The dictionary definition of an empath is a person with the paranormal ability to perceive the mental or emotional state of another individual. Such an individual is often referred to as an adult indigo, or even an Earth Angel. To put it in the simplest of terms, an empath, or an Earth Angel who has some sort of psychic connection to the Universe, as well as to people in general, on a scale that is beyond regular compare. And, amongst a population of over 7 billion people around the world, there are only a handful of Earth Angels, or folks who have this gift with which they can help others and even make the world, or just their surroundings, instantly better.
So, what makes someone an Earth Angel? And how do you recognise if you, or someone you know, could be one? We asked healer, yoga and energy practitioner, Nidhu Satish Kapoor, also the Co-founder at Mystic Lotus and Dragonflies, a platform for healers and those seeking help, to give us the lowdown on what is it that makes one an Earth Angel. With the help of the expert, we’ve been able to list out the 35 traits that are synonymous to being an Earth Angel. Do you identify with all of these?
1. Knowing: Empaths, or Earth Angels, just know stuff, without having to be told. It’s a knowing that goes way beyond intuition, or gut feelings, even though that is how many would describe the knowing. The more attuned they are, the stronger this gift becomes.
2. Being in public places can be overwhelming: Places like shopping malls, supermarkets or stadiums, where there are lots of people around, can fill the empath with turbulently vexed emotions that are coming from others.
3. Feeling others emotions & taking them on as one’s own: This is a huge one for empaths. While some adult indigos will be able to feel the emotions of those nearby, others will be able to feel emotions from those at a far-off distance from them; yet other empaths will be able to feel emotions, irrespective of distance, or frequency. The more adept Earth Angel will know if someone is having bad thoughts about them, even from a great distance. It’s also why we can’t play pranks on others.
4. Watching violence, cruelty or tragedy on the TV is unbearable: The more attuned an empath becomes, the worse it is for them to be able to watch and read about violence and cruelty; be it on television or in a newspaper. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t affecting their own life in any way – direct, or indirect. It becomes hard and draining to the point of them having to stop associating with such mediums.
5. You know when someone is not being honest: If a friend, or a loved one is telling lies, an empath will know it instantly(although many empaths try not to focus on this because knowing a loved one is lying can be painful). Or if someone is saying one thing while feeling, or thinking something else, entirely, the empath will always know.
6. Picking up physical symptoms off another: An Earth Angel will almost always catch ailments from another (colds, eye infections, body aches and pains); especially if the people who are ailing are some of the closest to an empath; it’s a lot like sympathy pains. Although these are empathy pains!
7. Digestive disorders & lower back problems: The solar plexus chakra is based in the centre of the abdomen and is known as the seat of emotions. This is where empaths feel incoming emotions from others, which can weaken the area, thereby, leading to anything from stomach ulcers to IBS (too many other conditions to list here). Lower back problems can develop from being ungrounded (amongst other things) and so, someone who doesn’t consciously know that she, or he is an empath, will almost always be ungrounded.
8. Always looking out for the underdog: Anyone whose suffering, is in emotional pain or is being bullied by others, naturally draws an adult indigo’s attention and compassion.
9. Others will want to offload their problems on you, even strangers: An empath can become a dumping ground, or a punching bag for everyone else’s issues and problems, which, if they’re not careful about, can end up as their own issues, in the long run.
10. Constant fatigue: Empaths often get drained of energy – either from energy vampires (people who suck out the energy of others), or just from having taken on too much emotional baggage from others. Such issues, even sleep will not cure for an Earth Angel. Many get diagnosed with CFS, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
11. Addictive personality: Alcohol, drugs, sex, food, are to – just to name – but a few addictions that empaths turn to, in order to block out the emotions of others and how it hampers with their own internal balance. It is a form of self-protection they opt for in order to hide from someone, or something.
12. Drawn to healing, holistic therapies & all things metaphysical: Although many empaths would love to heal others, they can end up turning away from being healers (even though they have a natural ability for it), after they’ve studied and received qualifications. This is simply because they take on too much from the one they are trying to heal; especially if and when they are unaware of their empathy. Anything of a supernatural nature is of interest to Earth Angels and they don’t get easily surprised or get shocked. Even at the revelation of what many others would consider unimaginable; for instance, back in the day, empaths would have known about the world being round even when others believed it was flat.
13. Creative: Be it singing, dancing, acting, drawing or writing; an empath will always have a strong creative streak and a vivid imagination that will encourage and fester such mediums of indulgences for the empath.
