We usually use ‘sensitivity’ when talking about people who react strongly to things that affect them, in whatever way. You can be sensitive to noise, smells and other impressions.
But you can also be sensitive to subtleties such as the energy between people or the energies of the room you are in.
In our society the word ‘sensitive’ is mostly associated with emotional reactions or behaviour. Nevertheless, the purpose of this article is to give examples of where sensitivity can appear, how it can be comprehended and why everybody should develop their sensitivity.
“Never apologize for being sensitive or emotional. Let this be a sign that you’ve got a big heart and aren’t afraid to let others see it. Showing your emotions is a sign of strength.” ~ Brigitte Nicole
A psychological perspective
According to Dr. Elaine N. Aron, a psychologist who has done a great deal of research in sensitivity, about 15-20 percent of the population are highly sensitive due to their sensitive nervous system. These people are aware of subtleties in his/her surroundings, and is more easily overwhelmed when in a highly stimulating environment. Being highly sensitive is not a condition but a personality trait.
An astrological perspective
According to astrologers Claus Houlberg and Holger Stavnsbjerg, it is possible to read a person’s sensitivity to some extent using astrology. Here, it is usually the moon that tells us about a person’s sensitivity.
Depending what aspect the moon has to other planets in our birth chart, we can be sensitive to emotions, thoughts, energies, manipulation, intuition and other subtleties. In our birth chart we can also read planned directions in life, and our sensitivity is an important tool to find that direction in our daily life.
An esoteric perspective
From the esoteric perspective, Alice A. Bailey claims in her book that our sensitivity is one of the most important abilities. According to Bailey, we all enter this world with an energetic body that consists of the physical body, the etheric body, the astral body and the mental body.
This energetic body develops through our incarnations together with our consciousness. When our body has sufficiently developed, we enter our spiritual path. We are either aware of this, or it is happening unconsciously.
There are three important issues to address in order to awaken your spirituality:
- You must try to get in contact with your soul and find your soul purpose.
- Practice the use of sensitivity to feel and understand the energy in and around you.
- Find a way to contact and understand your spiritual guides.
My spiritual perspective
My perspective comes from my experiences in life with my husband, children and other family, with my own sensitivity and with the teaching I have had from horses.
For many years I faced trouble with my sensitivity, but when I saw how horses are sensitive and yet they’re majestic creatures, I found the courage to live with my sensitivity, be proud of it and get the best out of it.
At the same time the horses facilitated my own spiritual journey and helped me find my soul purpose. They helped me connect with my spiritual guides and most importantly, they helped me find a way to my emotional energies.
Our emotions are responsible for a lot of our behaviors and troubles. We therefore need to be able to distinguish between our emotions and our thoughts, and use our sensitivity to explore their energies and conditions within us.
There are tests that you can use to check your level of sensitivity, but in my experience, many people are much more sensitive than they realise. Many of us suppress our sensitivity to cope with the demands of daily life.
From my perspective, a well-developed sensitivity should be our highest wish. It isn’t necessarily easy to live in our society today being highly sensitive, but it is a skill that is needed to find and follow the spiritual path.
Some people start their life totally disconnected from their spiritual side. For the first 50 years of my life, I didn’t have a single experience that I could identify as spiritual.
It was my sensitivity that brought me to the knowledge that I have always been spiritually connected. I have had this sensitivity throughout my life, but I suppressed it for about 46 years.
When I first started to acknowledge my sensitivity and opened up to what it could bring me, I discovered that I had a spiritual side. I got help from astrologers and people who could channel spiritual information.
But most of all I got help from my guides. I know now that they have been talking to me all my life but it took me many years to learn how to listen to them.
To develop your sensitivity you can:
- Practice meditation
- Practice to be mindful in everything you do
- Be aware of how you feel and how things are around you
- Reflect on your impressions
- Most important is to be aware that everybody is sensitive, but our society often does not see sensitivity as an advantage. We therefore learn to suppress it and ignore the signals we get. To develop your sensitivity you can stop suppressing the signals you get, and start listening to them.
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