Being a lightworker is to be spiritually called to transform dark energy and evil into good on the earth.
But not everyone who’s a lightworker realizes it or recognizes it in others around them.
Here are the top symptoms of a lightworker (and how to identify one).
1) Lightworkers can take the pain
Lightworkers are not ethereal beings who need perfect peace and quiet at all times.
Lightworkers come in all shapes and sizes, and they may look like very common people on the outside.
A lightworker could be your therapist or teacher, or they could be your garbageman or the homeless guy you pass every day on the corner playing guitar.
Lightworkers are people who live and interact in the grit and grime of the real world.
Some may wear flowing robes and have a peaceful demeanor, sure, but some may appear quite workaday and speak loudly or without nuance.
Here’s the thing:
Lightworkers aren’t part of some secret Hogwart’s Wizard Guild.
They don’t sit in an ivory tower and dictate soft spoken tranquil messages to their followers because the dust of the real world is too much to dirty the hem of their garments.
Lightworkers live in the real world like all the rest of us, and they are actually tougher than most.
This is the first symptom of a lightworker, is that they’re a person who doesn’t deny, hide away or repress pain and suffering.
The term lightworker was actually something that was developed by a spiritual teacher and writer named Michael Mirdad.
He said that lightworkers had been sent to raise the vibration of humanity and improve the world.
But whatever you see it as, there’s no doubt that lightworkers exist and are very much a real thing:
The lightworker is somebody who’s willing and able to face their own shadow sight and consequently transform and work with it in others.
Far from hiding from the shadow or painful emotions and experiences, the lightworker is often drawn to such pain.
Why?
Because it’s their mission to work with and transform this kind of pain and suffering in themselves and others.
“Many lightworkers focus on: healing trauma, undoing toxic core beliefs, healing the inner child, and shining a light on the buried shadow self,” wrote Aletheia at Loner Wolf.
2) Lightworkers know their own shadow
As I mentioned in the first point, lightworkers are people who are called to face the shadow in themselves and others and bring it into the light.
To say they “fight” the shadow isn’t really correct, as this is not a binary conflict between good and bad.
It’s not about that. It’s about growth, integration and welcoming all parts of oneself and others into dialog.
This is the second symptom of a lightworker, is that they have reckoned with their own shadow self and are able to face and confront it in others.
Our shadow self includes many things and can manifest in various ways:
- Repressed or hidden anger against ourselves or others
- Shame or guilt that hasn’t been resolved
- People pleasing and feelings we need to “prove” ourselves
- Seeking attention and admiration from the outside world
- Competitivity and jealousy to an extreme degree of resenting others
The shadow isn’t “bad” per se, although it can cause plenty of problems.
The shadow is more about running away from things, fearing and doubting.
“In the energy world, ‘darkness’ isn’t necessarily sinister or evil — dark energy often refers to thoughts and actions rooted in ego, fear, and scarcity mindset, like settling for an unfulfilling job or relationship because you’re too scared to go towards what you truly want in life.”
That’s the thing about the shadow:
It’s not “bad,” but it can hold us back, because if we let those fears and resentments fester, they don’t go away, they just start to hurt even more.
Repressing the shadow and our fearful impulses and reactions only makes it come back twice as strong and vengefully, because the truth is that our shadow self is legitimate and it does have real pain and unresolved needs behind it.
The lightworker understands this, and has worked with his or her shadow self to meet as many of those needs as possible and to dialog and communicate respectfully with the resentful and painful parts of their psyche.
This equips them to understand and work with the pain they find in others.
3) Lightworkers don’t always work in a spiritual job
There’s a misconception that a lightworker may be so spiritual that they’re removed from the kinds of jobs others do or only work in New Age types of industries.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
You’ll meet lightworkers all over the place and in many different jobs.
But the common thread is that they serve a special function in their job which you can notice if you pay attention.
This is the third symptom of a lightworker, is that they are a person who others trust and look up to in whatever capacity they work in the world.
“Lightworkers are not just tie-dye-wearing hippies and healers with dreads.
“Far from it.
“They are teachers and chefs, writers and singers, producers and cleaners, mothers and mediums, creative directors and kaftan designers.”
You’ll meet lightworkers in many different mediums and locales, but the way you’ll know who they are is by paying attention to how people at their work flock to them and trust and look up to them.
They seem effortlessly helpful and understanding to people, able to defuse a stressful incident with one or two words, able to console a depressed coworker when nobody else can.
They walk the halls of their jobs with a special kind of energy that nobody else has, and no matter how low or high they may be on the job hierarchy, they command immense respect and goodwill because of the healing energy they give out freely.
