"Vampyrism within the Pagan Community"

Bliden started the discussion "Vampyrism within the Pagan Community" in the 
group Vampyre Temple on Pagan UnderWorld

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This is not a lecture about how to become a vampyre, feeding
techniques, or how to find a donor. I will not be disclosing deep
dark secrets or revealing anything more basic than what is needed to
know in order for total acceptance and unity within the
Pagan/Vampyre communities. While the two communities are often
intermingled they are not synonymous and should not be used
interchangeably. Living vampyres often turn to Paganism as a means
of finding spiritual balance within themselves, finding the
acceptance that they often do not receive from other more
traditional belief structures, and hopefully, meeting others that
are accepting of who they are, and maybe even coming across some
like themselves. This does not mean that all who are within the
Vampyre community are Pagan or that all Pagans want the Vampyre
community within their circles, rites, or groups. For many this can
lead to isolation, solitary practice, and frustration . What I am
hoping to accomplish with both communities is to form a bridge that
will lead to a greater understanding of the two so that it may
become in some fashion, greater unified. This is also to let both
members of the communities know that they are not alone in the
darkness. Darkness is after all, what we as vampyres personify. Our
very predatory natures separates us from others that are more
attuned to their lighter side.

For us it is a matter of finding the balance within ourselves and
within our spirituality as well. It is not only important for the
socialization of our kind, but also for the viability of our kind as
the balance between our light side or our dayside and our dark
natures, or our nightside is a fragile one.

For many people it is merely a matter of control over the more
negative aspects of the self or the ego, for us it is very
different. Still for many, the negative aspects do not include
considering a bleeding finger or a piece of raw meat as a healthy
part of life. This is what separates vampyres from someone
merely suffering from a spiritual imbalance.

Of course, the first thing that comes to mind of many that hear the
term vampyre is a thin, bone white corpse, trailing its’
shroud through a darkened cemetery under the light of a full moon.
Despite this lovely metaphor, it is far from the reality. Nor are we all
lost in a reality based on a roll of the dice and scripted plots. No
one who calls themselves vampyre has ever died in this lifetime to
be reborn into this nature. This is something that we are born with,
which is why many of us prefer the term living vampyre versus the
stereotypical Hollywood variety. There is no specific look to the
vampyre, we come in all shapes, sizes, nationalities, beliefs, and
careers. We are your neighbors, your pastors, your priestesses, your
police officers, your teachers, your gardeners, and your doctors.

Many illnesses have been mistaken or even blamed for vampyrism,
both by the mundane and the vampyre community, either as a means
of explaining something that can not be explained or through the
willful creation of such information as to protect the community.
People fear what they do not understand, and it is much more
acceptable to believe that the nice pale lady living next door
to you is suffering from a form of anemia than it is to believe that
they are someone suffering from vampyrism. Vampyrism itself is a
condition of sorts, not one but many, and can have many causes and
manifestations. There are as many different types of vampyre as
there are types of people. You may be surprised to know that many
members of the vampyre community are not predatory in the least and
want nothing more than a good thunderstorm to get what they
need. Nonetheless, the generally accepted definition of the vampyre
is someone who must partake of life force via blood or other form of
energy for the maintenance of life. The most commonly recognized
form of vampyrism is Sanguine vampyrism, the blood drinking vampyre.
The strongest concentration of prana is found in the blood and it is
the blood that certain types of vampyres must have in order to
maintain a healthy life. What exactly causes this is questionable,
as there is little research done among mundane scientist to
determine what it is specifically that makes us the way we are.
However we have some commonly displayed symptomology among
research groups within the community that relate to this as a
condition. Vampyres that are willing to discuss their condition with
members of the community often report symptoms beginning with severe headaches, 
dry throat, insatiable thirst, bleeding gums, difficulty
breathing, exhaustion, lethargy, UV and temperature sensitivity,
severe abdominal pain, hot and cold flashes, fever, tremors, seizure
or mild convulsions, black outs, bloody nose, tachycardia, anemia,
light sensitivity, pain in the eyes and skin, nausea and vomiting,
and a metallic taste in the mouth intensifying the desire for blood.
The severity and how we handle this is different for each of us and
is commonly referred to in some communities as beasting. There are
many medical illnesses that have some of the symptomology, but few
illnesses contain all of the symptoms at the same time. Many of us
undergo all of the above over a period of days, with a few not
exhibiting the totality but portionate symptoms.

