By Bevin Niemann, Summit Host and co-founder of 1 Million Empaths

I invite you to reflect back for a moment to your childhood. Most empaths describe their youth as the time they were most tuned-in; when their intuitive, empathic, and visionary gifts began to awaken.

Then something happened. Perhaps when you shared what you sensed, someone became skeptical, scared, or even angry. Your gifts were questioned or suppressed, and you felt misunderstood.

You learned it wasn’t safe to be empathic or intuitive.

Maybe you’ve always felt the pressure to fit in. As a sensitive soul, it can be exhausting to try to keep up with the fast pace of our modern world.

You wonder:

  • Why does the world have to be so harsh?
  • Why doesn’t anyone understand me?
  • Is this all there is to life?

One day, something shifts. Your inner voice cries out, That’s enough, I can’t pretend anymore! As an empath awakening, you begin to search for answers, and come to see signs pointing to a new path.

You dare ask: Is it possible to create a life that lights me up?

You begin the vital healing of your inner Self, making conscious choices about environments, people, and activities that resonate — and those that don’t.

Your soul begins to share how it wants to serve. You trust your inner guidance and apply what you’ve learned to help others. Your service, along with millions of others like you, creates a ripple effect across our planet.

This is the courageous journey of an evolved empath.

If you're walking any part of this path right now, please join us for the Evolved Empath Summit, an online event taking place March 9-13. Each of our speakers understands how it feels to reach a turning point, and then take inspired action to shift into a life of meaning, connection and vitality.

It’s time to shine your light!

In our second annual summit, you have an opportunity to learn from 25+ experts on empathy and intuition, like Judith Orloff, MD, Wendy De Rosa, Michael R. Smith, PhD, Shariff Abdullah, Jean Haner, Julie Bjelland, Tree Franklyn, Anita Moorjani, and more.

Our message? Your sensitive way of being is your greatest strength.

Gain practical strategies to facilitate healing, improve your relationships, master your energy field, trust your intuition, find your life purpose and make a difference.

This 5-day online event starts soon, so register here now for free.

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: “The Master Key” by Robert Peng, a featured speaker in The Shift Network’s 2019 Qigong Global Summit, is one of the most profoundly important books I’ve ever read. I can say that it’s life-changing with complete confidence, because it changed my life before I even finished reading it. I was so impressed with this book that we are serializing the section called “One Hundred Days of Darkness and Light” in future issues of Catalyst. You can read the ninth installment (as well as the previous ones) here.
— Phil Bolsta

 

The four brand-new stories in this issue’s “The Nicest Thing” section come from two speakers in the Evolved Empath Summit: psychiatrist and bestselling author Dr. Judith Orloff… and empowerment coach Karyn Kulenovic...

… and beloved Shift Network faculty don Oscar Miro-Quesada, a Peruvian curandero, psychologist, and author whose new 7-week live video training, Receive the Ancestral Medicine of Pachamama, begins Wednesday, March 18...

… plus John Gray, bestselling author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, who shares hilarious stories about his relationship with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the developer of TM.

 

 

Finally, we’d love to hear your answer to the question, How have your empathic, sensitive, and intuitive gifts enriched your life? To share your thoughts in our Facebook Page community, click here.

 

Highly sensitive people are too often perceived as weaklings or damaged goods. To feel intensely is not a symptom of weakness, it is the trademark of the truly alive and compassionate. It is not the empath who is broken, it is society that has become dysfunctional and emotionally disabled.
― Anthon St. Maarten

 

A Personal Invitation to the March 9-13 Evolved Empath Summit From Your Host, Bevin Niemann

Perhaps you're just beginning to explore what it means to be an empath, and if so, welcome. Or you may have known about your empathic and intuitive gifts for a while and feel like this is the time to dive deeper to see what's there for you.

Hello, I'm Bevin Neimann, the host of The Shift Network's second annual Evolved Empath Summit. During last year's event, we laid the foundation for the 33,000 empaths from over 105 countries who tuned in to this event to know that our way of being is not only our normal, but it's also a gift. 

