I’m going to preface this by saying that doing my research into all the different types of entities that prowl the astral most definitely would have saved me a lot of trouble, but that’s like the old saying goes - “hindsight is 20/20”. Forewarning this has a lot of my own personal experiences, and how I have learned through trial + error how to identify/combat these entities.
So without further a-do here’s my compendium of parasites and imposters, how to spot them and how to protect yourself from them.
What’s the difference?
While both are what could be described as lower level entities, the effects that they can have on not only your mental health but also your spiritual hygiene can be catastrophic if left to run amuck.
~ A parasite, in my experiences, typically lack an ability for a higher consciousness and can be likened to the astral version of leeches. The forms and abilities of these parasites can vary depending on the type that you’re dealing with, the way I see it picking up a parasite is the equivalent of stepping in chewed gum. While they’re relatively easy to pick up, they can be harder to rid yourself of as some will actively fight when you try to rid yourself of them however it is not impossible.
Energetically they can be extremely subtle, which I believe is what makes their detection and subsequent removal more on the difficult side as there are many times that you wouldn’t notice that you’ve picked up a parasite until you’ve already began experiencing the symptoms and in some cases by the time that you’ve noticed something is off - chances are, you’ve already been infested and have been for a period of time. This is especially true if you’re newer to energy work and are therefore more unfamiliar with your energetic body, as their favorite feeding point tend to be places where there is a large in-out flow of energy - an example would be your chakras.
~ A imposter, in my opinion, is far more sinister in nature than even a more advanced parasite. I say this because they have the ability for a higher consciousness and because of this it is a favorite past-time of theirs to impersonate higher up entities. They do this for a similar purpose that parasites do, to feed; they feed on your energy and offerings to the actual entity that you intended to summon/communicate with. In my experiences with these entities, they can and will infest you with parasites while deceiving you - they do this so that they can play the role of “savior” (Surprise, they are everything BUT) while unknowing to you, what they are actually doing is sapping your energy so that you may not retaliate. It’s the equivalent of blindfolding you and stomping your face into mud, while simultaneously pretending that it’s not only not their boot but that their “hands are tied” (A lie that I have been told before, too many times than I’d like to personally recall) when it comes to helping you.
Energetically when dealing with these entities it feels like what I would describe as them wearing a paper bag, a thin mask of energy of the entity they are impersonating. This is why learning the feel of the energy of your desired entity is so very important, and it goes without saying that it’s also why having iron-clad, maintained wards against these entities are also so very important as well as a known and effective banishing method.
When banishing these entities WILL FIGHT, it will absolutely be a battle of wills. Whose desire is stronger, yours to rid yourself of these sinister entities or theirs to continue to deceive and feed off of you?
Some 
that you’re dealing with an Imposter. . .
- The “My hands are tied” Act:
You’ll pour your energy, blood, sweat + tears into getting a desired outcome, and like a large majority of magicians, you’ll want to employ the help of an entity. These sinister spirits will take any and all offerings, while delivering on nothing that was promised which is always followed with an excuse why it couldn’t happen. This is in my experiences, one of the more frustrating acts they put on as it will leave you not only racking your brain on why it didn’t work but you will blame everything but the culprit, including yourself.
All the while they’re behind your back devouring all you have to offer with a fake smile on their face. - Growth/Ascension:
With a parasite/imposter you will have an easier time squaring off against Goliath with a wooden sword, than trying to learn from an imposter or grow while infested. These entities will do their absolute best to keep you in a position where you can do neither, imposters will very consciously make efforts to sabotage you - if you reclaim your power than you can banish them, and for a parasite that can very possibly mean death via starvation if they cannot jump to a new host. For an imposter this may not necessarily mean death, but they will lose their source of power. - Borderline Obssession with sexual energy:
Now there is a difference between dealing with a imposter who will want to be fed a constant flow of the most powerful energy you have to offer, your sexual/orgasmic energy, and dealing with a sexual entity like Asmodeus who is known to have a tendency to gravitate towards sex. The key difference is that beings like Asmodeus can be redirected, and will even in cases advocate for abstinence since the goal isn’t to be fed constantly but to teach you how to harness that powerful current of energy to aid in your ascent.