Illnesses such as porphyria and Renfeild syndrome, as well as megaloblastic 
anemia have been blamed for this condition, however anemia is just a symptom of 
the whole not a cause of the problem.

Both porphyria and megaloblastic anemia are caused by the body
inability to break down and utilize vitamin B!2 and/or folic acid
resulting in several groupings of the illnesses. Since sanguine
vampyres are often tested for blood born pathogens and often go
through extensive blood work to rule out anemia, and the rarity of
cases of either illness among the sanguine community we can safely rule out 
either of these as being causes of the condition.

One of the self treatments of beasting is the administration of B12,
as well as folic acid naturally occuring in fresh uncooked vegetables and 
fruits. Many Sanguine vampyres are even vegetarian and manage to live 
successfully and episode free.

The next obvious cause would be psychological. This is often the
next step for an awakening vampyre to come to terms with what is
going on with their bodies and also a determining factor for the
realization that the person living with this condition is neither
physically nor mentally imbalanced. Clinical vampyrism may be
treated but the living vampyre will continue experiencing
pranic lags throughout their lives. Clinical vampyrism stops when it
is medicated and is defined as the pathological conditions in which
a person develops a compulsion to drink blood and is not followed
by the physical abnormalities experienced by living vampyres.

The term clinical vampirism” often refers to murders or other
violent situations where a persons primary goal is to acquire blood and may 
include such activities as autovampirism (drinking ones own blood), killing 
animals or people for this purpose, the eating of corpses or other violation of 
the dead, and cannibalism. None of these are aspects of normal vampyre behavior 
or community. One of the most popularly referred to clinical psychosis is 
Renfields syndrome in which a person believes he must have blood in order to 
live.

This is accompanied by a deep compulsion, asymptomatic of physical causes, but 
laden with sexual dysfunction, violent or abusive childhoods, and may also be 
plagued by such psychosis as schizophrenia, paranoia, violent or aggressive 
behavior, and sociopathic behavior.

The difference between the mental illness of clinical vampyrism and
the reality of vampyrism, is the part of the psyche that lives
within truth. We all know on some level who and what we are. We know innately 
that we are female, that we are male, that we are brown, or pale, or blond, gay 
or straight, or mundane or vampyre. It is merely the acceptance of that inner 
truth of knowing ourselves rather than learned behavior and accepted deviant 
gratification that separates those of us who know that there is nothing 
supernatural or evil about ourselves. Mental illness stems from a loss of 
reality, an imbalance whether spiritual or biochemical, and is not something 
that we are born knowing. It is something that we acquire throughout our lives. 
Vampyrism is something that we are born with.

This is not to dismiss psychological issues caused by vampyrism in
other areas of life. Many of us at some point go through various
total periods or awakenings, where our darker sides comes close to
the surface and pushes us beyond a state of complacency. In short,
we are faced with our own natures which can cause a spiritual crisis
if we are not careful. During these times we may experience
depression, a sense of being totally alone, isolation, solitary
study and practice, aggression, animosity, bouts of intense
spiritual study or a complete lack thereof with the entire
experience akin to a Dark Night of the Soul. This may be affected by
the natural onslaught of biochemical responses to the changes in
life, dietary changes, an emotional or spiritual imbalance, or
crisis that causes us to re~examine our lives or the causes
behind our condition. In this case the sooner a balance is achieved
the more stable the person becomes.

