Why I struggle identifying as an Empath

Can I be real with you right now?

I've always struggled with identifying as an Empath.

You see, when we're learning that we're empathic beings one of the first bonding experiences is connecting over the hurts and negative aspects of being an Empath.

👉 Overwhelm & confusion
👉 Exhausted & depleted
👉 Anxiety & depression

🙋🏻‍♀️ Wanting to be the change in the world
🙋🏻‍♀️ Continually attracting narcissists
🙋🏻‍♀️ Repeatedly being told, "you're too sensitive"

It's a way to finally be able to identify that's what is going on, which is fantastic.

But the problem is that all too often it is common practice that we end up accepting that as our 'fate' and our 'end all be all'

It's status quo to collect a few tools on how to cope and deal with this place of constant overwhelm.

You see, this didn't sit well with me as a solution-based, 'what's the lesson in this,' all about empowerment type of person.

Then I realized why... It's a form of trauma-bonding.
It keeps us stuck, sick, disempowered and victimized.

Instead we can use that information to move in to a solution of empowerment and learn how to navigate our world with knowing these truths.

Lately we've seen a rise in the collective consciousness with energies:
🌙 Meditation, Yoga, Mindfulness,
🌙 Law of Attraction
🌙 Astrology - more people know about Mercury Retrograde, the Moon cycles and that there's more to your natal chart than your sun sign.

It's a beautiful time!

It's a time of the Empaths, Sensitives and Intuitives rising and aligning with their divine power.

When we are done being bogged down, anxiety-ridden and devastated over the state of our world, and ready for a real change within - because we're aware we can't change the world, then we're ready!

🌟 We're ready to step in to our power.
🌟 We're ready to know how these empathic experiences are here to serve us (and therefore the world).
🌟 We're ready to learn how to navigate our daily life as an empowered empathic being

During my journey as an Empath / Sensitive / Intuitive I've been blessed with teachers and mentors who have showed up and shared with me these truths that resonated with my soul:

🤯 We CAN learn how to separate our energy from other people's and know what's ours and what isn't,
🤯 We CAN discover why we're continually getting thrown off kilter and how to stay centered, and
🤯 We CAN be energized and no longer be drained or overwhelmed!

Do you resonate with this?? Does your soul desire this, also?

The past 10 years I've been on a mission to support the Empaths / Sensitives / Invuitives of the world who are at this tipping point and are READY.

And let me tell you... it's been AMAZING!!!
It's not for everyone and I honor that.
But when it is, woweeee do I LOVE getting to do this work and see people experience the liberation and transformation!

If this resonates with you, the doors to my program, Align & Thrive™ are now open.
And let me tell you, this group is like no other.

Here's to empowerment for the Empaths!
Here's to aligning with our soul and thriving!
And most of all, here's to you!

ashley koe

10 Days of Reiki - Day 7

Intention

As a deeply caring person who is able to sense energies it has always been a struggle to know boundaries. Even though I would always want to do good, doing the work of identifying that my intentions might not be…. not in ill-intentioned ways, but more from places of empathic/energy overwhelm and trying to lessen the suffering of others.
And in social justice work we know that our intentions may not always align with our impact.

So, here’s what Reiki has taught me with intention:

1) Always set the intention for whatever is in the Highest Good
This gets my ego and my will out of the way and allows me to be open to what is actually coming through. Which to be honest, is usually super magical.
I continue to set this intention with all of my work: private sessions, group coaching and even in the business aspect. It’s also become and embodied practice for me in approaching life.

2) Ethics as an empath are vital
Reiki emphasizes that we must have consent from the recipient. This again gets us clear on our intentions that we’re not imposing our will or what we think that person needs.
If we are trying to rescue, then we could be creating karmic chaos and could be contributing to karmic debt - which means that on some level that person won’t feel like they can accept the healing energy.
Being in a position to channel healing energy is a powerful one that comes with great responsibility.

