: That’s why I wrote The Complete Empath Toolkit for empaths ... to provide hundreds of different methods for protecting themselves and clearing themselves of the ‘energy gunk bucket.’ The short answer would be:   Focus on clearing your energy field and clearing the energy that you do take on because a lot of it is done without an empaths’ conscious awareness. Focus on clearing yourself out, so you can be filled up with new, fresh, clean energy. I'm a huge advocate of using the body as a way to do that, and that takes many forms; i.e., movement, aerobics, martial arts, yoga ... those I'm just a strong proponent of because once you get the body moving, the blood moving, the circulation moving, the body is wise and will process and eliminate the energy, using the liver, sweat, intestine, elimination, etc. What has exercise got to do with spiritual practice? The # 1 thing is to move the body and pair that with prayer and mental intention that you become clean and clear, and that the energy leaves the system. There are a variety of ways to do that; i.e., calling in the Light. That's the best way I've found to stay clear.

Sarah: That's interesting because, often, I would intuitively tell folks to go for a walk. Movement is good for moving energy.

Michael: Yes. So many things we can do ... meditation, wearing protective stones, wearing protective necklaces, all the common things; as well, if you engage in martial art ... psycho kinesis … it pairs mind with the body and turn that into psychic martial arts where you simply think of Light, Light is created, and the darkness moves out of the body.   We learn all the amazing ways to do this in my workshops.

Sarah: Is that one way to emanate Light in a positive way? Is that doing movement?

Michael: Yes. That's really simplistic. I'm a big proponent of learning indigenous methods of healing; i.e., acupuncture, as you’re a practitioner of. It’s wonderful. If you don't know much about the indigenous methods of healing, learn as much as you can about indigenous … native American, South American, Inca, Chinese, Ayurvedic ... learn as much as you can about those methods of healing. All of those will have medicine for you as an empath, keep you clear and vibrating high.

Sarah: Have you had encounters with 'dark souls?'

Michael: Yes. Just like many of my clients, I have. In my own state of unconscious when I was an unaware, unskilled empath, about ten years ago, I had a partner who was definitely a 'dark soul' and could probably receive many diagnoses under the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, used by psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors).   This person was charming, presented himself as much more put together than he was, implied that he had a mother overseas connected to British royal family, that he had a trust fund coming up and getting $5 million ... manipulative, psychological devices to keep me hooked and made me think, “Maybe I should keep the relationship going.” Complete lies. Took most of my money from me, I wound up supporting him for two years. Thankfully, it ended when I took a job in another state. I might have been with him another 3 or 4 years. Definitely a dark soul.

Sarah: When you look back now, what do you think was the reason you could not spot him? Because you were not aware enough of? I mean, they could con anyone, not just empaths. A sociopath could con anyone, even the Prime Minister, but my point is that there must be something in certain types where they would be more likely to target different groups. What was your little red flag, what made you a prime target?

Michael: There are two reasons. The first is that Light and dark are intimately connected ... if you look at a coin, it has two sides. The divine source has both light and dark. The Oneness includes, currently, Light and dark. There intertwined. There's a dance between the 2. Is the dark attracted to the Light? Clearly. The second way I would answer that is to say that what I've come to understand is that it was as if, that it was a type of schooling, and he was this dark soul, and I was attracted to him ... I believe, on a soul level, everything is designed for a reason, everything is almost (I don’t want to say pre-ordained because we have free will) ... yet, clearly, I believe, it was given to me, it was a gift for me to learn about dark souls, about how charming and manipulative they are. It lead me to an incredible journey of healing. If I hadn't had that experience, I wouldn't have been lead to seek out intense healing experiences; i.e., sweat lodges, every week for 7 years in the Native American community, to get that energy out of me. I wouldn’t have done that without that experience without the dark soul. I think I have an optimistic view of that experience.

Sarah: That's interesting. I felt pretty much the same. For me, the experience was crap, and it was horrible, but I can see the good out of it. If I hadn’t met him, I might have spent the rest of my life being attracted to these types of people. I have a theory that the universe just ups the volume and if you don’t listen, you might wind up dead. That’s the scary part of it.

Michael: Everything we can do, as you and I are teaching, is to teach to pay attention to the intuition, the dreams, the gut, all the messages from spirit which are always around us guiding us to get away from these people.

Sarah: I remember ending a relationship when I asked spirit to send me a message, and I said, “I need lots of them.” I am very much into animal symbolism. Normally, I might see one or two road kills on the highway. At that time, driving down the highway, I saw 21 dead pheasants on the road. If that didn't tell me that the relationship was over, and I needed to get away, I don't know what it was. In the end, I was asking, “Is it my imagination?” If you ask for messages, you’ll get them!

Michael: There's an entire world out there we don't necessarily see and experience, we can experience those loving guides if we ask.