Our message is you are not alone. Millions of other sensitive people just like you can also sense energy, whether that's emotions, mental, physical, environmental, or especially right now, our collective energy. In this year's summit, we're expanding those topics to help you master your energy field, heal and shift those old repetitive patterns, and shine your light out into a world that's experiencing profound changes.

To watch this 3-minute video and read the rest of the text, click here.

 

A Life Dedicated to Peacebuilding
Video interview featuring Amandine Roche

Unfortunately, after a year and a half, three of my international colleagues got kidnapped in front of my office. United Nations was scared that they might kidnap me as well because we were working for peace for democracy, and we might do something with a ballot paper, so maybe they will ask to kidnap me as well. So United Nations evacuated me. And when I came back to my country, France, I was literally burned out, depressed, anxious, and full of sadness because my colleagues were still kidnapped.

To watch the video and read the transcript of Amandine’s empowering, heroic, and harrowing life in peacebuilding, click here.

 

The Master Key
By Robert Peng, a featured speaker in The Shift Network’s 2019 Qigong Global Summit

It's 1972 in the industrial city of Xiangtan, China. A frail child with a heart condition sneaks into a hotel boiler room and befriends the elderly yet vibrant attendant, who eventually reveals his true identity as a revered Qigong master. He heals the boy and, for the next 13 years, secretly teaches him the keys to unlocking the spiritual and healing dimensions of the Life Force.

It sounds like a modern-day fable, but the story is true. And with The Master Key, that grateful student, Robert Peng, invites all of us to enter the next chapter of this empowering path. Here, Master Peng brings together the unique insights of his teacher with the moving account of his own journey.

Click here to read the ninth installment (as well as all the previous installments) of this profoundly moving book.

 

In this special video series, prominent authors, speakers, thought leaders, and others answer the question, “What is the nicest thing a non-family member has ever done for you?
 

Dr. Judith Orloff’s Story
Psychiatrist, bestselling author, and a featured speaker in the Evolved Empath Summit

EXCERPT: I’d never had a boyfriend before, and so going through the first boyfriend experience or the first partner experience, it's so sacred to have... Who goes through that with you? She went through that with me and she supported me. And girls need support going through that first love experience. And down the road, he dumped me and left me precipitously for this blonde-haired, blue-eyed cheerleader. And I was more the girl by the auditorium, the outsider. And he left me and it was just this huge, huge wound. 

To watch the video and read the transcript of Judith’s 6-minute story of friendship and loss, click here.

 

Karyn Kulenovic’s Story
Empowerment coach and a featured speaker in the Evolved Empath Summit

EXCERPT: In the early 2000s, when being highly sensitive and being an empath was not as widely known, I had an experience where my life was going down a path that was really challenging. I had actually been misdiagnosed with a mental illness. My sensitivity was misinterpreted as a pathology.

To watch the video and read the transcript of Karyn’s 7-minute story of gratitude, click here.

 

don Oscar Miro-Quesada’s Story
Peruvian curandero, psychologist, and author

EXCERPT: She also expressed extraordinary trust, because during that time that we were together in Santa Barbara without the other members of this welcoming committee, her beloved husband Sidney crossed over. She asked me to hold her hand and spend the entire afternoon together, holding her, as she released the pain of that loss, and cleared her resistance to letting go. That was a gift of deep, deep appreciation for who I am in her life.

To watch the video and read the transcript of don Oscar’s tender 4-minute story of comfort and connection, click here.

don Oscar’s brand-new 7-week live video training,
Receive the Ancestral Medicine of Pachamama:
Peruvian Shamanic Transmissions for Healing, Belonging & Becoming a Light of Creation
, begins Wednesday, March 18. For more details — and to enroll — click here.

 

John Gray’s Story
Author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus

EXCERPT: So I went off to become a student of Maharishi, and he gave me an amazing gift. He allowed me to be successful in getting to know him... the way he thought, the way he experienced life, and so forth. I became his personal assistant. I became a yogi, a monk. I was celibate for nine years and he was like a father to me.

To watch the video and read the transcript of John’s humorous and engaging 7-minute story about his spiritual teacher, click here.

 

If you missed any “Nicest Thing” stories, you can catch up on all of them here, including stories from three more speakers in the Evolved Empath SummitAnita Moorjani, Wendy De Rosa, and Julie Bjelland.