General treatments of Sanguine vampirism are meditation, yoga or
other physical exercise that help release aggression, vitamins B and
B12 (which is necessary for the healthy production and viability of
red blood cells), abstenance from drugs, caffeine, and alcohol, a
healthy diet and lifestyle, and mental and spiritual hygiene. Living
a stress free life is not possible in the day to day life of modern
society, however being as peaceful by avoiding as much stress as
possible, accepting what we can change and working around what we
can not is of vast importance to members of the vampyre community.
The other faction of vampyre is the energy vampyre, the psychic
vampyre, or the pranic vampyre that feeds instead on life force
without the interaction of plasmic influences. Symptoms include many
of the above primarily headaches with or without nausea and
vomiting, weakness, lethargy, sleep disorders (sleeping too much or
insomnia), and a general weakness of aura. Some theories state that
this type of vampyrism comes from holes in the auric field, while
others show an accelerated metabolism that may cause dysfunction on
a cellular level, causing the amount of life force to be diminished.
This results in the desire to take in amounts of prana from others,
since we certainly can not take it in ourselves if we are lacking
it. However, this form of vampyre is not limited to the taking of
life force but may also take in other forms of energy as well as
from a good thunderstorm, electrical appliances, the elements, and
emotions. For this type, having a healthy knowledge of positive
energy work and balanced living is a must.

I'm sure someone out there is thinking ok this is all fine and good
but what causes it. There are as many different stories of origins
as there are stars in the sky.

The stories of Lilith and Cain are two of the more popular ones at the moment, 
although there are also associations within many different cultural Fae and 
Deities as well.

Many believe that we are the offspring of various Deities, others
believe that we are cursed, the incarnation of once living witches,
sorcerers, or heretics, variable speciation, I've even read
pages of theorem aligning us with UFO's and genetic experimentation.
Whether any of these or all of these are true or not is irrelevant.
The important thing is to separate the truth from the myth. We do
not explode, obviously, from being in the sun. Many of us actively
enjoy both the sun's warmth and energy, even though we may not be
sunbathers. Too much time in the darkness is as unhealthy for us as
too much time within the light. There must be a balance and this is
as true for people living with this as with any other human being.
Garlic isn't a problem and neither is holy water, crucifix's or any
religious icon for that matter. Theology has been intermingled with
the condition of vampyrism because of either an explanation, a means
of control, or a path to overcome our natures. It is not an innate
part of vampyrism itself. We are human just like anyone else and
nothing of the supernatural.

We do however know, that at best a large amount of admitted vampyres do suffer 
from some type of physical abnormality, whether it be severe food or vitamin D 
allergies, abnormal physiologies, or unexplained red blood cell dysfunction 
which leads me to believe that other than a supernatural cause there is a 
perfectly logical explanation.

We know that for the most part, vampyrism seems to be
carried in the female genes. It also seems to not be a genetic
condition in itself but a combination of the spiritual and physical,
for instance a female vampyre may have several children with no
issue of vampyrism until several generations later. It seems to be
at best a recessive trait. In my studies, I have come across several
reasonings for this.

Either we are a the result of genetic programming that has maintained records of 
our more predatory and beastial ancestors (even though they may be repressed or 
recessive in nature), or we have chosen when we would incarnate as vampyres and 
when we would not, either through transmigration, or through spiritual blue 
printing. As a result, we tend to be attracted to deities that represent the 
Darkness in all of us, the
more chaotic natures and magicks, and through these we are able to
reconcile our spiritual attractions with our physical natures.

Throughout the ages we have been an ever present part of the Pagan
community, living with them sometimes as living representations of
gods,practicing along side them in circle, and dying along side them
during the Dark Ages and the Inquisition. Even today, like the
witch, we are persecuted and sometimes killed for virtue of being an
anomaly among the mundane. Thanks to negative media and
superstitious profiling, and of course, a few miscreants here and
there, we have acquired a rather nasty reputation as a community
irregardless of our individual natures. There is good and evil in
every person, it is up to us as individuals to use our free will to
make informed, logical, intelligent, and ethical choices.

Innately, we are not evil beings. We are only what we would have
normally been within the realms of the mundane. In short, an evil or
aggravating person will be that way regardless of his or her
condition. Personality is not key to this condition unless we
manifest our conditions into our personalities. As being a part of
society, we are also subject to the laws and responsibilities of
society. It is simply unacceptable to behave in a bestial
manner or to flaunt our bestial sides for shock value. Nor is it
acceptable to behave in a manner that places the rest of the
community at risk.

