What am I? Heyoka – Feels right to me?

An empath is a person who has the ability to feel the emotional state of another individual. There are many different types of empaths, however, Heyoka empaths may be the most spiritually attuned of them all.

What is a Heyoka?

‘Heyoka’ is a Native American word meaning ‘sacred clown’ or ‘fool’. This term is apt because it describes the way Heyoka use light humorous energies to open people’s minds and to heal. They work almost by tricking or joking with people.

This kind of empath sees life differently. They understand that sometimes the only way shift people’s thinking is to startle them out of it. They do this by showing them a completely different way of looking at things, often the complete opposite way.

The healing of a Heyoka is important, but they don’t take life too seriously. Heyoka empaths also behave as a mirror, reflecting other people’s behaviour back to them so others can see themselves in a new way and begin to heal.

What do Heyokas do?

In Native American ceremonies, the Heyoka’s role would be to disrupt things in order to enable people to see things differently. This kind of empaths uses the energy of the sacred clown to open people’s eyes to new possibilities and different angles on a situation. They also have the ability to shift the energy of a group through their understanding of emotions.

Modern day Heyoka Empaths will often say or do something to shift energy and change perceptions. This allows others to begin to see clearly and heal. This kind of empath doesn’t heal in a conventional way, with crystals, their hands or through spirits. Instead, they create the space for others to become more aware of how they are behaving and thus heal themselves.

Heyoka empaths often heal through chaos and disruption. This is not always an easy or peaceful healing. However, it may be necessary for those completely stuck in a way of thinking that does not serve them.

Because Heyoka are empaths, they understand the emotions of others and are, therefore, able to provide the healing method suited to the individual’s needs. They might not heal someone completely all at once, however, he or she can lead someone through the next step on their journey to wholeness.

How do you know if you are a Heyoka?

Traditional signs that you are a Heyoka include being born breech, being dyslexic, being emotionally unpredictable, doing things backwards, being left-handed and thinking differently to others.

If you can feel other people’s emotions and instinctively know what they need to heal, you may be a Heyoka. You may also notice that when you have a deep conversation with someone, they often experience life-changing insights.

Heyoka working with energy of others.

Heyoka working with energy of others.

Mike O'Sullivan