Heyoka, pronounced hey-OH-kah, is a Lakota word that means “fool” or “sacred clown” because of his ability to heal through humor. The Lakotas are a group of Native Americans who originated in the Great Plains.

Heyokas are the most powerful empaths, acting as a mirror and satirically mocking the situation to open people’s minds to new perspectives. Making light of serious situations allows people to see themselves differently and begin to heal rather than being trapped in a wallowing mindset.

Make no mistake: heyokas do not mock or hurt people with their humor; they remain empathetic, and their understanding of people’s emotions prevents them from crossing the line and becoming offensive. Rather, they disrupt lines of thought that are detrimental to the people they are attempting to assist.

What is a Heyoka Empath?

Aside from the “heyoka” aspect, being an empath refers to the ability to understand another person’s state of mind and engage with the emotional cues and respond to their pains.

This ability varies and works on multiple levels, which is why it’s important to understand the difference between heyoka ability and empathy.

Heyokas have the ability to serve as a mirror to people to interact with them. This reflective quality helps point individuals to further their own psycho-spiritual development.

An example of this mirror effect would be perceiving the heyoka as being arrogant. The lesson you are meant to learn here is to be humble.

This is because a heyoka appears to you based on how you interact with reality and process your emotions.

FYI, the ultimate lesson you are meant to learn is self-love.

Heyokas are also set up in a way that inspire antagonism in others due to their in-born “defects”. This can mean they are dyslexic, express formidable noncompliance, appear younger than their age, and so on.

They are disruptive and get people to think differently about normative ideas, inspiring openness and change in others.

Know that heyokas can tell when they are interacting with another heyoka. They are acutely aware of each other’s sensitivities and emotions.

Heyokas alter energy levels, heal people, and balance energy. They restore balance in people by forcing them to take two steps back in order to move three steps forward.

They bring medicine to the disease that is chaos, bringing people the power to change their lives.

Because it’s difficult to be humble in an ego-driven world, consider whether you’ll have the courage to look in the mirror and befriend heyokas.

Empaths, individuals who possess a heightened sensitivity to the emotions of others. Often exhibit a greater inclination towards spirituality.

Yet. This innate ability does not come without its own consequences.

These empathic individuals possess the extraordinary ability to discern and comprehend the thoughts and feelings of others. Thereby allowing external influences to significantly impact their own lives.

Becoming an empath is not a skill that can be acquired readily, instead being an empath is an inherent quality, bestowed upon individuals at birth.

Those born with this trait often possess an acute awareness of the emotions and thoughts expressed by those around them.

In certain instances, they may even display physical manifestations of illness or anxiety as a result. Unfortunate misdiagnoses as hypochondriacs are common for these unique individuals.

Many people misunderstand empaths and cannot relate to everything they go through. And empaths are aware of this because they can read other people’s emotions.

Empaths are affected by the energies of others, and their lives are unconsciously influenced by their surroundings.

As a result, when they are anxious or sad, their emotions may simply be a reflection of the feelings of others.

Why Are Heyoka Empaths Rare?

Empathy exists on a spectrum, just like any other human behavior.

The individuals who possess an exceptional amount of empathy are the farther end of the empathy behavior spectrum. By definition, they are exceptional.

Those who are not exceptional, in terms of empathy, will fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. That’s most people.

Understand that many people who are overly sympathetic have learned to hide and not show their empathy. This is because they don’t want to be taken advantage of by someone who is less empathic.

That said, people who are genuinely empathic are unlikely to proclaim themselves to be empaths.

Highly empathic people don’t brag or puff themselves up as some special subset of humanity. This is why you’ll notice that many self-proclaimed “empaths” are likely to be delusional and more on the narcissistic side.

Let it be know my personality profile is one of typical compassion with high politeness, meaning I have respect for human freedom and development. This is different from my cluster B colleague and highly compassionate colleague who are both co-writing this for me.

