Empath to Mystic: The Art of Mastering Your Intuition and Fearlessly Being Yourself

Empath to

Mystic

The Art of Mastering Your Intuition and

Fearlessly Being Yourself

Aaran Solh

Copyright © 2018 Aaran Solh.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Smashwords Edition

This book is dedicated to my daughter Soffeah, for helping me remember what happiness, innocence, and wisdom are, and what it truly means to be a child of Earth. May the benefit this book brings help create a safer world for all the children of Earth (yourself, dear reader, included).

Contents

GETTING STARTED

FORWARD

FINDING MY POWER ON THE JOURNEY FROM EMPATH TO MYSTIC

CHOOSING YOUR INNER VOICE AS NAVIGATOR

THE JOURNEY OF BECOMING YOU

THE FOUR PILLARS OF INTUITION

HOW DO YOU REBUILD YOUR PILLARS?

THE PATH OF MASTERY

A LESSON IN GARDENING

UNJUST PAIN

FINGERS AND BRAINS

WORKING WITH A GROUP

BUILDING THE PILLAR OF VISION

THE PILLAR

THE CHALLENGE: PUSHING A BOULDER UP A HILL

A VISION IS SIMPLE

SUICIDE TUESDAY

LONG-VIEW PERSPECTIVE

DEPRESSION AND POINTLESSNESS

THIS IS THE CYCLE:

BULLYING YOURSELF

COMMUNITY

YOUR HEART PUMPS VIBRANTLY

YOUR TOMBSTONE

THE WARRIOR ARCHETYPE

IT DOESN’T MATTER

FUEL, EMBRACE, UNDERSTAND, REALIZE, BUILD

LIGHTING YOUR INNER FIRE – SOME PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS

FULL INTEGRITY

STICKING YOUR NECK OUT

BUILDING THE PILLAR OF CONNECTION

THE PILLAR

THE CHALLENGE: WHEN IT FEELS SAFE

RECIPROCATION

THE ROAD TO OPPRESSION

BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER

AN EPIDEMIC

A WILLINGNESS TO ENDURE

HEALTHY CONVERSATIONS

CULTIVATE AN INNER FEELING OF CONNECTION AND COMMUNITY

SAMPLE CONVERSATIONS

THE PEOPLE WHO HURT YOU

THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

PLEASURE OR LOVE

THE ELUSIVE SEARCH FOR HOME

A TRUE LEADER OF THE HEART

CHANGE

BUILDING THE PILLAR OF RECEPTIVITY

THE PILLAR

THE CHALLENGE: TIME IS NOT THE ENEMY

AVOIDING REST

A MUTUAL DANCE - PARTNERING WITH CHAOS

SHAME AND REGRET

YOU DESIRE A FEELING

BEING IN RELATIONSHIP WITH WHAT YOU WANT

CONTEMPLATE THIS

RECEIVING FROM THE INNER VOICE

THE PROCESS OF TRANSFORMATION

BEYOND THE VEIL

THE FEELING SENSE

WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO ENCOUNTER

ILLUMINATING YOUR RESISTANCE

WHAT’S REJECTION GOT TO DO WITH IT?

SO WHERE DO I START?

CHANGE

TAKING BACK THE IN-BETWEEN

LIVING IN-BETWEEN THE MOMENTS – AN EXPLANATION OF THE PRACTICE

THE KEY TO EVERYTHING

THE BRAIN DUMPING SOLUTION

YOUR LEGACY & A HEALTHY STATE OF MIND

BUILDING THE PILLAR OF CREATIVITY

THE PILLAR

THE CHALLENGE: NUMB, FROZEN, AND IMMOBILE

COMPETITION

WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE IS THINKING

UNSHAKABLE

WITHDRAWAL

PURSUING DISTRACTIONS

OVERCOMING YOUR DESIRE FOR PARTICULAR OUTCOMES

A BURNING DESIRE TO SEE YOUR DENTIST

WHOSE THOUGHTS ARE THESE ANYWAY?

