Practical Psychic Vampyrism for the Uninitiated and Newly Awakened –Improvisation and Active Listening

It is said by many in our community that anyone can learn the techniques underpinning psychic vampyrism. Whether it be in M. Belanger’s Psychic Vampire Codex, or through a myriad of other sources large and small, it does seem to be a common thought among Psis. There is nothing exclusive or special about what we do, we simply learned these skills out of necessity. This is a stance I share, and I believe it is evidently true when one takes even a passing glance at other spiritual practices, in particular those of other energy workers. But there is a disconnect within our community when it comes to understanding this. It’s easy to believe anyone can learn these skills, but for those who have never been forced to learn them, it can be difficult to know where to start, or even why they should start. I think the ways so many of us speak about our feeding practices only further compound this confusion. While there is nothing wrong with strong visualization techniques–talk of tendrils, breathing through the skin, seeing auras and the like–it is easy for these things to get lost in translation and be written off as metaphysical mumbo-jumbo to the uninitiated. Even as a Psi myself, and one that tries to soak in as much of our writing as I can, I sometimes struggle to understand what it is other Psis mean when they speak about their feeding practices. And if I find myself wracking my brain trying to picture what another Psi means by “extending a tendril to pierce the energetic body of another person,” then I can’t imagine what those who are not energetically sensitive might be thinking. You may wonder where the problem is. Sure, it is in our nature to wish to be understood as human beings, especially as those sharing a niche space. Many people who enter this community (especially those who are newly awakened) want nothing more than to be reassured that the things they’re experiencing, the struggles they’re having, are not only theirs to bear. But there are plenty of Psis active within our spaces who can provide this reassurance. We all have our place, our history and our expertise. I certainly don't know as much about Sang feeding as someone who has been practicing it for any length of time, and I don’t think anyone would expect me to. As such, my reason for wanting to provide clarity to all in the community is not purely for understanding. I believe that many psychic techniques can be deeply enriching to the human experience. Furthermore, I am of the opinion that a lot of these techniques are being employed not just by the spiritually inclined, but in a number of mundane ways throughout all of our lives, and that honing these abilities need not require you to change your spiritual beliefs. They are as much psychological and social as they are magical, at least in my eyes. This is the part of the blog where I radically shift to talking about improvisational theater and active listening conversational techniques. Some of you may already know where I’m going with this. I’ve been very talkative about my practice and my experience with these things and how they are woven into my vampyrism on the Project V Discord server (which, if you are not a part of already somehow, you should absolutely join). For everyone else, bear with me for just a moment while I give a basic improv lesson.

Most people understand, to some degree, that the core principle of improv is the idea of “yes, and,” but I would wager that many of you reading this may not recognize how this can manifest. “Yes, and,” is the idea that you should never outright reject the things your scene partner is handing you, that when presented with a new piece of information during improv, your reaction should always be something that says, “Yes! And…” This does not, however, mean that you have to say those words exactly. “Do you want to go to the zoo?” “That sounds great! I can drive us.’ Here information is presented, and the scene partner affirms and adds onto it without ever saying “yes, and.” But what about things that are not presented directly as questions? “Do you want to go to the zoo, Cheryl?” “Oh, honey, I was just thinking we should do something like that again!” Now you may be thinking I just lied to you, because that first line is very clearly a question, but notice the addition of a name at the end. Cheryl. Consider that this is the first time it may have been established in this scene that this person was, in fact, Cheryl. That is an identity that the scene partner is giving to this person. “You are Cheryl.” And “Cheryl,” in turn, affirms this and adds onto it, reframing the person who gave them this identity as some sort of intimate partner–clearly one with history, since they make mention of having shared the thought and having gone before. The affirmation is both direct and indirect, as is the addition to the scene, but all of it stems from the immediate acceptance of what is being presented. Let’s try one more. “D-do you want to… um… sorry. Ahem Ch-Cheryl, I was uh, wondering if you. Um. Would maybe wanna go to the zoo?” “Oh. Uhm. Ahaha. Sorry, Ron, but I’m not really into… that sort of thing.” Now we have a bit of a curiosity. The scene partner here has quite literally rejected what was presented to them. But here’s the fun part–in context rejection can still be saying “yes, and.” If the partner just said “No,” with nothing else on it, that would be breaking the rule. But here they work to establish the relationship between these two characters and what this scene is about (a proposition for a date being rejected). In all of these examples, saying “yes,” isn’t the point. “Yes, and,” is really more a shorthand for the idea of affirmation and continuation. Someone gives you an idea, and you accept it, affirm it, and add something onto it to continue the scene. I posit that this very simple process is at the core of a lot of human conversation and energy work. When we speak with people in our day-to-day life, we engage in a little dance with one-another. Someone you know tells you that they saw an interesting stranger on the bus that day. What do you do with