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The Path of an Empath with Melissa Woolley · Rare Medium with Deb Snyder

• Deb Snyder: I was driving down the road, I was stopped at a stop sign and I was on the phone, hands free. I was on the phone and I'm like, I'll I applied for this other job, you know, hopefully. And as I'm sitting there, the bus for that other place went by and I said, There's my sign. So, you know, God gives you those signs, you just have to pay attention, you know, keep your eyes open. It can be just the tiniest sign. Or it can be a big blaring sign. They're going to tell you. They you know, follow your gut because your gut tells you. And the way it gets there is through the universe. It's a Deb: Rare Medium with Deb Snyder, celebrating life's rarities, the people, places, and experiences that just might be a little bit weird. This podcast explores all facets of our energetic connections to each other and beyond. We'll dive into the depths of mediumship, psychic ability, intuition, near death experiences, afterlife research, healing modalities, and more. Our focus is to bring you relevant and moving accounts with guests who share their authentic selves and their treks into the spiritual and energetic realms. We'll learn how those experiences shifted their perspective on life itself. Join us to be inspired by everyday people on their extraordinary journeys into the rare medium of the mystical world. Topics discussed on Rare Medium by the host and guests are presented for informational and entertainment purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional, legal, or medical advice. Deb Snyder: Hello and welcome to Rare Medium with Deb Snyder. I'm your host, Deb. Today I am blessed to have my dear friend Melissa Woolley right here in the studio with me. Melissa and I have known each other about eight years. We met at a was it a Reiki retreat that we're at a special healing retreat. I was speaking to this beautiful group of people, and she was one of the beautiful people that was there, Now Melissa's gonna be talking to us today about her. her lifelong journey into energy communication, her abilities as an empath, a psychic, and a medium. Welcome, Melissa. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Well, good to have you here. So tell me, how did all this get started for you? So I always growing up, I always knew I was different. I didn't seem to fit in, but I felt like people were watching me all the time, like I'd be playing and or ice skating. And all of a sudden it felt like I had hundreds of people watching me. So people that you couldn't see. People I couldn't see. Okay. And so I would just run into the house and just play in my bedroom. And I never knew why. And I didn't want to tell my parents because I didn't want them to think that I was paranoid and you know, I had a mental disorder or anything and put me into a hospital. So I never said anything. things would happen like my dad and I were watching Rescue Nine One One when it first came out and I had to say something and it just kinda like comes right out. when they were breaking to a commercial they had said, next we are going to have a story about a boy who was rollerblading and fell and a water truck hit him and I just blurted out and it ripped his back open and you could see his spine. Ooh. And my dad just kind of brushed it off. But when they came back from commercial, I had said it word for word. And my dad looked at me and said, You've seen this before and I said, No, this is the f this is the first show. I have never seen this before. When we were growing up, it It aired. You didn't get to stream or look back on it. Exactly. Exactly. And so he just looked at me and he's like, Yeah, okay. He didn't believe me. And so I'm like, okay. You know, when I was little, I mean, I was little, I was under ten, and I was I used to spend summers with my grandparents in Pennsylvania. And I did something similar, but I did it with the lottery numbers as they came up. And it was very simple number sequence. I I think it was three, six, nine, which still kind of is like a number sequence I like. I called them just as the little balls floated up to the top. And my grandpap looked at me and he was like, He took me out to buy lottery tickets and pick numbers. And I'm like, Of course I couldn't do any of that. And of course I know as an adult, you don't profit from that kind of thing. As a little kid, I was just doing what I You're almost like what guessing what the numbers are. it was he thought it was pretty freaky. he got on his singles to go buy the buy the tickets. It was funny. Yeah, they it you know, people it it catches people by surprise and they kind of brush it off. I have been able say this, this, and this is gonna happen. And all of a sudden I'll get a phone call going, Did you do this? Because that happened? I'm like, No. For example, I had a gentleman who was gonna be homeless and we had grown up together, so I said, you know, hey, you can stay with us. And he got upset with me and moved out. And I was talking to my mom and his mom were friends. And I said, Well I said, what's gonna happen is he's gonna get pulled over, the cop's gonna find out that his license plate belongs to a different car, his he has no insurance and no registration, he's going to be arrested and he's gonna lose his job. like a month later I got a phone call from my mom and the exact thing happened and she goes, Did you call the police