Despre vampiri Vampirul este unul dintre cele mai vechi mituri populare, cu nenumarate legaturi cu alte legende

si superstitii. In acelasi timp imaginea este interconectata cu o multitudine de perversiuni. Este vorba despre un mit universal deoarece nu es te specific pentru nici o traditie culturala. Toate acestea ar indica existenta unei reprezentari psihice a mitului, necesare proiectiei si diseminari, o reprez entare care a existat din cele mai indepartate timpuri si care poate fi consider ata ca fiind una din cele mai arhaice imagini pe care le cunoastem. O simpla privire aruncata variatelor mitologii celor din trecut reveleaza tendin tele vampirice ale multora din zeii creati de om. Putem gasi toate acestea in le gendele si mitologiile grecilor si romanilor, ca si in restul Europei, Asia si i n unele parti din Africa. Toti acesti zei erau cu totii dedati bautului si suptu lui sangelui. In mod similar intalnim un intreg grup de zeitati in lamaismul tib etan, Vajra, care beau sange pentru a obtine controlul asupra vietii si mortii. Intr-una din cele mai vechi povesti pastrate, legenda lui Ghilgames, erou al une i povestiri babiloniene, tema vampirului apare deja cu caracteristicile descrise intr-o maniera atat de precisa incat pare sa fie identica cu cea a acelor vampi ri din evul mediu si din timpurile mai apropiate prezentului. Ca mai veche descr iere a unui vampir apare pe un vas preistoric asirian. Imaginea arata un om copu land cu un vampir fara cap. In Mexico pre-columbian vampirii apar sub numele de "sihuateteo", este vorba despre femei care au murit la nasterea copiilor. Vampir ul chinez, Ching Shih, frecvent citat in povestile dinastiei T'ang, isi are orig inile intr-un trecut mai indepartat si are o asemanare mult mai mare cu corespon dentul sau Occidental. Este foarte posibil ca mitul vampirului sa fi venit in Eu ropa Occidentala prin India, via Turcia si Balcani. Vampirul, unul dintre cele mai revelatoare si fertile mituri ale timpului nostru , isi face pentru prima oara intrarea triumfala in literatura europeana intr-una din lucrarile lui Byron. Insusi lordul Byron a fost un prototip ideal pentru to ti vampirii care au existat sau vor exista; aristocrat prin nastere, puternic si seductiv, libertinul cinic si erudit al Vechiului Regim traia in el. El a antic ipat in multe privinte barbatul narcisic si decadent al sfarsitului de secol. In vesnica lui cautare de senzatii noi, Byron a transformat incalcarea valorilor i ntr-o valoare pozitiva, ilustrand prin viata sa si prin operele sale rasturnarea completa a valorilor traditionale produsa de revolutia franceza. La celebra inr unire ce a intampinat nasterea lui Frankestein, in vila Diodati, casa lui Byron aflata la tarmurile lacului Leman, poetul a conceput faimosul sau eseu "Fragment dintr-un roman" care a fost publicat ca un postscriptum la "Mazepp" in 1819. Ac easta a fost replica sa la o povestire ("Vampirul") scrisa de John Polidori (Lon don 1819). Profitand de absenta lui Byron, Polidori a inceput sa dezvolte un con cept schitat de Byron, plagiindu-i ideea si devenind astfel primul vampir litera r, care si-a extras inspiratia in intregime de la marele poet. Goethe, Baudelaire si Le Fanu (Carmilla, 1872) toti acestia au scris despre vamp ir, nu mai vorbim de Bram Stoker creatorul lui Dracula (1897). Printre cei care au marcat inceputurile acestei traditii a vampirismului literar trebuie sa-l inc ludem si pe marchizul de Sade. In "Justine", placerea obtinuta de unul din perso naje la vederea sangelui curgand din venele unei victime, este detaliata explici t. Cu rare exceptii tema vampirului este in mod evident absenta din literatura p sihanalitica. Totusi imi vin in minte, imediat, doi autori : Ernst Jones si Otto Fenichel. In cartea lui referitoare la cosmaruri, Ernst Jones dedica un intreg capitol acestei teme, oferind astfel un punct de vedere psihanalitic si cea mai intinsa tratare a temei intalnita pana acum. Ernst Jones a descris vampirul ca p e un "spirit nocturn care il prinde pe cel adormit intr-o imbratisare care il va seca de sangele sau: in mod evident acesta apare ca un produs cosmarului". In c artea sa "Teoria psihanalitica a nevrozelor", Fenichel descrie sexualitatea infa ntila notand frecventa cu care "putem observa fantasme de sugere de un tip oral sadic directionate impotriva obiectelor" si continua folosind cuvantul vampir cu privire la acestea.