This brings me to the next sign:
4) Lightworkers connect people and bring healing energy
The next crucial symptom of a lightworker that you’ll notice is that they connect people wherever they go.
They may not talk that much or even outwardly do anything that you can notice.
But you do notice that other people and you as well are drawn to them.
You not only trust them and feel they would understand you, but you feel you can really share who you are with them, not just the social or professional role that you play in society.
This is the fourth symptom of a lightworker, is that they connect people together and bring healing energy to communities, workplaces, families and relationships.
This is the profound thing about lightworkers is something that many articles miss:
The greatest strength of a lightworker isn’t their own light or magnificence and love…
It’s letting the light of others shine!
Lightworkers provide an energy of trust, security and authenticity, in which people feel they can really be who they are.
There’s no need to focus on whatever controversy of the day, or to take everything so seriously…
The lightworker individual is there to tell people:
Your shadow isn’t so bad after all. All the pain of life is going somewhere: slowly but surely.
You can be yourself, and you can stop hiding. The lightworker makes people come out of their shells and start laughing, crying, sharing and, in one word, being alive in the truest sense.
5) Lightworkers don’t seek riches and fame
Unfortunately, there’s a dark side of spirituality and things like being a lightworker.
Some individuals take advantage of their spiritual gifts, or use charisma and charm to fake them altogether and rope followers into scams.
They become sleazy gurus or get-rich-quick speakers who lead people on and mislead and leech money from followers.
On a more subtle level, some pretend-lightworkers and spiritual leaders teach a “Law of Attraction” style spirituality that gaslights and blames people for their struggles in life.
It claims that positive thinking and visualization manifests a pleasing and fulfilling life, and that lack of having a fulfilling life means you aren’t being positive enough.
The result?
Repression, lies, lack of authenticity and following teachers who act superior and pretend to have a kind of spiritual purity that “commoners” lack.
“These people are often ethereal beings who talk about being connected to the source energy of the universe.
They might proclaim to share insight and wisdom gleaned from a cosmic plane (interestingly, many of them reside in Bali and Costa Rica).”
You need to be careful of these kinds of people and any spiritual teachers who sound just a little too good to be true, or claim to be on some elevated, top-secret “plane” of reality.
They’re not, and they’re likely to drag you down an endless rabbithole if you follow them.
The truth is that this kind of toxic positivity is more and more common these days, particularly when it comes to New Age spaces.
It’s important to detect and avoid it whenever possible.
This is the fifth symptom of a lightworker, is that they help and care for others because it’s their nature, not because it gets them recognition, money, likes, sex or fame.
True spiritual teachers and lightworkers don’t pretend to be any better than you, and they don’t only say what you want to hear.
They encourage you to find truth and grow in your own journey, not just under their shadow or their “program.”
Of course, some very wealthy individuals may indeed be lightworkers! And there is nothing inherently wrong with money or individuals with power and influence…
The problem comes when somebody uses their position to try to run your life or make you turn to them for your sense of wellbeing and validation…
This is something I learned from the Brazilian shaman Rudá Iandê.
Unlike so many other lightworkers and gurus, Rudá doesn’t claim to be any better than any of the rest of us.
He’s simply a man who studied ancient truths and modern wisdom and found his way through the New Age movement to a place of true authenticity and insight.
As he teaches in his free masterclass on how to free your mind, many of us have bought lies for truth when it comes to spirituality, including finding lightworkers and seeking out those with spiritual gifts who we believe might be able to help us.
There are people like this! But they’re not always in the bright shiny packages, and they don’t all live in Bali!
Check out the free video here.
6) Lightworkers are made, not born
Lightworkers aren’t born with a bright white halo around their head or rainbows floating around.
Lightworkers are made by the decisions they make and the actions they take.
Now, to be sure, some people have higher emotional intelligence and spiritual sensitivity than others.
We all struggle with different traumas and triumphs in life.
But the lightworker is a particular kind of person who emerges in the midst of the storms of life to shout “land ahoy!”
What they mean is that there is meaning in what is happening and there is hope.
To live is to suffer, but to survive is to find meaning in the suffering.
“Anyone who chooses to devote their life to being a bright light in the world is a lightworker. There are no snobby spiritual tests to pass or assignments to hand in.”
This is the sixth symptom of a lightworker, is that becoming a lightworker is a conscious choice you make in your life and in your actions, not a category you’re born into.
You become a lightworker step by step. You become a lightworker in small actions.
Being there for someone after a funeral in a real way…
Caring for a sick friend out of no obligation but only out of love…
Listening to the struggles of someone you’ve never really liked and coming to understand that their pain is just as real as yours…
The lightworker is something any spiritually sensitive and emotionally sensitive person can develop.
