*PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES ON VAMPIRISM*


Jewel


Section 1 : Beliefs and Definitions

Define vampire and vampirism.
-The term vampire encompasses all the groups (sanguinarian, blood-drinker, blood fetishist, psychic vampire, vampyre) into a general category. It does not define a supernatural human or someone who has risen from the dead or any thing like that. Vampirism is what a vampire does, how they behave, how they feed, etc.

Would you define vampires as human or non-human?
-Well, I've never met a vampiric cat, so I think all vampires are human. I know I am. :)

Do you believe that there's more than one kind vampire? If so, what do you think those kinds are and what defines them?
-Definitely. Sanguinarians feed off energy through blood drinking; psychic vampires feed straight off energy. Then there's sub-categories of psychic vampires who require specific types of energy (sexual, negative, etc). And of course those are just the vampires who -need- the energy because of a deficiency in their own spirit/body. There are also empathic vamps, soul vamps, elemental vamps, astral vamps, dreamscape vamps, and magickal vamps, but I don't know much about any of those. Then there are the people who classify themselves as "vampires", because they have a blood-drinking fetish or really like drinking blood. I don't know if I would count them as vamps, but I'm not sure. They aren't 'real' vamps, but they feed and act the same way; it's just all psychological.

Section 2 : Traits

Do you believe vampires are born, made, or some of each?
-Well, a vamp is born a vamp, but awakening is kinda a way of making a vampire...not really, but sorta. But mostly, I see vampires as being born that way. It may not be -impossible- to make a vampire, but I have not seen any evidence that it can be done.

Do you believe non-vampires can be turned into vampires?
-As I said above, I don't think it to be entirely impossible, but I have not seen any evidence that showed that it could be done, so until I see such evidence, I don't believe non-vamps can be 'turned'.

If you think non-vampires can be turned into vampires how might that be accomplished?
-I have no clue. I think it might require draining energy from the person's spirit (not just their body) to the point that it can never be replenished by their own spirit, so they now are required to feed off someone else's from time to time? But I don't know that that can be done.

Do you think there are certain traits that all vampires share? What are they?
If a self-proclaimed vampire doesn't exhibit these traits how would you classify them?
-I think there are traits that -most- vampires share. There are always exceptions. For example, pale skin...well, what about vamps of different races? You can't expect a black vamp to have pale skin unless they are albino, can you? Traits that -most- vampires share, in my mind, would be pale skin, higher psychic ability (particularly empathy), light sensitivity (skin burns, bright sunlight hurts eyes, etc), better night vision, a -need- for energy (whether through blood or pure energy) that causes illness if not satisfied (this is the one trait I think all vampires share...I have not seen any exceptions, and I think an exception would mean they are not a true vamp, but instead a blood fetishist or blood-drinker). I've also heard eye colour change, a quick temper, and mental and/or personality disorders diagnosed by doctors are common in vampires.

Section 3 : Sang~Psi~Self-Perception

How do you know you're a vampire, or if you're not, what would make you think someone else was one?
-Since I was little, I've had episodes (so far, 5 episodes) of iron-deficient anemia that taking supplements really didn't help. There were times I was sick for over a month, and once they had to put me on an IV because I could not eat or drink anything, including water. All this was before I even thought I might be a vamp, but my latest episode was stopped short by my finding a donor and feeding. If I go more than a week without, I start to get shaky, can't sleep well, have trouble concentrating on things, and can't stop thinking about the need to feed. I also have pale skin that burns easily (I stay out of the sun and wear long sleeves and pants when I can), my eyes are very light sensitive (to the point that I wear sunglasses inside stores that have bright overhead lights, and I cannot stand flourescents, since they give me an acute headache, and I stand in shadows when available). After adjustment, my night vision is better than the people around me; my donor, for example, complains that he can't see, so I'll take him by the hand and lead him, so that I don't have to turn on a light and be bothered by readjustment when I turn it back off. If allowed (because I'm not working, or I have some time off from work, and nobody is stopping me), I will also revert to a nocturnal lifestyle, being awake from 2 or 3am to 5 or 6am, and then sleeping 5 to 6am back to 2 or 3am. I am also empathic and can see and read auras (to a point...both are very weak).