on him? I'm like, No. I don't even know where he is. How can I do it? I didn't call the police to pull him over in some random location and why? Why? What does that benefit me? It doesn't. Right. It just you know ruins somebody else's life and that's not, you know, my purpose in life. And so those things started happening, but I didn't know what I could do. Right. I know when When I was growing up, like yourself, I've been psychic-ish my whole life, even when I before I knew that kind of word. And I didn't know that not everyone was like that all the time already. I do think everybody can be that way and can develop their abilities and use their abilities. But I thought that it was just a way we all saw the world. So it didn't make sense to me sometimes how not everybody did get that sort of insight and it took a long time and my own understanding of my abilities to get that, to get how that works. How did you start putting the pieces together for yourself? it wasn't until I was in my forties and I was going to Reiki she kept saying there's something there's something I can't put my finger on about you and I'm like, okay. we would we would talk and stuff like that. And this is when the tidal wave hit me and went, you know, it's that old saying, be careful what you wish for because I literally felt like I was hit by a tidal wave. And I met somebody and I shook his hand and it just from that point on. And to give you a little bit of how it developed was at work he had actually cut his hand almost off and had it reattached and it was his right hand and so shook with right hand and I started feeling pain in my hand and I'm like out of the blue. And so I'm like that's weird. So I called my friend Jen and I said Have you ever heard of somebody feeling somebody else's physical pain? She goes, You're an empath. And I'm like, what's an empath? And she's like, look up the 30 traits of an empath. And by the time you're done reading those, you will know if you're an empath. I told Charlotte I was too off from thirty and she goes, Look at it a different angle. just so people know Charlotte is a mutual friend of ours, who'll be on on another episode. we'll in get to introduce you to her directly. You'll love her. She's my mentor. that'll be a treat for you. now tell me Melissa, you said we you had these experiences off and on throughout your life, from childhood, but it cracked open for you in your forties when you realized touching, literally physically touching someone that you could feel their pain. you also acknowledge now that's probably not good to walk around and feel everybody's pain. What did you do from there? now I actually only feel one person's pain. he can bump his elbow and I'll feel it In order to stop me from feeling the pain, I have to find out where it's coming from, acknowledge it, have that person acknowledge it, and then the pain goes away for me. this friend lives down in Massachusetts and he literally will bump his elbow. He mean he's tall, he's six two. he'll bump his head like he he has an old house that he lives in. And when he goes downstairs, He's so tall he hits his head. And so I know when I'm feeling pain here, he's doing laundry. You see like duck. Yeah. I do. I I was gonna send him a picture to put up on there of a duck. That's right. And so I know here he's getting into his van and here he's getting into the passenger side. And so the other things, like he had to have a test on his arm where they put needles in it and then attached electrodes. Most painful experience I've ever had. boy. And it was not me. For a week I was in a lot of pain. I haven't had that in a long time. I tried to once I acknowledge it, the pain usually goes away. It's like okay, we know the source, we know, and we know that they're okay. Right. So I take it as is, the universe telling me they got hurt. check on them, make sure they're okay. Yeah, that's a that's interesting concept for sure, I'm all about the bridge of science and spirituality. I'm like, well that's fascinating. Let's figure out why you can do that. the responsibility of it for where is that responsibility for you? I mean, obviously this is one of your closest friends, you know, for Actually he wasn't. We just happened to meet. And how did you realize it was him? Because I put it out I I would put it out. I'm feeling this and he goes, I just bumped my head and I'm like, okay, so you know, I'm feeling you. So he's my first go to person when I'm feeling pain. Now that would be interesting to have try to do sort of like a blind study where he just sends you something without you knowing it all. Do you know what I mean? Right. And try to figure out if it correlates. I'm definitely a psychic, but I'm a skeptic too, if that makes sense. we don't want people misleading us on things are but that fascinating. in my situation, my daughter is nonverbal and she and I communicate energetically all the time. there are definitely times where I know what's wrong with her based on how I feel it in my body. but yet I know why I feel that, because I have this, what I call in my book the field of intuitive harmony. where our energy centers overlap. And when we're in residence in that space, that's where it's possible. That's where the communication is possible. So that's what I would be interested in hearing. Okay, why is your field overlapping with his to make that to make that correlation? when I was doing the Reiki with my friend Jen. And who said, you're an empath. She