Magical Battle of Orisha

 In the alternate universe in the mythological kingdom of Orisha, which is based on real life Nigeria. The kingdom is ruled by a despot named king Saran. For the past 11 years he has waged a war against magic much like our common witch hunts of yesteryear. The Maji and their clans have been decimated. All that is left is diviner’s and they aren’t treated as human but rather as “maggots “ . Magic is all but eliminated but the paranoid king insists on enslaving the maggots.

The story opens up with Zelli training to use a staff which is to fight and yield for self defense. The royal guards come by and demand exorbitant taxes and generally they abuse the women because they are maggots. Zelli is not one to take this lying down and she has a feisty spirit. 

Eleven years ago king Saran massacred all of the magic and it was brutal. All Zelli could do is watch as her mother was hung like a common criminal and her father was beaten up. The persecution continues with maggots being pressed into service and the royal guard extorting money . To pay off the taxes Zelli and her brother go to the capital city to sell some fish. This is where the excitement begins.

Amari the Princess happens upon a scroll that can restore magic to the diviner’s. Her father finds this out and kills her best friend just because she had magic. She takes the scroll and flees the castle. In the city they hook up Zelli, Tzain and Amari.

Together they flee across the countryside bearing witness that Saran is despotic. They come to diviner’s strongholds, old temples and the challenge is to do a ritual that restores magic to the diviner’s and turn them into magi. Lots of plot twists, romance intrigue and seduction.

Analyzing Psychic Vampire

 You run into a very charismatic stranger, someone who draws you in. They are lively and vivacious. Yet after the interaction you feel drained and just empty. You have just had an interaction with a psychic vampire. The approach of this book as it explains the phenomena is not metaphysical or new agey but rather very psychological and in depth.

The psychic vampire is an archetype much like the warrior, scholar or ruler. It is something that any individual can tap into. Most of us if we have been victimized by the vampire had our first experience as small kids. Most of the time psychic vampires are unaware that they are vampires. We come into this world seeking love but when love is not found the individual finds a way to compensate usually by exploiting others. Once someone is vampirized they usually become psychic vampires themselves or they are in need of repair.
The author discusses several different paradigms of psychic vampirism. Going through the male vampire and female victim, male vampire and male victim and female vampire and male victim and female vampire. All of these instances are pulled from literature and movies. There are some personal stories as well along with deep analysis.
The male vampire and female victim plays out in Dracula and Silence of the Lambs. Both Hanibal and Vlad are at the top of the game. Very charismatic and charming. They know how to manipulate people. Dracula victimizes Mina Harker and Hanibal Lecter victimizes Clarice a young police detective. The mediocre vampires are Renfield and many prison guards. They victimize the less fortunate. They tend to be prison guards who feed off of inmates. Perhaps the most dangerous vampire is the noble vampire. They come about ready to protect or advise but their ultimate goal is exploitation.
The female vampire comes off as a helpless damsel in distress. Looking for a strong man who will protect her and provide for her. She controls her victim by giving or denying approval and by giving the silent treatment. Example of this are the Glass Menagerie where in the mother exerts supreme control over her son by using guilt and vulnerability. Another example of female vampire is Medusa. She fixes men with a hard look and uses anger and wrath to get her way. Of course there is the story of Gypsy Rose and her Controlling mother who tries to live through her daughters vicariously.
The male-to-male paradigm involves an older vampire siring or teaching a younger man or vampire so they have a partner in crime. The younger vampire ends up turning against the older vampire and supplants him or her. You see this a lot in corporations. The author uses Dorian Grey and an example.
Vampires prey on the lonely an vulnerable. It is often the lonely who project their image of a perfect lover onto another. Vampires are shapeshifter. They can appear as anything. The only way to defeat this vampire is finding self love, accepting truth and coming into contact with your internal perfect lover.