The word, "energy" has a lot in common with the word, "vampire." Both have become very broad and inclusive terms with popular meanings that are fraught with misunderstandings.

I'm probably as guilty of promoting some of the essential misunderstandings about "energy" as many other writers in the magickal, Pagan, vampiric and occult/New Age fields, and I fully accept the responsibility for that. What I'd like to do now is attempt to correct that mistake and clarify what "energy" really is, both scientifically and in esoteric or magickal terms.

My vampirology studies, and my understanding of my own and other vampiric peoples' essential natures, evolved in the context of my total immersion in "occult" thinking from a very early age. I "awakened" at the peak of what the media named "The Occult Explosion" at the end of the 1960's, and I simply moved from there to the Aquarian movement, then the Neo-Pagan/magickal movement, then the New Age movement, and off into my own path. Inherent in such immersion is the risk of sloppy thinking that derives from shared assumptions--especially assumptions about concepts that are difficult to understand, explain and describe in a verbal or linear way to begin with. Being part of a validating community or subculture means that you have a shared vocabulary, and often you don't critically examine the underlying concepts. I am definitely not a skeptic or debunker when it comes to magick, psychic work, or paranormal phenomena. I am both a practitioner and a teacher of psychic development and magick. However, it's taken me years to free myself to think deeply about the implications of some of the concepts I'd casually accepted, and to sort through the contradictions and illusions to get a more realistic view.

Misunderstandings about "energy" are caused by two main dynamics:

• The illusion of perception, and
• a lack of unflinchingly honest self-knowledge and awareness.

"The illusion of perception" leads to wrong ideas about a great many things, until people acknowledge the limitations of their own internal image of the world, sometimes referred to as "a reality grid." We build a model of the world around us inside our minds and that's what we think the world is. In fact, it's an illusion based on the impressions that our five senses send to us, formed into a grid that follows rules (usually) and makes sense (usually) and is predictable (usually) and allows us to control our environment (usually). We construct this mental model slowly and laboriously starting from birth, and we're very protective of it. Most people strongly resist challenges to their image of what is "real" and what isn't, to the extent of literally not perceiving something that's right in front of them. We're limited by what we're capable of sensing and how our brains interpret those sensations. We can imagine what lies outside those limitations, or what it might be like to experience reality differently, or to sense aspects of it beyond our current capabilities. But what we imagine is almost always based on, or extrapolated from our actual sensory inpressions. (For example, some people "see" auras, but they see them in colors that are based on the colors of visible light.) Many people do imagine such "extensions" of reality, but their "extensions" tend to be influenced according to concepts shared by others around them--in other words, reality is also dependent on validation. The term "consensus reality" refers to this social agreement on what is, or is not, real and what its properties are.

Our illusionary image of the physical world works for us most of the time--that is to say, it allows us to move through our environment, survive and use resources without too many mishaps. But problems arise when we attempt to consider aspects of the universe that can't be directly perceived by our organic senses. For example, because we experience matter as solid, we think of the world as hard and dense. In fact, on a sub-molecular level all "matter" is mostly empty space. There's really nothing there at all, except potentials and states switching back and forth, following a set of very tight rules.

We're on even shakier ground when we start talking about stuff like "energy," especially "energy" that can't be measured by instruments and is semi-metaphorical, like "feeding on energy" or for that matter, "pranic energy." It's very common to conceptualize "energy" as a sort of fluid that flows or moves from place to place. This is an understandable misimpression considering how we experience "energy" with our senses. Our senses tell us, for example, that heat "moves" from one place to another, that electricity "runs through wires," or that light "travels" from a source to an object. These ideas about "energy" are naive, but largely harmless. Our senses only evolve naturally to the extent of giving us a working model we can live with. To get beyond that, we have to apply our minds. What's really going on is, in the popular word, "counterintuitive"--we can't infer it logically based on what our senses show us.