After all, energy is powerful, yet subtle; and everything is energy. Which we’ll get into more tomorrow. 🙂

Okay, luv, how did that one sit with you?
I’ve noticed over the years that this can be a little bit more challenging on to address.
Let me know in the comments below. Or send me an email. I’d love to read from you.

In joy, gratitude and Reiki goodness,

ashley koe

***IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT***

Announcement + Thank you

I promised to let you know when I knew, and well, luv,
more has been revealed!

***EDITED and updated on 12/26/20***

It is with great joy, gratitude and sadness that I share this announcement with you, my amazing community. The community who has continued to grow with me over the years from my handwritten forms to a worldwide online network of the most phenomenal change agents. The community who has continued to invite me into your hearts, lives, inboxes and spaces (both online and in person).

Like ripping off a band-aid, here’s what’s happening:
Private Sessions as have known them for the past 10 years are coming to an end.

You see, 2020 has brought us many things. Not trying to add to the loses; in fact, I am flowing with the energies myself and I am intentionally curating my life and honoring my energy. True to form, I will never ask you to do something I have not already done or am willing to do myself. Aligning with that means that it is with sadness and complete gratitude (and a little bit of fear/nervousness - hello ego 🙃) that I share with you that Private Sessions as we have known them are officially coming to an end.

I will be focusing all of my efforts on group coaching through Align & Thrive™ and the Self Paced Online Reiki Course. I am not sure if there will be another option on how to work with me coming to fruition, but know that it has truly been an honor to be of service in this capacity to you all.
The beautiful souls that I’ve gotten to meet along the way, supporting them on their healing journey, sharing tools, ‘homework’ and various reframes and perspectives have been such an incredible experience. I’ve had the honor of channeling people’s loved ones, their Spirit Guides, messages from ancestors and their Highest Selves.
And the places that I’ve traveled and gotten to do sessions… both in person (from DC to Miami to Hawai’i to Rocky mountains, beaches, conferences, and more) and online with people from all over the world in so many different countries. I thank you.

I will continue to mentor and coach those empathic change agents and healers who are wanting to confidently trust their intuition, decipher energies and honor their soul through Align & Thrive™ and the Self Paced Online Reiki Course. If you feel called to do this healing work and/or work with me, I encourage you to get on the wait list for Align & Thrive™ (doors open in early 2021), and check out the Self Paced Online Reiki Course.

The Good News
Since I can’t (and don’t want to) quit cold turkey, and to help with this transition I will still be honoring all of the Packages and Gift Certificates purchased and Private Sessions and VIP Days booked by Thursday, December 31st, 2020 at 11:59pm PST.
Remember that all Packages and Gift Certificates are good for 6 months from the date of purchase. All Private Sessions can be booked up to 90 days in advance and VIP Days can be booked up to 6 months in advance.
Starting 1/1/21 Private Sessions, VIP Days and Gift Certificates and Packages will all be taken down off my website.
Important note: All Sliding Scale rates will continue to be offered thru 12/31/20 at 11:59pm PST.

1) As of 1/1/21 Private Sessions will no longer be a service I offer on my website.

2) You now have until 12/31/20 at 11:59pm PST to schedule (private session) or purchase a Gift Certificate or package.
❗️These must be paid for by 12/31/20 but can be scheduled and completed in 2021.
📆 Private Sessions can be booked up to 90 days in advance.
📅 Gift Certificates and Packages have six months to be redeemed.

3) If you have already purchased a Package/Gift Certificate you can book it by clicking the blue link in your confirmation email that says, "Schedule".
❗️Make sure you save and mark your confirmation email so you can easily access it when you're ready.
All packages, gift certificates and private sessions that have been purchased or gifted as bonuses for the Self Paced Online Reiki Course or Align & Thrive™ will be honored with their respected expiration dates.

And most importantly, I am absolutely looking forward to working with everyone who books and purchases GCs and packages. I am not ending Private Sessions because they drain me or because I lost my excitement for them. I am ending them because my soul has been asking me to shift things for a while now (few years, tbh). It's time.