Lightworkers are created by life, but they also choose to arise and claim their place as a bringer of light.
They aren’t given it. They claim it. Often during very difficult life circumstances.
Then they rise into a role as a lightworker in all areas of their lives.
7) Lightworkers help open doors for others to get in touch with themselves
One of the biggest things that some lightworkers do is they help open doors for other people to get in touch with themselves.
This type of lightworker is often known as a gatekeeper lightworker.
That’s because they open the gates for those who are ready to face their shadow and undergo a transformation in their life.
This is the seventh symptom of a lightworker, is that they help other people get in touch with themselves and their own spiritual journey.
Life is so busy and full of stress. Before you know it, you’ve forgotten to tap into your spiritual potential and explore that side of yourself that may be underdeveloped.
The role of a gatekeeper lightworker is often to introduce you more to your spiritual side and help you embrace and appreciate that part of you.
This definitely encapsulates the role of a lightworker in allowing others to let their light shine.
Rather than “fixing” you or leading you into some enlightenment, the lightworker simply provides a secure and reassuring space for you to embrace your full spiritual potential.
The good news is that people often have a lot to explore spiritually that they didn’t realize or ever get around to, which is why the gatekeeper lightworker plays such a valuable role.
8) Lightworkers help you accept and heal the pain deep inside
Lightworkers are empaths who understand are are sensitive to what others are going through.
The second main type of lightworker is a healer.
This lightworker not only provides a gate for you to walk through in your healing journey, but actively assists you in finding healing and inner peace.
The healer lightworker is special and highly sought after by everyone, because the healer can bring emotional, psychological and even physical relief to very troubling symptoms and blockages.
This is the eighth symptom of a lightworker, is that they actively help and support you to heal blocked energy and counterproductive trauma that’s trapped inside you.
It’s not so much that a healer lightworker will “fix” what’s going wrong with you, it’s that they will actively talk, console and give energy to you in accepting and integrating the shadow that is causing you so much pain.
They will help you look in the mirror and guide you to be strong in what you see and work with it.
9) Lightworkers bring messages from beyond the veil
The third kind of lightworker is a guide.
He or she actively receives messages from beyond the veil and communicates with spirits.
This can include ancestors who have passed on, angelic beings and even the Creator and life energy itself.
Guide lightworkers are rare, and although many try to act like they are getting a “download”
This is the ninth symptom of a lightworker, is that guide lightworkers can help you connect to those who have passed on and can impart divine and spiritual wisdom to you that you otherwise might not have access to.
The guide lightworker is a powerful individual who has honed inherent spiritual abilities and brought them to the forefront in helping others.
Watch out for those who might misuse such abilities such as in lying about receiving messages or trying to lead you into some kind of organization or group which isn’t in your best interest.
There are genuine guide lightworkers, but as I said they are rare, and they also tend to be very humble and soft-spoken and not very focused on money.
A genuine guide lightworker will be much more focused on “reading” you and understanding why you want messages or insight beyond this world, as it relates to the energy they give and receive and their karma as well in terms of what they’ll do for you.
What it means to be a lightworker
Lightworkers are special beings with empathy and spiritual sensitivity far beyond that of most.
They develop these abilities from a young age and follow them in order to use them in the world.
If you meet a lightworker, you’ll know it.
A lightworker has a seemingly inexhaustible supply of patience for the foibles of other people and goes out of their way to be there when times are tough.
The main energy radiating from a lightworker is selflessness. They don’t do things to get something or to gain recognition or show off.
They behave and act softly and subtly.
They meet you where you are at, and communicate with you in the way you’re able.
They appreciate the energy and feedback you give them as well, but they never demand it or make it a condition.
Understanding and connecting with lightworkers
Understanding and connecting with lightworkers is a matter of understanding the reciprocal tie between the lightworker and other people.
While it’s true the lightworker gives off empowering energy and insights, they also receive a lot of growth and feedback from those they interact with.
The lightworker isn’t an idealized being, they are just somebody with special spiritual insights and sensitivities.
It’s important not to pedestalize lightworkers.
They aren’t better or worse than anybody else, but they have a special set of talents and capacities for healing and transforming pain and psychic injury.
The lightworker is indeed a special person, but they are not superior.
They are simply gifted with a special set of sensitivities and abilities that help them navigate difficult emotions and make something empowering out of them.
In working with a lightworker or interacting with them, remember that we are all together on this spiritual journey.
Toxic spirituality remains a constant danger, and can lure in even the most well-intentioned person.
Freeing our mind from exploitative spirituality and gurus who disguise themselves under terms lightworking must also remain a priority, so that real lightworkers and spiritual healers can do their work effectively.
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