Awakenings
We are neither wholly born nor wholly made what we are. The choice for us to become was made long ago. From that time onward, we have been reborn again and again, carrying within us in every lifetime the seed of what we are.
Sometimes we forget ourselves, and wander our lives like sleepwalkers, only half-aware of our true natures. Yet sleeping or awakened, we are born with the potential for transformation.
Awakening is a process of expanded awareness. Anyone with gifts and talents of a subtle nature undergoes an awakening in their life. This is when they come into their own, finally accepting what has been latent within them since birth. For us, the process can be traumatic, as the existence we awaken to opens us up to a host of strange thoughts, sensations, and experiences which lie outside the limits accepted even by other Awakened.
Awakening is the alchemical forge in which we are transformed from dross to spiritual gold. It is the recalling of a part of our Selves that has become clouded over time. It is becoming more than the little self of this lifetime, grasping the totality of who we were and who we are to be -- our Essential Self.
Some of us have greater potential than others. Some are born with an instinctive understanding of their potential and they may gradually come to realize that potential on their own. They recall without prompting and their power is great.
The bulk of our number are born ignorant to what they are. As they grow and mature, there are subtle hints of the latent power, but fear and self-doubt generally keep these from being acknowledged and accepted. Such as these must be awakened to their true selves by another of our number already familiar to our ways.
There are two rituals of initiation. The Lesser Initiation is an exchange of feeding which occurs between the teacher and the initiate. The initiate is drained deeply, often for the first time. This heightens his awareness of his energy body and will often catalyze him into realizing his potential in the next few days. The sensations that this process inspires are usually too intense to ignore or explain away. If fed from deeply enough, his instincts will overcome him and he will feed from others in order to replenish his depleted system.
The Greater Initiation involves a ritual death and rebirth which occurs on both the physical and spiritual levels for the initiate. It is visionary and shamanic in nature and forces the initiate to face himself and all that he has been within the boundaries of his own soul. Like all deaths and rebirths, this ritual strips away old identities and assumptions. The little self of this lifetime is subsumed into the greater Self, and the initiate is irrevocably changed. This rite is reserved for only the strongest minds, for any who are weak or filled with fear may not survive the initiation. Their minds can be blown away like dry autumn leaves in the face of the totality of who they are.
Other Awakened
There are many beyond ourselves who have the potential for power. They also undergo a process like our Becoming which consists primarily of a expanded awareness and an awakening to their greater Self. This commonly occurs with the onset of puberty, although it may happen later or earlier, depending on nature and circumstance. These are commonly referred to as the Awakened. Their ways and their powers are diverse.
Like us, many of the Awakened follow a particular archetype. They use this archetype as a symbol to define themselves and their powers. They have a fundamental connection to the energy of this archetype, and although human in body, they are something more in spirit. Angels, witches, the Fey, Otherkin, Shifters, these are but a few of the archetypes that may be followed. Like ourselves, it may be that such individuals are responsible for inspiring much of the folklore that gave rise to the archetype in the first place and now, in a less spiritually open time, they have only the buried grains of truth lingering in the folklore to fall back upon to define themselves. Like us, they are human and Other. They are spiritual travelers who take up bodies as garments. We should always treat them with respect, for ultimately, we serve common goals.
You will be attracted to the Awakened in much the same manner that you are drawn to Potentials of our kind. Much is unspoken and unconscious. Trust that your greater Self is guiding you, for it knows and understands what may not always be accessible to your conscious mind.
Like ourselves, the Awakened can perceive and manipulate the many layers of reality. They call themselves by many names and they follow many diverse paths. Most of the Awakened draw their power from the positive, generative forces of reality. Thus, they may fear us when they first encounter us. This fear arises from ignorance. Though we are darkness and they are light, we all work toward the same goal. We each in our way bring awareness to the world, catalyzing those with potential toward Awakening.
When we come upon one who is verging upon Awakening, it is our duty to guide and instruct them. Do not mistake every Awakened being for a Potential of our kind. Nor should you attempt to push those not of our kind into accepting our ways and our arts. This way is not for everyone, and no one should ever be forced into following it. Be aware that some may resonate with more than one archetype, and these are the most difficult of all to identify and to educate. They may have much in common with us, but there will be limits to what we can explain and help them understand. In all cases, serve your function as a catalyst, helping them toward their path but not seeking to define that path for them. Ultimately, each person must walk their path alone.
some of The Vampire Codex by Michelle Belanger
