Empathy - Twelfth House Moon: Astrology-Based Advice

Hi Elsa,

All my life, people have come up to me and confessed their problems, secrets, and worries. When I was younger, this really distressed me. What kid wants the grownups around them confessing to having feet of clay? Not me!

Now that I’m older, I'm handling it better. But sometimes I still find myself internalizing too much of other people's angst and woe. I think it's pretty obvious that I'm a natural at this confessional thing ... but where's the filter for me? Where's the off switch?!

How can I listen compassionately and wholeheartedly without getting quite so swept up in another person's reality?

Thanks,
Sometimes Overwhelmed

Dear Overwhelmed,

Anyone with a twelfth house Moon like yours is going to be an empathetic person - for good or ill.

I understand you are a wide-open channel. I understand that you might find yourself crying, unsure if the emotion is yours, or if it actually belongs to the person sitting next to you, telling you their problems. I also understand this is a service, and I understand you can be easily overwhelmed.

I don't think there's a way to defend or filter other people’s emotion, not one you can count on anyway. Your better bet is to fight magic with magic, and I’ll explain.

That you absorb and feel other people’s feelings is sort of nebulous, isn’t it? The feelings sneak in. They leak in. Try to build a wall and ... well, it’s like trying to keep a ghost out. It's not possible!

So I think you’d be better off leaving all the doors open. I would work on trying to throw the energy off. To dissipate it. To Jedi-wave it.

Do you remember the scene in the original Star Wars, when Obi Wan waves his hand at the Stormtroopers?

“These are not the droids you’re looking for...”

Train yourself to wave your hand like that and throw off whatever it is you’ve picked up that’s bothering you. Try to let it pass through you, rather than stewing in it. In other words, whatever it is you've picked up - transcend!

Good luck.

To ask a question, or to read more astrology-based advice: ElsaElsa - The Advice Blog

Article Author: Elsa

Visit Elsa at ElsaElsa.com - the first astrology blog on the internet! Frequent updates with a thriving and diverse community. Come join us!

Visit Elsa's author page — Elsa's Blog