Feeling and Sensing Energy
Have you ever walked into a room and instantly felt something shift inside you? A sudden heaviness that you couldn’t explain?
In spiritual traditions, this sensitivity is often described as tuning into the aura, sensing imprints left behind, or even feeling the presence of spirits. It’s energy. Energy moves like waves—it expands, contracts, and leaves impressions. And when we learn to pay attention, we start noticing these subtle shifts everywhere. Every person, place, and even every moment carries its own vibration. Our own aura, the energetic field surrounding us, interacts with these vibrations constantly, whether we are aware of it or not. This is why you can sometimes “just know” if someone is upset without them saying a word, or why a space can feel warm and inviting one moment, and unsettling the next.
How many of us have lived in a home that once felt safe, warm, and comfortable, only to let someone into our lives—a person with very low vibration, maybe toxic, maybe even abusive—and suddenly the whole energy of the house changes? The space that once felt like your sanctuary begins to feel heavy, and you find yourself working longer hours just so you don’t have to go home. That isn’t in your head. That’s energy. And how many times have you felt such relief, even peace, when that person finally left? The air feels lighter, the house feels like it’s breathing again, and so are you.
In this blog, I want to share some insights about sensing energy, what it might mean, and how you can begin to understand what you’re feeling when you step into different environments. I’ll also be recording a podcast episode on this very topic, where I’ll share lots of personal stories and real-life examples from my own journey of opening up to energy and spirit.
Walking Into a Room: When the Energy Shifts
How many times have you stepped into a space—maybe at work, a friend’s house, or even a train, and felt instantly uneasy? Maybe the air felt colder, heavier, or you just had that sense that “something was off.”
This experience can mean a few different things:
A Spirit’s Presence
Sometimes, the shift is due to an unseen presence such as a spirit that hasn’t crossed over. You may feel like something is “between” you and the space itself, and that’s often because your aura is interacting with the energy of a spirit. Spirits are not always harmful; often they’re simply lost, lingering, or connected to someone else in the space.Energetic Imprints
Other times, it’s not a spirit at all—it’s the leftover imprint of something that happened there. Strong emotions, trauma, or even joyful celebrations can leave behind energetic “echoes” in a house or building. For example, a home might carry the heaviness of past arguments or the sadness of someone who once lived there. When you move into a new place, you may feel unsettled at first, not because it’s haunted, but because the house is still carrying the energy of the people before you. Over time, your energy begins to overwrite that imprint.
The important thing to remember is that energy can be shifted. Cleansing rituals like burning sage or incense, prayer, or simply setting a firm intention for your space can help. But if it’s a spirit, often what helps most is calmly asking it to move on. Speak from the heart: “This is my space, and I need you to leave.” Usually, once you truly mean it, the energy begins to lift.
The Energy of Objects
It’s not just people and spaces that hold energy but objects do too. Think about second-hand items, antiques, or even things that have been passed down through family. A painting, a chair, a platter, or even jewelry can carry with it the vibration of the person who once owned it, and the energy of the space it used to live in.
For example, imagine a painting that once hung in a family’s living room. If that home carried years of tension, abuse, or betrayal, the energy of those experiences may have imprinted itself into the painting. Later, that same painting might find its way into a second-hand shop, and then into your home. When you hang it on your wall, you may begin to notice a heaviness in the room, a sense of unease, or emotions surfacing that don’t feel like yours.
This doesn’t always mean an object is “haunted.” More often, it means it’s carrying the energetic residue of the people and places it has passed through. Sensitive people can especially feel these imprints, even if they can’t explain why a certain chair feels uncomfortable to sit in, or why a certain heirloom just doesn’t feel right in their space.
The same thing can also happen with brand new items, especially when they’ve been given as gifts. You might receive something expensive, luxurious, or even the very thing you’ve always wanted, but if it was given with the wrong intention, the energy of that intention can stay attached to it. Maybe the giver doesn’t truly like you, maybe there’s jealousy, or maybe their heart just wasn’t clean when they gave it. That vibration clings to the object. What often happens then is the item feels “off,” or it won’t last. It may break easily, stop working, or even get lost. That’s because the energy tied to the object is not aligned with love or goodwill, but with something heavy.
