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The vampire is a human who feeds off the life force of other humans. It needs the blood of another human to survive. It cannot generate its own energy or be satisfied by the energy sources other human’s use to fuel their life. In the myth, once bitten by a vampire you become one. The change is not physically noticeable but occurs on a deep cellular level. The weakness one experiences from having their life force drained is so powerful, the only path to replenish it is through drawing on the energy of another who has not been tainted by the same form of depletion.
Energy vampires are not a myth, which is why we are so curious about the mythical vampire. After spending time with an energy sucker you feel drained, exhausted, depleted. Yet while you were with them you felt magnetically attracted in a way that was hard to resist. The vampire is particularly seductive because we feel the vacuum within the person and want to help them heal. This archetype is played out on TV and in movies, using stories that intertwine vampires with romance, love that is secretly destructive. The stories connect us to the familiar experience of being in a partnership that is charismatically hard to break free from but depleting, one that steals energy from us. In relationship with a vampire we gain a sense of being needed. The power to fulfill the need of another, provide life sustaining energy, is exceptionally seductive.
From the perspective of our energetic body, the vampire often taps into our third chakra (solar plexus) the center of our personal power. This cord plugged into our belly siphons off energy for the vampire’s use. There are many past experiences that can make us receptive to vampirism, such as wounds to our sense of empowerment. It may be a belief that to love one must give of themselves limitlessly. It may be we had a parent that was a vampire and we allowed them to use our life force to insure that our needs would be met. Or we were taught that “no” was not an acceptable answer when our boundaries were being violated. The vampire is a very dynamic persona. In order to get agreement from those who allow them to consume, they must quietly create a tantalizing allure to ensnare their prey. Or charismatically demand the attention of a room being interesting but not at all interested in the thoughts or experiences of others.
As we become aware of the energy vampires in our lives or the way we vampire the energy of others, we can reframe our boundaries and fill our own cup without taking energy from others. The vampire will not die if we refuse to give them our energy. Conversely, if you notice your neediness responded to as a form of vampirism; know that you will not die if others withhold their energy. The death is mythical. The vampire archetype will find another energy source or learn a healthier way to sustain itself. By applying new relationship skills and owning our energetic space we give others and ourselves the gift of reciprocal energy exchange.
In the moment when you feel depleted by a certain interaction or you sense a person in your life is worn out from your contact, pause. This awareness provides an opportunity to practice a new response. Visualize a protection rose the size of a STOP sign between you and the vampire. See the stem of the rose rooted deeply into the earth. And ask the rose to be a filter between your two energies, only allowing that which is neutral and positive to come your way. On the otherhand, if you notice yourself pulling on another’s energy, activate the “golden sun” tool. Imagine a large ball of golden light just above your head, larger than your aura bubble. In the center of that golden sun see a magnet that draws your energy back to you from any place, person or project where you have left it. See the golden sun fill with your own vibration. When it is full, reach up, pop it and watch it run down into your body like honey, filling up every cell of your physical body then overflow into every atom of your aura. Experience yourself resting in the sense of being full, no longer needing to consume energy from another. When you are full and have activated healthy boundaries the vampire archetype is neutralized.
Shame is powerful and toxic. It is a form of control through judgment, a way of dictating what makes us worthy of love. Shame seeks to alter our behaviors through sending an energy current into our aura that invokes a sense of rejection, punishment, dirtiness, imperfection, being wrong, having shown an ugly face of humanity, crossed a taboo, revealed a secret, been inappropriate or weak to our animal instinct rather than shown civility. It may even suggest that our physical attributes or character traits are flawed, too fully revealed for the comfort of another. We can accept the shame into our sense of self, engage in a power struggle in order to defend ourselves or learn to be neutral to outside judgment.
When we feel shame for our words, actions or physical body it is a form of poison. The energy enters our aura with a signature of self-rejection, even self-hatred. Our physical and spiritual bodies absorb the toxic message and move farther away from peace. In balance, our inner guidance is meant to be finely tuned to the needs of our authentic self. When we hide or suppress our authentic self we detach from our intuitive truth. Then our physical body responds chemically to the sensations of stress, tension and fear that are created in response to the toxicity of shame. On both the physical and mental level, barriers are built to hearing our spiritual guidance.
