Where Hearts Meet: The Energy of Empathy

How do you illustrate empathy? That’s the challenge faced by artists Alfonso Pérez Acosta and Noah Scalin for Empatía (Empathy), the second mural in their Trust Building/s series in Richmond, Virginia. This four-part project was inspired by StoryCorps’ One Small Step initiative, which facilitates conversations between people with differing political views. Many of these participants form bonds that persist long after their initial discussion ends. Acosta and Scalin are weaving the likenesses and words of local participants into their art.

For Empatía, the artists extended their collaboration to the broader community. Residents were invited to paint their own interpretation of empathy on rocks—small tokens that will become part of the final installation.

the mural Empathy in progress

For me, empathy is an intentional energetic connection between people’s heart chakras. When we radiate open-hearted energy toward another person, their heart chakra can unlock, allowing an energetic exchange of unconditional love. In the “Intentional Relationships” chapter of my book, Eight Intentions for Self-Healing, I describe what happened when I was confronted by an aggressive stranger:

“I realized that her animosity had nothing to do with me. Something else had already lit her flame. So, I got curious. Breathing with intention, I focused my attention on her. I imagined a stream of open-heart energy flowing from my heart chakra to hers as her low-vibe energy drained out through her feet. She sighed and visibly relaxed.”

Empathy takes many forms. Cognitive empathy is the attempt to understand another’s perspective—to imagine what it might feel like to be in their situation. This type of empathy often inspires compassion, allowing us to acknowledge another’s emotions without minimizing or dismissing them in an attempt to alleviate our own discomfort.

In season three of the original Star Trek series, the protagonists meet Gem, an empath who heals others by transferring their injuries into her body. When Dr. McCoy is gravely injured, Gem absorbs his wounds, sacrificing herself to save him. This kind of emotional resonance—actually taking on another’s feelings as if they were our own—is known as affective empathy.

In spiritual circles, I’ve met people who call themselves empaths—those who take on the pain of others in hopes of easing collective suffering. While well-intentioned, this form of empathy can actually amplify low-vibration frequencies in the field of collective consciousness, draining the empath rather than healing the whole.

The Buddha taught that pain and suffering are inevitable parts of being human. Life is like the wheel of a cart lumbering along a dirt road; sometimes you're on top, other times you're mired in the mud. Instead of trying to avoid discomfort, we can ask ourselves what we might learn from it. Often, painful experiences serve as catalysts for profound personal growth.

Acosta and Scalin first met while collaborating on the Mending Walls project, born out of the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Artist Hamilton Glass initiated the project as a way to use art to foster racial understanding. He paired artists from diverse backgrounds and gave them a week to co-create a mural. The result was far more than works of art—it was an exercise in empathy and shared humanity. The Emmy Award–winning documentary of the same name tells that story beautifully.

In today’s divisive political climate, it can feel as if society is tearing apart at the seams. In some ways, it is. But just as the caterpillar must dissolve before becoming a butterfly, destruction can expedite evolutionary transformation.

Politics is only one aspect of the human experience. We each have a choice: we can dwell on the discord amplified by the news and social media, or we can look for signs that people are coming together—listening, learning, and healing through empathy. The evidence is there if we’re willing to see it. As I write in the "Intentional Focus" chapter of Eight Intentions for Self-Healing:

“Just as plants need sunlight to grow, our flashlight of focus nourishes the important things in our life. Direct the beam toward your gifts and watch them expand, while your worries wither in the darkness. The flashlight is in your hands—and only you can choose where to shine your light.”

What does empathy mean to you? Leave a comment and let me know.