14. Love nature & animals: Being outdoors and in tune with nature is a must for empaths and pets form an essential part of their lives.
15. Need for solitude: An empath will go stir-crazy if they don’t get quiet time out to themselves. This is even obvious in empathic children.
16. Gets bored or distracted easily if not stimulated: Work, school and home life has to be kept interesting for an Earth Angel, or they switch off from it and end up daydreaming, or doodling.
17. Find it impossible to do things they don’t enjoy: As mentioned above, an empath feels like she, or he is living a lie by doing something that does not bring them immense joy. To force an empath to do something they dislike – whether through guilt, or by labelling them as idle – will only serve in making them unhappier still. It’s for this very reason that many empaths get labelled as being lazy.
18. Strive for the truth – This becomes more prevalent when an adult indigo discovers his, or her gifts and birthright. Anything untruthful feels plain wrong to such a person.
19. Always looking for knowledge & answers: To have unanswered questions can be frustrating for an empath and they will make it their life’s sole mission and endeavour to find an explanation. If they have a knowing about something, they will look for confirmation. The downside to this is information overload.
20. Likes adventure, freedom & travel: Empaths are free spirits and so, they have an in-built sense of adventure; for being free and liberated and the urge to travel to remote places, on their road to self-discovery and escaping.
21. Abhors clutter: It makes an Earth Angel feel weighed down to find themselves in closed spaces that are filled with clutter; it blocks the flow of energy.
22. Loves to daydream: An empath can stare into blank, or empty space for hours. You will often find them lost in a world of their own and blissfully happy, quite inexplicably so.
23. Finds routine, rules or control, imprisoning: Anything that takes away their freedom is debilitating to an empath; even toxic to a large extent.
24. Prone to carry weight without necessarily overeating: The excess weight is a form of protection to stop the negative incoming energies having as much impact on an empath.
25. Excellent listener: An empath won’t talk about themselves much; unless it is while talking to someone they trust with their lives. They love to learn and know about others and genuinely care about everything anyone else will tell them about.
26. Intolerance to narcissism: Although kind, and often very tolerant of others, empaths do not like to be around overly egotistical people who put themselves first and refuse to consider another’s feelings, or points of views other than those of their own.
27. The ability to feel the days of the week: An Earth Angel will get the ‘Friday Feeling’ whether or not they work Fridays. They pick up on how the people, as a collective, are feeling. The first couple of days of a long, bank holiday weekend (Easter for example) can feel, to them, like the world is smiling, calm and relaxed. Sunday evenings, Mondays and Tuesdays, of a working week, have a very heavy feeling.
28. Will not choose to buy antiques, vintage or second-hand: Anything that’s been pre-owned carries the energy of the previous owner. An empath will even prefer to have a brand new car, or house (if they are in the financial situation to do so) with no residual energy.
29. Sense the energy of food: Many empaths don’t like to eat meat or poultry because they can feel the vibrations of the animal (especially, if the animal suffered); even if they like the taste of it.
30. Can appear moody, shy, aloof or disconnected: An adult indigo’s feelings depend on what face they show to the world. They can be prone to mood swings and if they’ve taken on too much negative, they will appear quiet and unsociable, sometimes, even miserable. An empath detests having to pretend to be happy when they’re sad.
31. Will often have thoughts of death as the only freedom: This will be a hard one to understand for most; but, with all the negativity and violence in the world – not to forget the fact that an empath is more prone to feeling others’ bad vibes and intentions – death would seem like the only outlet for an empath.
32. Refusal to receive good: The Earth Angel prefers to put everybody else on their priority list, except themselves. Compliments, praise, gifts and rewards are usually ignored or downright rejected. The overwhelming nature of good is too much for us.
33. Chronic guilt: Which in turn leads to low self esteem, low self worth and a belief system of cumulative punishment. The empath is a master at making herself or himself small, bad, wrong; basically, punishing themselves, verbally or even physically.
34. Empaths need to make others happy: And at a lower vibration; this makes an empath come across as a people pleaser. However, in the end, it is the empath who gets drained, tired, resentful and disconnected from almost all people, looking for ways to withdraw and just ‘be left alone’.
35. An inability to say No: Empaths want to be of service, even at their own cost. It is one of the hardest life lessons they have to learn. And yet, drawing healthy boundaries is crucial to their wellbeing and sanity.