Primii vampiri Cele mai vechi legende despre vampiri s-au pastrat de patru mii de ani si vin de la asirienii si babilonienii din Mesopotamia. Acestia se temeau de Lamastu, o z eita demonica ce vina oameni. In legendele asiriene, Lamastu (in traducere, cea c are sterge ), fiica zeului Anu, se furisa noaptea in casele oamenilor, fura sau uc idea bebelusii in leagane sau chiar in pintecele mamei, vina si adulti, sugea si ngele barbatilor tineri, provocind boli, sterilitate si cosmaruri. Deseori, Lama stu este descrisa cu aripi si gheare de pasare, iar uneori cu cap de leu. Pentru a se proteja de aceasta, femeile insarcinate purtau amulete cu Pazuzu, un alt z eu rau, care a infrint-o cindva pe Lamastu. Lamastu este asociata cu Lilith, o figura proeminenta din unele texte iudaice. S crierile despre Lilith variaza considerabil, dar versiunea cea mai vehiculata a povestii este ca ar fi fost prima femeie. Dumnezeu i-ar fi creat pe Adam si pe L ilith din pamint, din care cauza intre ei aparusera in curind neintelegeri. Lili th a refuzat sa i se mai supuna lui Adam si a plecat din Eden, nascindu-si propr iii copii. Dumnezeu a trimis trei ingeri sa o aduca inapoi. Fiindca ea a refuzat , ingerii i-au promis ca-i vor ucide zilnic cite 100 de copiii pina cind va hota ri sa se intoarca. Lilith, in schimb, a jurat ca va distruge copiii oamenilor. I maginea lui Lilith ca ucigasa de copii, se pare ca a fost preluata direct din le genda despre Lamastu. Si Lilith este descrisa ca un demon cu aripi si gheare asc utite, care vine noaptea sa fure copiii nou-nascuti sau fetii din femeile insarc inate. Desi este descrisa ca o creatura terifianta, Lilith are calitati seducato are. Evreii credeau ca ea vine noaptea la barbati sub forma unui succubus (femei e-demon care intretine contacte sexuale cu barbatii, cind acestia dorm). Grecii antici se temeau de niste creaturi asemanatoare, in special de Lamia, o d emonita cu cap si trunchi de femeie, dar cu partea de jos a corpului - de sarpe. Intr-o versiune a legendei despre Lamia, aceasta a fost una dintre amantele mur itoare ale lui Zeus. Plina de gelozie si furie, sotia lui Zeus, zeita Hera, a in nebunit-o pe Lamia si ea si-a mincat toti copiii. Cind si-a dat seama ce a facut , Lamia s-a infuriat atit de tare, incit s-a transformat intr-un monstru nemurit or care, din gelozie, a inceput sa suga singele pruncilor. Grecii se temeau si d e Empusai, fiica malefica a lui Hecate si zeita vrajitoriei. Aceasta, putind sasi schimbe infatisarea, iesea noaptea din Hades (lumea subterana), sub forma une i femei frumoase, si seducea pastorii de pe cimp, devorindu-i. O creatura simila ra, Baobhan Sith, se face prezenta si in folclorul celtic. Vampirii apar si in mitologia Asiei. Printre personajele de cosmar, descrise de folclorul indian, sint Rakshasa (o creatura care isi poate schimba forma si devo reaza copii) si Vetala. Ambii demoni preluau controlul asupra cadavrelor si atac au oamenii vii. Folclorul chinez ne spune ca unii morti pot sa se ridice din mor mint si sa se intoarca in lume. Aceasta se intimpla atunci cind spiritul unei pe rsoane (p o) nu putea ajunge in lumea de dincolo, din cauza faptelor rele comise i n timpul vietii. Spiritul, infuriat de soarta-i oribila, readucea trupul la viat a si ataca oamenii noaptea. Un mort deosebit de periculos, cunoscut si ca Kuangshi (sau Chiang-shi), putea sa zboare si sa ia diverse forme. Acesta era acoperi t de par alb, avea ochi rosii, stralucitori, si isi musca victimele cu dintii as cutiti. Triburile nomade si negustorii au raspindit diferite legende despre vampiri in i ntreaga Asie, Europa si Orientul Mijlociu. Cu timpul, diversele elemente ale ace stor povesti se combinau, creind alte mituri despre vampiri.