The good news is that just like spaces, objects can be cleansed. You can smudge them with sage or incense, place them under sunlight or moonlight, wash them in salt water (if the material allows), or simply hold them in your hands and set the intention to clear away any old energy. By doing so, you allow the object to be “reset,” ready to hold only your energy and the vibration of your home.
Auras: How We Feel Energy Around People
Energy isn’t just in spaces—it’s also in people. Each of us carries an aura, an energetic field made up of layers that reflect our physical, emotional, and spiritual states. When your aura meets another person’s, you might feel drawn to them, comforted by them, or in some cases, drained.
This is why after spending time with certain people, you feel uplifted and light, while others leave you feeling exhausted. Sensitive people often describe sensing this as tingling, warmth, or pressure around their body. Others may not “feel” it physically but notice a gut reaction or mood change.
Learning to recognize these shifts is a big step toward understanding your own energetic boundaries. It’s also why protecting and cleansing your aura is so important. Through meditation, grounding practices like walking barefoot on the earth, or even simple breathing exercises.
Energy Imprints vs. Spirits: Knowing the Difference
One question I hear often is: How do you know if it’s just energy, or if it’s a spirit?
Here’s a simple way to think about it:
Residual Energy (Imprints)
Feels repetitive, like the room is replaying a memory. You may feel emotions that don’t belong to you, or notice the same atmosphere every time you enter.Spirits
Feel interactive, responsive. You might sense a presence watching, hear noises, or feel the energy shift when you acknowledge it. Spirits often respond to attention and are especially drawn to fear, stress, or anxiety.
If you sense a spirit, don’t panic. Most aren’t there to hurt or frighten you—they’re often just lost or clinging to lower vibrations. But remember: fear and stress can attract them more, so standing in your own strength and calmly setting boundaries makes all the difference. A prayer usually works bets, but you can also light incense or you can call your local priest to come and cleanse or bless the house.
Clearing and Rebalancing: Taking Back Your Space
The beautiful thing about energy is that it can always be shifted. Here are a few practices that help:
Cleansing the Space: Burn sage, incense, or use sound (like bells or clapping). Do it with intention—speak clearly that you’re cleansing and reclaiming your space.
Grounding Yourself: Take off your shoes and stand on the earth, breathe deeply, or visualize roots grounding you into the earth.
Setting Boundaries: If it feels like a spirit, kindly but firmly ask it to leave. You may need to repeat it more than once, but sincerity and strength are key.
Rewriting the Energy: Fill your home with laughter, music, prayer, or rituals that raise the vibration. Over time, your energy reshapes the atmosphere.
Spiritual or Religious Support: If you’re part of a church or faith community, you can call on your priest (or spiritual leader) to bless the home and say prayers over it. Many traditions hold powerful rituals for cleansing and protecting a space, and inviting that support can bring peace and reassurance.
Sensing energy is something we all do—whether we realize it or not. It’s that gut feeling when you meet someone, the instant mood shift when you enter a room, or the comfort of being near someone who radiates peace. Learning to recognize these signals helps us not only understand the unseen, but also take care of our own energy.
A Message From Me to You
Take it from me—I’ve been through this so many times over the years. I know what it’s like to walk into a space and feel your stomach tighten for no reason, to sense that something or someone unseen is there, or to feel drained after spending time with certain people. For a long time in my young years, I questioned myself, doubted what I was picking up, and even felt afraid of it.
But here’s what I’ve learned: your intuition is never wrong. The feelings you get are your soul’s way of protecting and guiding you. Energy speaks louder than words, and when you listen to it, you begin to trust yourself more deeply.
If you ever feel unsettled in a space, remember—you hold the power. Set the intention, cleanse the energy, and claim the space as your own. If it’s a spirit, speak from your heart and ask it to leave. If it’s just an imprint, fill the room with your laughter, your music, your prayers—let your energy take over.
And most importantly, don’t be afraid of what you sense. Energy isn’t there to harm you—it’s there to teach you how strong, intuitive, and connected you really are.
I’ll be talking about this even more in my upcoming podcast episode, where I’ll share lots of personal stories, examples, and experiences from my journey of opening up to energy. If this message speaks to you, come and join me there. I’d love to dive deeper with you.