Shadow of the Vampire

Last week one of the UK's most prominent regional political leaders was expressing his doubts about the climate science (presumably whether the planet is warming) because temperatures had plummeted so drastically recently.

Its a shame because he is a clever fellow; knows classical Greek and Latin but apparently not so hot on rocket science. A little mosey around some very basic quantum physics would be good. One problem is of course that we do not really get that the planet is a living, self-maintaining, self-managing entity (not just some rock inhabited by classical scholars and other Masters of the Universe) so when it's core overheats it will cool down by any means necessary. Ok, now I've got that off my chest, back to the matter under consideration: Vampires.

In a recent post (Obsession and Addiction, December 2012)I highlighted the Addict, one among our many habitual behaviour patterns that play a role in depleting the planet and accelerating climate change. Continuing the theme of the ‘ecology of relationships’, I want to put the spotlight on the shadow Vampire, which unlike the 'true' Alchemist, is a major blight on the planet.

If you think about it, we are all vampires. In fact the earth may be viewed as an encampment of vampires that not only survive on, but also drain Mother Nature’s life force. It is as if we are all under a dark spell, and cannot see our true image, having become soulless and selling out to false values.

The hedonic gene drives our relentless plunder of the planet. We have mined, dammed, bulldozed, bombed and blasted the earth, in the pursuit of pleasure, profit and power. The shadow of the vampire in advanced capitalist nations has had a devastating impact on the individual, society, and environmentally; and the so-called BRIC countries want to follow suit, because they too seek the good life. One of my teachers use to say if you continue to do what you've always done, then you'll get what you've always got.

Shadow Vampires prey on the weak and vulnerable; they breed fear and dependency; they are pleasure seeking and feed on the life force of others. They are those forces in the external world seeking energy on which to survive, whether that energy comes through money, oil, coal, gas, minerals and precious stones, sex, and  people – human trafficking including slavery is alive and well in the 21^st Century. This powerful false god includes fundamentalism, economic globalization, and unregulated capitalism – to name a few.

If enlightened leadership or a positive fathering principle is conspicuous by its absence in society and its institutions, then that space provides an opportunity for the rise of the shadow Vampire, which has captured the imagination of a new generation, as demonstrated by its rise in popular culture.

     We all know vampires, they are among our friends. They are energy drains, often chronic complainers and co-dependent. However, don’t focus only on the shadow of the Vampire; the 'true' Vampire wants nothing, all it's needs are already met. I am fortunate to have one or two among my friends. During my illness they sustained me, giving of themselves and bringing the fullness of their resources in every sense of that word to my aid.

     Like the Fool, the Vampire is among one of the higher forms of development, but on the planet it functions mostly in shadow. I unmasked the Fool a while ago (December 2012) but I’ll let you think on the Vampire.