says, but there's much more. There is much more. And this is she introduced me to Angie, who is an empath. And then Angie introduced me to Charlotte. And so we were doing a Reiki share, and Charlotte's like, Let's get you on the table. Let's let's see what's happening. Jen had told me that. the person that I shook their hand. Their grandmother was attached to me. but I couldn't hear the grandmother yet. Right. So she goes, I'm gonna talk to you know, Graham and see what we can do. And so I was on the table and I kept hearing over and over, she's mine. She's mine. She's mine. And I thought Okay, that's weird. That's creepy. That's yeah, yeah. That's a little possessive. Yeah, you're talking about me? Yeah. And so when Charlotte and when I got up from the table, Charlotte goes, Did you, have any experiences? And I'm like, I kept hearing she's mine, she's mine over there. She goes, Okay, what do you you know, when you say you're an empath, what does that mean to you? And I said I can feel emotional and physical pain of others, you know, emotions. I mean, whether it's happy, sad, you know, I feel those. And she goes, you're a medium as well. after that point, I could hear. I'm gonna put hear. Because it comes to my head. And the next day I had a full conversation with Graham. Interesting. Interesting. That's when I started to be able to hear people I hear the spirits I was like, whoa, blown away. it's always so fascinating how some of the stuff moves through people in different ways. Now you know now, I'm sure in your development that you have total control of your own body and your own energy. you don't need grandma or anybody hanging on you or controlling you. we can all protect our privacy, ourselves, our energy fields. and not have anybody walking around with us that we don't want to have walking around with us. Right. When you first start, I can understand how that would be it's not as clear because you're not attributing it necessarily to a particular person. for me a few years ago, I would think I was hearing my own husband's voice. Sometimes in the middle of the night it would be like Deb, and I'd be like, what? And he'd be sound out. it was my own guides or some of the connections I was getting elsewhere that I didn't quite know to assign to a different level of communication. Yep. And so it does take a while to sort through all of that. Trying to figure out why. That's how I started out. I was always trying to figure out why, I had to learn not to focus on the why. I had to focus on. Okay, I got your message, put it out to the universe. give it to God, the reasoning behind it will surface at one point. You just have to be patient. Patience in certain situations are not my strong thing. That's good to know. You can ask Charlotte. I mean like if I'm training somebody at my other job. I have all the patience in the world. but when it comes to, figuring out something that pertains to me, I have no patience whatsoever. Well, think of it this way, We are receivers of energy, of different waves of communication. Think about just our regular waking world right now. All the communication that's coming through right now, just think about the radio, the TV, all the different channels, everything going through. Only certain receivers that are tuned in to pick up those certain signals get it. But when you're you remember back in the day where we used to sort of dial in a radio, or especially if like maybe our granddad or dad was on those specialty, like ham radios and things, so they could pick someone up on the other side of the world. They had to get to the certain thing, but you heard all this other static and you heard all these other rogue voices going on at the same time. So this is literally how it can be, not always how it can be for people when you're figuring out how you receive. Yes. And so some of it will be totally yours. It'll be people that you are choosing to link to. Others of it is more like a passing thing. once you're getting further and further in your mediumship development, you'll know, okay, you'll set your space, you'll set your stage, and you'll invite who you want to talk with. Yeah. And no one other than that. Or else think of it, think of how many people are in spirit. We would just be nonstop just saying gibberish all the time, and it wouldn't really land with anyone. I agree that it's a bit of a big mess when it all first starts. And I have an example of that as well. my brother-in-law had passed away at a young age and I said, you know what, I'm gonna stop by his grave. And all the spirits saw me talking to him and they came flooding towards me. And he literally put his arms out like this and said, That's my sister in law and I get to talk to her. Aww. And so and then he held them back for me to get in my car. Now, did you see this in your mind's eye? Was this a clairvoyant situation or just a knowingness? It's a knowingness. So when when spirits come to me, I know what they're doing. I you know what their body gestures are and everything. So do you see that or you just sense that? I sense it. Okay. So you're not clairvoyant. No. I yeah, right. I you know, I have seen spirits like Graham showed herself. Yeah. my when I was in kindergarten, my best friend was killed by getting hit by a dump truck. And I happened to look out the door and I saw him standing on the porch. so you are a clairvoyant. I do have most of the Claire's for me is trusting my abilities. Right. there are so many