Presence

We all possess a certain Presence which hangs about us at all times. Whether we wish this or not, it will still be present to a limited degree, even when an effort is made to damp the effect down. Our Presence tends to be dark and intimidating, and it inspires fear and uncertainty in most who are exposed to it. Some, however, find our Presence darkly fascinating, and for these it manifests as an irresistible and almost sexual attraction. Presence requires much the same technique as augmentation, however in the case of Presence, the energy gathered is not directed within ourselves, to our physical bodies. Instead, it is extended outward so that it spreads around us like a cloak. Center yourself, gather your energies, then expand them out around yourself. Visualize a nimbus of energy surrounding you, and focus on a particular image or emotion which you desire to project with this energy. A great deal of presence relies upon the people around you. You are extending your energy to influence their minds on a semi-conscious level. Because you are speaking directly to their unconscious minds, their individual perceptions of your intent will ultimately influence what they perceive and how they react to you. The most basic form of presence is manifesting the Vampyre side. This draws upon the archetype that has developed around our kind over the years and can have a very potent psychological affect on those around you. Gather to your core all that makes you what you are: all the darkness, the alienation, the predatory need. Then shoot this concentrated energy throughout your being, extending it a few feet in front of you so that all those around you will be affected by this projection. By experimenting, you can extend this inimical aura around yourself for many feet, and what with satisfaction at it clears your way through a pressing crowd. Using essentially the same technique, you can project fear, respect, intimidation, attraction, awe, and virtually anything else into the minds of those around you. Most will react to this projection on an unconscious level, moving toward you or hastily out of your way as you desire. Presence will especially draw the attention of those who are awakened or even semi-awake. This effect may also be used to obscure yourself from others. The technique is the same, but instead of projecting fear or attraction, you should simply influence those around you to ignore you. Project obscurity and the sense that you are unremarkable and blend into your surroundings. When done properly, this will allow you to lose yourself in a crowd or even help you to hide unnoticed in an empty room.

Spiritual Cleansing

Energy is our greatest resource. It sustains us, it makes us strong. It is both our weapon and our tool. It is our nature to tread the very threshold between spirit and matter. For this reason, we have a greater sensitivity to the subtle than any other physical being. However, our sensitivities are both a power and a bane. Just as we can easily affect the energies of the subtle reality, so too are we easily affected by them. We are very sensitive to the energy of the places we live. Discarded energy and emotions flake off of people much like dust, and over time they inevitably build up in a place. A build-up of negative emotions can begin to affect us by altering our health and our mood. This is true to a certain extent of every living being, but for us the sensitivity level is excruciatingly high. We should take care in our living spaces to encourage a good flow of energy through the rooms, and to make certain that the psychic space of our houses is cleaned out once in a while. To effect such a cleaning, simply go through the house from room to room, reaching out on the subtle level with your energy and scraping things down. Visualize extensions of your energy body literally scraping down the walls and gathering the crud out of the corners. Take care to gather this detritus together and hold it -- do not draw it into your self. When you have gone through the entire house, work toward the front or back door and throw the stuff out. Shake it off your hands, scraping it off if it seems to cling aggressively. Outside, energy flows more freely than indoors, and this negative buildup will be carried away and dissipate naturally once expelled. Often we will unconsciously react to the subtle nature of a place, responding to the impressions we get from it without even really thinking about it. In order to promote the healthiest atmosphere for ourselves, we must take care that our living space is arranged in such a way that we respond to it positively on the subtle level as well as on the physical. Techniques like Feng Shui are crucial to our kind as even the slightest upset in the energy of a place can affect us. In the most ideal case, the space in which we live should be attuned to us, charged much like the sacred space in a temple or Wiccan circle. Many of us build our sacred space around us naturally and without thinking about it, so that the difference between our space and that of others can be distinctly felt when we visit others and when we travel.

Author: Razor The Tormented