By Hesperus of the Dreaming © 2025
Honing one’s subtle crafts is a rewarding but demanding undertaking for any practitioner, but certain skills are vitally important for those whose nature demands we draw on outside sources of subtle energy. How exactly a particular vampire draws in nourishing energy and what sources one finds most palatable or accessible vary, resulting in an array of feeding methods corresponding to specialized energy work. Familiarity with multiple mediums of energy exchange better prepares vampires for the unexpected and expands our understanding of our broader ethereal environment. Those Awakened to this nature have the opportunity to apply lessons imparted by necessity to transform a consuming Hunger into magickal wisdom.
Intentionally connecting with a donor to draw in their ethereal energy is a process known to some as communion. Communion is an intimate sharing of ethereal space and energy in which subtle connections are strengthened and energy flows from donor to vampire. Although vampires tend to naturally pull energy in once a link is established, an experienced donor can ease this process. A well matched donor should also be stable and healthy, as deep ethereal entanglements can lead to the exchange of undesirable traits as well as vital energy. Because it stimulates energy flow and production, donors also benefit from engaging in communion regularly.
Sometimes physical access to a donor is impossible or impractical. In such circumstances, a physical object that is itself strongly ethereally linked to that donor may serve as a substitute for the donor’s physical presence. Drawing energy from a donor in this way is called sympathetic vampirism. The object used to establish or amplify the draw can be anything ethereally connected to the donor; common choices include locks of hair, well worn rings, and blood. Sympathetic vampirism should not be confused with the similarly named sympathetic vampires, donors exhibiting vampire-like energetic needs themselves as a result of over-drawing. Overtaxing donors can be avoided by paying dutiful attention to their energy levels. Those who give of themselves are owed the greatest care.
One form of energy draw growing in popularity is cyber-feeding. Whether connecting with a donor over video chat or tapping into the ambient energy of an online forum, vampires who cyber-feed utilize the Internet in establishing or drawing from ethereal links. This method lessens the obstacles posed by distance, allowing geographically isolated vampires to connect with donors from around the world in moments. Cyber-feeding may pair well with sympathetic vampirism, if a suitable object is available.
Another important medium of exchange is blood. Sanguine draw can be a potent means of feeding for vampires more grounded in their material than their ethereal senses or for accomplished energy workers who feel drawn to it. Blood flows throughout the living physical body just as prana flows through the ethereal body, similarly imbuing blood with a donor’s unique Signature. Being so closely ethereally linked with a donor, even a small amount of blood is often enough–a quick, sterile pinprick may suffice–to establish an energetic connection and subsequent draw. Others, who feel their nourishment comes not from corresponding prana but from the physical blood itself, may require a greater volume or frequency of sanguine feeding to maintain their health.
For sanguine vampires, there are some special factors to consider concerning blood donors. The health and safety precautions that should be taken with any vampire/donor relationship are even more pronounced with the introduction of bodily fluid exchange: in addition to the still present risks of exposure to unwanted energies, the risk of blood-transmissible infections has to be accounted for. Regular testing and common-sense safety measures help to minimize these risks. Similarly to their pranic counterparts, blood donors benefit from the fresh blood production stimulated by regular donation.
Tantric draw is another form of feeding that utilizes intimate physical exchange. Tantric or eros vampires initiate their draws through sexual contact with donors. Physical touch naturally facilitates ethereal exchange, and shared sensations can enhance the synchronization of ethereal frequencies, further easing communion. As with sanguine vampires, eros vampires should take special care in selecting donors. This exchange is intimate and creates a very strong connection; donors inexperienced with energy exchange or unprepared for what to expect may misinterpret an intense exchange as a romantic connection or otherwise develop an untoward fixation.
Some vampires can utilize subtle energies from sources other than human donors. Elemental draw, for example, is the process of pulling in energy from the natural environment. When drawing prana from a donor, the energy is already in a form one’s ethereal body is equipped to employ; the invigorating energy of a thunderstorm or the subtle shift in the air signaling a change of seasons, on the other hand, is powerful, but may require considerable conversion before a vampire’s human body can make use of such remarkably non-human energy Signatures. This freely available and powerful natural energy source is appealing, but few are able to derive more from it than expended in its conversion.
Importantly, stressful situations or new passions can fix one’s focus so completely that the intentional facilitation of energetic flow becomes obstructed. This can manifest as neglecting important Dayside responsibilities while consumed with a Nightside pursuit or forgetting the importance of regular Nightside practice when adjusting to new Dayside obligations. These imbalances always yield the same result: exhaustion and frustration. Without steady access to ethereal energy, a vampire’s diminished motivation and health can make the barest of functioning difficult. Similarly, Nightside study, contemplation, and practice are unlikely to receive much devotion from practitioners distracted by stress and hunger. Achieving the balance of Twilight is essential to keeping both personal and magickal energy flowing smoothly and, ideally, forever.