Answering Questions about my book Practical Psychic Vampirism

 

I recently published a short book on the practice of psychic vampirism entitled Practical Psychic Vampirism, which has exceeded my expectations in sales. So it is no surprise that I have received quite a few questions about it. Rather than reply to each individual person, I decided to make a blog post that will hopefully clear up any and all concerns.

Question: The elemental correspondences listed for the Demonic Circle differ from those of the Golden Dawn's Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. Aren't your correspondences incorrect?

Answer: That's a good question. If you are familiar with the LBRP (and most likely you are since it is perhaps the most well-known ritual of all) then you "know" that the elements are assigned to the four cardinal directions as such: East - Air, South - Fire, West - Water, North - Earth. 

However, in the Demonic Circle ritual they are listed as: East - Fire, South - Air, West - Water, North - Earth. Fire and Air, Satan and Lucifer, swap places.

The reason for this difference is pretty simple. First of all, so much of occultism that is taken as objective fact is actually very subjective and man-made. That's why there is so much differentiation between systems when it comes to things like the placement of chakras (energy centers) and other spiritual maps. In fact, not only do different systems place the elements in different directions than the traditional Golden Dawn, but in other systems the elements themselves are completely different!

Fig. 1 Medicine Wheel (Sacred Hoop)

For example, the Indian Medicine Wheel a.k.a. "Sacred Hoop". It represents the four cardinal directions. White in the North represents Air and is associated with snow, darkness, and death. Yellow in the East represents Fire and is associated with the sun, spring, and renewal. Red in the South represents Water and is associated with summer, light, and growth. Black in the West represents Earth and is associated with autumn, change, and the harvest. Very different from the Golden Dawn.

Fig. 2 Chinese Elements.

In Chinese symbolism, you have five elements. Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. There is no elemental Air. This differs even more from the traditional approach, yet who would say then that their entire system is invalid? These are all man-made maps to understanding the powers of the cosmos. They each differ but have validity in their own systems. Don't confuse the map with the territory. It reminds me of an old Hindu parable about blind men and an elephant. 

"A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they said: "We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable". So, they sought it out, and when they found it they groped about it. The first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said, "This being is like a thick snake". For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan. As for another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar like a tree-trunk. The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said the elephant, "is a wall". Another who felt its tail, described it as a rope. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth and like a spear."[1]

But that of course doesn't explain why I have East - Fire and South - Air. The reason is that I am very big on the books by the Gallery of Magick. Like many, I began working magick with the Golden Dawn rituals. I was using Donald Michael Kraig's book "Modern Magick". However, I never really clicked with those rituals. Not long after I began practicing I came across Damon Brand's book "Archangels of Magick". It has a ritual similar to the LBRP but much simpler and vastly superior. I much prefer using it to work with angels. If you want the ritual you'll have to read the book, but it switches the places of Fire and Air, Michael and Raphael. That's because it is based on an old Jewish prayer.

"In the name of Adonai the God of Israel:

May the angel Michael be at my right,

and the angel Gabriel be at my left;

and in front of me the angel Uriel,

and behind me the angel Raphael...

and above my head the Sh'khinah (Divine Presence)."[2]

But since the workings in my book involve demons and vampires, I use the demons of the four winds as opposed to the angels. I love angels and work with them often, but for some workings it is better to call open demons. Since I love the Circle of Power (Brand's ritual in Archangels of Magick) so much, I adapted the Demonic Circle to the same elemental correspondence. Though there isn't much similarity between the two beyond that.

Question: Isn't the Demonic Circle ritual too simple and incomplete? The LBRP has you vibrate many God-names and draw pentagrams in the air. Isn't all this necessary to invoke the elements?

Answer: No, you can invoke spirits and powers with the very simplest of methods. The Demonic Circle is not overly simple, rituals like the LBRP are overly and unnecessarily complicated. The rituals in the book work, I have been using them for years. It may take a little practice, but with patience results will come.

Question: Traditionally you face East for rituals but you advise facing North, isn't this wrong?

Answer: There's no such thing as a "wrong" direction to face in the ritual. Which direction you face depends on what forces one is trying to invoke. East-facing rituals typically attempt to invoke the sun and light. In the Demonic Circle you face North to invoke more earthly and material essences. Also, if you read various occult sources, there are always two main directions associated with power, East and North. North is very powerful and I use it for almost all my workings. I even have my computer desk facing North.

Question: Why do you say to store qi (energy) in the solar plexus? I've never heard that!

Answer: My preferred energy work method is Qi Gong. I find it much better than yoga. In qi gong energy working methods the solar plexus is the place of power and where all power is stored and since my techniques are based in qi gong that is where I store power.

Thank you for reading, I hope this clears up any doubts or fears. If you have any more questions please leave a comment and if you haven't already, please check out my book Practical Psychic Vampirism on Amazon.com today!

Sources:

Fig 1.) ManidooWilkie, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

Fig. 2.) Parnassus, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

Quotes:

1.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_men_and_an_elephant

2.) https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jewish-bedtime-prayers