Way Past Normal - by Dani Harper - You’ve met them. People in your life who, frankly, exhaust you. They drop by to visit and when they leave, all your energy has gone with them. You might even feel depressed. This might be because they’re self-centered attention whores, unrelentingly negative and chronic blamers, or they work for the IRS.Or it might be because they’re vampires.
Thanks to myth and media, we associate the undead with drinking blood to sustain themselves. But what if vamps are living, mortal humans who don’t suck blood but energy? The concept isn’t new. Many cultures have myths and legends about psychic vampires, including some Native American tribes. The Hopi told of the powaqa, a sorcerer who feeds on the life force, the hiksi.
I ran across an internet quiz this week titled “Are you a psychic vampire?” Apparently, you can be one without even being conscious of it – and you’re considered more of a parasite in this instance. More drama queen than Queen of the Damned. Needy and annoying but usually manageable.
Other individuals are fairly benign. They merely touch something after someone else has touched it, gleaning the leftover energy.
But the real vampire is the one who knows exactly what he’s doing and attacks your energy on purpose, literally fortifying himself with your life force. It’s a highly aggressive and predatory act and just the thought of it puts me on edge – hey, I need all my energy and I can only drink so much coffee in a day, bud! Apparently if you suddenly feel tired, mentally confused or irritable it might not be because you skipped lunch. You may have been the victim of a walk-by vampire attack. He or she gets an energy surge and you’re left staggering to the nearest Starbucks.
Highly sensitive persons are particularly susceptible to having their energy siphoned off. So are those who tend to be givers in the extreme, who haven’t developed good personal boundaries. Apparently you can be a metaphysical doormat too. And if you have what’s called a leaky aura, energy vamps will hone in on you like ants to a drippy syrup bottle.
As with traditional vampires, repeated attacks by a psychic predator can put you in danger of becoming like them. Maybe you won’t actively go on the hunt at the mall, but if your life force is in a depleted state, you might unconsciously start drawing energy from friends and family.
Defending yourself takes many forms. Some recommend visualization, picturing a bright white light or perhaps a suit of armor around yourself to block out a known vampire’s attempts. Some say that the equivalent of wearing garlic is keeping a piece of quartz crystal on your person. Watch out for people who step into your personal space, or stare at you (so much for ever riding a subway again). Most importantly, look after your health, mentally, emotionally and physically – remember, lions go after the gimpy gazelles.
Your turn -- what do you think? Are energy vamps real?
Dani Harper
www.daniharper.com
NOTE: I'm pleased to introduce Dani Harper, who is a newspaper editor turned paranormal author. I will be posting her blogs occasionally. Dani says there isn't anything she likes better than exploring the supernatural...unless it's writing romance. Of course, if you've read any of her stories, you would know she has at least one foot in the netherworld...LonToxic Relationship or Vampire Attack?