 

“Chinese Reflexology for Self-Love & Optimal Wellness” Facebook Live Q&A with Holly Tse

Would you like to know how to bring your body into harmony with its own natural healing energy so you can enjoy optimal health and a fully empowered self? Chinese reflexologist and author Holly Tse will be leading a special Facebook Live Q&A call on Thursday, March 12, at Noon Pacific to share how you can clear toxins and harmonize your life-force energy with ancient Chinese techniques so you can thrive emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Click here to get a Facebook Messenger reminder when the event goes live.

 

“Receive the Ancestral Medicine of Pachamama” Facebook Live Q&A with don Oscar Miro-Quesada

Would you like to embark on a journey for self-renewal with a world-renowned shamanic healer? Peruvian curandero, psychologist, and author don Oscar Miro-Quesada will be leading a special Facebook Live Q&A call on Wednesday, March 11, at 9:00am Pacific to share how you can transform fear into love and your shadows into a light that illuminates your soul and our world. Click here to get a Facebook Messenger reminder when the event goes live.

 

“Journey the Ancient Path of Vedic Wisdom for Healing & Transformation” Facebook Live Q&A with Deborah King

Would you like to remove energetic blocks, expand your consciousness, and facilitate your spiritual awakening? Deborah King, a bestselling author and leading authority on energy medicine, will be leading a special Facebook Live Q&A call on Tuesday, March 17, at 3:00pm Pacific to share how you can immerse yourself in ancient Vedic wisdom teachings and apply them to your daily life. Click here to get a Facebook Messenger reminder when the event goes live.

 

“Find Healing & Resilience in Ancestral Wisdom” Facebook Live Q&A with Tirzah Firestone

Would you like to heal the intergenerational trauma in your lineage? Rabbi Dr. Tirzah Firestone, an author, Jungian psychotherapist, and founding rabbi of Congregation Nevei Kodesh, will be leading a special Facebook Live Q&A call on Thursday, March 19, at 3:00pm Pacific to share how you can call on your ancestors to assist you. Click here to get a Facebook Messenger reminder when the event goes live.

 

Your Voice:

We want to know: How have your empathic, sensitive, and intuitive gifts enriched your life? To share your thoughts in our Facebook Page community, click here.

 

In Search of a “Sensitive” Therapist
By Jeanette Folan, a featured speaker in the Evolved Empath Summit

At our initial session, I held up two sheets of paper. On one was a bucket with a happy girl sitting on top. The side of the bucket read: Music, nature, inspired, joy. The other had a bucket with a sad girl and it read: Lonely, alcohol, dark, sad. “Your job is to help me get from the sad bucket to the joy bucket,” I said with some desperation. He smiled and replied, “I can do that.”

To read more, click here.

 

Healing Emotional Pain That Is Not Yours
By Dr. Wendy Nickerson, a featured speaker in the Evolved Empath Summit

Do you ever find yourself reeling from the emotional upheaval after spending time with family? Rest assured you’re not alone. Psychologists and mental health providers receive an influx of new and returning clients in January of each year, due to the surfacing of emotional pain caused by family holiday gatherings. 

To read more, click here.

 

Are Stress and Anxiety Taking Over Your Life?
By Julie Bjelland, LMFT, a featured speaker in the Evolved Empath Summit

You might be part of the 20% of the population that is highly sensitive, also called sensory processing sensitivity. Highly sensitive people (HSPs) have a more finely tuned nervous system, and therefore, overstimulation levels tend to be so high that just getting through the day can be a challenge as a sensitive person. 

To read more, click here.

 

Healing into Wholeness
By Dr. Christine Page, a featured speaker in the Evolved Empath Summit

Fast forward to the early 1980s and I’m working as a doctor in a busy general practice in Essex, England, seeing up to 40 patients a day. Trained in those days, to actually listen to the patient, I started to recognize patterns in how individuals described events leading up to their particular illness, paying special attention to stories that were emotionally charged. Having been taught to listen to recurring intuitive messages, my intuition lit up as I saw the strong correlation between specific illnesses and the psycho-spiritual state of the individual.

