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A Manual of Magick And Energy Work
author: Michelle Belanger We have all had the experience of entering a room full of people, and sensing the current of energy present. We have all had the experience of being around certain people, and feeling drained of energy afterwards. Energy is at the basis of life, and the more we understand about energy and how it functions in life, the better we will be able to direct our lives. In The Psychic Vampire Codex, author Michelle Balanger introduces us to a very specific lifestyle, one that is based on the need to channel enormous amounts of energy to simply maintain ones self. The psychic vampire is not the mythical vampire, the vampire who lived on the life blood of others. This is a vampire of the imagination. The psychic vampire is a person who recognizes that they need enormous amounts of energy on a continual basis to sustain themselves, and they feed off of the psychic energy of others to maintain themselves. While not coming precisely from the Gothic lifestyle, it does have some connection. The definition of a psychic vampire is one that is evolving as groups of like minded people gather and exchange ideas. While international in scope, it is still a very "underground" type of lifestyle, one that is being helped along by the ability to share information in an anonymous manner through the Internet. Groups are defined under the category of "Houses", with each house determining its own nature, and its own rules and regulations. The Psychic Vampire Codex is the written "bible", or code of conduct for House Kheperu, t he House founded by Michelle Balanger. Michelle's journey is an interesting one. From the time she was young she knew that she was different from others, that she had certain abilities that she assumed everyone had - and then she realized that they did not. She was (and remains) a high level achiever, and when she was younger was very much a loner walking her own path. She was editor of her own vampire related newsletters - The Midnight Sun and Shadowdance, and involved in the role playing game Vampire: The Masquerade. Through other work that she was doing, she networked with Father Sebastian Todd of the Sanguinarium, a network of individuals interested in vampirism. She eventually joined the Sanguiarium by forming her own House - House Kheperu. House Kheperu is by nature a group of individuals living the vampire lifestyle, but it is also a House based on metaphysical and spiritual principles, principles that Michelle has shared through the House Kheperu Internet site, and through her personal Internet site. Michelle addresses the issue of Awakening, which is essentially the re-membering of information already within our consciousness. Each individual will Awaken to the path of whatever family they were born into, with the path of the psychic vampire being a valid path. She addressed issues of not knowing who or what you are, of how to maintain control of your lifestyle, and how to live a life that does not impinge on the rights of others. The overriding tone of the book is respect for self and respect for others, of grounding one self and remaining connected with nature. She advises seeking like minded people - people with whom you have a shared memory. (This holds true no matter which path you are walking in life.) She sees the current version of the Codex as a project in transition - a living vehicle that will expand and change as understanding and needs change. In other words - the Codex will reflect the will and the need of the vampire community. She defines three castes within her own House - those of Priest, Warrior and Counselor. Each being equal, each being dependent on the other two, so that the work that is done is done as a triumvirate. One of the reasons for this, if not the most important reason, is their vastly different energy needs. She also defines three different types of energy feeding: ambient feeding (feeding off of the energy of the atmosphere of a room of people, rather than taking the energy of the individuals themselves); surface feeding (skimming the energy off of other individuals on a surface level); and deep feeding (feeding from the core energy of an individual). The last type of feeding - deep feeding - is only done with the consent of the other individual, and is done wit h great care and respect. It was interesting to note that there are very specific ways of conducting ones self so that no other individual is harmed by those who need the continual input of energy. Michele also goes into some very basic energy work - how to do grounding, centering and shielding, creating filters, and doing meditative work. Creating energy balls, charging an object through intent, and working with the aura are also addressed. Healing - self and others, as well as moving energy blockages, are also touched on. I cannot say that I agree with all of Michele's theories, but she does present them with consistency and backs up her thoughts with research. At the end of the book, Michele presents a list of resources for further research into the vampire community, a timeline of for the evolvement of the vampire lifestyle, a presentation of the Black Veil, the Code of Conduct for the Sanguinarium and the Order of the Strigoi Vii and an in depth glossary of terms. For those who are interested in the study of the use of energy, of alternative lifestyles, or the current field of vampirism, The Psychic Vampire Codex is a must read, as well as an excellent resource book.
Bonnie Cehovet
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