people who are skeptical out there. when I'm doing a reading, they give me symbols and signs for me to say, okay, I identify this with this. Like for example, Easter. I had somebody come to me and I was doing a reading and I kept seeing the statues on Easter Island. what do the statues on Easter Island mean to you? And they were like, I have no idea. And so I'm like, Okay, all right. So maybe I'm wrong, you know, 'cause we're not all hundred percent absolut accurate. And then later she came up to me, she goes, my God, I know what those are. She goes, My mother died on Good Friday. So for me, they showed me Easter Island. Right. So it was a Easter Island for you. Right. That's why it's excellent form. Good for you. Excellent form to give what you get. And not get something, interpret it with your own filter and just give them your interpretation. Give them both. Give them what you get. And and if you're saying and to me, it means this, because some we do build our own, dictionary, library, however you want to say it. Of symbolism, of how we interpret something that's not gonna be the same for me as it is for you. I remember many years ago I did a reading for someone and she said to me on the way out, I have a blind date tonight. how's it gonna go? those are always the fun questions, in my clairvoyance, my mind's eye, flashed someone that I actually know. Now I know she didn't have a date with this person that I know, but I said, Well, I think he's gonna have a dazzling smile, and he's probably a physical therapist because the person I saw in mine's eye was a handsome man with a dazzling smile who happened to be a physical therapist. that's what I got. That's it. And I'm like, have a good day, you have fun on your date. The next day I get an email from her. He was indeed a physical therapist with a dazzling smile. You know, it obviously wasn't literally the man she was going out on a date with, but that's how my mind interpreted. She asked the question, that's what I got. Yep. It's fun. You know, like if I see I'm doing a reading and I see Mother Mary holding a baby, that's my sign that this person lost a child, either had a miscarriage or lost a a I tell them, I see Mother Mary holding a baby, does that mean anything to you? And then they're like, I lost my baby. And I'm like, No that Mother Mary is taking care of your baby. Now let me that leads me to ask you, did you have any kind of religious upbringing that you feel that can help you with some of this stuff? if you have a certain faith, I know a lot of people it evolves over time of what they believe. I know that's certainly the case for me. Yeah. I think it all matters. Every experience we have contributes to that. do you feel that that comes up yes for you? I very much believe in God. I you know, I'm always saying, Okay, God, give me a sign. an example of a sign, the first time in my life actually walked out of a job. because the other person was yelling at me for helping them. So I'm like, nope, I can't do this anymore. And so I applied at another facility. I was driving down the road, I was stopped at a stop sign and I was on the phone, hands free. I'm like, I'll I applied for this other job, as I'm sitting there, the bus for that other place went by and I said, There's my sign. God gives you those signs, you just have to pay attention, keep your eyes open. It can be just the tiniest sign. Or it can be a big blaring sign. It's a complicated thing with religion and spirituality. I was raised more by hippies yet I myself always gravitated to go to church. just where I felt comfortable. I was the little kid that tagged along with my friends to different church services. I guess that was me exploring my spirituality from a very early age. baptized in the Christian church. I think there are many parts of my upbringing, and my Christianity that I still hold on to. In many ways I feel what I've added to that, only enhances those things. And as we can see in the current times, the evolution of some religions aren't like we're part of them anymore. Things just change so fast. So for me, it's always felt comfortable knowing that I've had my relationship with the divine in my heart. I don't require a church or a person to interpret that for me. there's a lot of people out there like that that can feel it that way. whatever your path is, whatever people choose to believe, beautiful. I think we can all benefit from those teachings that bring us together, that unify us, that help us, that in that embrace love. and fellowship, that's the best part bringing people in study and celebration of something larger than ourselves. it can be very complicated. Yes, it can be. It can be. it's one of those things like, I believe in reincarnation. And I know people, they don't believe in that. It's so interesting to me to hear all these different perspectives because sometimes something like that we can't know for sure. Until it's our time. I also believe in reincarnation and I've heard some really interesting stories over the years of people regarding past lives. And we'll definitely have people on in future podcast episodes talking about past life work There are definitely people who specialize in that. we look forward to to talking to them. when I did study at Arthur Finley in England, I realized, okay, this is another church that I'm not going to join because they certainly at that time didn't believe in reincarnation. It was part of one of their tenets. And I'm like, but I