"Laws of Vampirism - The Black Veil"

Bliden started the discussion "Laws of Vampirism - The Black Veil" in the group 
Vampyre Temple on Pagan UnderWorld

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Laws of Vampirism

1. DISCRETION
This lifestyle is private and sacred. Respect it as such. Use discretion in who 
you reveal yourself to, and make certain that your motives are to truly 
communicate about our culture and to engender understanding. By no means should 
you talk to others about yourself and our community when your motives are for 
selfish reasons such as self-promotion, sensationalism, and attention-getting. 
Do not hide from your nature, but never show it off to those who won't 
understand.

2. DIVERSITY
Our paths are many, even though the journey we are on is essentially the same. 
No single one of us has all the answers to who and what we are. Respect 
everyone's personal views and practices. We cannot let petty differences of 
ideology prevent us from maintaining a unified community; there are enough who 
would attack us from the outside.Our diversity is our strength. Let our 
differences in viewpoint enrich us but never divide us upon ourselves.

3. SAFETY
Use sense when indulging your nature. Do not flaunt what you are in public 
places. Feed in private and make certain your donors will be discrete about what 
happens between you. Donors who create rumors and gossip about us are more harm 
than they're worth. If you engage in blood-letting, put safety and caution above 
all other things. Blood-borne diseases are a very real thing, and we cannot risk 
endangering ourselves or others through irresponsibility. Screen donors 
carefully, making certain they are in good health both mentally and 
physically.Never overindulge or get careless. The safety of the entire community 
rests upon each member's caution.

4. CONTROL
We cannot and should not deny the darkness within. Yet we should not allow it to 
control us. If our beast or shadow or darkside is given too much sway, it clouds 
our judgment, making us a danger even to those we love. Never indulge in 
pointless violence. Never bring willful harm to those who sustain you. Never 
feed only for the sake of feeding, and never give over to mindless bloodlust. We 
are not monsters: we are capable of rational thought and self-control. Celebrate 
the darkness and let it empower you, but never let it enslave your will.

5. LIFESTYLE
Live your life as an example to others in the community. We are privileged to be 
what we are, but power should be accompanied by responsibility and dignity. 
Explore and make use of your Vampyre nature, but keep it in balance with 
material demands. Remember: we may be Vampyres, but we are still a part of this 
world. We must live lives like everyone else here, holding jobs, keeping homes, 
and getting along with our neighbors. Being what we are is not an excuse to not 
participate in this reality. Rather, it is an obligation to make it a better 
place for us to be.

6. FAMILY
We are, all of us, a family, and like all families, various members will not 
always get along. However, respect the greater community when having your 
disputes. Do not let your individual problems bring emotional strife to the 
family as a whole. Settle your differences quietly among one another, only 
seeking out an elder's aid in mediation when no other solution seems possible. 
Never bring your private disputes into public places and never draw other family 
members into the issue by forcing them to take sides. Like any normal family, we 
should always make an effort to present a stable and unified face to the rest of 
the world even when things are not perfect between us.

7. HAVENS
Our havens are safeplaces where everyone in the community can come to socialize. 
There are also often public places where we are likely to encounter people who 
don't understand our ways. We should respect the patrons of these places as we 
should also respect the owners of the establishments and always be discrete in 
our behavior. We should never bring private disputes into a haven. We should 
never initiate violence in a haven. And we should never do or bring anything 
illegal into a haven, as this reflects badly upon the community as a whole. The 
haven is the hub of the whole community, and we should respect it as such, 
supporting it without business and working to improve its name in the scene so 
that we can always call it home.

8. TERRITORY
The community is extensive and diverse. Every city has a different way of doing 
things, and a different hierarchy of rule. When entering a new city, you should 
familiarize yourself with the local community. Seek out the local havens. Learn 
what households have sway here. Get in touch with key members of the community, 
learn who is who, and show proper respect where it is due. You should not expect 
to impose your old way of doing things on this new scene. Rather you should 
adapt to their rules and be glad of their acceptance. Always be on your best 
behavior when coming to a new city either to visit or to stay. We are all 
cautious and territorial by nature, and only by making the most positive 
impression possible will you be accepted and respected in a new community.

9. RESPONSIBILITY
This lifestyle is not for everyone. Take care in who you choose to bring into 
it. Those who are mentally or emotionally unstable have no place among us. They 
are dangerous and unreliable and may betray us in the future. Make certain that 
those you choose to bring in are mature enough for this burden. Teach them 
control and discretion, and make certain that they respect our ways. You will be 
responsible for their actions, and their behavior in the community will be 
reflected back to you.

10. ELDERS There are certain members of our community who have established 
themselves as just and responsible leaders. These are the people who helped 
establish local communities, who organize havens, and who work to coordinate the 
networking of the scene. While their word does not have to be law, they should 
nevertheless be respected. They have greater experience than many others, and 
usually greater wisdom. Seek these elders out to settle your disputes, to give 
you guidance and instruction, and to help you establish yourself in the local 
scene. Appreciate the elders for all they have given you: if it was not for 
their dedication, the community would not exist as it does now.

11. DONORS
Without those who offer themselves body and soul to us, we would be nothing. We 
cannot be other than what we are, but it is the donors who sustain our nature. 
For this service, they should be respected. Never mistreat your donors, 
physically or emotionally. They are not to be manipulated or leeched off of for 
more than what they freely offer. Never take them for granted. Appreciate them 
for the companionship and acceptance which they offer us, which so many others 
would refuse. This above all: appreciate the gift of their life. That communion 
is sacred. Never fail to treat it as such.

12. LEADERSHIP
When you choose to take a position of authority in the community, remember that 
you do not lead for yourself alone. Leadership is a responsibility, not a 
privilege. A good leader must set an example for everyone through her actions 
and behavior. Her motives should be selfless and pure, and she should put the 
interests of the whole community before her own. The best leaders are those who 
serve to better the community and whose person and behavior gives no one -- even 
those outside of the community -- a reason to criticize them.

13. IDEALS
Being a Vampyre is not just about feeding upon life. That is what we do, but not 
necessarily what we are. It is our place to represent darkness in a world 
blinded by light. We are about being different and accepting that difference as 
something that empowers us and makes us unique. We are about accepting the dark 
within ourselves and embracing that darkness to make us whole beings. We are 
about celebrating the thresholds: body and spirit, pleasure and pain, death and 
life. Our lives should be lived as a message to the world about the beauty of 
accepting the whole self, of living without guilt and without shame, and 
celebrating the unique and beautiful essence of every single soul.

This is a widely accepted code of ethics pioneered by The Black Veil.

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