Ruby and Q- I've experienced the sorts of things you describe my entire life. And like you, Ruby, I discovered Myers-Briggs and my studies of shamans and concluded I was just born with a different way of perceiving the world. I never bothered to try to separate them out into different experiences. It does make sense, Q, to do so when I critically reflect on the "read" I get on people. I rarely talk about this stuff with people except those I'm really close to because I've been so misunderstood by folks. I've literally been told that these are not gifts from God, but from Satan- and that can be upsetting because I can't help it. I didn't choose to experience life this way.
I feel people's emotions- that's the empathy. I've known about this for a long time and learned to protect myself so I don't get overwhelmed. There's a lot of depressed and angry folks out there, and some situations (like hospitals, parties, etc.) can be really overwhelming as you get hit with the roller coaster of lots of people's feelings. On the flip side, some people radiate a wonderful love and events in which everyone is focused on the same thing (some churches, concerts) can be amazing experiences. This is the most common thing I experience- it happens literally all the time. Every day. With most everyone.
Occasionally, I get thoughts. Some people think so hard about something, they do what I'd call broadcasting. It's like someone shouting at you, but mentally. Tough to describe. Most people are quieter, but you can "tune in" if you try. I feel very ambiguous about all this- I can't help it when someone is "shouting" at me, but I feel like it is an invasion of privacy to "tune in" or to consciously broadcast myself, which I believe is possible from the experiences I've had.
As for what Q is calling spiritual discernment, I always thought of it as sensing people's true selves. Under the emotions and thoughts, their spirit. It's tough for me to describe. Most of the time, I just feel like people are normal, if that makes sense. Every so often, I meet someone who is exceptional in some way. Let's just say I completely understand what you mean by the hitchhiking, Q. The experience actually kind of frightens me. And there are some people who do not feel like people at all. I hate to say that. It sounds horrible and judgmental. But there are some people who don't feel "right" at all underneath- and it's a different sense than insanity, depression, rage, even sociopathy. This begins to sound crazy, so I'll stop there.
I sometimes get a read on someone long-distance, but it's a rarity. However, I get reads on people all the time (literally) that I am anywhere near in person. I've had experiences where I walk into a room and know someone in that room is suicidal, for example- then I can go find them. Some people have a resonance of sorts that changes the feel/vibe of the group and space, and just like honing in on where a sound is coming from, you can hone in who that is.
I will add that I'm well aware that the way I experience the world and people around me seems borderline schizophrenic to a psychologist. The difference is that I'm accurate and not paranoid. I don't have 100% accuracy, because all the stuff is filtered through my admittedly limited and fallible brain, but I generally am right and the information is often useful. Also, I can control my experiences somewhat. I can "up the volume" so to speak- make myself more sensitive- or turn it down so I get less overwhelmed. And, unlike schizophrenics, the feelings/thoughts/etc. I get are always tied to particular people or places (another topic- some places seem to have energetic resonances or memories of a sort). When I'm alone, which I often am because I find that most relaxing, I get nada.
I get practically nothing when it comes to prophecy.
As for tongues, as I understand/interpret the Bible, the gift of tongues is given in order to facilitate the spreading of the Gospel. It is a gift given to a speaker to speak the Good News to listeners who are not of the same language. It isn't a language of angels or other spirit-entities for the speaker's enjoyment.
BUT, I myself often experience tongues in the charismatic, second sense. That is, a nonsensical language (except to me, I know what I'm saying) that comes with spiritual ecstasy. I don't think this is a gift of the Spirit, but rather an experience of connecting to God for some people. That is, it isn't for the church, it's for the self. I've noted in my study of religion and culture that many shamanic and mystical traditions include the practice of trancing- of getting into altered states of consciousness in which people experience spiritual ecstasy (feelings of overwhelming connectedness to God and everything, love, joy, peace). This has often been felt by the Christian mystics as well. A common side effect of trancing is to speak in nonsense languages. This happens to me all the time, and it's the same language (if you can call it that) every time. Mostly, I want to sing to God in it, not talk. This is not a gift of tongues, but just part of the ecstatic experience. And, like trance in general, I can choose to bring on this state through various means- for me, meditation, breath work, and dance/music works fine. It's always happened spontaneously every now and then too. I can choose to shift to the altered state or not, but I can't choose the opportunity to do so. That is, I feel what is like an offer, a gateway of my spirit opening up. Then I can choose to shift over to that other state, or not. Kind of like that state when you're falling asleep and starting to dream, but still aware of your surroundings and could choose to wake up. The feeling of trance is great and very euphoric, but as a Christian, I believe it is important to remember that the goal is not just to have that feeling. There is some transformative work that should happen for the self, otherwise there is the danger of becoming addicted to the spiritual high of trance, which I believe can be counterproductive.
What I will say is a bit confusing to me is how it all fits together. I have others of these types of experiences or gifts that are not in these categories too. Some are lifelong things and others are things I learned I could do if I tried. I generally feel very ambiguous about it all, especially the things I've more or less learned how to do after trying. It's difficult to explain. I was raised to avoid power of any kind if at all possible, and a lot of these gifts give you some amount of power over others and your own life in a way that is not normal. I often vacillate between my desire to learn how to control my own mind more and my own intellectual curiousity of what is possible for me, and my worries about overstepping the boundaries that are "right" in terms of living according to God's will and not my own.