To read more, click here.

 

Embracing your Inner Weirdo
By Michael R. Smith, PhD, a featured speaker in the Evolved Empath Summit

As a sensitive person or empath, have you ever been told you're too intense? Too much? Perhaps you've felt others asking you to “dial it down a notch?” What if you could embrace your inner “freak,” your inner “crazy,” or even your inner “weirdo”... as a true friend?

To read more, click here.

 

From Fear to Love, Head to Heart, Start in the Belly
By Alan Seale, a featured speaker in the Evolved Empath Summit

Hanging on the wall of our morning room, a small, light-filled sitting room adjacent to our kitchen, are two prints of story artist Brian Andreas. They serve as daily reminders to be conscious and intentional about how to show up as I engage with all that is going on around and within me. In these unsettled times, a new daily mantra is emerging within my reflective practice: From fear to love, head to heart, start in the belly.

To read more, click here.

 

The Lightworker Theme for 2020: Complacency to Commitment
By Michael R. Smith, PhD, a featured speaker in the Evolved Empath Summit

Michael R. Smith, PhD, of Empath Connection talks about the current energies on the planet and the theme for most lightworkers this year as we seek to heal and finally clear old wounding. In your spiritual awakening, moving from complacency to commitment is the theme for the next year's ascension process, and realizing where your Highest Self is asking you to make changes, including diet, physical movement, and relationships.

To watch this video, click here.

 

Project Heaven and Earth
William and Kate launch prize to “repair the earth”
Published in BBC News

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have announced a global prize to tackle climate issues, pledging “a decade of action to repair the Earth.” Five winners will receive the Earthshot Prize every year between 2021 and 2030. The cash prize will be for individuals or organisations who come up with solutions to environmental problems.

Prince William said the world faces a “stark choice” to continue “irreparably” damaging the planet or “lead, innovate and problem-solve.” The announcement was made in this video narrated by Sir David Attenborough. The veteran broadcaster and naturalist said the prize would go to “visionaries rewarded over the next decade for responding to the great challenges of our time.”

Click here to watch the 3-minute video.
Click here for more information.

Divine Women

For thousands of years, a corrupt and patriarchal society has led humanity into a path of imbalance and self-destruction. It is now time for the Divine Feminine to return to its true place in power. Divine Women is a documentary series explaining the shift in consciousness and the return of the Divine Feminine energy that our society is currently experiencing, told from the perspective of spiritual teachers who are pathing the way for a new paradigm on planet Earth.

Each of the seven episodes will feature the incredible life story and work of one extraordinary woman. The battle between light and darkness in their own lives becomes the spine of each episode, as the protagonists will share how their multidimensional adventures have transformed who they are and taken their consciousness to a new level whilst using their personal experiences as a platform to share their wisdom and knowledge.

Click here to watch the video trailer.
Click here for more information.

The Third Harmony: Nonviolence and the New Story of Human Nature
By Michael Nagler

What story do we tell ourselves about who we are and what we’re doing here? It is ever more evident that unless we outgrow, quickly, the narrative that we are separate entities in a meaningless universe we may not be able to survive the growing danger we are now posing to life on earth. Yet the search for a new story, not to mention the struggle to get it widely accepted even when we’ve found it, are not happening fast enough to save us.

In this inspiring and hopeful but realistic book, Michael Nagler presents the case that both the discovery of the new story and its adoption have been held up by a missing link: nonviolence. Nonviolence is a set of tools proven by personal experience and scientific study to be a powerful method of social change; but it goes far beyond that. It is the key, he argues, to the new understanding of human nature and the only way to enshrine that understanding as the controlling narrative of our civilization. For anyone wanting to find the meaning of their life and make their contribution to this “great turning,” as Joanna Macy calls it, The Third Harmony is a must read. To order your copy, click here.

Through God’s Eyes: Finding Peace and Purpose in a Troubled World by Phil Bolsta of The Shift Network. Through God’s Eyes is a road map for living a more peaceful, beautiful life. It’s the only book that shows you how dozens of spiritual principles interact, how to weave them together into a cohesive worldview, and how to practically apply this spiritual wisdom to bring joy and vitality to your daily life. For more information and to order your copy, click here. To request a free sample chapter from the author, email Phil at GodsEyes@me.com.