Istoria misterioasa a vampirilor nca din cele mai vechi timpuri, oamenii au vorbit despre monstri si spirite malef ice, din rndul carora s-au detasat vampirii, fiinte hidoase care se hranesc cu sng e si care snt nemuritoare. n cele ce urmeaza vom ncerca sa aruncam o privire asupra elementelor care au dus la aparitia legendelor privind vampirii, asupra semnifi catiilor psihologice ale acestor creaturi si vom ncerca sa oferim o explicatie va mpirismului. Arhitectura unui mit modern n cartile contemporane, n filme si n documentare, vampirii snt niste creaturi incred ibil de elaborate. Conform mitologiei, nsa, fiecare vampir a fost la un moment da t om. Vampirii se hranesc cu snge si vneaza numai noaptea. De obicei, snt beneficia rii unor incisivi puternici si ascutiti, cu ajutorul caror si musca victimele de gt. Legendele privind aceste creaturi se ntlnesc n culturile majoritatii popoarelor. Ce a mai celebra creatura de acest gen, ntlnita n America de Sud si Centrala, este El Chupacabra, despre care se spune ca a facut cele mai multe victime din ntreaga is torie a vampirilor. Vampirii se pot prezenta sub forma unor fiinte umane normale, care snt, dotate, ns a, cu o extraordinara putere de seducere, dar si sub forma unor animale. Se spune despre aceste creaturi ca snt nemuritoare. n realitate, nsa, ele pot fi di struse prin supunerea lor unei lumini puternice, prin ardere, prin stropirea cu apa sfintita sau prin expunerea la usturoi. Figura vampirului, asa cum o cunoastem astazi, este o inventie de data recenta, fiind opera lui Bram Stoker, cel care n 1897 a scris celebra carte "Dracula", car e a fost adaptata n numeroase filme si care a constituit o sursa de inspiratie pe ntru o multitudine de alte carti. Noptile bntuite ale Mesopotamiei Nimeni nu poate spune cu certitudine cnd au aparut primii vampiri, dar exista dat e care arata ca, n urma cu 4.000 de ani, vechii asirieni si babilonienii din Meso potamia se confruntau deja cu astfel de figuri ciudate. Mesopotamienii vorbeau d espre Lamastu sau Lamashtu, o zeita-demon care se hranea cu oameni. n legendele a siriene, Lamastu era fiica zeului Anu. Ea intra n casele oamenilor, noaptea, si r apea sau omora copiii. De asemenea, i ataca si pe adulti, carora le putea provoca diverse boli, si, uneori, se hranea cu sngele tinerilor barbati. Uneori, aceasta zeita se prezenta n fata oamenilor cu chipul unui leu. Pentru a se apara de Lama stu, femeile nsarcinate purtau amulete care l ntruchipau pe Pazuzu, un zeu care lup ta mpotriva demonilor. Lamastu este asociata cu Lilith, o figura ntlnita n foarte multe texte evreiesti. C onform unei legende extrem de vechi, Lilith, care a fost creata de Dumnezeu din pamnt, odata cu Adam, a parasit Edenul si a dat nastere propriilor copii. Dumneze u a trimis trei ngeri sa o convinga sa se ntoarca si, pentru ca ea a refuzat, i-a promis ca o va face sa ucida cte 100 de copii pe zi, pna se va rentoarce n Eden, tra nsformnd-o astfel ntr-o adevarata ucigasa de bebelusi. Vechii greci aveau si ei o creatura asemanatoare, Lamia, o zeita cu cap de femei e si cu trup de sarpe. Legenda spune ca Lamia a fost una dintre iubitele lui Zeu s. Geloasa si, n acelasi timp, furioasa, sotia lui Zeus, Hera, a blestemat-o pe L amia sa-si mannce toti copiii pe care-i va naste. Pentru a se apara mpotriva blest emului, Lamia s-a transformat ntr-un adevarat monstru si a nceput sa se hraneasca numai cu sngele copiilor. Creaturi asemanatoare pot fi ntlnite si n legendele celte, indiene sau chineze. Strigoi, upiri si vrcolaci n ultimii 1.000 de ani, legendele despre vampiri au fost mult mbogatite, prin cont ributia culturilor est-europene. Legenda lui Dracula, de exemplu, este inspirata clar din folclorul est-european, mai precis din cel romnesc. Toti acesti vampiri asa-zis noi prezinta anumite particularitati si caracteristici, dar, cu toate a cestea, pot fi ncadrati ntr-o singura categorie: demoni (reprezentanti ai diavolul

ui), oameni care mor si care snt retrimisi pe pamnt. Cei mai renumiti vampiri europeni snt upirul rus, vrcolacul grecesc si strigoiul r omnesc. Conform legendelor, strigoii reprezinta spriritele unor persoane care au murit si s-au rentors printre cei vii. Spre deosebire, nsa, de upiri sau de vrcolac i, strigoii trebuiau sa treaca prin mai multe stagii nainte de a se ntoarce pe Pamn t. ntr-o prima faza, strigoii snt invizibili si-si manifesta prezenta prin mutarea mobilei sau furarea mncarii. Dupa o anumita perioada de timp, nsa, ei devin vizib ili, lund nfatisarea unei persoane n viata. Se spune despre ei ca nu parasesc casa n care au ajuns prima data si ca se hranesc cu snge. n perioada imediat urmatoare ntoarcerii lor pe Pamnt, strigoii traiesc n sicrie, fap t care permite uciderea lor prin arderea corpului. Dupa sapte ani, nsa, ei pot tr ai oriunde doresc, lund nfatisare umana si ncepnd, practic, o noua viata. Isteria vampirismului cuprinde Europa de Est n secolele al XVII-lea si al XVIII-lea, isteria vampirismului a cuprins ntreg estu l Europei. Oamenii relatau permanent despre prezenta unor vampiri, iar autoritat ile ajunsesera chiar sa deshumeze mortii, pentru a-i identifica si arde pe vampi ri. Toata aceasta nebunie a dus si la realizarea unor studii academice despre va mpiri, lucrari care l-au inspirat si pe irlandezul Bram Stoker n scrierea celebre i carti "Dracula". Chiar daca se ndeparteaza mult de realitate, Stoker a reusit s a se impuna cu cartea sa, prin intermediul a doua elemente, pe care a stiut sa l e exploateze foarte bine. n primul rnd, a amplasat actiunea n muntii Transilvaniei, ntr-o regiune plina de mister, inspirndu-se din relatarile despre vampirii din es tul Europei si din folclorul tiganesc, iar n al doilea rnd a reusit sa brodeze pe marginea legendelor, cu elemente inovative, care au dat o mare credibilitate car tii. Stoker a plecat de la brutalitatea care-i era caracteristica lui Vlad Tepes (fap tul ca-si tragea dusmanii n teapa nu era doar o legenda) si care era recunoscuta ca atare de romni, dar si de istorie, si a transformat-o n vampirism, lucru care n u este mentionat n nici una dintre scrierile despre fostul domnitor al Tarii Romne sti. Ideea este ca inovatiile lui Stoker au prins la public, fapt care i-au perm is sa creeze primul vampir modern din istorie. Sa nu uitam, nsa, ca aceasta carte a prins n mod special la popoarele cu o mitologie extrem de bogata si cu o predi lectie extraordinara spre legende.

