Vampirism: A general overview.

Throughout my time spent within the pagan community, I often come across the question of " what is a vampire?" Over the years I have seen reactions to the vampire phenomena ranging from idol worship to disbelief to downright hatred for self identified vampires. Many are merely uninformed, but many also view the vampire as an energy leech, a thief, and an offense to all things neopagan.

But in order to understand why so many pagans hold a less than friendly view of modern-day vampires, we must first understand what a vampire is. I am not spekaing of the mythological vampires of folklore, rotting corpses searching for flesh or blood, nor am I speaking of the romanticly stylized vampires from such films as Interview with the Vampire and Twilight.
The vampire which I refer to has often been termed the "human vampire". In this context, the human vampire is a person with an energetic deficiency and a need to regain that energy from external sources. If I haven't been clear enough already, the "human vampire" is a human being, no different from anyone else, save for an energetic need which requires the vampire to seek outside sources of energy. Lifespan is normal and there are no adverse reactions to sunlight, crucifixes, or garlic as a general rule.

All too often people confuse vampires and energy workers. A vampire has an energetic need for outside energy, as was stated above. A common description of this condition which has spread throughout the online vampire community in recent years, is that of a cup with a hole in the bottom. The liquid in the cup slowly leaks through the hole and must be refilled from an outside source. So too is it believed that there are holes, or leaks, in the vampire's energetic body which must be replaced by an outside energy source. The key word here is "need". If there is no need for outside energy, then one is not a vampire. I like to emphasize this point, if there is no "need" then there is no energey deficiency, and one is not a vampire.

An energy minipulator, however, is someone who takes energy for their own purposes, in order to reshape it and use it for their own wants, however the "need" for outside energy is not there. They are both similar, but the key is need vs. want.

There are many theories as to why the vampire has a damaged energy body and needs to replenish their own leaking aura with energy from outside sources. These theories range from reincarnation and karma, to trauma and illness, to damaged chakras. Whatever the theory, there is generally always damage to the energy body. I personally ascribe to the theory of damaged chakras, but what you choose to believe is up to you.

There are three main categories of vampire: sanguine, psychic, and hybrid. In my experience, the category of vampire depends solely on how they choose to obtain energy to replenish their damaged energy body. Many argue that it is not a choice, but rather a "can" and "cannot". For some it is a matter of convenience, and for others a matter of taste.

A sanguine (sang meaning blood), is a vampire who obtains their energy through blood drinking. One may be surprised to learn that there is indeed a great amount of energy in blood. One theory as to why this occurs is the belief that the energy routes of the energetic body coincide directly with the circulatory system of the body. Many believe the circulatory system is the physical manifestation of the energetic framework of the body. Therefore, energy is highly condensed within blood, and offers a bigger "punch" than psychic energy does. Some sanguines have said they can not feed psychically, they have no psychic ability and therefore no way to get the energy from their donors into themselves, therefore blood is the only way to go. Though there are the complex issues of finding a donor and blood letting, I will not discuss them in the article. The one thing I will say, however, is that it is extremely difficult but important for a sanguine to find a donor they trust and to get tested on a regular basis for any blood-bourne diseases.

The psychic vampire is a vampire who is able to feed directly on the energetic body. Many times I have heard people describe the vampire's energetic body as a tentacled mass surrounding the vampire. These projections are affectionately called "tendrils". The function of the tendrils is to poke and prod, and pull energy from the host's energy body to the vampire's.
There are many different methods in which the psychic vampire feeds, and too many to name them here. Each is different for every vampire and what works for one may not work for another. However there are three types of psychic feedings which I will touch on.

Ambient feeding is the least invasive feeding method and requires no donor. To some people within the neopagan community, even ambient feeding is invasive and offensive, however the general consensus in the vampire community is this is the most acceptable method to use if one lacks a trusted donor. Ambient energy is energy which is cast off from living organisms in an area. Where I'm sitting right now, a class full of people, there is a bunch of energy being cast off of each body and stagnating in the room. This energy is cast off, no longer a part of the person's energetic body, and therefore a perfectly acceptable form of energy to feed on. Depending on the setting, the energy will have a different "flavor", depending on the event and the general emotion of the event.

The second type of feeding I will touch on has been dubbed "surface feeding". Many people feel this type of feeding needs a donor, it is invasive, and is stealing if you do not ask permission of the donor before feeding. During surface feeding, the vampire extends one or more tendrils into the surface of the donor's energetic body and brings it into their own, down the length of the extended tendril. This energy is supposed to be more condensed and satisfying than ambient feeding. I suppose its the difference between having an appetizer and having an entree.

Deep feeding is the most invasive form of feeding and requires a trusted, knowledgable donor and their permission. It is a grave offense both outside and in the vampire community to deep feed without donor permission due to the level of connection it creates between vampire and donor and the damage it can cause. Deep feeding is much like surface feeding, but instead of scooping energy off the surface, the vampire goes deeper, into the person's core and feeds. Many say this type of feeding creates a "cord" between vampire and donor. If this is done to the donor unknowingly, it is considered a form of psychic rape.

In regards to chakras, as I mentioned before, it is a common belief that vampirism is caused by one or more damaged chakras. Many vampires will choose to feed via one of these damaged chakras, generally one of the lower chakras. In many cases, the vampire will extend tendrils from one of these chakras and feed energy directly into it.