Think of it like a reservoir, when you’re pulling (climaxing) constantly there is no room for it to refill and in doing this, eventually that reservoir will run dry. And even though it’s a powerful form of energy, potency will be diminished to feed the imposter.
Remember, the imposters goal is not to help aid you in your path or working but to get as much out and from you as they possibly can, and hope that you never wise up to their intentions or antics. - “The Chosen One” Act:
If you’ve been a magician for a period of time than you’ve probably encountered this act before, but the new witches may not have or are in the process of being fed this act - because that’s what it is, an act.
Now, I’m not saying that you cannot have a deep connection with an entity be it platonic or romantic or whatever. What this act is, is that you are “The One” for them or that your magic is the most powerful of all, only to be matched by them. This is merely to feed and inflate your human ego, which the actual entity will never want. If your ego is the size of Mt. Everest than it’ll not only be easier to disregard the information and advice of other magicians, but for you to continue to be deceived by the imposter. One of the most dangerous things to an imposter is a magician who’s detached from their ego and therefore it cannot be played on, and they recognize that while they’re powerful multidimensional beings that at the end of the day we are all living our own personal human experience.
Now…you can be the child, romantic partner ect. of an entity but these spirits will tell you these things not out of a care or love for you, but to establish a power dynamic with you. - “The Magician” Act:
Think Houdini, but instead of vanishing they’re appearing. Now, there are entities that will come to you especially if you’re ignoring a call as they don’t like to be ignored. The difference between a imposter and the intended entity is that the imposter in some cases will try to persuade you from going through with a formal Invocation/Evocation because “I’m already here, so that’s not necessary”, they’ll also try and dissuade you from using your intended entities sigil - this is a trick so do not listen.
If an entity comes to you, even before a summoning always go through with it anyway. It’s better to know for a fact who you’re talking to, than to merely assume. - They can’t show the sigil:
This is something that an imposter either cannot do or they will, but it’ll be missing parts. The imposter may also want to fight you by making excuses, the intended entity will not only be able to do it but they will do so willingly upon your request.
Ways to protect yourself!. . .
~ The Seal of Manifestation: I have used this seal with great success, and I have anointed it with my Blood.(Though this isn’t a necessary step, it has helped me add some “Umph”)
~ Lord Yeesch the Destroyer of Parasites + Imposters: Not one that I have personal experience with, but a valuable resource regardless. I’d recommend a petition for protection against these entities.
~ Parasites 101: Read this and I’d strongly recommend that you take notes. This is the post that helped in my journey in learning about these entities, and ways to combat them.
~ Angelic Mantras: Another great resource as there is a mantra that’s used against parasites that I’ve had success with.
~ Parasites and Vampiric Beings: I have not personally used these methods, but still valuable regardless.
~ Method 1 for destroying a parasite: Another method, that personally I’ve never used but can be helpful if you don’t have the “spoons” for a full scale banishment, though I’d recommend a banishing as well just to make sure that you’re in the clear.
~ Preforming the “Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram” is a very helpful practice, and definitely one that I would recommend you practice as it helped me clear out unwanted entities and energies.
~ How to Detect Imposters: A very important read.
“Why is Actual Entity not helping with Imposter?”
I’ve seen some threads with this question and this has even been a question I had found myself asking when dealing with my own parasite/imposter issue, and when I was going through it the fact that the actual entity never really fully intervened was something that bothered me.
I found myself mentally running in circles, racking my brain trying to understand the “Why?” of it all and now, 1 year+ since the whole ordeal I’ve finally figured out the “Why?”.
What the real entity wants isn’t to watch you unnecessarily suffer, they want you to fight. This may sound harsh, Demons can teach harsh lessons, but if you’re always calling for example Lucifer to come and save you than are you ever going to truly learn how to defend yourself?
There is no entity, be it LHP or RHP, who is going to want to hold your hand. I’ve been told by Belial, “If you want someone to hold your hand, than work with angels.” this may sound familiar to some of you, because months after being told this I found a post on this thread of someone working with Archangel Michael who told them the exact same thing Belial told me.
They want you to be strong, and they want you to be able to hold your own - not just in the physical but the spiritual as well. A quote that applies here is “Smooth seas never made a skilled sailor.”, as humans we grow through overcoming adversity and that is what they want. . .our growth, some just have a gentler hand than others.