It’s a magical time we’re living in and this is a great way to lock in and commit to having support for your own transition that 2021 is bringing you.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for letting me in, trusting me with your healing and referring your friends, family and coworkers to me all of these years. It has been such an honor… and quite the adventure. The most incredible and magical adventure I’ve ever been on.

I will continue to share my work in trauma-informed, healing-centric, soul-aligned ways - just through the courses and programs. So keep those referrals coming. It’s not an ending, just a shift.

Just as I’ve seen countless deep shifts and magical healing take place in these group spaces over the years, I look forward to all the magic that this shift will bring for each of us.

#HereWeGrow

In joy and deep gratitude,

ashley koe

10 Days of Reiki - Day 4

Energetic Autonomy

Yesterday we talked about not feeling that energy overwhelm as an empathic person. It’s because of the boundaries, developing my intuition and ethics that come with being a Reiki practitioner.
Please note that when I say “Reiki Practitioner” I mean anyone who has taken and been attuned to Reiki, not a professional practicing Reiki practitioner.

Here’s the thing, Reiki taught me what I call Energetic Autonomy.

As empaths it can be a default setting for us to be going around being enmeshed in other people’s energies without even knowing it. I believe that this is actually what people are talking about when they continually say they’re feeling drained.
They don’t know that they are powerful beyond measure when it comes to being a steward of energies.

That actually they can feel energized, empowered and invigorated in life and work as an Empath who deeply cares about our world.

This empath experience isn’t meant to be a negative thing. We’re meant to learn from it. Look at how we can step into our power, set boundaries and truly be of service while doing what’s in our Highest Good (read: not over-giving and over extending ourselves).

In order to ‘stay in my lane’ energetically I needed to learn how to:
- Ground - become present with my self (my own energies, my own emotions, my own thoughts)
- Fill my energy with Divine energy (white light, universal energy, grounding energies from the earth or whatever you like)
- Be a channel, not a filter (we’ll get more into this tomorrow) but the point being, not taking on other people’s energies.

So, there you go, luv!
How does that feel?
Did a part of that resonate with you? If so, which part?

Let me know in the comments below!

In joy, gratitude and reiki goodness,

ashley koe

10 days of Reiki - Day 3

Empowered

This one goes in a couple of different directions: 
feeling empowered on a spiritual level - as a spiritual being having a human experience, and 
on a human level - feeling empowered as an empathic change agent who can sense energies. 

Reiki has brought me this level of feeling empowered that I’ve never felt before. 

Of course it has continued to evolve over the years. 
But when I first started out I wanted to change the world. 
Now I know that what I can only change is myself and do what I am guided to do. 

Not only do I know this but I live my life according to this. 
I no longer feel powerless in tragic situations. 
Which in turn ends my desire to want to ‘help’ and fix. 

I now get to approach each person I work with as a soul that is powerful beyond measure. 

Secondly, I feel empowered when it comes to energies!

No longer feeling overwhelmed. 

Able to know if it’s mine or theirs. Or if there is something else contributing to it - hello solar eclipse today! 😁

These are HUGE as someone who is able to sense energies. After all, everything is energy.

To finally turn that ability into a superpower. And the cool part is - anyone can do it! It’s not for the special few. 

I believe we are all able to develop that ability for our benefit, empowerment and healing. We’re not meant to be hindered, overwhelmed or bogged down by it. 

I’ve learned to honor my own energy, trust the energetic impressions that I get, decipher mine from others, and make all decisions confidently by trusting my intuition. 

Tell me, luv, how would your life change if you were able to confidently trust your intuition? 

How would things be different if you could no longer be overwhelmed by energies? Either other people’s or the world’s energies. 

Let me know in the comments below 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

In joy, gratitude and love,

ashley koe

10 days of Reiki - Day 1

We've got 10 days of celebrating!

There are quite a few ancient traditions that celebrate the light during this dark time of the year (northern hemisphere). Let's see, we've got: 12 days of Christmas, 8 nights of Hanukkah, 7 days of Kwanzaa, 5 days of Diwali and there's even a fun 13 days of solstice thing going around on social.

