Real Vampires by Sangi

Although vampires walk the annals of fiction and myth these stories are based loosely on medical and scientific fact. Every myth contains at least a sliver of reality, and it's by understanding the distinction between that myth and the reality that we gain a fuller understanding of what we seek.

Modern vampirism isn't based on the cultural myth of vampires but it is based on the relationship intrinsic to the word vampire. Mythically we refer to the vampire as a member of our society who feeds on that same society to survive. This is the metaphor that is intended by the use of the word vampire by the modern vampire community.

The danger of using the word vampire to self-define is that there are more ideals attached to vampirism than just the feeding of one person on another. Vampires are characterized by myth as immortal formerly human beings with preternatural abilities. The members of our community don't make the claim that we're preternatural, simply that we feed on one another to survive.

The idea of transferring energy back and forth from person to person is not a new one. Many religions and belief systems hold true that every member of society shares their energy with others as they interact. Indeed, many people feel energized by being around people and by interacting with them. We relieve our stress and enhance our contentment in life by sharing our lives with those around us.

The difference in vampirism is that we generate less of that energy than others do and need more of that energy from others. There is no special bloodline or initiation to what we are. If you have a person in your life whom you like, whom you enjoy being around, but despite those things makes you feel drained; That person may very well be a vampire.

Identifying as a vampire means understanding the relationship between your energy and the energy of those around you. Being aware of it. Being aware of your needs. Think of vampirism as "spiritual diabetes". We lack more of the energy that most people have and need that energy from others.

We can't prove that metaphysical energy exists, it may not. The interaction that happens between us and the people around us may very well be chemical. It could be pheromonal. My hypothesis is that metaphysical energy is no different than the rest of the electromagnetic spectrum in that it's a natural phenomenon that we simply cannot see and therefore have difficulty believing. We know so little about the human brain's effect on our environment. Our thoughts and feelings could very well create vibrations in the space around us that others can feel or interact with. Stories of psychic phenomenon are common in almost every culture.

When it comes to vampires there are two basic types, though there are many subtypes. The first is what's called "pranic vampirism". Pranic vampirism refers to the individuals I mentioned before, who need the energy of other people and feed on that energy to increase the quality of their existence. The word "pranic" comes from the word prana, a sanskrit word for 'breath'. Prana comes from Vedantic philosophy, it refers to the living energy that surrounds us all and lives in us, but it doesn't refer to the atma, or soul. An energy vampire feeds on your living energy, but isn't trying to "eat your soul".

The second type is "sanguine vampirism". Sanguine vampires literally drink the blood of others. The reasons given for this are many, but one interpretation is that drinking the blood of someone else is a more direct and powerful way of feeding on their energy. Whether this experience is more direct and powerful because blood is a more potent source of this energy, or if it has something to do with blood itself isn't known.

Many vampires who drink blood also consume energy, giving credence to the idea that there may be a connection between the blood and the energy. It may even mean that we don't need blood, simply that we need energy; that some of us believe that getting it through blood is the only way.

You'll find differences of opinion in the vampire community just like you would anywhere else with any other group. Some people relate their vampirism to their spiritual faith, if they have one. Modern vampires come from many walks of life and they're just as inclined as any other group to identify their condition with their religion.

A person with cancer may think it's God's will that they have cancer. A blind practitioner of another faith may think of their blindness as a gift or a curse from some divine or profane source. They may even incorporate this idea into their religion. This fact, however, does not make vampirism a religion. Being a vampire doesn't mean that you're in a cult, that you worship Satan, or really mean anything else about who you are. Just like any other characteristic it's only an aspect of who we are. Whether or not we choose to believe that that particular aspect of ourselves stems from something else is based on individual choice, not some dogma.

If vampirism exists it exists without choice, just as diabetes exists without choice. That means that someone you know, even someone in your family could be a vampire and not know it, just as they could be diabetic and not know it.

Popular Vampire Myths
By Vampy

Myth: A person can be turned into a vampire.
Truth: A person must be born a vampire, and though he or she may be awakened, turning is only in books and movies.

Myth: Vampires explode/catch fire when exposed to sunlight.
Truth: A vampire may feel their energy being drained from the sun; and a significant number report various degrees of sun-sensitivity, but we don't burst into flames.

Myth: Vampires can turn into bats or become mist.
Truth: We are vampiric souls within human bodies, so turning into bats or mist isn't possible.

Myth: Vampires totally drain a person of their blood.
Truth: A doctor draws more blood for a routine lab test than most vampires drink during a feeding.

Myth: Vampires cast no reflections in mirrors.
Truth: We do have reflections which makes it easier for those of us who must shave.

Myth: A vampire cannot enter a dwelling without the owner's permission to enter.
Truth: We, like all others, will respect the owner's invitation to enter; but there is no supernatural barrier that physically prevents us from crossing a person's threshold.

Myth: A vampire cannot cross a running stream as it interferes with their energy.
Truth: Running water has no ill effect on our energy.

Myth: Garlic, holy water, and crosses are feared by vampires.
Truth: None of these affect us and many vampires enjoy garlic in Italian dishes.

Myth: Vampires subsist off of blood and can't eat food.
Truth: We enjoy food as much as anyone else does.

Myth: Once we have been invited into a dwelling, we can enter it at our own will.
Truth: We follow the same laws as everyone does; so this action would probably land us in jail.

Myth: Vampires are killed by pounding a stake through their hearts.
Truth: A stake pounded through anyone's heart will kill them.

Myth: Vampires are immortal and never age.
Truth: Some believe our vampiric souls retain a continuity from life to life; and we do age like other humans, though many of us supposedly appear younger than our actual ages.

Myth: Vampires and werewolves are enemies/at war/are master-servants.
Truth: There is no war (only in movies and role-playing games) and vampires and weres are often friends with each other. And no, vampires don't keep weres as "pets" or servants.

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