Through God’s Eyes is a superb book, a truly enlightened piece of work that is an essential read for all people who are truly devoted to the care and refinement of their soul. Phil is a contemporary mystic, a man whose life is a living commitment to spiritual service. I am honored to know him.
— Caroline Myss, author of Anatomy of the Spirit and Defy Gravity

One of the most important books I’ve ever read. An incredible compilation of spiritual wisdom and insight. It’s the owner’s manual God should give you when you’re born.
— Robert Peterson, author of Answers Within

 

For several years, The Shift Network has hosted Indigenous leaders from around the world and invited them to share their sacred knowledge, rituals, and practices to guide us in a way of living that is sustainable, healthy, and just. We’re thus delighted that the Global Indigenous Wisdom Library makes this “virtual council” of leaders and their wisdom available for everyone, everywhere for free. The Global Indigenous Wisdom Library is a collection of audio and video interviews featuring Indigenous leaders from around the world sharing prayers, sacred songs, prophecies, spiritual teachings, and pathways to healing, as well as concrete examples for birthing a new era — one in which all members of the human family are treated with respect, understanding, compassion, and justice. This sacred wisdom is important medicine for us all.

The production of The Global Indigenous Wisdom Library is a gift from The Shift Network, designed to inspire, inform, and involve you by highlighting the voices and important messages of Indigenous leaders from around the world. We want to give a heartfelt thanks to Hereditary Chief Phil Lane Jr. (“Brother Phil”) for his partnership in helping create this Indigenous Wisdom collection. And we thank all the speakers who have contributed to this body of knowledge. To discover more, click here.

 

World Peace Library. Designed for the layperson and professional peacebuilder alike, the World Peace Library has over 425 audio and video interviews with some of the most remarkable, inspiring peacebuilders in the world available to you at NO COST. You’ll find hundreds of hours of inspirational, peacebuilding, compassion-spreading talks and trainings at your fingertips with this FREE global resource. There’s no way you can’t come away from the World Peace Library deeply inspired, transformed — and part of the solution. Click here to find out how to take peace to the next level — and help co-create a global culture of peace that leaves a legacy of good for our children, our children’s children and all of humanity and life on earth.

 

BOOK BY STEPHEN DINAN: Sacred America, Sacred World. Infused with visionary power, Sacred America, Sacred World is a manifesto for our country’s evolution that is both political and deeply spiritual. It offers profound hope that America can grow beyond our current challenges and manifest our noblest destiny, which the book shows is rooted in sacred principles that transcend left or right political views. To order your copy, click here.

 

If you would like to submit something to Catalyst, please see the submission guidelines: click here.

(#4, 2/23) (#3, 2/9) (#2, 1/26) (#1, 1/12) (#24, 12/15) (#23, 12/1)
 
  

2020 Issue 5 • Mar 8

The Shift Catalyst is a bi-weekly ezine for conscious change, powered by The Shift Network.

If you received this Catalyst from a friend, click here to subscribe.

• Shift Network Update
• Featured Media
• Featured Articles
• Profiles
• The Nicest Thing
• Movement News
• Action of the Week
• Shift Spotlight
• Shift Impact
• Partner Spotlight
• Featured Artist
• Allies of the Shift
• Back Issues

Like Us. Collaborate!
 

Invite your family and friends to participate in the Evolved Empath Summit, which takes place March 9-13. Life-changing insights await! To discover more — and register for free — click here.

