There are many things that we clutter our minds with that diminish our ability to connect with our intuition. One of the biggest challenges in unblocking our inner wisdom is when we practice sympathy, and not empathy, when it comes to other people’s problems.
The difference between empathy and sympathy has a big impact on everything from our wellness to our ability to manifest our desires.
Oftentimes, we get into sympathy with people that we love and before you know it, you become intricately involved in their problems to the extent where you end up worrying about their issues.
When we are empathetic, it is possible to step back and see the life journey another person is facing without getting so involved. You can pray for others, offer your insights and suggestions, but it is critically important that each of us knows how to separate ourselves from another’s life experience.
This lesson was revealed to me in a big way when a female client came in to see me about a year after her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer. As with all people who allow me to participate in their life journey, I had prayed for her along the way. Even though we had not seen each other since our initial visit, it took me only a couple of minutes to sense that the life force of the mother had passed and that while expressing my condolences I was taken by surprise to sense that the young 40-year-old woman seated in front of me was now ill.
When I questioned her on this she told me without hesitation that “she now had breast cancer.” Before even processing the information deeply I asked her simply, “What had you been thinking when your mother was ill?” She told me she, “Kept wishing it was her.”
We must be careful on this life journey to allow others to experience their challenges without allowing ourselves to take in another person’s burdens. Each of us is meant to walk this life’s journey and grow and evolve in our own life challenges. Taking on another’s life experience does not allow us to expand our consciousness.