If your definitions include "energy," define "energy."
If not, what do you believe the vampire draws sustenance from?
-"Energy" is life energy, which runs through our bodies, and which psi-vamps manipulate and feed upon. Blood vamps also feed upon energy, through blood, because of blood's high concentration of energy.

Have you ever consumed blood? If so, how does doing so effect you?
-Yes. When I feed, I feel calm and content, and if I've not fed in over a week before this, it will stop my shaking (to a point...I always shake a little), and will stop my hunger pains. I feel content and at peace with the world for several days after feeding.

Do you believe in "psychic/psionic" abilities?
If so, do you think vampires have enhanced abilities in this area?
-Yes to both questions, the most common being empathy, but other abilities that may be enhanced are telepathy, mind reading, aura seeing and reading, ESP, clairaudience, clairvoyance, clairsentience, audiovoyance, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, astral traval/projection, invisibility (not 'Invisible man' invisibility...more, where you are able to just blend into a room or crowd and not be noticed by anyone looking for you), visions, past-life memories, and sensing other vampires ("vamp radar"). I think psi vamps are more likely to have enhanced abilities, but sang vamps can, too, especially empathy.

Do you believe that all vampires need to consume blood or that some can feed by tapping energy directly(psionically)?
-I definitely believe in psi-vamps, who can feed directly off life energy. I can't, but I'd like to learn, as I've heard all vamps can learn to be psi.

Section 4 : Spiritual and Social

Do you follow a particular spiritual path and if so what is it?
-I believe in one deity, but many 'gods and goddesses', parts of the deity that different people worship in their religion. I worship the one deity, and have no hatred or misunderstanding of religions, because they all worship the same deity, just different parts (God, Allah, the God and Goddess, Yahweh, etc). I believe in reincarnation. And I belive in a final resting place...but that's complicated. What I believe is this: When a person dies, they go to an 'in-between' where they reflect on the lessons of their last life, with the help of souls who are perfect. When a soul becomes perfect, it does not return to the mortal world, because there is no place in the world for perfection, and a perfect soul has nothing more to learn from life. Each life creates new lessons for people to learn, and then they review the lessons with the souls who are in the final resting place, to understand what those lessons meant.

Does your spirituality or religion have any relationship to vampirism?
Do you believe that vampirism has a religious context or is a religion?
-I don't think my spirituality has any relationship to vampirism. It is something that I believed long before I knew I was a vamp. I don't think vampirism is a religion, nor that it is required to have any influence on a vamp's religion.

Do you believe in physical immortality, and if so can vampires be immortal?
What about spiritual immortality?
-Physical immortality, no. Eventually, a body will decay to the point that it can no longer live. That is why people die, because their bodies decay too far past the healthy point. Spiritual immortality, yes...if it is what I think it is. There are people who remember their past lives, who know who they have been and who they are, and know all the lessons they have learned. This to me is spiritual immortality...never really 'dying' spiritually, forgetting who you are and having to start over. There are also, in my mind, degrees of spiritual immortality. For example, one person might have past life memories, and understand that they were once so-and-so, but they won't remember it all. They didn't 'die' spiritually, but they were cut off from past memories and lessons.

What do you think would be the ideal relationships between vampires and society? What do you see the real relationship between vampires and society as being?
-The ideal relationship in my mind would be acceptance and understanding, so that when a person says they are a vamp, people will understand and still treat them as an equal, not as some supernatural freak or as someone to steer clear of. However, I don't see that as ever happening, because people judge. The real relationship that I see is that some people will accept vamps, some will steer clear, and some will call vamps demonic. A lot of this, in my mind, is caused by 'Hollywood vampires' and people who choose to live like the Hollywood vampires, thus creating a 'real' vampire image.

Do you think there should be an overall community or organisation for all vampires?
If so how should it be structured?
If not, why not?
-I think there should be an organization for all vampires to turn to, where they have a voice in what happens, what laws/rules are made, and in who leads them. I think the structuring should be much like the United Nations, where each region has a representative vampire on a council, and this council meets to make decisions. I doubt anything like that could ever be achieved, but I personally would love to see it happen.

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