Join the Dr. Smith's Empath Connection, with 10,000+ members.
Sign up for the free newsletter at:
http://www.empathconnection.com/

Sarah Strudwick:    http://www.darksouls-thebook.com/

The Power of Disengagement for Empaths

2010-08-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

As with all relationships and situations in our lives, we must look within for both the source of our difficulties and the solution. Reacting to the situation by getting upset will only entrench us more deeply in the undesirable relationship. Only by disengaging, becoming still, and going within can we begin to see what has hooked us into the mess in the first place. We will most likely find unprocessed emotions that we can finally fully feel and release into the stillness we find in meditation. The more we are able to do this, the less we will be bothered by the other person’s dramas and the more we will be free to respond in a new way.

Whenever people come into our lives, they have come for a reason, to show us something about ourselves that we have not been able to see. When unhealthy people try to hook us into their patterns with mind games and power trips, we can remind ourselves that we have something to learn here and that a part of us is calling out for healing. This takes the focus off the troubling individual and puts it back on us, giving us the opportunity to change the situation from the inside out. (Reprinted from DailyOm.com).

In my coaching work, the Empath Academy, and in my book, Navigating 2012: Thriving in Earth's New Age, I teach that we always have a choice to react (or not) to what life offers us. Empaths need to set firm boundaries and firm intentions as to what we're willing to do for others, and what we're not. Just because we have a gift for drawing out the best in others, that doesn't mean we should always use it.

And so, the empath technique for learning how to make disengagement from others *simple* is called "END with LOVE" and if you're interested in learning more, the full process is explained in the latest book.

(And many thanks for your super positive comments about the book!)
~~Michael

Sensitivity and Males: Highlighting Ted Zeff's "The Strong Sensitive Boy"

2010-07-27T17:47:00.000-07:00

Dr. Ted Zeff has an accomplished body of work with highly sensitive people over the years. His work with sensitive males will very likely interest readers of this blog. His work is written from a psychological perspective, as he is a clinical psychologist.

(As an aside, I must laugh because my own work has taken me into that world, out of it, and now back into it! I will be focusing on bringing our language and terminology of "empaths" and spiritual sensitivity to the 50,000+ member American Counseling Association next year in an effort to enlighten some of my clinically-oriented colleagues- more on that later).

Dr. Zeff's latest book is called "THE STRONG SENSITIVE BOY" and it has a long list of endorsements lined up from Dr. Judith Orloff and Dr. Elaine Aron, among others.

As I mentioned on the new Empath connection facebook page, which is where I am increasingly doing most of my posting lately, I wish my parents had a resource like this.

Our Facebook demographics and statistics show that 15% of Empath Connection readers are male. 85% are female. And over 71% are over age 35. Only 8 percent are under age 24.

There clearly is a societal need for education and schooling for our young sensitive children. Strategies are needed for children and educators alike. Until that happens, much responsibility for schooling and education of sensitive children must fall on the parents, and Dr. Ted Zeff's work helps bridge that gap.

Michael R. Smith

New Video on Navigating 2012

2010-07-12T17:03:00.000-07:00

Subscribe to the Empath Connection YouTube channel here.

Learn more about the book at www.Navigating2012.com

Now Available in Paperback! Navigating 2012

2010-07-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

Head on over to Navigating2012.com

My new book for empaths is now available worldwide in Paperback.

Here are some unsolicited comments from readers:
"A work of art Michael! I'm keeping it handy since there are a lot of exercises and resources in it that I'll frequently refer to. Congrats on the release of your remarkable book"

"Your book came into my life at the right time.....You are an amazingly talented writer."
"As good as Neale Donald Walsch and all the others."

~~Cheerio,
Michael

Navigating 2012 - Book Excerpt and Sneak Peak!

2010-07-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

I am excited about my new book Navigating 2012: Thriving in Earth's New Age because it is written especially for and about empaths and highly sensitive people. It places our abilities, our gifts, and our skills within the context of what's happening on Planet Earth with the 2012 Shift, and ultimately will serve as a means, I hope, for you to learn more about yourself, your gifts, and propel you FORWARD in your spiritual development. ("forward" being one of my favorite words!).

In the book, there's a healthy dose of case studies from my empath and HSP coaching practice. Many, many thanks to my empath/HSP clients for allowing me to describe their inspirational and uplifting stories! There's also a chapter that includes over 10 writing contributions from readers of the Empath Connection newsletter. Some very talented and experienced empaths with careers in the healing arts offer their spiritual wisdom and inform us about their take on the 2012 Shift. As is usually the case with empaths, these stories are affirmative and optimistic.