Since I'm celebrating 10 years since I took my very first Reiki course, I thought I would celebrate with YOU, the phenomenal souls that make this all possible!

Here's what we'll be doing...

Over these next 10 days I'll be: 1) Sharing stories about how Reiki has changed my life and how it could change yours (or maybe it already has 🤷🏻‍♀️)

2) Making important announcements regarding my offerings (services and courses)

3) Celebrating YOU! 💫🎉🎈

We'll start today, 12/12 and wrap up on the solstice 12/21... because how fun are those numbers! 😁

Now, I know you have a lot going on right now and just like me you're probably re-prioritizing and de-cluttering and re-organizing things in order to align with your intentions. Same, {{ subscriber.first_name }}, same. #EclipseSeason #NewYear

I am making this promise to you. I promise to make this content worth your time and energy. So beneficial as if you were paying for it. Because you are - with your time and energy.

Okay, luv, let's get this party started!

The First gift of Reiki

Self Care

Stay with me! I know, I know...everyone and their dog are talking about self care. 🤮 I get it.

And I ask… have you truly done the work to embody this?
Level I of Reiki focuses all on YOU; how you can connect with and heal yourself. It's completely focused on you. Before you even think about using it for others. I LOVE this foundational concept. I believe in it with being of service to others - especially as an empathic change agent. If our well is going to others we have nothing for ourselves let alone anyone else. How is that healing? Is it sustainable? I mean… how can we be the change if we’re not here?

Changing and healing ourselves changes and heals the world.

It's also what brought ME to Reiki.

Feeling run down, the beginning signs of another cold coming on (sniffles, fatigue, sore throat, etc), and realizing that this was yet another month that it was happening.

I know that some of you only know me as the Reiki person. But let me tell you, 10 years + 1 month ago I had NO IDEA what Reiki even was!

I had never experienced any energy work before.

Just had an upbringing that included more holistic approaches to health: massage, chiropractic care, etc.

But I was open.

I was open to the signs the Universe had been showing me.

Feeling frustrated at my job, got my first professional intuitive reading a month before, and was open to what the Universe had in store since moving forward in that profession continually didn’t feel ‘right.’

So, after lots of research, reading, asking questions and some hesitancy, I signed up for the class.

It continues to remind me that when I take care of myself I am more available for others. I am more present. I can even give more.

And I am truly the change I want to be in the world.
I don’t show up frustrated, stressed out or complaining about how others ‘should’ change.

I show up nourished, loving, joy-full and having fun!
I honor all of me.
I am in tune with my energies (physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually) and I don’t take on other people’s energies around me.
My emotions, my experiences, my dark and my light, my humanness and my soul.
Not only am I whole, but I feel whole.

That is what the type of self care that Reiki has gifted me.

Now to you!
Have you felt this type of self care?
If you’ve taken a Level I Reiki class or had a Reiki session, what gift has Reiki given you?

---

Announcement

In the spirit of honoring self care, after 12/21 I will be putting any new sales of Private Sessions on hold.

What this means exactly:

You are welcome to book your session, or buy a package or gift certificate until 12/21. But I won’t be offering any new purchases of Private Sessions after 12/21. The link won’t be on my website.
However, if you purchase (or have purchased) a Gift Certificate, Package or book your session now I will be honoring that.
I want to still provide my current community with support during this time.

Important considerations:

The Sliding Scale rates will continue to be offered until 12/21.
Gift Certificates and Packages are valid for six months from the date of purchase. Sessions can be booked up to 90 days in advance.
Honestly, I’m not sure how long this will ‘hold’ last, or even if it’s going to be the end of Private Sessions as we know it, but I know that I am needing some time and energy to be refocused so I can be in alignment with how I am being asked to be of service.

I absolutely LOVE Private Sessions and getting to work with beautiful souls like yourself. AND I need to honor my energy.
So, as always, since I will never ask you to do something I am not willing to do myself - no matter how hard or uncomfortable, here I am putting my words into practice and honoring my own energy. Things are shifting.

