We have all experienced physical and emotional exhaustion after interacting with certain negative people. On the contrary, we all know people that we like to meet and that we perceive as positive because they leave us full of energy and optimism.

The proximity and frequency of our interaction with these different types impact our lives in fundamental ways, from our health and state of mind to the way we create our personal realities and the consistency with which we can manifest our desires.

In an effort to understand this phenomenon, we are often quick to label such individuals as good or bad, nice or destructive. Within these crude generalizations lies an important truth that we must be aware of in order to protect ourselves from the manipulation and draining of unseen energy.

First, we must realize that each of us are multidimensional beings and that our physical reality is simply an outward manifestation of these unseen energy levels. Students of the Eastern and shamanic spiritual paths have long known that it is through these various dimensions of energy that we are able to manipulate the universal life force, commonly labeled qi (ki) or prana in certain cultures.

The way different personalities drain or share this unseen life force, whether consciously or not, characterizes how they interact with the world around them. There are three general types of human beings based on how they manipulate life force:

1. The donor. This type is altruistic and selfless, spontaneously sharing psychic energy with those nearby. They are nice and positive people to be around because they keep life energy flowing and circulating. He does not wrongly label these people as pushovers. Many of those who share energy are spiritually advanced beings whose purpose in life is to foster creativity and foster optimism in others.
2. The taker. This guy is a real life vampire, a hungry energy sucker. Power takers are emotionally needy people who leave you physically and emotionally drained even after brief contact. The term energy vampire may sound harsh, but it gives an accurate picture of what goes on on the unseen level. Be careful to regularly socialize with these people. They can wreak havoc on your health, your peace of mind, and even your dreams. Energy vampires can include even your closest friends and members of your own family. If it is difficult or uncomfortable to minimize your contact with these people, your best protection against loss of psychic energy is your full awareness of what is happening on the invisible level. Mentally surround yourself with an imaginary cocoon of light whenever you are in the presence of these guys and, with your thoughts, keep them from wearing you down. Just like the popular vampires in the movies, these energy consumers have to respect your free will! This is a universal law. They can only drain you through your complicit ignorance. Energy vampires aren’t necessarily bad people, but most of them are so unaware of what they’re doing that they can cause massive energy drains indiscriminately. You must psychically protect yourself even from those you care about, if you are going to be of any help to them.
3. the observer This type neither gives nor takes psychic energy. Such individuals simply recede into their mental or emotional towers and become detached observers of the world around them. They are not selfish people, but they probably carry deep emotional scars from their past that have made them wary of interacting on a deeper level.

Please note that these are general guidelines. People cannot and should not be rigidly pigeonholed into neat categories, as they occasionally exhibit mixed characteristics of these different types, depending on the circumstances.

Observe the people around you and apply this new awareness. What you will discover about your close friends and acquaintances will often surprise you. But more importantly, turn the mirror of scrutiny on yourself and assess how you function on an energy level. What predominant type are you?