Most of all, I hope that you will be reassured about the 2012 "prophecy" and the new spiritual age in which we live. This is not a doomsday book. As is described in the book, the universe is increasingly only taking YES for an answer! We explore the views of 2012 through a variety of lenses and prophecies: the Mayans, the Aztec, the Hopi, the Egyptians, the Incas, Christianity, and Native American viewpoints. What it all boils down to is ultimately a positive, affirming, and hopeful outlook about what's happening with the "ascension."

Here's a sneak peak of the Intro and Chapter Two:

P.S.S. The website with a new video is up here!

~~~Michael

Bashar Channeling for the New Age

2010-07-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

For those interested in spiritual channeling, here is some really good stuff.

http://bashar.org/

It's worth a listen, especially to see how the energies take over his voicebox and body!

I love what the channel, Darryl Anka, says about his work:

"I always make it clear to people that they do not have to believe that "Bashar" is really an extraterrestrial in telepathic communication with me during the channelings. If they want to believe the words are coming from another part of my own consciousness, that's fine with me. I have no way of proving "Bashar's" existence to anyone anyway. The most important thing is that the information, wherever it's coming from, has made a difference in many people's lives, including my own.

Updates: Navigating 2012, Empath Scholarship, Academy & Website

2010-05-30T07:22:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, the new book has turned out amazing. I am over the moon, and I know that once you read it, you will be as well. Navigating 2012: Thriving in Earth's New Age is available worldwide July 15th from Amazon and other online retailers. Both digital and paperback versions will be available.

I am setting up a new website devoted to the book. It will be released a week before the book launch, along with a new video about the book and how it specifically applies to empaths and highly sensitive people. Lots of exercises and action steps for you to take to increase connection to Spirit as you move forward into this pressure-cooker of a new age!

The next Empath Academy is approaching - there are only 8 spots available, to keep it intimate. Registrations open on July 15th and it will very likely sell out that first day. So mark that date on your calendar if you want to get a spot in the academy.

Lots of other juicy news as well, including the opening of applications for the $1,000 empath scholarship program.

Until next time, be well,
and may your life be full of laughter and smiles!
michael

An Empath Perspective on 2012

2010-05-13T09:39:00.000-07:00

By Kate Watson, Empath in Australia

I have noticed a lot of fear and denial in people in regard to 2012. It is important to realise that 2012 and the earth changes are very real but mostly that there is nothing to fear. There has been a lot of conditioning through various forms of religion in regard to the end of times or armagedon and hollywood movies have also created in our psyche the doomsday effect. Arm yourself with knowledge from the people who have done the research the scientists, the scholars and the mystics they all have their place in the big picture. But mostly look into yourself. There is a part of you that recognises truth.

Mother earth is a living breathing organism just as we are. She has a heartbeat just like us. She also has chakras just like us. So she is us and we are her. We all resonate together as one. What we do to her we do to ourselves. The same as what we do to one another we do to ourselves because ultimately we are one. I am you and you are me. All one from the same Creator.

The cycles of change are always present in our lives. Just like mother nature has her seasons so do we. Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring is mother natures way of showing us that life is forever changing nothing stays the same. With each generation comes a new way of thinking and a new way of being. We have the opportunity to make a significant difference and I for one accept the challenge of creating a new world. There will be many cycles of change over the next few years. Those changes are all for the good of humanity as a collective.

Watch, observe and notice but above all ride the winds of change in a positive way because the outcome will be a change for the better. Participate and be proactive; the future of our Earth and the future generations are in our hands! The time is now to monitor what we are putting out into the universe through thoughts, words and deeds. It is a proven fact that our thoughts have a vibration on the planet and the more we think from our heart and live by the heart instead of the ego mind the more we will see changes for the better.

The Earth is already going through its transistion as it needs to. Mother Earth is cleansing herself after years of abuse. The time is now to take stock of who we are as a species. If we consistently take from the earth without some form of balance ultimately it is us who will suffer. The effects are obvious with global warming etc. Is time to wake up and realise that we cannot continue on that path of destruction. Get back to basics, question everything but mostly look into your heart and into your soul for the answers. It is there that you will find the inner wisdom that is inherent in all of us.

Meditate often, find your center and radiate love and light across the world. The more people who do this the more the world will change in a very positive way.

I for one am very excited to be here during this time of great transition. And feel privileged that I can be part of the process of change for the better.

Is time to move beyond old negative thoughts and belief systems that do not serve us anymore. As you slowly chip them away what you will find at the end is yourself in its most pure state. The Light.

Namaste.

Kate Watson
Australia.

Earthquake Premonitions and Dreams: What's Happening?

2010-04-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

