Energy Vampires

Have you ever had a run-in with an energy vampire? I'll bet you have.

I certainly have, in fact, I recently have, and I'm feeling like hell right now because of it.

As a lady I like sagely noted, "There are givers, and there are takers. The givers give, give, give, and the takers take, take, take." The givers put out their light to others and receive energy from their own efforts, and energy from the universe. Then, there are others, psychic vampires who see this light and admire and are drawn to it, but not to be inspired to light their own lights, but to drain from the energy of the one they have fixated on. These are not pale creatures in Bela Lugosi suits, but real people in 'skin suits' as a Native American woman shaman used to describe them.

They may be very engaging on the surface, very cute, very charming, endearing in their neediness and desire to hang out with you, but beware. You have been marked as a delicious source to tap, and once you are used up, injured, or otherwise become wise to them, they will go on their merry way, like a drug addict, bored, hungry, existentially empty, morally ambiguous with a wonky moral compass where the ends justify the means and lies are a way of getting what they want, looking for the next light, the next source, the next fix. They are emotional con men and women, restless and superficial. The damage they cause only bothers them to the degree that they suffer repercussions personally.

In the case of this woman, I was astonished with her cavalier attitude towards lying, and how naturally and often she lied, to me and to other people. The only thing that bothered her, was if she were to be 'caught in a lie', as it seemed she might be with a man she'd duped, lying to him about what she did, where she worked, or if she was even working at all. She was concerned that this might affect his image and trust of her, and I can assure you it would. What a terrible way to live. It is the way of false ego. Living life as art is not about being a liar. Save your creativity for other things like dreaming and doing, and respect that others need their life's chi to create their own lives. The other is the way of sociopaths.

This is very destructive behavior, both to the host, and ultimately to the energy parasite, who if he or she is stupid, greedily devours so much of the person's energy that the host is drained, exhausted, weakened, possibly injured or sick and then is cast off. If they were really smart, they would sip little and slowly, but they are not smart. They also do not give, or they give very little, without care, just enough to keep the supply coming from the target.

I think even Shakespeare said it. 'Beware of flatterers'. These people masquerade as friends, and as lovers, when you are just a source of supply to them, easily expended as you would to a carton of milk you drained dry. Also, what better victory than to take someone they admire and reduce them to a flickering gasping creature, while they go off with that source's energy persona, which they parade around in like borrowed clothes. Did I mention they like to lie?

This is not 'living life as art'. You do not find an artist host and put a feeding tube in their energy systems, clouding up their minds with your dramas and narcissistically demanding that they be sources of energy supply for your personal energy empowerment. That is not how this works. It is not honest. It is lacking in integrity. It is the depths of selfishness. There is so much energy out there in the universe, so much power for you to develop in yourself, but you have to light your candle.

And people, please do it without draining out the lamp oil of somebody else, particularly someone you admire. Envy does not make you brighter if you repay the other's kindness with sucking their energy so that they cannot shine as bright, or worse, you make it so that they cannot follow their dreams and destiny. You have no right to do that. You only make the world darker. You make things bad for everyone including yourself. Don't do it.

To live life as art, we all must be inspired. I've been inspired by many. I seek and allow myself to be inspired all the time, but live and let live, people! Bless people and let them shine. Think of others as well as yourself. Give them the space they need, and if they are generous, be gracious, give back, and that does not mean asking for more, or worse, tricking it out of them. That is called stealing. It would be like to marvel at a glorious butterfly and beat it because you hope to acquire something it has for yourself, or worst, just to put out its light. This is an empty soul for which no light can enter.

It is not enough to seek to live life as art. When you do so, as you shine, as you smile, as you spread your wings and fly, take care. Take care of who you attract with your light, who flatters you. Be aware of how you feel around this person. Is this person talking much about how spiritual and nurturing they are, yet all they seem to do is ask from you and then to take as much as they can, even when you are exhausting your resources?

Do you dread answering the phone when the energy parasite calls? Does talking to this person leave you feeling distracted, disturbed and drained. Is your throat aching and sore, your voice and energy weak after talking to this person, particularly on the phone. Are you breathless and winded like the air has been drawn out of you? If that is the case, this is a time to disengage. Hopefully, the damage will not be too great.

No matter how charmingly they apologize, or if they turn things around projecting and transferring onto you, you cannot keep such people in your life. No one can afford to have their life's energy centers drained away in this way. When enough is gone, it is very hard for it to bounce back. In some cases, it cannot. The energy vampire will go merrily on. They will thank you for your kindness, or threaten you with retribution, but having taken all they wanted or all they could, they will be on to the next source of narcissistic supply and energy. The effect for you, is the same.

It is one thing to give impersonally, or to give when there is reciprocity, but when we give of ourselves personally, we make ourselves very vulnerable to those who only think of themselves. Have courage and integrity, and demand that others you keep around you do the same. Stay safe out there, and live life as art.