The Em-PATH and Why You're Really OK

Ever notice that EMPATH has the word PATH in it? It is a path, for sure, and although just about every human walking this earth has intuitive ability, not all are in tune with it. Picture two windows, and see them as the empath and the every day person. Both give a view on the world, both enable everyday function of five senses, but one window is open, the other is not. There is sight, sound, etc with the closed window, but in a safely detached self-preserving kind of way. But with the open window, there is a feeling of very intimate connection with the environment and a sense of no-separation. All experiences are magnified. And this, unfortunately, includes the not-so-pleasant ones, as well as the ecstatic, positive ones. It can also feel like the difference between color tv and black and white tv. 
Some folks feel as if being empathic dooms them to over-sensitivity and ridicule by others. They may often hear derogatory comments about the way they perceive and experience the world (You're too sensitive!--sound familiar?). And worst of all, this is not something that can be turned off. Others may say, just shut the window! For the empath, that is not possible. Nature has determined that there truly shall be no window pane to bring down. The path of an empath is, at times, lonely and strange.
There is often a sense of having one foot in this world, and the other foot in some  cosmically connected place; perhaps even accompanied by a feeling of slipping in and out of everyday reality. But I have some tips for you if this is your particular experience of life. Don't wander off, okay?
Caroline Myss often speaks of the fact that the human race is in a very transitory time, where much of who we are and are becoming is energy-centered. An example would be, a person can sit at a desk all day, or in a chair in their home, and with 'energy', can travel around the world, seeing places they'll never go physically, speaking with people they'll never meet in person. All on the internet. But can you touch the internet? Can you see it, can you put it in a box? No. It is happening in the invisible world, but it is very real. Now imagine reading the world this way from behind your eyes. All is One, everything is happening at once and yikes, you can FEEL/HEAR/SEE/TOUCH/TASTE it! It is in your 'home', and you are in its 'home'! Essentially, much of the human race is playing catch-up, because the things we have attached to are very dense, physical things. They are heavy, and they don't travel well. These things, if we're going to truly make the journey from lower to higher consciousness, must be reduced in importance, and the energetic world must be given greater attention. And it must be managed in a clean manner---energetic hygiene is important. Management of one's energy field is vital to this new level of existence that we are moving into.
I think of the empath as advanced. Not better than others, just more advanced. Like me, most empaths have been experiencing life from the open window since birth. I went out of my body at age 5 during a tonsillectomy, saw a Native American in a mirror in a NY state rental home at age 6, knew that my dad was having an affair with the neighbor woman at age 6 (I repeat 'knew', did not see), gave milk to fairies across the street in the woods at age 7, had a premonition at age 15 of an accident that would be quite serious the next morning, and have had visits from the other side regularly and spontaneously for many years.......I could go on, but you get the picture. When a person is 'this way', there is no closing the window. I'm going to honestly say here, there is a lot of chatter in 'new age' circles about how 'cool' being psychic is, but in reality, it can be incredibly frightening and painful until one learns to embrace it as normal and perhaps more real than everyday 'reality'. Between the realization that one is different, and the ridicule by those who are judgmental (enter 'male relative' who thought he was all that and was really just an egomaniac).....well, it is a steep and twisting path (so worth it though!).
But I do have good news. Those who have been diligently working behind the scenes to advance the human race, hand in hand with our Divine Creator who has calculated the speed of everything to move at just the right pace, are guiding us into a new era. The era of energy. Energy healing, energetic communication, energy reading, and much more. What this means for you and I is that we are already tuned to this incoming wave of ascension. We don't have to be pushed, prodded, tested, challenged by the universe to 'catch up'. We have been the trainees, designed to assist with the ushering in of this new wave of energy. Welcome home kindred spirits :-)
So here are the goods. You are normal, normal for the times we are living in. You are running like a finely tuned engine. The next 100 years will see the general population catching up to where you already are. This makes YOU a teacher. The responsibility here is HUGE, not child's play. There is no place for a superiority complex, rather, learn to be very comfortable and also humble with your abilities. Acknowledge what you are feeling, and choose to see your abilities as a blessing rather than a curse. Do not use your abilities as an excuse for unruly behavior, but use them as a tool to help guide those who are just coming into ownership of their own empathic abilities toward self-acceptance and awareness of the endless miracle of life. 
It is important to note here, if you are deeply empathic, stay away from tv and movies that make a mockery of psychic ability. They are often fictitious and are created to bring in $$$ for the execs and actors. There is not a lot of care taken in creating authenticity in the portrayals of the so-called psychic characters, and oftentimes there is a vested interest by the media to manipulate individuals who are empathic into staying 'small' so that the underlying control of a population can be maintained by the establishment. Do not allow media, or anyone else, to determine your identity and how you feel about yourself. The establishment may have rights with regards to your physical/external space and behavior, but YOU are the master of your inner Universe!
So, how to live with being so sensitive? Revere it, roll in it, play in it, know that you are part of a mass movement toward an ALL-ENERGY existence. Acknowledge what you experience but don't attach to it. You are being allowed to see/feel/experience in an extra-sensory capacity, however, much of the time, you are not meant to stick your hand in it and begin manipulating the energy fields of others...unless of course, they ask for energy/spiritual healing. And then, make sure you know what you are doing, what you are touching, and how energy works. Take a physics class to learn the laws of the universe. 
Fine tune your ability, much like practicing a sport or technique. Get comfortable with your feelings being normal FOR YOU. And lastly, know that nothing is promised us as we come down that birth canal. Life was arranged by the Divine Creator and you (us), everything else is a blessing, including the challenges. You've come here to build, but at this point, not so much externally. Internally. In preparation for higher work in other dimensions in future lifetimes. You are energy, we are energy, it is the nature of everything. Get used to it. It is not going away, and it is increasing in momentum. Feel very blessed that you reside in an inner world that some will not ever grasp in this lifetime, nor will they know the beauty of experiencing ALL being ONE. You are never alone, and yet, you are eternally whole, on a soul level, and you have been created to not be able to escape that inner complete, all-knowingness, ever. Allow it to unfold, let it be a remembering of sorts. Home is within. Sit with that and know that you are always safe. 
...And perfectly peaceful at your core.
With Compassion,