Just in the last week, on three separate occasions, I have had three different clients who report being disturbed by having dreams and visions of massive earthquakes. One reported a premonition for "the big one" for California later this summer. Another saw a tsunami for California. This is in addition to three other friends who report the same thing - dreams and premonitions for earthquakes. (I have long had earthquake premonitions - and I am also having an increase in dreams and visions lately, especially for California and Japan).

As empaths and intuitives, we are "feeling" the Earth, and how she is now moving and throwing off the energy from our years of abuse. None of this is new. Spirit has been telling us for years that this would happen, and now we're right smack in the middle of it, and it may be getting worse. The prophecies of nearly every culture and spiritual tradition, from the Egyptians, the Hopi, The Maya, The Inca, Islam, & Christianity, speak of a time of great transformation, accompanied by chaos and destruction. Well, we are in those times NOW.

More of this is explored in my book, Navigating 2012: Thriving in Earth's New Age, available in paperback worldwide here. It's also available in the USA on Kindle or in Paperback from Amazon.

Because this is happening NOW, that's why it's absolutely imperative that we learn about our abilities, enroll in healing classes, go to spiritual ceremonies, and learn about ourselves and our gifts. We don't have any time left to remain in our avoidance, denial, separation, or ignorance! The time is NOW. We've got no other choice, because when these disasters happen, we need to be the ones to remain calm in the center of the storm and have already honed our abilities to help others. (These are the reasons why I offer the Empath Academy classes and include group coaching as a part of The Complete Empath Toolkit).

Here's a video on Hopi prophecy:

For now, I will leave you with the words of Empath Connection reader Beverly Tier Bartlett, who prompted me to write about this today:

"My question is: Is there a shift in energy lately that is causing empaths to feel anxiety and to have heightened sensitivity? I'm empathic and kept hearing in my head the word EARTHQUAKE three times and it would not stop and I had no idea why I heard this and it turned out to be one week PRIOR to the earthquake in Haiti. Ever since then its as if I'm reading peoples minds and it isn't even fun :-) All of this is both interesting and amazing, yet quite distressing for along with hearing the word earthquake comes a flood of an overwhelming sense of doom and gloom and tragedy but non specific. Last week I started to hear earthquake again three times along with the number 6 so I shared it with a friend. I don't know what it is I'm supposed to do with this information except pray."

Yes, Beverly, the best thing any and all of us can do is PRAY. And also to SHARE what's happening with others, just as you did with your friend and by reaching out to me. By sharing your dreams and experiences, it allows others to know that this heightened sensitivity is GLOBAL. We're ALL experiencing it. There's no separation - what one person feels, so do all of us, on many refined and subtle levels.

You may benefit from reading the stories and experiences contained in my Complete Empath Toolkit package.
Until next time, may you pray for the world, the Earth, and all of her inhabitants, human, and non-human alike.

Michael Smith

An Empath Writes about The DaVinci Method and DavinciNation.org

2010-03-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

By Amanda Elias

I have had exceptional experiences with Theta brainwave entrainment, via music, meditation, and art. And you are right, the centralization and slowing of neural impulses instantly reduces chatter and invokes a deeply creative state. As I belong to a group called DavinciNation.org, we have learned to love our new, evolving and highly useful brain structures for greater good. I have cured myself of adrenal burnout, depression and all resulting, soul-destroying guilt and shame with the Davinci Method. I have recovered my fire and my potential, made all sorts of trauma made sense, and am just sweeping out the last bits of emotional debris and the scars to my psyche have faded to nothing.

Where the Davinci Method left off, your newsletter picked up, in terms of the actual permission I now give myself to be an artist, an empath, an Indigo child. At 46, I have stopped trying to be a business woman, and started being myself. While the full transition will take up to three years to complete, I have never been more centered in these divine gifts which were once a curse. I have greater courage in my own convictions every day, and am no longer afraid of the fire within, if you will allow.

So thank you, Michael, for sharing your convictions and clarity. You helped me raise the bar back to where it belongs, and gave me courage to take my rightful place under the sun again.

Namaste,
Amanda

An Artistic Rendering of Empathic Communication by Raline Starc

2010-03-24T20:20:00.000-07:00

From reader Raline Starc:

An artistic rendering of Empathic Communication:

Caption: The diagram illuminates the notion that the advance of technology has facilitated the communication between individuals across space and time despite the physical barriers of a house, continent, or universe; a fundamental aspect of the way Empaths communicate without the aid of machines.

Listen to Documented Cases of Psychic Healing

2010-03-24T20:03:00.001-07:00

I've done five recent interviews for a grant proposal that I am putting together to study the benefits of psychic healing. LD Porter is a longtime friend (and co-author of "Awakening the Genesis Within" book).

LD specializes in working with, and performing psychic healing on highly sensitive bodies.

Take 15 minutes to listen to some of these remarkable testimonies, and you'll understand why I have always been so intrigued by his abilties.

You can go to LDIntuitive.com to sign up for a psychic healing session.

Blessings,
Michael