 

Discover the Healing Vibrations of Vedic Energy Medicine — A free video event with Deborah King, a bestselling author and leading authority on energy medicine. Experience a guided mini-journey to activate the healing vibrations in your energy body with ancient Vedic wisdom. Wednesday, March 11, at 5:30pm Pacific

 

Qigong to Cleanse Your Organs for Better Health & Energy Flow — A free video event with renowned Qigong teacher and author Daisy Lee. Explore how Zang Fu Gong — an empowering form of Qigong — boosts energy levels, unlocks radiant health, and releases stress for a balanced and joyful life. Saturday, March 14, at 10:00am Pacific

 

Shamanic Dreaming With Goddesses of Rebirth — A free video event with bestselling author and dream shaman Robert Moss. Experience the regenerative energies of the Goddess rising, discover the symbols of renewal in your dreams, and open to the life-transforming treasures that darkness — including scary dreams — holds for you. Saturday, March 21, at 10:00am Pacific

 

Finding True Fulfillment with spiritual teacher Miranda Macpherson. Stop sabotaging your own fulfillment — and walk through the world as the graceful human being you were made to be.
New 9-Week Live Video Training Starts Wednesday, March 11

 

Living as Love With the Guidance of the Enneagram with renowned Enneagram teachers Russ Hudson, Jessica Dibb, and Robert Holden. Discover ways you’ve been putting up obstacles to giving, receiving, and being love — and learn to become love, moving into an abundant, authentic connection with yourself and our world.
New 5-Month Live Video Training Starts Thursday, March 12

 

Receive the Ancestral Medicine of Pachamama with Peruvian curandero, psychologist, and author don Oscar Miro-Quesada. Embark on a journey for self-renewal and discover how to transform fear into love and your shadows into a light that illuminates your soul and our world. New 7-Week Live Video Training Starts Wednesday, March 18

 

Chinese Reflexology for Self-Love & Optimal Wellness with Chinese reflexologist and author Holly Tse. Clear toxins and harmonize your life-force energy with ancient Chinese techniques so you can thrive emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
New 7-Week Live Video Training Starts Thursday, March 19

 

Upcoming Events (all subject to change):

March
Tirzah Firestone 7-week course
Breathwork Summit
• Deborah King 5-week course
• Daisy Lee 7-week course

April
• Robert Moss 7-week course
• Mona Delfino 7-week course
• Mirabai Starr 12-week course
• Devaa Haley Mitchell 5-week course
• Shabda Kahn 7-week course
• Bevin Niemann 7-week course

 

SevaChild, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is saving tens of thousands of impoverished children in India from Vitamin A deficiency, the leading cause of preventable childhood blindness. SevaChild’s network of over 2,000 volunteers travel to remote areas throughout 18 of India’s 29 states identifying and registering at-risk children. They educate parents on the benefits of Vitamin A and administer the vital nutrient, twice a year, to thousands of children. All of this relief is delivered at an annual cost of less than one dollar per child.To find out more and make a donation, click here.

 

The School of Intuitive Studies
Founded by Wendy De Rosa, Shift Network faculty and a featured speaker in the Evolved Empath Summit

Wendy De Rosa created the School of Intuitive Studies and her Energy Healer Trainings in response to people who are waking up to their deeper gifts. Intuition is the voice of your soul. Everyone has it, and developing intuition and deepening your connection to it requires clearing the negative energy and blocks that are in the way and connecting to the true light within you The School of Intuitive Studies is where you come to learn more about who you are, how to develop your intuition, how your intuitive gifts work, how to heal, how to live more divinely connected, how to live from your true self, and how to become an intuitive healer, For more information, click here.

 

Merritt Johnson

  
Merritt Johnson posing during one of her video performance recordings (photo by Fresno State University user Lisa Boyles)
 
  

Twenty-four-year-old, mixed Indigenous multidisciplinary artist Merritt Johnson’s work represents the fluidity of creation that transcends “definition” — or one meaning, saya the website Inspiring Indigenous Youth. She defines her art as something that becomes detached from her and takes form as its own life. Art, for her, is about “being.” She works with many forms of art, such as sculpting, painting, performance, creating videos, and more. And in each of her pieces, she ensures that her art stems from a place of creativity versus material.

“The work I do is all over the place,” says Merritt in a candid podcast interview with Broken Boxes. “It’s really driven by ideas and visual language… well, I guess vocal language too. It’s not really materially driven. And artists will ask me, ‘Well, what kind of art do you do?’ and I don’t have a material definition for that… I make all kinds of things…out of all kinds of things.”

Click here to visit Merritt’s YouTube channel.

  
A piece of artwork entitled Fetish (object/object/object) created by Merritt Johnson for her online art portfolio.