Shining a lantern on the hidden parasites. What is sucking your energy?

Although I've written extensively on the subject "mind parasites," what's stealing your energy is usually not anything mysterious. The parasites in your life are probably all too familiar. Addictions are the most common parasite, followed by people who want your energy/attention more than authentic relationship.

Everything in your life involves energetic transactions. You are receiving and giving off energy continually. To shine a light on the parasites in your life, track where your time, life energy/sexual chi, and money are going. Where do they go without coming back in a way that seems symbiotic, synergistic, and fulfilling? Of course there are some transactions that are appropriately self-sacrificing for moral reasons — for example, taking care of someone who genuinely cannot take care of himself. But there are other endeavors, habits, relationships, activities where we squander time, life energy/sexual chi, and money without any positive return for anyone.

Shine the parasite lantern into the darkest recesses of your life and find out what your personal parasites are. In any magical tradition, to name a thing is to have power over it. Once you can name all your parasites, figure out how you can withdraw energy from them. Usually it is best not to do battle with the parasites directly, because that is just another way to feed them energy. The best way to defeat evil, according to the I Ching, is to make energetic progress toward the good. If you thoroughly engage your time, life energy/sexual chi and money into positive, life-affirming things, then there is less left over for the parasites.

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. Wherever there are dark areas in your life, let your parasite lantern shine forth.