Trecut si prezent Ca si originea omenirii si originea vampirilor este pusa sub mister si o aura de legenda si mit pluteste deasupra acestor subiecte. Sursa a tot ceea ce o amenii considera a fi rau", malefic" este imprecisa. Unii spun ca raul" exista si i n Eden, sarpele care a ispitit-o pe Eva, Samael, fiind intruchiparea diavolului sau o unealta a lui. Si totusi Geneza se contrazice cu un alt pasaj al Bibliei s i anume, in Isaia se vorbeste de o creatura ce ar strange toate fiarele malefice ale pamantului in jurul ei. Aceasta fiinta este o femeie pe nume Lilith, desi m entionata foarte vag in Biblie ea isi gaseste totusi un loc mai bine definit in unele texte apocrife evreiesti. Desi putin stiu de existenta ei, Lilith a fost prima sotie a lui Adam, dar care a refuzat sa i se supuna si a dorit sa aibe drepturi egale cu cele ale barbatulu i. Izgonita pentru aceasta nesupunere ea s-ar fi retras intr-o padure, un loc bl estemat. In Isaia, 34, 14 putem citi urmatoarele cuvinte: Fiarele din pustie se v or intalni acolo cu cainii salbatici, si tapii parosi se vor chema unii pe altii . Acolo isi va avea locuinta naluca noptii, si isi va gasi loc de odihna.". Acea sta naluca a noptii nu este nimeni altcineva decat Lilith care va atrage catre d ansa toti demonii si toate intruchiparile pacatului. Izgonita din gratia Domnulu i, ramasa fara sot sau posibilitatea de a avea copii, Lilith devine vampir, adem enind barbatii prin frumusetea ei asemenea unui Sccubus, culcandu-se cu ei, suga nd sangele femeilor gravide, provocand moartea copiilor sau chiar uciderea de be

belusi. Placerea ei de a ucide s-ar fi transformat intr-o nevoie. Urmatorul pasaj se refera la un sarpe, acesta poate fi insusi Samael sau chiar o alta denumire data lui Lilith: Acolo isi va face cuibul sarpele de noapte, isi va pune ouale, le va cloci, si isi va strange puii la umbra lui; acolo se vor st range toti ulii: fiecare la tovarasul lui." Putem interpreta acest pasaj in dive rse moduri, daca consideram ca in el este vorba de Lilith atunci o a doua ipozez a se adevereste. Conform unor legende pierdute in negura vremurilor (Alfabetul l ui Ben-Sira) Cain, fiul lui Adam, ar fi intalnit-o pe Lilith la Marea Rosie, uni unea lor intru sange dand nastere unui sir nesfarsit de vampiri si demoni. Pasajul 17 din acelasi capitol spune: El (Dumnezeu) a tras la sorti pentru ele si mana Lui le-a impartit cu funia de masurat tara aceasta: ele o vor stapani totd euna si o vor locui din veac in veac." Trimiterea la viata eterna este extrem de evidenta, oare ar fi o prea mare indrazneala sa credem ca este vorba despre vam piri? Daca am considera ca Dumnezeu nu este fara de pacat (cum incearca sa afirm e mai multi specialisti) am putea vedea in Lilith o greseala cruciala a lui Dumn ezeu pe care acesta incearca sa o repare" dandu-le acestor fiinte damnate un loc in care sa poata bantui. Desigur ca ele au mostenit nevoia mamei" si vor incerca sa supravietuiasca chiar daca asta ar insemna a ucide. Locul acesta blestemat, padurea aceasta, este gasita si in opera lui Dante Divina comedia" in volumul Infernul". Pentru a ajunge la portile Infernului, Dante si-a imaginat trecerea printr-o padure sinistra in care pacatele cautau sa-l ademene asca sub forma unor animale (ex: lupoica desfrau, lacomie, gelozie).Poate fi ace asta o viziune asupra acelui loc in care se gaseste si Lilith, din care porneste originea vampirilor? Aceasta este explicatia biblica (daca o putem numi asa) a "nasterii" vampirilor si a aparitiei lui Lilith, dar in mitologie, mai ales in credinta grecilor antic i, Lilith are o alta origine. Cei ce cunosc mitologia antica sunt familiari cu t ermenul de Lamie. Ele sunt genii feminine care-i ispiteau pe tineri cu infatisar ea lor frumoasa, pentru a le suge sangele. Legenda spune ca Lamia a fost o regin a a Libiei, care l-a sedus pe Zeus; furioasa, Hera a transformat-o in spectru si i-a ucis copiii. Drept razbunare, Lamia rapea copiii nenascuti din pantecul mat ern. In Vulgata", numele ei este tradus prin Lilith. In demonologie, e un vampir nocturn, un fel de Sccubus apropiat de strigoi. Lamiile apar in capodopera lui G oethe, Faust" alaturi de alte creaturi ale intunericului, ele fiind inrudite cu M efisto, numele purtat de Satana in aceasta opera. Desigur ca se observa o asemanare intre cele doua