Shame is commonly used to rear children to fit into social structure and invoke a sense of morality. This programs us to feel guilt for thoughts or activities we were taught are shameful, even when there is not another person present to judge us. Abusers use shame to emotionally manipulate their victims. They claim betrayal if the victim reveals the abuse; energetically turning it around to make the victim feel responsible for their abuse. Use of shame and guilt to control human behavior wounds and suppresses the light aspects of our nature along with the shadow aspects. A healthier way to establish a sense of moral guidance or socially appropriate boundaries is to acknowledge the behavior or words as valid while expressing that they make the witness or recipient feel uncomfortable. In this scenario, the person responding takes responsibility for their own feelings and communicates their boundaries without punishing the other or trying to control the situation.
When presented with the energy of shame as a conscious adult, its impact depends on the person delivering it and whether it hits us where we have a prior wound from shame. It may feel good to openly communicate that whatever is being judged in us is perfectly acceptable. But we also have the option to go beyond sending a return-volley of energy in the power struggle. When we heal wounds from past shame, we can become unscathed by other’s judgments and even find humor in their attempts to control. We heal these wounds through self-love and the help of others experienced in shifting outdated behaviors and belief systems. Clairvoyant reading is one path to identify the wounds from shame and heal our energetic body from layers of shame based suppression. Ultimately when we detoxify our lives we are healing future generations and stopping the cycle of abuse.
Our second chakra region just below the belly button is the energy center where creative and sexual impulse originates. To create life as a human requires igniting the primal sexual drive. Many naturally intuitive people first learn to read from their second charka as it is the emotional space where we feel people and experience empathy. When feeling into someone by reading from the second chakra it is nearly impossible to stay neutral. We tend to get taken away by matching the emotions of the person we are responding to rather than seeing their situation from a balanced loving perspective. When we encounter a person who is having a similar experience to one of our own, they can activate recessed feelings from our past and trigger a state of pain, grief or other empathetic emotion cycle for a period of time after we’ve felt their energy in our space.
To maintain our own stability, when responding to a friend in need of compassion, we learn to read from our sixth chakra, the center of head space between our ears and behind our eyes. In this space we have clearer access to our own information and can maintain the balance and strength needed to be present for a loved one who is in an emotional state. If you find yourself mirroring someone’s emotions, imagine taking an elevator up from your second chakra to your sixth chakra. When you arrive in the sixth chakra you may need to claim your seniority and clean out anyone else who is energetically hanging out in your psychic space. Often people who aren’t confident in their own intuitive capacity see our intuitive strength and hitchhike in our space to access that information.
The second chakra is also home to our sexual energy. We learn to read sexual energy in others to gauge prospective mates and gain a sense of safety in relationships. Many people are unconscious of their sexual energy and blame unwanted sexual attention they receive on the person showing them interest. Yet often the sexual attention we receive is a reflection of how we present our energy in the second chakra. We subconsciously learn from our parents a certain setting for our sexual-creative energy. The resulting response from others may or may not provide the desired effect. As they say, it takes two to tango and our power resides in self-awareness. Cultures also have different boundaries for sexual energy. In some cultures open expression of sexual energy is seen as disrespectful and inappropriate, while in other cultures it is normal.
When you sense someone’s sexual energy, if it feels like a violation of your comfort zone, consider whether it is the natural way this particular person carries themselves or if that energy is actually directed at you. If you are clear that the energy is directed at you and you are not interested in it, then you may want to communicate that directly or visualize some form of energetic protection for yourself. Imagine a rose in-between the two of you to filter any energy that is not welcomed and neutralize it. On the other hand, it can be interesting to notice when energy you were previously taking offense to has nothing at all to do with you. It is simply that person’s boundaries are different than your own.
The second chakra offers us a first primal feeling oriented way to read others intuitively. As we develop our intuitive awareness, we learn that there are less disruptive ways to see. Take a step back and notice the intention of unwelcomed sexual energy before coming to a conclusion. Practice taking the elevator to your sixth chakra next time you find yourself taking on the emotions of another, and experience the inner peace that neutrality brings.
I recently watched the movie Sherlock Holmes (2009) and was intrigued by how Holmes was portrayed as an intuitive. His observations went beyond a keen eye for detail to solve a crime, revealing information one cannot detect with the five senses. One scene in particular I found to be a perfect example of several aspects I have experienced as an intuitive. He is invited to meet his partner Dr Watson’s fiancée Mary over dinner and is very resistant to losing his friendship to this woman. When Mary pushes Holmes to tell her what he “sees” in her, he refuses but upon her prodding agrees. His revelations of her past at first seem innocent then touch on the more tender aspect of a past love loss. She reacts to his heartless approach by tossing a glass of wine in his face and stomps out of the restaurant.