The best way to define "energy" is that it's the tension between two or more different states of being on a molecular or sub-molecular level. You can alter an "energy level" by easing or increasing that tension. In other words, you can change the energy state of something. But what that means is that you're causing the something to change its own state internally. For example, we all learned about "Brownian motion" in school science class. That's what creates heat. The hotter molecules are, the faster they move, and that activity is called "Brownian motion." When heat is "transferred"--when you make something warmer--you're not transferring some substance called "heat energy" into the target. You're influencing the molecules of the target to move faster and make themselves "warmer." Nothing is "transferred." What you've done is induce a greater state of tension in the target's molecules. But the average person, without analyzing it, has a mental idea that heat is some kind of substance that gets added to the target and warms it up, like pouring more hot water into a cold tub. On a sensory level, it "makes sense" to think this way, because we do warm cold things by adding hot substances to them, or physically touching them with something hot. Because, say, water boils and turns to steam when heated, we confuse the way the molecules behave in any one given state, with the process by which that state was changed internally for each molecule. We can't see molecules; our senses can't perceive what's actually taking place.

Electricity provides an even better example, because it's even more common to think of electricity as something that flows or moves on its own. Electricity is a change in potential that runs along a chain of atoms or molecules and causes them to change their state. None of the molecules actually moves. Each one just passes the potential, or the change in state, along to the next one--extremely fast. Think of people in a crowded stadium doing "the wave." Each person stays in place. But each individual person stands up when she or he sees the person on the right stand up. As each person does this in succession, it creates an illusion that a "wave" of motion is moving along the stands. But the only thing moving is the change in state: the impulse to stand up and sit down. Each individual person is being prompted to change his or her own state according to a pattern. Nothing is being "transferred." But stand far enough away and it looks like something is moving around the stadium stands.

That's how electricity "moves." In something that conducts easily, like a copper wire, the atoms don't move at all, and they change very little--they pass most of the potential right along. In a poor conductor, the atoms or molecules also don't move, but they change their state a lot. They pass less of the potential along but increase their Brownian motion: in other words, they get very hot. That's what happens when lightning strikes a tree or a person. If a material is resistant, it doesn't accept the potential at all--it doesn't pass it on or change its state very much. But electricity isn't a "thing." It's a potential, a quality that prompts material to change its state internally based on natural laws.

Batteries work by chemically building up a state of tension, or potential which can be released in a controlled way. It's like the kinetic energy in a rubber band. Suppose you have one of those little airplanes with a rubber band-powered propellor. You wind up the rubber band as tight as it will go, and as it unwinds, it releases the kinetic energy in a controlled fashion and flies the plane. If you cut the rubber band, it snaps loose and all the energy is released suddenly and forcefully--same amount of energy, different time frame. But there's no substance or "thing" in that rubber band that flies free. The kinetic energy is a quality of the molecules of rubber.

"Energy," as an internal state, can be influenced somewhat mysteriously. There are theories that propose that the entire universe operates via a system of communication. Bell's Theorem, often cited in defense of psychic ability, found that two particles could change state in unison, apparently in harmony with each other, without any reasonable connection between them. But the key point is that the particles apparently changed their own internal states in response to some unknown cue. They didn't move, they didn't directly affect each other, they simply changed. An analogy might be Person A sitting down in a room and Person B, who asks Person A to stand up. Person A stands up, in response to the cue from Person B. But Person B didn't "force," or help, or "will" Person A to stand. Person A chose to make an internal change in his state based on a cue, or communication, from Person B. Nothing was "transferred" to Person A except the communication. An observer outside the room who couldn't hear or see Person B speak would have no idea why Person A stood up.

Some people in the magickal or vampiric communities would argue that they're talking about something very different when they discuss "energy," such as "pranic energy" or magickal energy, and so on. I disagree, however. I think that these forms of "energy" operate just the same way, and the only reason conventional science doesn't recognize them is that conventional science hasn't figured out how to build a device that can record and measure them--yet.

On The Real Vampires Home Page in 1997, I included an explanation of "pranic energy" that incorporated some of the following points:

........throughout Western history, people have remained convinced that some other type of "energy" was an important factor in the world, particularly in living things. This "energy" was thought to be the factor that separated living substance from dead clay. It was considered to radiate from living things and could be altered, drained, and restored, with highly significant consequences for the organism. Its condition reflected the organism's physical condition, and could be used for diagnosis of illness. Moreover, it seemed to be associated with something that transcended the physical body -- as if living organisms had a more subtle structure, or even series of structures, beyond the gross material one.
.....Occultists and fringe scientists developed all kinds of theories about this "energy" and how it worked and what it implied about the nature of living things and the universe. These theories were remarkably consistent with one another and with some ancient religious teachings, as well...
........This "energy" is also what apparently shows up in Kirlian photography, in which leaves freshly torn in half show up as outlines of the whole leaf. It is commonly called "pranic energy" in the New Age community. Prana is the Sanskrit word for "life," so "pranic energy" means the same thing as "life force."