Thank you for continuing to allow me to be a part of your healing journey. I continue to feel honored to be entrusted with assisting in any repair and healing that takes place in private sessions. It’s been a miraculous journey that I never saw coming.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

Here’s to self care!

ashley koe

Black Friday, Small Biz Saturday, Cyber Monday

Last week we started a 14-Day Autumn Light Experience!  
​
We're on Day 7 now, just know that you can join in and experience it at any time when you remember or it pops up on your feed.

On Insta and FB I've been posting all about what activates joy/gratitude/light within me and sharing your posts as well! 

It's been so much fun reading people's emails, posts and shares about this experience!

In case you feel like joining, these eare some of the hashtags we've been using for this: #LightYourWay #SeeYourLight #AutumnalLight 

Thank you for sharing so much light! 
Even if you're doing your own introverted practice, know that you are still in community with us during this. smiles.

Black Friday Announcement: 

I'm sure, like me, you've been getting innudated with every retail store and business you've ever given your email address to - maybe multiple times a day - whew! Holy guacamole it's A LOT! 

Especially since they've turned this into a Black FriDAY into a month, it's been a bit overwhelming...

Interestingly enough I've actually seen some info that this year is predicted to be one of the biggest economic spending holiday seasons ever. Like, woah.

Not to mention that we’ve also got the rest of the weekend.. #SmallBusinessSaturday, #CyberMonday, etc.

As empathic change agents, I know you're doing your best to donate to and share about your favorite non-profits and causes and doing what you can for the individuals in your communities who might be needing some extra support. 
And I'm sure you're also promoting your friends and family's small businesses. Those posts are always so much fun to see on facebook!

Since I know you're so intentional about where you put your dollars, I felt pulled to remind you a few of options here as well: 
​
​1) Book your own private session / package / VIP Day ​
to ensure your support during the holy-day and eclipse season, and even into 2021 since they're all good for 6 months!
​​
​2) Gfit Certificates ​
These can be used for you or can be a phenomenal gift to others (where it's pandemic-safe, people can access healing from home, and even integrate all the changes that have happened this year) - AND these can be donated. 
Or get a package and it can be a combination of you AND others! All while saving money! 
With this pandemic, I've seen some incredible generosity from this community! Gift Certificates for sessions have been donated to loved ones, colleagues and specifically for BIPOC who are seeking support and healing. If you'd also like to contribute to this, please reply to this email. 
​​
​3) Self Paced Online Reiki Course - still here for your taking. hahaha. 
It's a trauma-informed, healing-centric, soul-aligned approach to you learning Reiki as an empathic change agent. Learn how to use energy to your benefit rather than your detriment. Feel empowered with energy as an empath. 

Bad news: I'm not offering an additional steep discounted deal on my offerings (I know....what kind of Black Friday email is this?!).
​Good news: As I have been for months, I AM continuing to offer all of my services at three sliding scale rates and low monthly payment plans, for now. 
This includes EVERY OFFERING: Private Sessions, VIP Days, Session Packages and the Self Paced Online Reiki Course.

Possbily bad news: I have a feeling the Sliding Scale rates might be leaving soon. If you saw that 'for now' above, you were right!​
​
Well, that was a reverse sandwich... hmmm...
​
Let's balance it out with some more good news: 
#ProTip1: Best deals are in packages. 
#ProTip2: Get a New Client package and gift the New Client 90-mins session to someone and then use the 2- 60-mins current client sessions for you! 

There you go, luv!
​
No matter how you choose to spend your money this week, know that I am so very thankful to get to show up and do this work in the world. 
To get to support empathic change agents like yourself, people who deeply care about the sacred ways in which we treat others, break cycles of trauma and consciously heal ourselves and therefore our world, it's truly the biggest gift ever. 

Thank you for continuing to share about this work with others: your friends, family and colleagues. 
Thank you for being willing to suit up, show up and do the work with me. It's not always love and light but we can continue to connect and heal the heavy and dark so that the light may shine through and we remember that we are divine Love.

In joy, gratitude, and love, 

ashley koe