The 13 rules of community, or the Black Veil, are suggestions of common sense 
that are for the safety and tranquility of the vampyre~mundane communities. Any 
vampyre that behaves as a miscreant is ostrasized from the community and in some 
cases reported to the proper authorities especially in cases where there has 
been a violent crime committed. As both the takers and the givers of life, we 
are accutely aware of the sanctity of life and the part we play within it as 
it's protector.

In closing, I would like to say thank you for coming and listening
with an open mind and an open heart. Even though there is little
here that I have not presented elsewhere at different times, it is
imperative that we recognize that the two communities are always
coming in contact with each other, and even though there may be
variations we all have one goal. This being outer peace and inner
peace and the freedom to be who we are without prosecution.

Author Unknown

Titles and Vampirism

REGARDING TITLES
When it comes to titles, the factor that needs to be considered is knowing when 
titles are appropriate, and when everyone is being subject to a pointless 
exercise of "form over function." Going further, there is also the consideration 
of what is the nature of the titles in question.

When we speak of the Prime Minster of Canada, more often than not we are 
speaking of the office and the duties bound to the office, it is a title that 
conveys a function and holds substance. While we also use use it as a means of 
identifying the poor bastard in charge of that office, in which then we are 
using it as a title of identity (albiet a temporary one), this is only a 
secondary consideration.

When the President of the United States travels abroad, it is his function, not 
his identity, that commands cooperation. It's no secret to us or anyone else 
that GW is a despised man, who personal identity alone manages to taint the 
honorary identity of the office he holds. Were the title "President" to come 
without all the executive privilages of its current function, you would have 
little more than a pompous declaration (i.e. see the current english system of 
knights who are merely given a peice of paper and the right to preppend "Sir" 
onto their names).

NOW IN REGARDS TO THE VAMPIRE COMMUNITY
To continue with the current language, it is my personal view that vampirism is 
defined by function, not form. Such that I said earlier, a vampire is that which 
engages in vampirism. Vampirism loosely being considered a process of taking 
something from outside the self to sustain/transcend the self, and perhaps more 
rigidly being considered as much within the same type of selves (or species).

Based on this foundation, there are two types of persons who approach the idea 
and the community: Those who come saying, "I am." (form) And those who come 
saying, "I do." (function)

Of persons who say "I am," it is easy to see that they are approaching the idea 
of "vampire" as a process of identity. They are in love with the the cultural 
and entertainment ideals and image, and wish to be indentified as them. They 
seek other persons to validate their claims and support their identity, creating 
a social network in which contriving status becomes the next step once they've 
achieved the first step of acknowledgement.

Of persons who say "I do," it is easy to see that they are approaching the idea 
of "vampire" as a process of identification. They are acknowledging alchemical 
similarities between their behaviour and the archetypical concept of the 
vampire. They seek to discover their own motives and understand their particular 
situation for personal reasons: whether to improve the methods, dissolve 
unfavorable symptoms, escape the pattern entirely, etc. Other person's play a 
role not as a source of validation, but as a source of comparison to create a 
better understanding of the commonalities as a phenomenon, and the differences 
as a personal manifestation.

Because of my idea on this, I find zero use in organizations that contrive a 
group mentality. It creates social dogma and crushes the individual process that 
I perceive as an essential aspect of the circumstances. Especially those in 
which only seek to create guilded atmospheres for role-playing aesthetetes (if 
you are dressing up for the part, you are playing a role).

The titles as a result of individuals seeking identity and status to me appears 
to be a dreadful blight of persons who fancy themselves big fish in small ponds. 
That so many desperately try to size themselves up with the cheap trappings of 
email signatures and self-assignment, overall becoming a malignant form of a 
condition of identity. You'll find that persons will more desperately defend 
their titles the more they believe it defines them. "Form over function."

It seems necessary to remind everyone that each individual's reputation is borne 
of their actions and accomplishments. Calling yourself one thing or another 
doesn't hasten respect from those who can sincerely provide it. Semantics will 
not earn you anything. I respect several persons throughout the communitity for 
their accomplishments and/or their participations, who have been around a long 
time.