But if "pranic energy" is, in fact, real, and is energy, then it must operate by the same rules as other known forms of "energy." It is a potential, a quality of living matter, that can be influenced to change its own state. But it is not a "thing" or a "substance" and it can't move, in and of itself, from one place to another. The matter it's attached to can move, but the "energy" itself is only a quality of that matter.

Here is where we run into a problem when we suppose that something like "feeding on energy" is possible. It isn't--because energy isn't a "thing." There's nothing to "feed on." These concepts of "energy" in no way contradict the possibility of magick. All they ask is that magick be defined as a unique way of changing the state of something else--which it is. Nor does this concept of "energy" contradict the possibility of psychic healing (or hexing), telepathy, or most paranormal phenomena. All of these can easily be explained in terms of communication and induced changes in something's internal state. But when we talk about literally "feeding on energy," the way an organism feeds on food, we're back to a naive misconception of "energy" as some kind of substance that is transferred from one object to another, leaving a deficit in object A and adding to object B. It just doesn't work that way.

This isn't the only problem raised by the notion of "energy feeding." The illusion of perception also gives most people an extremely simplified and inaccurate idea of how their own bodies work on a biological level. We can't directly see or feel what our individual cells are doing, far less our molecules. In fact, for the vast majority of people, who never get much education in biology or medicine, the fine points of how their own internal organs work is a mystery. Most people have almost no real conception of just how unbelievably complicated their physical bodies are, and how much is going on inside their own skins every single moment that they're alive.

If people--including magickal and vampiric people--are that oblivious to the complexity of their biological systems, then they're infinitely more oblivious to the complexity of their trans-biological "energy systems." In 1997, I wrote:

........permeating and co-terminous with the physical body are other "bodies", just as structured and made up of types of "energy" of their own. These include the "astral" body and the "etheric" body, for example. These "bodies" correspond to entire alternate realities or dimensions, permeating and co-existing with the physical universe just as the "subtle" bodies co-exist with the physical body. The "astral plane" is the one just above the physical; the "etheric" is above that, and so on. There are different systems describing all these which don't agree, but you get the general idea.
.....Surrounding the perimeter of the physical body -- that is, the skin -- in all directions is an envelope made up of these "bodies". This envelope is complex and highly structured, but tends to be referred to broadly as "the aura". The aura corresponds with an energy structure of the physical body which is recognised and described by Eastern medicine. In this system the physical body is made up of a constantly flowing, dynamic substance that moves in thousands of "streams" (meridians) and focuses in hundreds of "whirlpools" (chakras or energy centers) of different sizes, the major ones running down the body from the top of the head to the groin.
.....This very complex system is constantly interacting with the world around it, exchanging information, filtering, defending, expanding and contracting. It is such an effective "immune system" that it is virtually impossible for ordinary people to breach -- even "healing" magick usually bounces right off.

The "energy systems" of living things don't have a substance. They're extremely complicated interactive patterns of tension or differential that is integrated enough to function like an organism. But they're a complement to the physical matter of the physical body, they're created by the physical body, and they're sustained by the physical body. "Energy bodies" don't "eat" other "energy bodies," and they aren't a somewhat less dense form of matter that can be "fed on."

In addition to this, "energy systems" are very well defended--in fact, defense is one of their primary functions. They're essentially an extension of the physical body's immune system. They're so selective and so protective that even positive magick and healing work will bounce right off them most of the time. Living energy systems are highly protective of their internal integrity, unless their owners consciously (or supra-consciously) direct them to accept the incoming influence. I was always trained to do healing work on a basis of "what the recipient is ready and willing to accept." Energy systems can be encouraged to change their own state (for better or worse) but they will usually return to their natural state once the influence goes away. This is one of the "Catch-22's" that makes healing work so difficult.

