Shadow Work: A Vampyre’s relationship with energy

The Sanskrit word prana was first referenced in a 3,000-year-old sacred Hindu text. Prana is the word for “breath of life” referring to vital life energy, similar to Qi or Chi in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In TCM, the body’s qi flows through invisible channels that connect our corporeal bodies to our consciousness. In Hindu “yogic” philosophy, you’ll find Chakra systems or energy centers through the body. Chakra systems have been adopted far and wide at this point, practically giving the world a standard subtle body anatomy system. The purpose of these systems that utilize prana or qi is to maintain good health through proper energetic balances. If there are balances or blockages in your subtle energetic body, you would need to treat that imbalance to keep yourself at a healthy homeostasis. This is almost undoubtedly a true phenomenon backed by thousands of years of practice. Certainly hard to ignore or contest without some willful ignorance involved. As vampyres, witches or other nightside dwellers, we are constantly manipulating and utilizing subtle energies like prana and qi.

So as vampyres, how did we get here?

There is a common, widespread belief that to be a vampyre you must have an energetic deficiency. Due to this deficiency, you are required to feed on prana from another human source. Many believe that without this deficiency, you’re not a real vampyre. My issue with this notion is that anyone can be energetically deficient. In today’s society with the amount of stress and bullshit we are all under? We’re alllll energetically deficient, grasping at dopamine straws to try to carry us through life. We’ve all got trauma, trials, and tribulations galore under our belts. We’re being constantly beaten down by social media, being treated like products, having our rights systematically taken away over and over again. Plus dealing with toxic people, toxic work environments, loss and grief, all manner of stress, things are often a mess. Our energetic deficiency isn’t necessarily a metaphysical ailment, it’s abuse our energy systems take on a daily basis. Everyone needs ways to unplug and recharge so as to not feel energetically drained and lethargic. Traditional Chinese Medicine has been treating these kinds of energetic “disorders” and deficiencies since 29 BCE… So, what makes any part of having poor energetic health a vampyric phenomenon? Of course people with infinite stress levels and past traumas are going to have energetic balance issues. What is different for us that caused so many to land on being a “vampyre” who *needs* to feed on human energy? Who’s to say we can’t employ things like Ayurvedic techniques or TCM to fix our energy rather than sucking on other people’s energy?

I think many very well could employ other methods and find great results. They just don’t want to. Why is that?

First and foremost, I think a big part of the deficiency definition of vampyrism being so popular is the desire for social acceptance in the vampyre community. People have adopted the theory of energetic deficiency and disorder to their detriment so vehemently to be accepted. It’s become a public norm and therefore people implant it into their identity since it helps explain away some of their mental health issues that they’re maybe already not taking the best care of. It’s a convenient scapegoat. Since the shoe does fit and it gives people a comfortable label to not only blame their lack of available serotonin on, but to feel special and elite because of it, it’s been adopted on a widespread scale. Of course, anyone who believes this and subsequently adopts an energetic hygiene routine, feeds regularly, maintains themselves well, etc… this theory will also track for them because they are keeping proper balance. Is this intrinsically vampyric though? Not in my eyes… Do I think there are people out there who need to take in/feed on energy to maintain themselves, keep balances, etc. Yes, absolutely. I think most people do, honestly. We should all be practicing better energetic hygiene techniques, vampyre or not, because life is fucking complicated and we should be taking care of ourselves. I don’t think that’s what makes one a vampyre though.
To me, to be a vampyre is more about your spirit or your soul… who you are down to your core. It is an intrinsic primal and predatory nature that exists within you. For some reason, our spirit was imprinted with the vampire archetype and it has awakened within us physically and spiritually. It’s less about the energy intake and more about why we have chosen the route we have to deal with energetic imbalance, even if it’s not something we consciously chose. What exactly drew us to this path? Why are some people so stuck on needing blood or needing to feed from human energy rather than using some other technique?

For me, being a vampyre is most profound in the moments when we align perfectly with our spirit selves and it shifts us into a vampyric state of being. This shift, this mindset, this heightened state of consciousness and awareness, this to me is what truly makes a vampyre. This vampyric nature is always within us, always there and ready, but there are moments when it comes out in full force. The shift in our perception, the sharpening of our senses, and the primal, seductive, cunning spirit of our true vampyric nature is front and center. Our aura emanates with this vampyric shift and we feel most like ourselves in these moments. This auric emanation is what others call our “beacon.” It’s what attracts us to events where we can indulge in such things. It’s the energetic shift we feel within us and all around us from the psychodrama created when we participate in the aesthetic, go to events, watch performances, embark in ritual, get around our vampyric family, have deep philosophical discussions, partake in primal “hunts” & sexual experiences, etc. We crave these experiences because it allows us to unleash our true selves and feel this shift. This happens to not only vampyres, but wolf therians, and basically all therian & otherkin experience a similar shift when they’re able to let their full spirit selves shine through. Vampyres just have a unique skill pool that we are usually intrinsically good with and a spectrum of commonalities that bring us together. Our vampyric nature manifests in our hunger for life, desire for experiences, yearning for knowledge, and passion for the nightside. Our penchant for feeding and energetic sorcery is part of the vampyre experience. Feeding on energy is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to things we can do with energy.

Vampyrism isn’t an ailment to me, it’s a force to be reckoned with. The amount of growth I’ve found along my journey when I realized that needing to feed is no more an issue or ailment than needing to eat food is immense. However, It’s up to the individual to decide which side of the fence they want to sit on.

It’s taken a bunch of personal shadow work for me to get here to this mindset. By sharing these thoughts and being honest about how I’ve landed here, I hope to start planting the seeds for people to think deeply about their own experience as vampyres and for them to try to dissect what it is they actually experience, why they experience it, and what parts of those experiences are truly vampyric in nature.

I know this is a lot, and for some it is an unpopular opinion or it challenges the notions of what you may think vampyrism is. But sit with this idea for a moment and think about it before you reject it. I’d love to hear your thoughts.