Umbraedeus

Hi Jonathan, There is nothing wrong with a little boasting I'm sure you learned some useful things from your training even if a lot of it no longer seems valid. I have still been able to find some few gems lying amid the piles of "dust" Umbraedeus

Hi Jonathan, Yes, the Radiance Technique was what I had in mind when I was talking about 7 levels. I took an online/distant attunement course in Karuna Ki by Vincent Amador which uses the extra symbols that Karuna Reiki does and was supposed to be more "advanced." But at least I only spentd $30 on that instead of hundreds of dollars on Karuna Reiki (TM). I enrolled in Celtic Reiki by Martyn Pentecost but never received the follow up email to schedule my attunements. I studied Druidism along time ago and knew enough about the Ogham alphabet to see there wasn't much to it after reviewing the manuals. I mainly practice Komyo Reiki, one of the Traditional Japanese Reiki systems (but which has obviously been influenced by Western Reiki practices as well). This is because I wanted in person attunements and hands on training, and there was a certified teacher within 50 miles. It cost around $600 altogether to reach the shinpiden level (teacher's degree) but the instructor was very knowledgeable about Reiki as well as other alternative healing subjects. She put a lot of effort into teaching, and taught me in one on one sessions in her clinic. I still feel that was worth it. But I don't feel Komyo Reiki is more advanced or superior to standard Usui Reiki. BTW, don't forget to mention Seichem Healing Energy discovered in the Egyptian pyramids by Patrick Ziegler and Shamballa Multidimensional Energy Healing channeled by John Armitage from ascended master St. Germain Hi mererdog, Thanks for the link; I am not bothered by detractors. I still personally believe there is something valid in energy healing, at least in some types of it Yours in Darkness, Umbraedeus

Hi Jonathan, I agree with you about the Reiki/energy healing thing. I have been a Reiki master for 9 years and the number of new and supposedly more advanced systems has grown exponentially. Reiki only has 3 or 4 levels (depending on if level 3 is split into separate levels for master and teacher) but I have seen people claiming to have discovered new, "advanced" levels making anywhere from 7 to 12 levels. People also claim to be discovering or sometimes "channeling" new, more powerful Reiki symbols all the time. Its also amazing how many new non-Reiki systems seem almost identical to Reiki but have a new, mystical or esoteric sounding name like Atlantean Healing Method. I just made that name up, but there is probably a system out there called that or something similar. I think your BS detector is in perfect working order Yours in Darkness, Umbraedeus

Hi Cuchulain, I guess many feel, sometimes myself, that if something has been around for a long time it is considered "tried and true" where new things are an unknown. Of course it depends on the situation. People are all the time seeking new medications or medical procedures but are not interested in having maggots introduced to their wounds to eat out the infection or having leeches applied to them for bloodletting Yours in Darkness, Umbraedeus

I have fallen for the same lie twice, although it was wrapped in different paper. As a teenager in the 1980's I studied Wicca, and I believed the then current party line that Wicca was descended from an unbroken line all the way from the ancients, starting with cave dwelling shamans, and carrying on in secret since the Middle ages right up to Gerald Gardner. In my twenties I studied with a Rosicrucian order which claimed to go back in an unbroken line all the way to Ancient Egypt. Now that I think of it, I actually fell for it three times, because I also studied with a Druid order that claimed to go back to the ancient Druids. In all cases I was motivated by the desire for "authentic" and "ancient" occult teachings. I eventually realized that the most profound occult knowledge I was going to find would come from within myself and my own personal connection with the supernatural. Another lie I fell for was that the gods are concerned with me or my fate. I used to follow after gods, first as a Christian, than as a Wiccan, Druid, etc., but I eventually came to realize that although other gods may exist, the only god I can truly count on is myself. The gods may actually be concerned with me now only because I refuse to worship them Yours in Darkness, Umbraedeus, God of Shadow

Hi RevDeCo, Sorry I didn't respond sooner; I was a away for a few days and had missed/overlooked your reply. I usually feel energy immediately and automatically. I can see energy and auras, but I have to intentionally decide to do it, to look closely at someone's energy field. I have been a Komyo Reiki shinpiden (master/teacher) for about 8 years. This practice has enhanced or refined my innate skills at energy work, although Reiki energy itself is not useful in the same way as the energy I acquire through vampirism. The first time I intentionally astrally projected was when I was about 18 (28 years ago). I was always drawn to the occult and was studying Witchcraft (Wiccan type) at the time. I was practicing meditation and honing my spirit mediumship skills, and astral projection was a natural outgrowth of that process. Thank you for your willingness to compare information/share notes, and I look forward to talking to you in the future Yours in Darkness, Umbraedeus