Now that we have discussed different types of feeding, let us now discuss different "flavors" of feedings. The subcategory of psychic vampire is further subdivided into more classes of psychic vampire, some of wich include: emotional, nature, and eros vampires. It is my belief that these classes are formed based on how the vampire chooses to feed, however I have also heard from many an Eros vampire that there is only one way they can feed, and it is not a choice. I have only listed a few categories, only because all too often another category is added.

The emotional vampire, often confused for the health condition of the same name, is a vampire who chooses to feed on emotion. This vampire may have a choice emotion it enjoys most which will be its "food" of choice. Anger, happiness, regret, despair, joy, surprise and shock, all have different tastes. One vampire may primarily feed on anger, while another will feed in joy, depending on the vampire's palate.

Other vampires choose to feed on the forces of nature, lightning storms, tornados, fire, etc. etc. etc. Any force of nature, or nature in general. This vampire may spend an inordinate amount of time in nature refuelling. Some vampires claim nature does not provide enough energy, however there are enough vampires present who feed this way that it has gained its own subgategory of psychic vampire in recent years.

Eros vampires feed primarily on sex, and are often likened to the folkloric succubus and incubus. The energy produced by sex and sexual acts is rather intense and provides a scrumptuous meal for these vampires. This form of feeding often requires a knowledgeable donor, usually a steady partner of the vampire such as a spouse or significant other. Many frown on feeding on sex without the donor's knowledge because it, like deep feeding, can result in deep metaphysical connections between vampire and donor.

Of course there are more categories and more flavors, but describe them all would be a daunting task. The basic information you need to know is that any way a vampire can obtain psychic energy from another living organism, they will, and they'll put a label to it. In recent years there have even been vampires who claim to be able to feed on electrical sources ranging from lightening to IPODS.

The hybrid vampire, our third category of vampire, is one who can feed on both blood and energy interchangeably. If they have a trusted donor who will donate blood to them, they will utilize that vital source of energy, however if they lose their donor, or need more energy than their donor can give them on a daily basis, they can and will switch to psychic feeding.
Another kind of vampire, a faux, vampire is the sympathetic vampire. I call them faux vampires, because they are made, not born. Most believe that vampirism is a condition one is born with, however sympathetic vampirism occurs when one, for whatever reason, loses a large amount of energy over a period of time and unconsciously begins to reclaim that energy. These people begin to take on vampiric traits, but once healed will no longer need to take in extra energy. This phenomena can occur as a result of trauma, being fed on too often by a vampire, or a myriad of other situations.

Many times one will hear the term "unconsciously feeding" or "unconscious vampire". These people are not aware they are a vampire, nor are they aware that they are feeding, or why. These folks are most bothersome because they have no control. These people often seek out emotionally charged situations in order to feed, they may begin arguments or be emotionally draining. Some vampires feel they are drawn to these unconscious vampires by way of a "beacon" , a kind of a vamp-dar which helps them recognize other vampires. It is often frowned upon to push these folks through a process affectionately termed "awakening" due to the "karmic damage" it can cause. Some people just aren't meant to awaken in this life, or at least not at this point in life. Generally "pushing" refers to telling someone they are a vampire and why. For one, said person may be wrong, for two, the information may be ill-received.

Awakening is a process through which one undergoes as they begin discovering their own vampirism. This can last a relatively short period of time to an entire lifetime. Many vampires believe awakening is a never-ending process, just as one never stops learning, one never stops awakening. Some seem to awaken more than once as they go through periods of doubt and acceptance of their vampiric condition.

Those vampires who have awakened are aware of their vampirism and their need to replenish their own energy stores from outside sources. These people are much more controlled at feeding and energy manipulation than the unawakened, and by far the less dangerous. The awakened vampire is less likely to start pissing matches to get a scrumptous energy feed and become emotionally draining.

You may be wondering, what happens if a vampire does not feed? The answer is different for each individual. Many vampires become irritable, lethargic, tired, experience weight fluctuations, etc. (the list goes on). As a general rule, feeding helps maintain a healthy state of living and affects the health of body and mind. If one neglects to feed, then symptoms may begin to develop, both mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Many vampires believe their vampirism goes into a state of dormancy periodically, however it is my personal opinion that they begin auto-pilot feeding. That is feeding unconsciounsly much like an unawakened in order to compensate for the conscious neglect of feeding. Others may believe their condition is healed, but again, I have my own personal skepticism in regards to that as well.

There are often many side effects and symptoms associated with vampirism as well. Some vampires are primarily nocturnal, and claim to have reversed circadian rhythms. Other vampires avoid sunlight and claim an unnatural sensitivity to it. Many vampires claim psychic abilities and empathy specifically. However, it is important to not get too caught up in signs and symptoms of vampirism, as if it is a check list to prove your vampiric condition.
The fact is, only you can know for sure what you are or aren't, no one else. However, I want to stress, that no matter what vampire related symptoms you may have, one is not a vampire unless they have a need to replenish their energetic body from outside sources. If you don't need energy, you are not a vampire, regardless of whether you have every symptom you've run across online.

I hope this has helped shed light on what vampirism is and is not. This article is simply a brief overview of what I have learned in and out of the vampire community over the past seven years. But vampires, like witches, are full of differing opinions. There may be some coffin-bound vampire who reads this and disagrees with me. That is quite alright, disagreement is a wonderful thing which leads to growth and learning. They may wonder why I didn't mention this or that or didn't elaborate more on one thing and talked too much on another. I hope those people can write more articles and share their own viewpoints on the vampiric condition.
I also need to clarify that all opinions are mine, built upon my experiences. Take it for what its worth.