I am realizing as I write this series that there are going to be 25 or more of these. Don’t worry they will be placed in a downloadable book after I complete this series on Simple Ways To Awaken. I will also mix in some other posts along the way. My excitement about this series seems to grow daily as inspiration flows effortlessly.
Empathy is a natural human state. In The Empathic Civilization Jeremy Rifkin writes about the world transforming through the expansion of empathic consciousness.
The world of empathy is a world guided by the heart filled with compassion for each other. Rifkin says we have a primal driving force within that seeks relationships and connection to each other. This force has the capacity to bring positive change to the planet now when it is genuinely needed. This flies in the face of the present paradigm of competition as a sacred cow, big stick diplomacy, and ego domination.
What would awakening through empathy feel like for you? Notice when you feel compassion for someone or some situation that is empathy. Sense when your heart goes out to another as they take on their challenges in life that is also empathy. It is as if you have put yourself in some else’s shoes and feel for them.
Empathy means your heart is open and as you know only an open heart can lead to awakening. How do you learn to have empathy for another? There are two ways that are the simplest: one in that you have empathy for yourself; the other is that you learn to listen with compassion and sense where the other is coming from.
Empathy for self begins by paying attention inward with a caring and accepting heart. Your life journey has its ups and downs and challenges and you want to be supportive of yourself along the way. This empathic support comes in the form of lots of kindness and compassion for your imperfections, for the times you mess up and when things don’t seem to work out. Watching all of this impartially with empathy awakens in you empathy for others.
Listening with compassion comes by setting your needs and concerns aside and putting your entire focus on being fully present for another. This listening with compassion is a great gift to give those you care about because it helps them to feel totally validated and loved. To listen in this way also teaches you to be aware beyond yourself and this grows empathy in you. Being aware beyond you/self is a wonderful doorway into the infinite knowing of unity consciousness.