do. Yeah. So, but it's okay that they don't. It is And it's okay that I do. that's what's beautiful about freedom. Exactly. it's okay to be curious of everything. hearing other people's perspectives, keeping an open mind. learn listen to other people and hear their perception. And don't just say, well, that's not my belief. there is no wrong path to spirit. we all have our own, course to chart. and that can take its many forms. I know throughout the course of my life. I have gone through periods of time where I was like, Do I believe this? What do I believe? What do I know? And I that might happen again. you don't know. our lives are creative and beautiful and complex. having that freedom of expression is very important. It is, it is. most of all, believe in yourself. That that's a really hard thing to do is to believe in yourself. Now Melissa, tell me. so you are seeing people one on one like over Zoom and stuff like that? Is that how you see people? I can potentially do it over a phone call. phone or internet and that kind of thing. And I'm sure for people that live local to you, you see them one on one if they need that. we will go ahead and link to Melissa's social channels on this podcast description. pop in there to to visit the link she does do appointments. Now, as you know, at the end of each guest interview, we do what's called rare mediums, 10 qs, which is 10 quick questions that I ask the same quick questions of every guest. Okay. Are you ready to do that? Absolutely. Okay. All right. And of course I need my readers, people, make sure I do it properly. All right. Do you believe in the afterlife? Yes. I do. I'm waiting. I'm wondering if I'm gonna ever have a guest that says no. I hope to because I'm Interesting in everyone's perspective. what was your age and the best year of your life so far? I'm gonna say around twelve. Who is your favorite musical artist? hands down Steve Perry. Steve Perry. I have an aunt. She's right there with you on that. Now, where would you most like to travel? To Europe. What person inspired you the most? so I am gonna go with Charlotte because she is my mentor and you know, it she brought you to me. Char's gonna cry when she sees this. That's sweet. She But I get it, I totally get it. People that help unlock doors for us and help unlock Chambers within ourselves. Yes. It's it's she doesn't give you the answer. She helps you figure it out yourself. And that's how you're gonna learn is to figure it out yourself with guidance. That's the best kind of teacher. That's the best kind of teacher for sure. Now, if you could be in an entirely different profession, what would it be? You know, I think it would be doing my mediumship full time. Okay. Because I love helping people. What are you grateful for? I am grateful for my friends and my family, I love. Love, love, you know. Do you love yourself? So I have occasions where I'm not so much in love with myself, but I'm working on it. And I think that's what people need to do. What do you most regret? What I most regret I you know what? I don't regret anything because it made me who I am. in a word or two, if you had advice for your fellow humans, what would it be? Love one another. Great advice. Melissa, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for having me. It's been pleasure to have you on. I know she'll be back. definitely. Because you know the people that live close to me, we like to talk to each other as different things come up, we'll definitely have you back. it'll be a lot of fun. Love you guys. Thank you. Thank you. Welcome to the questions and shout out portion of the show. I was suggested this week by my friend Penny, she's one of the board members here at the Heartglow Center, that I answer the 10QQ questions. So this is the 10 quick questions that I ask every guest on Rear Medium, trusty readers to make sure I get the question exactly right. Do you believe in the afterlife? Absolutely. I of course believe in the afterlife. What was your age and the best year of your life so far? Hmm. I'm gonna say 30. And my daughter was born just before that. That'll give you a hint on that. who is your favorite musical artist? Talking Heads. Where would you most like to travel? I would like to go to Oahu, Hawaii. What person has inspired you the most? My daughter Regan. If you could have an entirely different profession, what would it be? I would be a forensic scientist. What are you grateful for? Another day. Do you love yourself? I absolutely love myself. What do you most regret? I most regret giving my power away to others. It took me a while to learn that one. In a word or two, what advice do you have for your fellow humans? Love. Well, there's my answer to the 10 QQ. Let's see, my shout out today. I'm gonna go ahead and give a shout out to Riverside Studios. Riverside is this particular program app website that I use to record the podcast. I wouldn't be able to do it without them. the technology that they offer, all the assistance that they offer. And for me to be able to get this podcast out with pretty much just a few. clicks of a button after everything is recorded. it is amazing, I highly recommend you check it out if you're interested in any type of recording, podcasting, that is Riversidestudio.com. Until next week, keep your heart glowing. This has been Rare Medium with Deb Snyder. Please subscribe in your favorite channel and leave any comments you'd like us to see. To learn more, visit DebSnyder.com or Heartglow.org.