To conceptualize how protectively the energy systems function, imagine a blood drinking vampiric person taking a nice sharp Exacto knife and walking up to someone on the street and expecting to just open a vein and have a little drink. How is the intended "donor" going to react, what will they do, what will they be feeling? Attempt to seriously interfere with someone's "energy system," even on a superficial level, and you'll get no less of a response. Usually, you can't even get that close. Even if the energy bodies consisted of something that could be "fed on," they would immediately pull themselves in and go to full alert. There would be no question of "feeding on someone without their noticing."

Does all of this mean that self-defined "psi-vamps," "psychic vampires," "energy feeders," "non-personal energy hungerers," and other such individuals are simply deluding themselves? Well, the answer is--yes and no.

Certainly it is very possible for some of these individuals to be inducing temporary changes in their targets, which in some cases explains the apparent observed effects of being "fed on." It is also possible that the "feeder" is inducing a change in his or her own state that corresponds to being "fed." These mutual changes in energy states can be induced by a number of different mechanisms, over any distance, with or without the knowledge of the target. But even though the changes for both parties may be quite pronounced, there is no actual transfer of anything taking place, because there's nothing to be transferred. The changes also will be temporary, with both participants' systems returning to their own natural balance point after a period of time (usually a short period of time).

It is also true that something like "energy transfer" can occur when there is a physical medium to carry the energy from one individual to another. Blood drinking is one such example, although I am not suggesting that most blood drinkers are able to benefit from this. Partners usually share energy through sex, due to the direct skin contact and the actual exchange of material substance. Healing techniques that involve skin-to-skin touch, such as massage and therapeutic touch--even hugging--can transfer energy for the same reason. But touch--as even medical science has established in many studies with patients, premature babies and so on--is essential. The "energy" is transferred via the medium of a physical material that carries it as an intrinsic quality of matter. It doesn't exist as a substance in and of itself.

There is no question that self-induced energy deficits can be caused by lengthy or repeated exposure to influences that induce a person's energy system to change state. There are a number of things contributing to this, however, and literal "draining of energy," like draining a bathtub, isn't one of them. For one thing, the person has to use extra resources and strength to constantly correct and re-balance his or her own systems. For another, emotional and physical stress resulting from the unexplained changes in state cause more exhaustion. Add this to the greatly underestimated social and psychological effects of being around a "psychological vampire," and it's no wonder that people experience serious health problems and start to wonder if they are being "psychically vampirized" or attacked. In one sense, they are. But they're using their own energy, and the "vampire" isn't getting any direct benefit.

The reality of these dynamics becomes self-evident when people have the courage and honesty to attain real self-knowledge before they launch into psychic and energy work. Sincere, deep self-examination and self-honesty is the absolute number one first step on any magickal or psychic path. Any reputable teacher will start students off with exercises and meditations aimed at that goal before teaching them anything else. People who practice this in good faith will be highly unlikely to fall into any delusional traps about "psi-feeding." Unfortunately, many individuals teach themselves psychic development skills from books or websites, in a rather covert and secretive way. They don't understand their own biases, preconceptions, belief systems or assumptions--they just start meditating, working spells or "psi-feeding" with no serious prep work at all.

I'll go into more detail about the pitfalls of this in The Mind-Body Connection. But without some degree of serious self-understanding, anyone embarking on psychic or magickal work is either going to end up in a dead-end of self-delusion, or provoking an emotional crisis of some kind that could have severe consequences. This is a big reason why psychic development and magick have gotten a bad reputation for being "dangerous to get involved with." I, for one, don't believe in demons or negative entities. Compared to the internal demons we all carry in our psyches, external bogeymen are silly and redundant. In some traditions, this is called The Watcher At The Threshold--an embodiment of the fears, delusions, weaknesses and wish-fulfillment fantasies that are waiting to snare us when we step through the door into a broader reality. Embarking on any practical psychic or magickal discipline without serious psychological preparation is as risky as trying the hardest ski run on the mountain your very first time on skis. You might get lucky and arrive at the bottom in one piece, but the odds are against it.

For more information about what I think many self-defined "psi-vamps" are truly capable of, see Energy Mediums.