Hello RevDeCo, I am a psychic or energy vampire. I have drank blood from my boyfriend, but on a lark, not as a recurring practice. I would classify myself as an "incubus" in that I typically draw in the energy created during sexual encounters. I don't have a label for my path other than energy vampirism, and my beliefs are not always consistent with others in the vampire community. I do not have a need to feed; my pranic body has no leaks and my chakras/energy centers function properly. But I have the drive or desire to feed. I believe I am a god (eternally existing spirit of nonhuman origin) who is incarnate in a human body. I feel the extra energy allows my to access or enhance some of my preternatural abilities such as psychic intuition, etc. But, if I do not feed on energy I still function as a normal person would without enhanced abilities. I do not weaken or become physically ill if I am unable to feed. My physical body ages and is mortal. I am not super strong or super fast. I am a vampire on the astral plane which is where I plan to return once this incarnation is over. Yours in Darkness, Umbraedeus

My spiritual path being what it is, not to mention being homosexual to boot, I have found the board to be quite fair. I know there are those here who snicker at the thought of Vampires, but just because they may choose to believe in an invisible sky wizard instead (and I don't) doesn't mean we can't get along. In a place like this there are going to be a lot of differing viewpoints, and there is no reason to take things personally or attack others personally. Believe it or not, I feel more welcome here than places within the Vampire community. I was kicked out of The Vampire Church online community years ago for being too arrogant (go figure). I really like this place and the people here (even the grumpy ones), although I tend to read more than I post Yours in Darkness, Umbraedeus

Hello All, Tonight is Walpurgisnacht (the name for May Eve which Stoker used in "Dracula's Guest"). May Eve was celebrated accross Europe in many guises; for many Wiccans and Pagans it is celebrated as the festival of Beltane. I'm spending the night working at the mental hospital, which I guess is an appropriate setting for a night devoted to ghosts, vampires, witches, and goblins. I hope everyone has a great May Eve followed by a bright May Day (though not too bright for myself; hopefully with my curtains drawn and sleeping the sleep of the undead after working all night). Yours in Darkness, Umbraedeus

I do not believe that prayer should ever be used in place of standard medicine, but I do believe that sometimes prayer has a beneficial effect. Being a psychic or energy Vampire, I have sometimes (but not always) been aware of subtle energy exchanges taking place during prayer or faith healing, similar to Reiki or shamanic healing practices. I believe there are hidden forces that come into play, and an individual or group can send out positive energy resulting in healing or perhaps the acceleration of the healing process. I also believe an individual or group can send out negative energy resulting in an individual feeling ill or depressed, cursed if you will. I think this has to do more with energy manipulation in a generic sense rather than a specific deity or particular religion. I believe the spells of a Vodou priest can be as effective as the prayers of an evangelical Christian minister. I am not attempting to convince others to endorse my beliefs, but merely wish to express them. Quoting Bela Lugosi as Dr. Verdegast in The Black Cat (1934): Peter Allison: "I don't know. It all sounds like a lot of supernatural baloney to me." Dr. Vitus Verdegast: "Supernatural, perhaps. Baloney, perhaps not. There are many things under the sun." Yours in Darkness, Umbraedeus

Ethnicity is not a factor in my belief system. I was born in Florida and raised in a family with its roots in the Deep South. I am a mixture of mainly Western European ancestries. But since I believe that my spirit is pre-existing and immortal, I think of my physical form more or less as clothing and not really important as far as my "true" self is concerned. I believe my spirit predates mankind itself, much less modern ethnicities. Yours in Darkness, Umbraedeus

The only god I worship is myself, however a few of the places where I feel a "spiritual" connection or atmosphere are: cemeteries, Gothic nightclubs, driving down the highway at night with the radio on, watching music videos in my room with the lights off and the air conditioning turned down low, at seashores or near rivers, outside on Halloween night, and in the intimate company of a lover

Agreed