This scene beautifully demonstrates the complex motivators and responses one can experience when sharing intuition. The first skill Holmes models is respect of others by confirming their approval to be seen, he only read Mary with her permission and insistence. In his detective work the permission to read comes from righting-a-wrong by revealing hidden information used to harm people. Second, his personal agenda got in the way. He was jealous and concerned that Watson’s relationship was changing the routine they enjoyed as partners in solving crime. He used the opportunity to create conflict for his friend by delivering the information from a point of judgment rather than neutrality. This heartless approach was hurtful to Mary. While Mary acknowledged his read was perfectly accurate she responded by lashing out from her pain. A glass of wine in Holmes face accompanied by an energetic whack was the punishment for speaking information that was outside of her comfort zone. Holmes’ intent to create a divide between Mary and Dr Watson backfired and instead created a divide between himself and Watson, who felt inclined to protect the woman he loved from pain.
In such a short scene we are shown how important it is to check our intention before we deliver information even when it is asked for or demanded from someone in our life. Holmes demonstrates overtly seeking permission to avoid disrespect of a person’s privacy by reading them against their will. Throughout the movie Holmes expresses his lack of belief in magic and proves that the supposed magic being performed by the villain is simply many cases of creating illusion, manipulation of perception psychologically, with money or science. Yet Holmes uses intuition in his detective work, tapping into non-scientifically proven sixth-sense awareness. By doing so he validates intuitive information as part of the material world not the mystical one.
When someone sees you for who you truly are it feels like a ray of morning sun on your face. We all want to be seen and accepted without judgment. It is rare to find a person who can see us for who we are without their projections intruding into that view. As infants we receive a form of unconditional love from our mother. We have yet to do anything intentionally to warrant her disapproval. We are her creation and she is proud of that. As we grow we explore and test the environment we are in. Curiosity drives us to take risks that may not receive the approval of our care takers. We begin to understand and be shaped by the responses of those whose approval we desire.
Inside is the authentic Self that yearns to be loved and approved of by those we desire to share love with. We can connect with others in a real and loving way by striving to be more neutral to the aspects of their character that are different from our own. That does not mean denying the existence of our judgments. It means looking at what formed them. They are an indicator of an area where healing is available to us. The more we take responsibility for our own projections onto others, the greater freedom we gain. Less of what they do disturbs us. We are able to look at it and be grateful for the reminder of our own humanity. We are able to have more compassion on ourselves.
Neutrality is one of the most powerful tools available to our intuitive truth. Without it we run the risk of not seeing clearly. When we carry emotions like guilt, obligation, judgment, pain or fear we adjust our information in response to a projected desirable outcome. Neutrality is about taking the energetic charge off of a perception, releasing the need to control others. Letting it be okay for them to be where they are at. Neutrality does not assume a lack of compassion or empathy. It doesn’t prevent you from having opinions about issues or experiences. What it does is free you from your resistance and blocks to seeing the truth. By giving others the gift of your neutrality you are able to see them and hopefully they will be able to come closer to truly seeing you. Namaste (the light in me sees the light in you).
If you are one of those people who has a natural intuitive strength you may have found over the years that your insights are not always well received. You see something and say it to a person involved in the perception and they either invalidate it with denial or even react harshly lashing out at the suggestion. This happens because the person you are sharing your intuitive truth (it) with is not ready to hear it or they feel vulnerable that you see something they haven’t seen themselves. Alternately they may have seen it themselves but not be ready for you to see it. The intuitive person’s intent is to be helpful or possibly we are purely unconscious of the fact that we are reading information that is not overtly available. When we are not aware of our boundaries in reading we often violate other people’s comfort zones by offering up friendly insights. This can result in receiving a lot of negative response to our intuition; verbal or energetic whacks warning us that we’ve crossed an invisible line.
When is it okay to share intuitive information that is related to another person? My truth is that we need to ask the person permission to provide the insight before volunteering it. By acknowledging another’s boundaries and giving them the option to say “no thanks” we will reduce negative feedback from sharing our intuitive truth. Before you speak, consider what the impact may be in your relationship with that person. Whenever you share an insight it is important to release attachment to the outcome. If you can’t do so, the communication will be delivered with a hook. That energy will make for a very sticky situation that feels like judgment or control to the receiver. No fun. The more we learn to have our intuitive truth for ourselves and release that which drives us use it on behalf of others, the more peaceful our lives become.
Sunlight illuminates the space in between.