that? How do you respond? What does sharing that story say about them? What are they hoping you might get from it? Communication is rarely direct or straightforward, and even in cases where it is intended to be, a lot of additional information can be gleaned by taking the context into account. “I saw someone interesting on the bus today.” “Oh? Interesting in what way?” In that brief moment, you have communicated that you are engaged. You have heard what they have said, and more importantly you have understood the substance of what was behind it–that this is some attempt at introducing new discussion, and that this “interesting person” is someone they wish to speak of. To this end, you have followed by prompting for more information. Affirmation and continuation, just like an improv scene. Your contribution at this junction might be minimal, but even communicating that you are interested in hearing what they have to say is novel in this context. Depending on your relationship with the other person, this might be deeply meaningful or reassuring. “I think they were from my uni, actually. I feel like I’ve seen them on campus before. Just a really cool aesthetic, and they were jamming out to some music. Something heavy, I think. I wish I’d asked.” “That’s awesome. I always love when people aren’t afraid to just be themselves in public. Honestly how I wanna be. But I guess I’d need some music and style to start with.” I won’t continue the theoretical conversation further (at least, not in this article), as I feel the main point of affirmation and continuation has been driven home. However, I did want to include this example to highlight something I feel is important. The self. People are often afraid of redirecting the conversation back to themselves when they aren’t confident conversationalists. Statements like “I think,” “I want,” or personal anecdotes given in response to something another person has said, when employed improperly, can come across as waiting for your turn to speak or being disinterested in the contributions of others. I gave this example to show a counter to that. Here, the inclusion of the self makes the response more personal. It’s an empathetic demonstration that you have understood the reason why the other person has decided to bring this subject to light (they are interesting because they are unique, and this is a good thing). The continuation, then, runs along this understanding, stating that you would like to have this good or interesting quality, and leaves room for the other person to both discuss their own experiences and for the possibility of what you have brought to light. Each of you reading this will have different intuitive responses to these kinds of situations, and each relationship you have will have different dynamics to navigate. I couldn’t possibly cover all of the infinitely nuanced scenarios you might run across, nor do I think I should. The fact is, you likely already do some of these things intuitively. My goal isn’t necessarily to teach you how to talk with friends or strangers. Rather, I hope that I have provided perspective; food for thought that you might reflect on the next time you talk with someone. For those of you with no inclination to approach these kinds of interactions from an energetic perspective, actively considering and practicing these very simple concepts might assist you in becoming a more skilled conversationalist. For those of you who do actively engage with the energy of others (or who would like to), I have one additional thing I’d like to add. When you are engaging with people in this way, and you are trying to process how the conversation progresses, try to keep in touch with how the energy between you and the other person ebbs and flows with each person’s remarks. How do each of your words modify it? How does the energy intensify or weaken? Do certain phrases or intonations shift the nature of the energy? Where does it end up? In my experience, conversation is a game of energetic hot potato–you and your partner are constantly passing it around as the tension (good or bad) rises. Eventually it ends up somewhere. There is a resolution, the energy is largely processed by both participants while some is expelled into the surrounding environment, and the game resets. Attuning yourself to that feeling can be greatly beneficial when it comes to reading another person and directing the flow of that energy in a way that is mutually beneficial. It’s not necessary to approach every conversation with such an analytical mindset. People are not automatons that can be taken and redirected simply with just a few psychological or energetic tricks. I don’t think that way, and I would highly discourage anyone from thinking as much, whether they were within the Vampyre Community or outside of it. If anything, it’s quite the opposite. Learning these skills and practicing them for years has given me deeper insight into the lives of others, and with that has come a deeper care and respect for those around me. I feel that I am more easily capable of communicating effectively; showing others who I am, and aiding them in their day to day lives. With time, the flow of conversation that I have spoken of here has become second-nature to me, as I believe it can for anyone. It is my hope that–regardless of your perspective, your level of familiarity with psychic vampyrism techniques, your belief in their efficacy, or your need to engage with them at all–you will have gained some understanding of how it is some of us operate, and perhaps a valuable skill or two. After all, is that not the point of any discussion? To show you some part of myself, and then give you space to engage in response? Affirmation and continuation. The hot potato has been passed to you. Now it’s your turn to decide what you wish to do with it. FURTHER RECOMMENDED READING/VIEWING: Improv | Yes, and… by Alex Ford: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLhV7Ovaza0 Make Some Noise by Dropout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUcNOWlgcko Psi Vampyrism and the Subjectivity of Perception by Luna_Sy: https://www.projectvampyre.org/post/psi-vampyrism-and-the-subjectivity-of-perception