The Highly Sensitive Priestess

The Oracle at Delphi ~ Heinrich Leutemann

 

 

A highly sensitive person or HSP is defined as someone who has an innate, sensitive processing system who is aware of subtle changes in their environment. This person can also become easily overwhelmed when in a highly stimulating environment. Being highly sensitive does not just refer to ones emotional sensitivity but literally a sensitivity to everything. We feel things deeper and sometimes before they come. We notice subtle changes in behavior and mood. Usually an HSP is also an empath and intuitive and we can use these things to our advantage during our work as priestesses.

The ability to notice and feel slight changes of energy can be something for us to tap into while we are in ritual or trance. Since we are naturally more in tune to the energies around us this is a great tool to use during meditations or spell work. We should theoretically be able to pick up on energies of things before they happen so therefore this is a great tool for divination. This, I believe, is the empathetic part of being highly sensitive. We get a feeling that something is about to happen but we don't know what. We do know that we've just experienced a shift in energy, we're just not sure how to use this information.

When we experience this the best thing to do is sit with this energy in meditation. Allow your body to feel it fully. Let your sensitive mind work out the energies to try and decipher what this new energy means. Many times if we listen to our intuitive mind it will tell us what is about to happen. We just have to trust it. Our sensitivity is like a built in warning system. For example, let's say that you've recently noticed a shift of energy at your job. You feel like something big is about to happen, you just can't figure out what. When you have time sit with this energy in a meditation and try to determine if this is a positive shift or a negative shift.

This could mean preparing yourself to find new work or maybe preparing yourself for a big promotion at your current job. Allow your intuitive mind to naturally come to a conclusion. Being a sensitive empath can be a beautiful thing during ritual. We tend to connect more easily and sometimes more quickly with the energy of our deities. We can also become deeply infused in trance work. I've always thought that the sensitives of the ancient world would have been the oracles of classical culture or the volva of the Norse culture. They acted as connectors of the spiritual and mundane worlds. They could sense things before they happened and they could reach high levels in trance. This is most likely why they were oracles.

While I believe that sensitivity is a gift, it also comes with its own set of special problems. When we are overwhelmed or over-stimulated we can get worn out rather quickly. And we need time to recover from that. Sometimes because we are usually also empathetic we can unintentionally take on the energy of those around us. Especially because we are naturally good at listening to others and helping them. We are in a sense natural born healers and other people can sense this on a subconscious level. So sometimes people will bring us their problems because they feel that we are easy to talk to. Have you ever noticed that complete strangers will come up to you and tell you their whole life story? It's because of your empathetic and sensitive nature.

So it's important to have boundaries in place so that you are not drained by the energy of others. I'm not suggesting that you shrug people off when they try to talk to you about their problems. But if you notice a sudden drop in your energy, it's because you are giving it away too freely.  The best thing to do is to find a polite way of excusing yourself from the conversation. A great way to recharge your batteries is to spend some time in nature preferably alone. Being in nature is incredibly soothing for a sensitive. Because we feel everything more deeply. A birds call is music to our ears. Watching a family of deer is calming to our soul. Listening to the waves crash against the shore, feeling the wind blow through our bodies or feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin can all be very cleansing and renewing.

One of my favorite things about being a sensitive empath is feeling the shift of energy with the seasons. I can sense when the energy of a particular season has shifted not by the date on the calendar but by the change of the energy in the world around me. Even days of the week have certain energies to them. Moon and star gazing are also intensified when you're sensitive. In order to truly love our gift of sensitivity we need to accept it into our lives and learn to work with it properly. It also helps to become a little educated on the subject. To help you with this you may want to have a "sensitivity journal" where you jot down things that trigger your sensitivity. You might not notice all your triggers right away but slowly you will start to pick up on it.

The best way to know yourself is to know how to use your gifts. To find out what works and what doesn't. This way you can tailor your life to work with you instead of against you. And don't just write down the things that negatively affect your sensitivity. Also write down the positive like being able to connect with nature more deeply or whatever your special set of rewards is.

So, what is your favorite thing about being sensitive?