teorii dar ramane la latitudin ea fiecaruia pe care doreste sa o creada. Acest demon-vampir, Lilith, a influent at totusi gandirea oamenilor, Goethe ajungand sa declare prin unele personaje, v rajitoare ca : Pe drumul catre dracul, tineti minte, / Femeia e cu zece pasi inai nte". O explicatie stiitifica despre aparitia vampirilor este inca necunoscuta, dar sc riitoarea Anne Rice a incercat sa construiasca alta ipoteza ce a prezentat-o foa rte amanuntit in cartea sa Regina damnatilor" si aici exista o mama" a tuturor vam pirilor, ce e legata de copiii ei, doar ca Akasha a fost poseda de catre un spir it, in aparenta masculin, Amel, care i-a intrat in trup, tranformand-o astfel in vampir. I-a intrat in sange si asemenea unui virus el intra in corpurile celor ce fac schimb de sange cu un vampir. Actioneaza ca o boala... ce cere consumul d e sange si protectie impotriva luminii. ELIZABETA din Transilvania Pe parcursul istoriei, au existat mai multi oameni cu un comportament vamp iric. Cel mai faimos vampir a fost Elizabeta de Bathory, o nobila din Transilvan

ia, care a trait intre 1560 1614. Elizabeta, fiind ingrozita de gindul ca imbatrin este, era convinsa ca imbaierea in singe poate si consumul acestuia este secretu l unei infatisari tinere. Cu acest scop, ea a torturat si a ucis sute de oameni, majoritatea victimelor ei fiind fete tinere. Cind faptele Elizabetei au devenit cunoscute, ea a fost judecata si inchisa in castelul sau, unde a si murit. Originile credintei in vampiri Desi majoritatea oamenilor de stiinta au cautat sa afle in folclor originile cre dintei in vampiri, unii istorici au incercat sa cerceteze originile fizice ale a cesteia. Motivul: exista unele boli ce ar putea provoca un comportament vampiric . Una dintre acestea este porfiria, o maladie genetica rara, de care se poate imbo lnavi o persoana din 200 de mii si care presupune nereguli in producerea de heme un pigment din singe, bogat in fier. Oamenii cu forme grave de porfirie sint fo arte sensibili la razele solare, au dureri abdominale puternice si pot sa sufere de delir acut. Altii au gura si dintii rosietici, din cauza producerii neregula te a pigmentului. In trecut, maladia se trata prin consumul de singe pe cale ora la, care corecta dezechilibrul din organism, desi nu exista nicio dovada clara i n privinta eficacitatii acestui tratament. Daca porfiria se depisteaza la parint i, probabilitatea transmiterii ei la copii este de 25 la suta. In istoria medici nii sint descrise circa 80 de cazuri de porfirie ereditara acuta, considerata in curabila. Se presupune ca, in unele cazuri, aparitia ei este o consecinta a ince stului. Despre legatura dintre porfirie si vampiri, pentru prima data s-a expus Lee Illis din Hampshir. In 1963, el a prezentat Asociatiei Regale de Medicina mo nografia Despre porfirie si etiologia capcaunilor , care continea o trecere in revi sta amanuntita a descrierilor istorice despre vampiri, comparate cu simptomele p orfiriei. O alta radacina fizica probabila a credintei in vampiri poate fi catalepsia, o b oala ciudata, asociata cu epilepsia, schizofrenia si altele care afecteaza siste mul nervos central. In timpul unei crizei de catalepsie, omul pur si simplu ingh eata: muschii ii devin rigizi, trupul i se raceste, iar bataile inimii si respir atia ii incetinesc. Un suferind de catalepsie acuta poate fi confundat cu un cad avru. Astazi, medicii dispun de cunostintele si instrumentele necesare ca sa det ermine daca un om este viu sau mort, dar in trecut oamenii se bazau doar pe apar ente. Despre imbalsamare nici nu se stia pe atunci, asa ca oricine parea sa fie mort era inhumat deodata. O criza de catalepsie poate dura mai multe ore sau chi ar zile in sir. De aceea, unii morti isi reveneau in mormint si, daca groapa nu er a prea adinca, reuseau sa iasa si sa se intoarca acasa. Si procesul de descompunere a cadavrelor poate sa sugereze credinta oamenilor in vampiri. Faptul ca unghiile si parul mortilor continua sa creasca, iar gazele d in corp devin expansibile, sporind volumul abdomenului, ca si cum defunctul ar f i mincat, da unele impresii de viata. Iar infigind o tepusa intr-un asemenea cad avru, acesta ar putea sa erupa, eliberind tot felul de fluide, fapt prin care ge neratiile de altadata ar fi inteles ca mortul s-a hranit cu oameni vii. Desi