MOVE

STORIES OF MASTERS

CREATOR OR FORMULATOR

A WALL OF DISRUPTIVE THOUGHTS

AUTHENTIC PEOPLE

THE UPWARD SPIRAL

THE UPWARD SPIRAL OF VISION

THE UPWARD SPIRAL OF CONNECTION

THE UPWARD SPIRAL OF RECEPTIVITY

THE UPWARD SPIRAL OF CREATIVITY

KEEP MOVING

DISCIPLINE DOESN’T EXIST

THE AGE OF UN-REASON

FAITH

HOPE IS DISCIPLINE

AFTERWARD

APPENDIX I: SELF DIAGNOSIS

APPENDIX II: PILLAR PRACTICES

APPENDIX III: A DAILY INTUITION BUILDING AND MANIFESTATION PRACTICE

APPENDIX IV: THE STREET CORNER PRACTICE

APPENDIX V: DAILY PILLAR BUILDING PRACTICE

APPENDIX VI: SPINAL BREATH ALIGNMENT PRACTICE

APPENDIX VII: FORGIVENESS RITUAL

APPENDIX VIII: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR MIND SAYS ‘I CAN’T’

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AARAN SOLH

GETTING STARTED

Thank you for reading Empath to Mystic!

Before getting started, I’d like to invite you to visit my website where you can take the Intuition Quiz. The quiz will help you determine which aspect of intuition mastery it is important for you to focus on building right now.

www.AaranSolh.com

Also on my website, you can download free supplemental material such as guided meditations, videos, and journaling worksheets.

Finally, as an author, I highly appreciate the feedback I get from my readers. If you enjoy this book you are about to read, please consider leaving a short review on the site from which you purchased this ebook. It will help others make an informed decision before buying my book.

With deep gratitude,

Aaran Solh

Forward

In a world filled with digital, physical, and inner noise, it is challenging to navigate from a centered and present place. And this challenge is magnified if you are sensitive to other people’s thoughts, energy, and/or emotions. So many people now struggle to stay open-hearted and present because they are overwhelmed with so much information and so many feelings. I’m always looking for good books to help people who are energetically sensitive, or have shut down their intuition due to fear or trauma. Aaran’s Empath to Mystic book is a beautiful, step-by-step guide for anyone wanting to ground into their gifts of intuition and knowing.

I first met Aaran through his partner, now wife, Aryana. I’ve known her since she was 13, when we both apprenticed with don Miguel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements.

After not seeing Aryana for many years I was delighted when she moved to my town and introduced me to her beloved, Aaran. We spent many nights having long conversations and I was always impressed by his passion, clarity, and gentle heart.

When Aaran and Aryana announced they were leaving Austin to live in Southeast Asia I was both excited for how they would grow and deepen their message. I was so delighted to read Aaran’s Empath to Mystic, which shares the many lessons and skills he has cultivated throughout his lifetime. This is a much needed, important book.

It is one thing to realize that you are sensitive, or an empath. It is another to get a loving guide for how to use your super powers to grow your consciousness and love instead of getting swamped or always feeling drained and exhausted.

Empath to Mystic offers so much, in a clear, concise way. Aaran’s four pillars of intuition will help you rebuild your foundation from the bottom up. Whether you have shut down your inner voice, or you are overwhelmed with how much data you are always receiving, you will find a friend and teacher in these pages. Each chapter includes not only valuable information and guidance, but also specific visualizations and meditations, doable action steps, and inquiry questions to deepen your understanding.

If you are ready to reclaim your inner voice and begin to be guided by your own knowing, you are in good hands with Aaran. May you shed the layers of confusion, hurt, and fears to allow the light of your radiant, peaceful, purpose to shine forth and be a guide to yourself and others.

–HeatherAsh Amara,

author of Warrior Goddess Training and

Awaken Your Inner Fire

FINDING MY POWER ON THE JOURNEY FROM

EMPATH TO MYSTIC

mys•tic

A person who has a spiritual apprehension of truths that are beyond the intellect and who allows those truths to guide their actions.

When I was a child, I could sense what others around me were feeling and thinking. As I grew up, as so many empaths and spiritually attuned children experience, I was gravely misunderstood. I did not fit in very well to school structures and felt awkward socially. I was constantly in trouble and always being picked on as the ‘odd one out.’ As most empaths who grew up unrecognized and unsupported do, I shut down and ‘checked out’ - functioning in the physical world but never truly feeling my emotions or experiencing life fully. As so many sensitive children end up these days, I became numb, anxious, and depressed.