6 Signs You Are A Heyoka Empath

1. You are empathetic.

Empaths are people who are sensitive to the emotions of others. Empaths are people who can feel what others are feeling.

To varying degrees, everyone is an empath, but empaths have such a strong capacity for it that they can’t control whether they feel other people’s emotions or not. They’re always doing it.

Because of their empathic abilities, empaths make excellent friends, partners, and advisors. They want others to be as happy and at ease as possible, for the sake of the people and so that they can share the jokes.

2. Opposites and mirror images are an innate part of you.

While empaths are identified based on social and personality traits, heyokas can be distinguished further by some physical characteristics.

It is said that empathic heyoka are frequently breech, left-handed, or dyslexic. All of these characteristics are inverted or reflect the norm.

The majority of babies are born head first, but breech births occur when the baby’s bottom comes first; the majority of people are right-handed; and dyslexia is a learning disorder in which the person sees some letters flipped, how they are written by themselves, or changed within a word.

Heyokas reflect other people’s emotions, causing them to become aware of how they are acting. Mirror images are a natural aspect of a heyoka that can be presented in a variety of ways.

This does not imply that all lefties or breech babies are heyokas, but rather an empathy for these characteristics.

3. You prefer to be alone despite your strong social skills.

Because of their environment, empaths sometimes find it difficult to modulate how they truly feel. As a result, empaths frequently prefer solitude, despite their innate gift for sociability.

Getting some alone time can help empaths become more at ease and in tune with their feelings without interference or influence from how others feel.

Heyokas in particular are frequently isolated. Many people find heyokas’ jarring words and behaviors too off-putting, pushing them to the margins of society.

Heyokas instill deep insecurities and problems because what is ignored cannot be cured.

While this quality is beneficial in theory, forcing people to reject heyokas in order to continue rejecting their own emotional traumas can be very uncomfortable in practice.

4. You are frank with people.

When people don’t want to confront their problems, heyoka’s honesty can make them uncomfortable, but honesty is the best policy for a heyoka. They simply want people to be able to heal from emotional issues that are impeding their stability and growth as individuals.

Mirroring the other person and even using humor can help you gain a fresh perspective on your negative thoughts and feelings. To make a change in one’s life, one must first change one’s perspective on the situation.

Mirroring also allows people to see how they are behaving and how it affects their surroundings. It can be difficult to face the truth, but what is true is true, and heyokas aren’t afraid to point it out.

Some people may be so entrenched in their beliefs that they dismiss heyoka as inappropriate, but those who can open their minds and hearts to heyoka will see that they are correct.

5. You are creative.

Heyoka’s creativity will not only push people to evolve, but will also open doors to romance, adventure, and beauty.

Being invited into the world of a heyoka is akin to discovering the key to Alice’s Wonderland. His boundless imagination and audacity to be different opens up a world of new experiences.

Just as heyokas can reveal hidden negative emotions, they can also display loving, happy, and exciting emotions in unexpected ways.

Heyokas are daring innovators willing to explore unconventional possibilities because they don’t mind, and even enjoy, being alone.

When a heyoka is accepted for what it is, it is a welcome companion on adventures and can be taken to fantastic places and ideas.

6. You worry.

Heyokas are deeply caring people due to their empathic abilities. Heyokas want to look after the people around them, even if they do so in unusual ways. Because of their creative insights and emotional intuition, they make excellent sounding boards.

Heyokas want to elevate people to healthier, happier states of being because they can take on the feelings of others, and they will if allowed to. Heyokas frequently put others’ needs ahead of their own because they cannot help but feel both external and internal emotions.

Despite their pushy methods, heyokas ultimately want to help the people around them heal and grow. Your wit is intended to alter the other person’s perspective and cheer them up.

NEXT READ:

• 8 Heyoka Empath Abilities & “Superpowers”
• How To Know If You Are A Heyoka Empath & Your Purpose
• Can A Heyoka Heal A Narcissist?
• What Are The Traits of a Heyoka Empath?