Vampires. A word that summons chilling thoughts of hellish fiends who thirst for human blood. Images arise of caped figures lurking in shadows, morphing into a flurry of leathery wings. The current revival in Gothic lifestyles has stirred up these ancient images of evil. Many people now choose to identify with Vampires, embracing the dark side of mystery.
Although some of these modern vampires actively seek the darkness and try to cultivate it in their lives, most feel they are merely acknowledging aspects of their spirit that are already present. Many such people feel like they were born “vampiric” in their ability to drain, not blood, but energy from others. They turn to vampire lore to learn more about what is happening to them.
"Energy Vampires" are a natural phenomenon related to our inherent human ability to work with Energy. We're talking about a universal life force energy, that vital essence which flows through all things.
We all have innate abilities to send and receive energy. This is as natural and as automatic as breathing. We exchange energy with all living things, from the environment, from the animal kingdom, and from fellow humans. This energy is immanent in all, and we all partake of it freely.
Depending on many factors in our lives, our ability to access this energy fluctuates. For some, the natural ability to send and/or receive energy is stronger than others. When they are grounded and well-connected to the source, the energy flows strongly. These people are typically vital and, well, energetic. People with a sluggish or blocked ability to participate in a natural flow of energy are often lethargic and depressed. These are the folks who are most likely to display vampiric energy tendencies.
Throughout history, there have been examples of people who deliberately practiced the sending and receiving of energy, and the contact with and manipulation of energy from the environment and others. All forms of hands-on healing involve such contact and manipulation of energy. So do all forms of magic. This energy is universal... it's the force that causes electrons to spin around the atom and drives the seedling from it's shell. It is abundant and limitless, and our connection to it is our birthright, and what keeps us healthy, grounded, and connected to all life.
We receive energy in many ways; physical activity, eating, meditating, connecting with a loved one, singing, etc. There are a million ways... basically anything that locks you into a connection with life will connect you to this flow of vital energy. We send energy when we are concentrating on something while connected with this same vital flow of life. We lose energy when we lose our connection to this unlimited source. This energy should flow freely in and out, like the breath. Like the breath, we need it to live.
This energy flows freely between people. We give and take from people all the time, both in harmony and in conflict. Lovers also exchange huge amounts of energy, on many different levels. Two people in an argument also trade energy, to their loss. Energy moving between people is natural and inevitable. All energy healing work is based on this simple idea of the exchange of energy between people. Humans were meant to send and receive energy. It's part of why we're here. We have a natural ability to get energy from others, and give it out as well.
So if there are people who can strongly send energy to another person for healing, then there are some people who can strongly receive energy, even to the detriment of the person they are receiving from, whether they know it or not. This is where the "Energy Vampirism" connection comes in. In this context, an Energy Vampire is one who either knowingly or unconsciously drains vital life force energies from their environment and those around them.
I have met both kinds of "energy vampire"... the ones who are just naturally like that without even knowing what they're doing, and the ones who deliberately try to take your energy, sometimes without consent.
An example of an "unconscious vampire" would be that person who always drags down the people around him or her. This person is chronically depressed, or chronically in crisis. We all have such moments, but this person will have a noticeable draining effect as a typical way of life. This kind of person has completely lost their own connection to the Universal Life Force or vital flow of energy. They have lost the ability to have a healthy exchange of energy from their environment, and therefore try to get what energy they can from the people around them. They probably aren't even aware that they're stealing energy from you, so they're not malicious, just disconnected. But you usually notice a marked loss of your own personal energy after spending any kind of time around this person. This kind of "energy vampire" is all too common. This person exhausts you.
Another example of an "unconscious vampire" might be the local bully. Found in every social group, this person deliberately tries to suck in your energy by intimidation, drama, danger, stress, or psychological or physical violence. These people can be abusive parents, intimate lovers, a power-tripping boss, a domineering friend or family member and many other kinds of manipulative relationships. This is a person who often knowingly tries to lessen you to feed their ego or their own energy-draining insecurities. Again, these are people who have lost their connection to the abundant natural energy, so feel like they need to actively feed off others. This person intimidates and drains you.
Within the magickal community, there are also people who study energy work in depth (like healers do) and deliberately try to drain another person's vital energy for use in magical workings. Mostly, they only work within willing partnerships or groups. Within a context of consent, this can be a powerful exchange between people. However, there are some who have few scruples regarding such sacred matters. Those who are practicing such techniques without willing participation are deliberately preying on unsuspecting others.
I believe this practice of deliberate, malicious energy vampirism is uncommon. Generally speaking, by the time a person has studied energy work in sufficient depth to be able to actively steal another's energy, they have also learned why it's so foolhardy to do so. You learn to work with energy by learning to channel it. When you’ve mastered this, you recognize that stealing another's energy disconnects you from the universal source of vital energy. The goal of studying energy work is to learn how to connect directly with the Source of all Energy, which is inexhaustible and freely available. Humans have a limited amount of personal energy available, which is why we need to stay connected. Working with energy teaches you that getting it from another person is a wasted effort when there is a limitless, freely available alternative. Basically, if they’re good enough to be able to steal another’s energy, there’s generally no need to.
For this reason, I think that most folks who claim to be a deliberate "Energy Vampire" are more likely interested in drama, rather than practicing a transfer of energy between people. Such folks, loudly warning others of their danger, appear more as empty posers who are trying to get your energy by getting you to pay attention to them. But this kind of person is unlikely to know enough to actually "steal" your energy. You'd have to give it to him by paying attention to his drama. (We send energy to what we focus on, remember?) If you concentrate on his claims and ego intimidation tricks, then you will be sending him energy. The way to shield yourself from this kind of person is to ignore them. They'll go away without garlic.
Vampires are real, but generally not in the fang-dripping, bat-winged way our culture has come to envision them. In our high pressured, fast paced world, more and more people are becoming disconnected to the abundant source of energy which is our birthright. When we’re disconnected from this vital energy, we sometimes take the energy we need from the nearest available source: other people. This can be done unconsciously or deliberately, but it is mostly done without malicious intent. Learning to regain a connection to an unlimited source of universal energy frees us from the need to feed off the energy of others.
~Flame RavenHawk
April 13, 2004