aceste lucruri au putut alimenta frica de morti vii , originile credintei in v ampiri sint, probabil, mai mult de ordin psihologic. Fiind unul dintre cele mai misterioase aspecte ale vietii, moartea a preocupat adeptii culturilor din toate timpurile. Una dintre caile de a o accepta este personificarea mortii intr-o fo rma tangibila, respectiv, crearea unor personaje ce ar reprezenta-o. Vampirii pe rsonifica, in special, partea intunecata a umanitatii. Lilith, Lamastu si alte d emonite sint opusul sotiei si mamei bune . In loc sa le poarte de grija sotului si copiilor, ele omoara pruncii si seduc barbatii. La fel, mortii vii , in loc sa-si a jute familiile, le maninca. Prin asocierea raului cu personaje supranaturale, oa menii pot sa-si controleze propriile tendinte negative, exteriorizindu-le. Or, a paritia, de-a lungul istoriei, a creaturilor monstruoase in imaginatia oamenilor

, precum si fascinatia continua a acestora fata de vampiri, demonstreaza ca mani festarea temerilor noastre, prin intermediul acesti monstri, tine de natura uman a. Varcolacii...... Lilith a fost prima sotie a lui Adam dar a fost izgonita de zeul crestin. A doba ndit puteri supranaturale si a devenit un demon sexual. Rangul ei este de regina demonilor in Lumea Subpamanteana. Cain s-a hranit cu sangele ei magic si a prim it puterile ei, iar mai tarziu a primit blestemele de la ingeri trimisi de "Dumn ezeu" care il faceau vampiric. A primit blestemul de a avea nevoie sa bea sange si de a nu putea trai in lumina zilei, si blestemul nemuririi. In alta versiune Kain s-a nascut demon si pentru ca a fost muscat de un fel de demon-cobra in loc sa moara a devenit vampir. Asta a spus "bunicul" lui Kain desi Kain a spus ca a fost blestemat cu vampirism si nu a fost transformat de o muscatura. In orice c az exista vampirii nemuritori care beau sange si unii vampiri "soultaker" care n u sunt nemuritori si care nu au nevoie de sange. Toti copii lui Lilith sunt vamp iri "soultaker" aceste puteri fiind mostenite prin sange. Toti copiii lui Kain a u nevoie sa bea sange si nu pot trai in lumina zilei. Varcolacii la fel au fost creati de Lilith, au o durata a vietii de cateva mii de ani. Arata ca oameni obi snuiti dar se pot transforma in oameni-lup, unii avand chiar aripi de dragon, ac easta fiind o evolutie naturala. Desi varcolacii au fost initiali creati, au abi litatea de a transforma un om in varcolac prin diferite metode. Varcolacii sunt organizati in haite de cateva zeci conduse de un comandant, iar vampirii sunt or ganizati in clanuri. Zeita suprema a vampirilor este fiica lui Lilith iar regele vampirilor este Kain, insotiti de mai multi zei si zeite. Zeul varcolacilor est e Lucian, fiind insotit de alti "gardieni" organizati in 21 de grade. Despre varcolaci Un vrcolac este, n mitologia romneasca o fiinta fabuloasa, un demon care mannca Soar ele si Luna, genernd n acest fel fazele Lunii si eclipsele. Multiplele reprezentar i ale acestei creaturi, de la animale reale(lupi,cini), la cele fantastice(zmei, balauri) au condus la un mister asupra formei demonului. Vrcolacul este reprezent area raului care disturba ordinea fireasca a lumii, iar orice abatere de la ordi nea stabilita de comunitate poate genera un vrcolac. Astfel, vrcolacii, ca si stri goii sau moroii, pot proveni din foarte multe surse, cum ar fi: copii nebotezati , nascutii cu anomalii, oameni care si-au ucis un frate sau o sora, sau chiar o actiune contrara unei traditii poate genera un vrcolac. Omul-vrcolac se va transfo rma n timpul unei eclipse, iar de cele mai multe ori, sufletul sau este cel care va urca n cer si va mnca Soarele sau Luna. Daca legatura sufletului cu trupul este ntrerupta n timpul transformarii, sufletul este pierdut pe vecie. Etimologia cuvntului pare a proveni din bulgara sau srba, din vylx + dlaka ce nsemn a cu par de lup. Mitologia stramosilor daco-geti pare a fi influentat, de asemen i, mitologia romneasca, mai ales prin cultul lupului, care legata si de creatura vrcolac. De cele mai multe ori era suficient ca Luna sa aiba o culoare rosietica, pentru ca romnul sa traga concluzia ca vrcolacul mannca Luna iar sngele astrului se prelinge printre coltii fapturii. Modurile de alungare sunt numeroase si implic a de obicei zgomotele de metale, cum ar fi tragerea clopotelor, baterea fiarelor ntre ele.