The space in between contains some of the most powerful creation energy available to us. It is also pretty uncomfortable to relax into, letting the emptiness resonate with our creative selves. We naturally want to fill the space up with entertainment, getting stuff done or other comforting activities. Peace with the unknown can be a frightening concept. Can you welcome it? Soak in it as if it is the lounge chair on your sunny beach vacation? When you do, the pause opens you up to hear your inner voice. Suddenly you discover a new interest, a desire, an unanswered question that has been lingering in the back of your subconscious draining your energy. In the silence you connect with something deeper that gives your life meaning.
Fresh out of college I was traveling in Kenya with my dad when he taught me a trick to creating connection with the space in between. We were staying at a dairy farm that rented a few rooms and served food. When I sat down beside him for breakfast he said, “Let’s leave a chair between us. It will give us a chance to meet new people. Because we’re traveling together it limits our opportunities to get to know other people. We’re harder to approach.” It worked. Immediately a couple walked in. They sat down in the only two free chairs and we got to know them.
In the next few days we had several adventures together, a jaunt to ruins at a nearby town, collecting cowry shells on the beach and an expedition into caves that housed slaves a hundred years before. A farm hand showed us places only a local kid would know. In the caves we spooked swarms of bats that darted overhead, saw six-foot long monitor lizards, crunched beetles underfoot and found symbols of voodoo. Our new companions added dimension to the adventure and our combined curiosity opened the door to more experiences.
Following the mystery is like that, if you plan every moment and stay rigidly attached to your program there’s less room for the spontaneous to work its magic, less permission to listen to your intuition and change course. The space in between is where pleasure happens. It adds richness to even the mundane act of eating breakfast. Sun filters through to illuminate our lives in those cracks of time that are undefined. Downtime, rest, doing nothing, this is where inspiration is born. It is where we can discover ourselves and what contributes to our happiness.
When you find yourself thinking “I don’t feel like myself today,” see if anyone comes to mind? There is energy in your space that has tapped into your power. It may be a global or cultural energy of fear, triggered by an act of violence on the planet. It could be a co-worker or family member that is driving a specific agenda. Whatever the source, it created an energetic cord that prompted you to match that picture. A trigger to match energy usually comes from previous life experiences that were unresolved.
Another form this takes is when you feel a person come to mind over and over again. It may be a person you don’t see every day or a person you haven’t seen in many years. It also may be a person that is in your life daily. Regardless it’s as if they are ringing the doorbell of your mind, over and over again. They are in your psychic space. You may like this person’s energy and feel inclined to let it be even if it’s a bit distracting. Alternately you may find it very irritating and want to pull a Rambo to forcefully kick them OUT of your mind.
The critical piece is acknowledging you have seniority over your own space. You are the one who manifested this body. What you choose is the bottom line rule for your energy and you have complete authority over it. Here are a few simple exercises that can be used to reclaim your psychic space:
- Imagine cleaning out the center of your head so that you are the only one in there. Spray it out with an imaginary fire hose or blow it clean with a fan.
- Visualize hanging up the telepathic phone line.
- Look at your relationship with the person and picture updating it to present-time with clear boundaries.
Seniority is an act of self-care. Seniority requires diligence and self-awareness. It is a gift to the person whose energy is in your space, inviting them to return to themselves.
Love relationships are on most people’s mind this week whether in a romantic relationship or not. The sense that we should do something romantic for our partner and make it special can feel somewhat daunting. It is a holiday fraught with demand energy from social expectations to personal concepts of what it means to demonstrate your love. Not to mention all the baggage of what you did seemingly right or wrong on this holiday in the past. How can you use your intuition to act on loves call in a creative and opening way? Whether you are in a comfortable loving partnership where each of you regularly expresses your needs and desires and you both try to listen and respond with neutrality or you are in a relationship that holds the tension of unmet needs and desires, your intuitive truth can expand the experience to a deeper sharing of love.
This idea of celebrating love comes with the intention of pleasing your partner, showing them that you appreciate and value them in a form that they respond to rather than the form that you respond to… yes those 5 Love Languages everyone is whispering about. Use your skills of observation to see what puts that glimmer in your lover’s eye. Does she just want to kiss you when you make her dinner, rub her shoulders or encourage one of her dreams? Does he relax a little deeper when you really pay attention to his play-by-play recount of the problem he solved at work or bring home his favorite flavor of ice cream? We want to please our partner because when their love light shines we get to feel its glow. It really is selfish but in a good way. True love grows through everyday acts of kindness, acceptance and consciousness of our partners needs.