As a teenager, I found other kids to surround myself with who also didn’t fit in. We wanted to be left alone to drink and smoke away the pain and were constantly chastised and punished by parents, teachers, police, and court systems alike. But I was fortunate - as a teen, something out of the ordinary happened to me. I was exposed to mysticism and spirituality by people who weren’t trying to save me, change me, or use me. I was fortunate to find adult mentors who respected me for who I was, took me seriously, and treated me with respect. They saved me from a life of pain, shame, and fear.

My soul had taken refuge in the spirit world because living consciously on Earth had been too painful. One of my mentors even described me as having feet firmly planted on the earth, head in the sky, and nothing connecting the two! Many spiritual seekers, empaths and sensitive people end up living this way. They fully function, taking care of others, going to and from work, but inside they feel anxious, depressed, or numb. They are aware of the energies and emotions around them but feel depleted by that ability, not knowing how to harness their strength or communicate to others what they see and feel. They may allow their natural ability to love and have compassion to be used by people who take advantage of them. It is an incredibly difficult way to live.

It took some time, but I learned to embrace my abilities as an empath on a journey of spiritual awakening. Over many years of studying with spiritual teachers, shamans, and mystics around the world I learned to process my emotions and to process my knowledge of the emotions of other people around me in a grounded, stable, loving, and connected way. I learned to allow the physical world to connect with the intuitive, spiritual, and mystical one and invited them all to make a home together in my body. I learned to have boundaries and direct my skill intentionally so that it doesn’t randomly fluctuate. Because of that, I have been able to help hundreds of people as a grounded intuitive with solid energetic boundaries. Not only without getting overwhelmed, but being very happy and joyful in my service, and always with the feeling that there is meaning to my life.

In my desire to help others walk the same path, the time finally came for me to create systems to help empaths, sensitive people, and people who are awakening to their spiritual nature do what I did. But I wanted them to be able to transform their lives and evolve their capacity for feeling peace, freedom, and connection in the comfort of their own home. To that end, the system I present in this book focuses on building your intuition, because that is the greatest gift of an empath and it is the best way to learn to connect to the higher wisdom within you. You can turn your gift of sensitivity inward instead of constantly outward. You can clear the emotional and mental channels, allow your inner voice to shine, and your authentic spiritual gifts to be unveiled, both to yourself and to the world.

You can live as the spiritual guide and artist you came into this world to be, even though, unlike the villages, clans, or native cultures of old, there may not be a recognized role for you. In old-world villages and native tribes you would have been recognized and appreciated for your gifts. You would have been sent to apprentice with the village shaman or artist guild, or been honored with a room at the local monastery - celebrated instead of made to feel like an outsider.

Today we have to be stronger. We have to come together as a community and recognize our strengths. We must lift each other up and remember that we are the bridges, here to guide people to goodness and wholeness in appreciation of each other and of nature. We mustn’t give up on humanity! We have the power to be their artists, shamans, peacemakers, and prophets. To be the inspired visionaries who together can create a movement that ends the isolation, depression, and destruction in which so many people live. We are the ones, there are no others.

There are two paths for you to choose from. One leads you forward into the unknown - into healing, connection, awareness and yes, the challenge of being big, being creative, and being seen for who you are. The other path leads to more of the same - to the challenge of struggling to fit in and keeping yourself small, confused, and possibly in pain. This book and the community behind it can lead you down the first path - to finding your life purpose, to remembering why you incarnated, to being strong in the face of oppression and adversity, and to not accepting life as ‘the way it is’ anymore.

Mastering your intuition will lead you to a balanced harnessing of your mystical power and give you a grounded, meaningful, and creative life. It will be challenging, but it will be the good kind of challenging. The kind that makes you feel alive. The kind that makes you feel inspired even though you have no idea what is around the next bend in the road or how you are going to accomplish your vision; or how, indeed, you are going to find a vision to pursue!

Opening to your inner voice, and letting it heal and guide you gives you a new best friend. A friend that is, nearer to you than yourself, as the poem by Rumi quoted in the first chapter of this book tells us. When you open to your inner voice and reconnect your spiritual self to your earth-bound self, that is what happens. The friend comes into the body, as another line by Rumi tells us. Come along for the ride, learn to trust your inner voice, and let it lead you on the adventure of a lifetime. Your lifetime!