The Black Veil ~

A Voluntary Code of Ethics for Vampiric Groups and Individuals 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 communic ate 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 re asons 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. N o 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 prev ent us from maintaining a unified community; there are enough who would attack u s from the outside. Our diversity is our strength. Let our differences in viewpo int enrich us but never divide us upon ourselves. 3. SAFETY Use sense when indulging your nature. Do not flaunt what you are in public place s. Feed in private and make certain your donors will be discrete about what happ ens 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 en dangering ourselves or others through irresponsibility. Screen donors carefully, making certain they are in good health both mentally and physically. Never over indulge or get careless. The safety of the entire community rests upon each memb er'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 cloud s our judgment, making us a danger even to those we love. Never indulge in point less violence. Never bring willful harm to those who sustain you. Never feed onl y 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 da rkness 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. Exp lore and make use of your vampire nature, but keep it in balance with material d emands. Remember: we may be vampires, but we are still a part of this world. We must live lives like everyone else here, holding jobs, keeping homes, and gettin g along with our neighbors. Being what we are is not an excuse to not participat e 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 alw ays 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 w hole. Settle your differences quietly among one another, only seeking out an eld er's aid in mediation when no other solution seems possible. Never bring your pr ivate disputes into public places and never draw other family members into the i ssue 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 wh en 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 s hould also respect the owners of the establishments and always be discrete in ou r 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 alw ays 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 ada pt to their rules and be glad of their acceptance. Always be on your best behavi or 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 ar e dangerous and unreliable and may betray us in the future. Make certain that th ose 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 respons ible for their actions, and their behavior in the community will be reflected ba ck to you. 10. ELDERS There are certain members of our community who have established themselves as ju st and responsible leaders. These are the people who helped establish local comm unities, who organize havens, and who work to coordinate the networking of the s cene. While their word does not have to be law, they should nevertheless be resp ected. They have greater experience than many others, and usually greater wisdom . Seek these elders out to settle your disputes, to give you guidance and instru ction, and to help you establish yourself in the local scene. Appreciate the eld ers for all they have given you: if it was not for their dedication, the communi ty 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. F or this service, they should be respected. Never mistreat your donors, physicall y 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 co mpanionship and acceptance which they offer us, which so many others would refus e. 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 privil ege. A good leader must set an example for everyone through his actions and beha vior. His motives should be selfless and pure, and he should put the interests o f the whole community before his own. The best leaders are those who serve to be

tter the community and whose person and behavior gives no one -- even those outs ide of the community -- a reason to criticize them. 13. IDEALS Being a vampire 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 blind ed by light. We are about being different and accepting that difference as somet hing that empowers us and makes us unique. We are about accepting the dark withi n ourselves and embracing that darkness to make us whole beings. We are about ce lebrating 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 acceptin g the whole self, of living without guilt and without shame, and celebrating the unique and beautiful essence of every single soul. 1995-2001 by Sabretooth. revised by Michelle Belanger of House Kheperu

Real Vampires By Enygma DISCLAIMER: This article is presented as information about real vampires for edu cational purposes. The information presented in this is article should not be us ed as a checklist to determine if someone is a real vampire or not. Having any o f the qualities described within this article does not make someone a real vampi re. All other explanations (i.e., medical, psychological, environmental, etc.) s hould be explored before assuming that one is a real vampire. Also, the informat ion presented in this article is general in nature, and does not go into any det ails. The author encourages you to do further research into any specific topics. Real Vampires? What is a real vampire? What are the different type of vampires and their differ ences? This article originally started out as a response to someone asking those very q uestions in a discussion group that I am a member of. These questions are freque ntly asked in many different discussion groups by many different people, usually by those that are new to the vampire community. Depending on where one asks the se questions or to whom one asks these questions, one will get many different an swers. The answers I will give are my own understanding and my own opinion based on my own personal research. There are often discussions about mythical/fictional vampires that most are alre ady familiar with from myths, books, movies, television and role-playing games. There are also sometimes discussions about energy/astral beings (which do not ha ve corporeal forms) and creatures (such as demons) with vampiric qualities; howe ver such beings and creatures are not considered to be true vampires. In actuali ty, there is only one type of vampire: real vampires. Real vampires are individu als (mortal living humans) that have a genuine need for life force energies from outside sources because their bodies either consume energy too quickly or do no t produce sufficient life-force energy to sustain them. Real vampires are then f urther classified by their feeding methods, but some will say that the different feeding methods are different types of real vampires. 'Types' of Vampires Some will say that there are two main different methods of feeding on life-force energy; sanguine and psi; and that all other forms of feeding are subcategories or specializations of psi feeding. Others will say that each feeding method is

