Monkey See Monkey Do

I was born under the Chinese Zodiac sign of the monkey. Monkey is trickster and always keeping things active and stirring up the waters. In meditation, seeking a state of stillness is called stilling the monkey mind.

Monkeys can also be chameleons. They can take on the characteristics of people they are near in order to fit in. Often they are blessed or cursed with empathy. As an empath one actually takes on the feelings of another person. This can be used at times for healing. When someone is born an empath it often takes many years to learn whether what one is feelings is one’s own feelings or something that one is picking up from another person. Often those who appear to be unpredictable and changeable are really empaths reflecting the energy and emotional charge of their environment. This is a highly valuable tool for a therapist or counselor but it must be trained and controlled or you can imagine the madness that could happen.

My husband used to be really embarrassed when I would talk to people because I tend to take on their accents. He thought that I was mocking them. He learned over time that what I was doing was being the Monkey chameleon using my talent of empathy. Now he just sits amazed at times as I switch from sounding like a southerner to northerner and so forth.

The most difficult thing I have to deal with in controlling my empathy and intuitive skills is that I can become vulnerable to other peoples manipulation and emotions. It is then that I have to draw back in solitude to heal my spirit and clear from my soul what is mine and what is not mine.