CHOOSING YOUR INNER VOICE AS

NAVIGATOR

When you look for God,

God is in the look of your eyes

In the thought of looking

Nearer to you than yourself

~Rumi

THE JOURNEY OF BECOMING YOU

On your journey of self-discovery there have no doubt been moments where you have glimpsed what it’s like to be completely free. Able to follow your inner voice and intuition clearly and consistently. Moments where you have been full of energy and passion, able to face whatever challenges stood in your way.

But the glimpses are probably erratic, and maybe you are unable to grab hold of them. You might find yourself dipping into sadness and longing to give your gifts to the world, yet still not having a grasp of what they are. Your personal struggles or inability to trust in your own decisions may create a tiredness that doesn’t seem to fade with positive thinking. You may find yourself buckling under the weight of perceived limitations instead of living every moment from the creative energy pulsing inside you.

Maybe you feel like Denise.

She wrote me this:

"Hi Aaran,

It is no coincidence that I am here and found you...There is a longing in my heart/soul to free myself of the stuck life I find myself in and live the life I was meant to live! I truly believe there is an amazing life for me... filled with a sense of purpose, peace, exploration and abundance. My fear and lack of belief in myself holds me back. Daily, I am making strides to change these limiting beliefs and am trying to create new habits... Soooo hard!"

Maybe, like Denise, you realize that there is a way to stay connected to the wisdom within you at all times. And maybe, like her, you are not sure how to anchor what you know in a way that actually changes your patterns of thought and behavior. If you are reading this, however, you must still have hope for a sense of true connection. Hope that you can embrace change in your body, your personality, and your very identity. Hope that you can discover how to follow your insights and intuitions - your inner voice - at all times.

In order to follow your inner voice at all times you have to master two things:

1. Distinguishing your inner voice from other voices

2. Finding the courage to follow it

These are two separate problems. First, you have to get beyond the head chatter and the many voices of other people in your head to find your own inner voice. Once you have done that, you have to learn to trust it, feel worthy of it, and courageously push past the fear that comes up when your inner voice guides you into the unknown. In this book you will find the information, practices and action steps you need to help you master these challenges. Most importantly, you will discover the four pillars of intuition, and when you build them, you will create a home for your inner voice to dwell in the temple of your body.

THE FOUR PILLARS OF INTUITION

The pillars of intuition are four conditions that must be met in your psyche to be able to hear and follow your inner voice - the voice that is speaking to you when you say you had an intuition. The inner voice is the voice of love and higher intelligence that lives inside of you. The intuition is the conscious perception of that voice. It is the gap between the inner voice and the intuition appearing in your conscious mind that this book will help you bridge, allowing you to truly be yourself.

By understanding the four pillars, their challenges, and building blocks, you can enable your inner voice to consciously, regularly, and predictably provide answers to all your questions. Mastering the four pillars helps you clear the channels of communication and gives you the courage to listen to what comes through.

The Four Pillars: Vision, Connection, Receptivity and Creativity

When building the pillar of vision, you uncover your core motivations. You create a vision for yourself that serves as a faraway beacon to aspire to as you sail the dark seas of this world. You gain a sense of purpose by discovering your own highest potential and path of service in the world. Without a sense of purpose and a vision of your highest potential, you won’t have enough strength to face the challenges on your path. You will find that you lack the discipline to press on and disempowering thoughts will kill your ambitions. When building your pillar of vision, the main challenge is overcoming a lack of motivation and a fear of failure.

When building the pillar of connection, you discover your relationship to a source of spiritual nourishment and love within you; a source that provides a lifeline when your mind is drowning in other people’s voices. Without this connection, you will continue to seek nourishment, love and validation only from external sources. If you don’t balance your internal knowing with your need for external love, you will never have the courage to make bold choices in your life and face possible rejection when you do. When building the pillar of connection, the main challenge is finding and amplifying your own voice among the many voices in your head and overcoming the fear of isolation.

When building the pillar of receptivity, you develop a consistent ability to trust in and receive support from a spiritual source within and from people who walk the path with you. Without support you will quickly lose steam and perpetuate a feeling of abandonment and lack of self-worth within yourself. You will continue to chase your tail, caught in a vortex of boredom and feeling overwhelmed, never managing to find the