Sanguinarius for taking my original efforts and running farther than I had even 
conceived of, creating thee portal for any and all information on every possible 
tangent of vampires and vampirism. Memory for creating one of the largest forums 
for discussion on the topic, enabling a superior realm of community and feedback 
sans contrived social construct. Even the relative newb on the internet block, 
Michelle Belanger sticks her head out enough that I worry about her neck 
sometimes, and is a bold woman who is dangerously prolific at the keyboard, 
compiling information, and reaching out to people who would otherwise had never 
seen it.

These people don't need titles. What they have done preceeds them, and builds a 
reliable concept of who they are.

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outside of, as well as within, the online vampire community. Those of us who 
consider ourselves vampiric don't always look at things from the same viewpoint 
due to our life experiences. As such, the views and opinions contained in this 
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A Rant on Hierarchy
Author(s): "S"
Why do vampires in this country insist on forming "courts," "covens," and 
"houses" that take on the trappings of feudalism? If we were European, Asian, or 
Indian it might make more sense. Those countries have long histories of 
caste-based societies, complete with all of the problems associated with them.

But we're Americans. Our nation was founded on the principle that all are equal 
in the eyes of our Creator and should be acknowledged as such by those around 
us. We waged a revolution to establish this philosophy as a fact and emerged 
victorious. Over the centuries, we have fought other battles, both military and 
civil, to expand the reaches of democracy so that all humans everywhere might 
enjoy the rights and responsibilities of this way of life. In some areas we have 
made tremendous strides. In others, the battle continues but we persevere, 
confident that our cause is just and that we will prevail.

Yet, in clubs and on the Internet, we revert to the very societal structure from 
which our countrymen struggled to free us. Is it a need for a sense of 
community? I don't think so. There are plenty of people, vampire and non-vampire 
alike, who do not feel the need to be addressed as Elder or Lord or Mistress. 
There are egalitarian organizations everywhere that welcome all without the need 
to elevate an elite cadre over the masses. Surely those who seek a sense of 
belonging can have their needs met by one or more of these groups.

Why do we persist in subjecting ourselves to an artificial hierarchy? Why do we 
continually adopt false titles that have no basis in merit and serve no purpose 
except to offer a flimsy excuse for the bearer to put on airs and degrade 
others? Oh, I've heard all the standard lines about honoring those who serve our 
community and offering titles as a sign of respect.
Those excuses are simply not good enough. I know plenty of people who have 
worked long and hard over the years to better the community. They hold no titles 
and do not care for any. So recognizing achievement cannot be the underlying 
purpose of adopting a title. Are the titles hereditary? Of course not, because 
we abolished such counterfeit structures when we declared our independence. So, 
why do we do it?
Is it so that we can feel powerful? We have long felt ourselves to be outcasts, 
have felt the need to hide our true selves from the eyes of the world - is this 
irrational drive to adopt an even more discriminatory order a product of our 
need to feel special? Why do we need to justify our collective existence by 
establishing a system of recognition that oppresses others as we have felt 
ourselves to be oppressed? Where is our pride? How does subjugating each other 
equate to unity? How can bigotry and snobbery ever generate harmony among us?

How many times have we heard the call to "unite the vampire nation" under this 
council or that order? How many of those groups have fallen by the wayside or 
degenerated into harmful cults? If it is unity we seek, how can we ever achieve 
it by allowing our peers to subjugate and tyrannize us while we prattle on about 
how our so-called leaders bring honor to us by upholding the "old ways"? Honor 
is not a prize to be won or a gift to be given. It is something we know to be 
true about ourselves. No one can bestow it where it does not already exist and 
only we can take it from ourselves. There is no honor in assuming the façade of 
an outdated power structure. To say otherwise is to belittle and demean the 
warriors who have fought and bled and died to give us the freedom to choose for 
ourselves who is worthy of our respect and admiration. It is those brave 
soldiers who are truly noble. It is those who cherish their liberty, bought with 
the coin of sweat, blood, and tears, and use 
 it to lift up all whom they meet who are the most honorable among us. Those who 
give selflessly and ask for nothing.it is they who display integrity.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that 
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among 
these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
No pretentious title will ever hold the significance, contain the splendor, or 
bear the majesty of the philosophy that gave rise to those words. None ever 
could.

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