Psychic Vampire Codex: A Manual of Magick and Energy Work

Rating:
Summary: Living It
Review: Having read this before they ever dreamed of publishing it as an actual book, I can definantly say this is a authoritative book. The techniques described can and do work in practice as well as theory. Michelle has put a lot of effort into this book and it shows as a quality piece of work.

Anyone interested in psychic vampires could use a read of this book. For anyone that is one, this should be required reading.

Rating:
Summary: Mixed Bag
Review: I found the book worth not just borrowing, but actually buying, partly because there just isn't much out there in the way of "so, now you know you're a vampire, where do you go from here?" material on the market. Real vampires face a dearth of written information. I have to give Belanger credit for trying to solve the problem.

On the other hand, it's good that her introduction advises the reader to "find your own truth," because you won't find much truth between the covers of her book. Most of it is written for Kheprians, and if you don't see yourself as a Kheprian (or believe that a Kheprian temple exer existed in prehistoric Egypt, or see a proto-Egyptian group of occult workers who severed themselves from the forces of life as the origin of true psychic vampirism) then applying the advice in the book requires a bit of mental gymnastics.

Furthermore, for the general reader, the information on basic psychic technique is available in any other new age or pagan text, many of which are listed in the extensive bibliography that somehow never actually gets used in the Codex for real honest-to-George-Burns quotes. For the advanced reader, there are some interesting passages on feng shui (read advanced stuff, that), psychic surgery, exorcism, and the undesirableness of astral fleas.

All this makes for entertaining reading, but as with Aleister Crowley's _Book of the Law_, keep your BS detector turned on and beeping.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating, significant, exceedingly well done
Review: The Codex is really two books: a tour of the vampire subculture, and an energy work manual. As an introduction to vampirism, it's quite effective, providing interesting historical tidbits for veterans of the scene as well as enough context to clue in newbies and the curious. It's an easy, enjoyable, engaging read.

But it's the Codex itself -- the manual of energy work -- that really delivers. Ms. Belanger's walk through the basics and the not-so-basics of working with energy is a tour de force -- well-paced, evenhanded, clear as spring water, and thoroughly comprehensive. Throughout, her tone is compassionate, wise, and straightforward -- a balanced, enlightened teacher addressing the sophisticated student. The advanced techniques she presents are amazing, innovative, very well thought out, and effective, and include a full range healing and fighting skills in addition to the energy vampire's specialties.

One small caveat: the book really does expect the reader to have at least a rudimentary familiarity with the basics of moving and working with energy. The author glosses over some basics -- in and itself not a problem, but as a sometime teacher of This Stuff I do wish she were a bit clearer about first steps.

Overall, this book represents a substantial addition to the canon of advanced energy work techniques in print. For the serious student, it would be a bargain at three times the price. Bravo to Ms. Belanger (and to Weiser) for bringing it to us.


Rating:
Summary: Definitely worth reading...vampire or not
Review: The vampire subculture has been growing for a long time now, and while a few books here and there have tried to look at the culture and history of movement, none delves as deeply or is as honest as this book. In it, the reader is taken beyond the usual romantic view of the classical myth of the vampire into the subculture and practice of psychic vampires (or vampyres, though the author uses the former spelling to eliminate confusion). While the first section gives a detailed overview of the history the vampire subculture over the last 25 years, the meat of the text is the Codex itself...a series of short articles which outline the psychic and magical practices of a psychic vampire House.

Most interestingly, the energy work outlined in the Codex applies far beyond just the workings of psychic vampirism itself. The practices can be applied and/or modified for non-vampiric workings as well. Discussed are such universal concepts as chakras, meditative breath, forms of deity - things which any seeker has probably read before. The difference is the lens through which the concepts are viewed. This shows a different angle, something beyond the obfuscated texts. While the old (and most of the modern texts) explain the concepts in relationship to Deity, Guides or Higher Self, or universal energy forms, this work shows the complex nature of energy work between active participants. This subject, rarely covered in such depth, makes this volume one worth having, even if one is NOT a psychic vampire. It could be used in healing or other energy work. The nuances are discussed, expounded upon, and then reviewed...as well as the consequences of misusing such practices. Ethics are everpresent in the text.

This one is worth your time. It is no romance novel, nor is it an expose. It is a useful compendium of techniques, history, and perspective which is rarely seen in print these days.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: This is awesome book! Great for skeptics, people with questions about themselves, or who are just generally interested in vampirism and lore. Whatever your interest, this book will definitely get you thinking. Sorry to be all hype, but just got done reading the book!

Rating:
Summary: hehe my first review ever
Review: well i got my copy of the codex from well michelle, i live with her, i havent read it yet, but i helped edit it in its beginning stages, its a good source for anythign metaphysical.