We can adequately feed from a distance, extending our subtle bodies and our wills beyond the limits of our physical bodies in order to touch the energies of others. Such techniques can be satisfying in their own right, yet we are not solely beings of energy. We are a balance of spirit and matter, as are all things, and so contact with more than just energy-bodies is necessary for us to feel truly satisfied.
Physical contact coupled with that extension of our Selves that creates energy contact is the main method used to feed.
The primary centers for achieving such contact are our hands and our mouths. The hands may tingle when used for this purpose. Our touch at this time is intense, often very cold but also shiveringly pleasant. As we draw forth more energy, the cold gives way to warmth which in turn gives way to heat. The heat is a byproduct of the energy exchange.
In extreme cases, we may leave traces of our feeding, even when feeding solely with our hands. We can draw blood up through the very pores or leave barely discernible bruises at our points of contact.
We draw energy in like breath: this is a controlled breathing technique which encompasses much more than our lungs. Even when the primary focus is our hands or if our target is far removed from us physically, this breathing helps focus our intake of energy. It is one slow, sustained inhalation, almost like smoking a cigarette or sucking air through a very small straw. If done correctly, it will seem that your are breathing in far beyond the capacity of your lungs. Like breath, energy is drawn in, filling us with life and vitality. You will feel it, like a rush, spread through you, tingling down to your fingers and toes. You will achieve an altered state of consciousness while doing this, where body and energy body are both clearly perceived. Time may seem drawn out and distance will be altered. Your perceptions can expand to encompass a whole room, seeing everything inside and out all at once.
Like breath, energy may also be expelled, exhaled into the person you choose to give it to. This secondary function of drawing energy is used in healing. It is the necessary counterbalance to our function of taking energy. We are creatures of balance above all else, and even as we can sap the energy of those around us, so too can we build it up in order to help and heal.