a different form of feeding, hence different 'types' of vampires. Sanguine vampires (or sanguinarians) are vampires who feed by drinking blood. Ho wever, it is not the blood itself that they are feeding on. It is the life-force energy contained within the blood. Blood drinking is arguably the most potent f orm of feeding on life-force energy, and many sanguinarians can thrive for many weeks from a single feeding. (A single feeding is often about an ounce or two of blood taken from a willing donor.) Sanguinarians often describe blood drinking as a very fulfilling, very powerful and somewhat intoxicating experience. It als o tends to be a rather intimate form of feeding. Psi (or psy) vampires are vampires that feed psychically on life force energies. Psi feeding (in any form) can be done from an individual (most often a willing donor) or from the ambient energies of a group or crowd. However, psi feeding ca n also be done from a person without the person realizing that they are being fe d from, although many may consider it to be unethical to do so. Generally though , the person being fed from is not harmed by the feeding in any way. It should b e noted that there is no difference between a psi vampire and a psy vampire, oth er than the spelling. As for the difference in spellings, the only conclusion I have been able to reach is that psi is an abbreviation of psionic, while psy is an abbreviation of psychic. However both terms, psionic and psychic, refer to ps ychic phenomena. Psi vampires used to be referred to as psychic vampires, but th e field of behavioral psychology has co-opted the term psychic vampire to descri be a person who has a psychological need for attention and will do whatever they can to get that attention from anyone and everyone, leaving those that interact with them feeling drained. Psi vampires avoid using the term psychic vampire to differentiate themselves from the behavioral psychology psychic vampires. Some will also refer to psi vampires as pranic vampires, derived from the term prana, a Sanskrit term literally translated as life-force energy. Empathic vampires are vampires who feed on emotional life-force energies from th e emotions of people. There are those that will say that vampires that feed on n egative emotional energies (anger, fear, etc.) are negative/chaotic vampires and are a subcategory/specialization of empathic vampires. Others will say that neg ative/chaos vampires are separate from empathic vampires. The reason is that emp athic vampires will usually feed on whatever emotions a person is feeling withou t necessarily causing those emotions. However, often negative/chaos vampires wil l cause situations where negative emotions and chaotic energies will be stimulat ed and then feed off of those energies. Sexual vampires are vampires who feed on the life-force energies generated from having sex, especially the excess energies generated at the moment of orgasm. Th ey can do so psychically and/or from bodily fluids. Female sexual vampires are s ometimes referred to as succubi (singularly, succubus), and male sexual vampires are sometime referred to as incubi (singularly, incubus). Some will also refer to sexual vampires as tantric vampires. Others will refer to sexual vampires as pranic vampires. There is sometimes debate within the vampire community if refer ring to sexual vampires as pranic vampires is correct or not as there are some w ithin the vampire community that refer to psi vampires as pranic vampires, which could lead to some confusion when talking about pranic vampires. Those that sup port referring to sexual vampires as pranic vampires argue that pranic energies and prana are two different things, and that pranic energies are energies relate d to sex while prana is just life-force energies. There are those that think the use of the labels tantric and pranic in reference to sexual vampires is an atte mpt by some within the vampire community at political correctness who feel that the term sexual vampire is derogatory and/or offensive or simply think that tant ric and pranic 'sound' better than sexual. However, it is also possible that tho se who use tantric or pranic when talking about sexual vampires are doing so to differentiate them from any link to behavioral psychology which seems to also be co-opting the term sexual vampire to describe a person who has a psychological

need for attention (much like a psychic vampire) through sex. Soul vampires are vampires that are able to feed directly off the energy of a pe rson's soul. As a result of soul feeding, soul vampires will sometimes gain some or all of the abilities of the person they are feeding from. Soul vampires will also sometimes receive memories, thoughts and desires of the person that they a re feeding from. Soul feeding is a very intimate form of feeding, even more so t han sexual and sanguine feeding. Soul vampires are also sometimes referred to as soul devourers. Elemental vampires are vampires that are able to feed on the life force energies of the elements; earth, wind, fire, and water. Some will say that elemental vam pires are elementalists who are able to manipulate elemental energies and then c onvert those energies into consumable life-force energies. Others will say that elemental vampires feed directly from elemental life-force energies. There are a lso those that will say that vampires who feed on life-force energies from plant s and animals are also elemental vampires. However, there are those that disting uish such vampires as nature vampires. Another method of feeding often considere d a subcategory or specialization of elemental feeding is electrical feeding; th e indirect feeding on energies in electrical fields and lightning. Others will d istinguish such vampires as electrical vampires. Astral vampires are vampires that are able to travel through the astral plane an d feed off of the life-force energies of other entities within the astral plane, and/or they are able to materialize in astral form and feed off the life-force energies of people that are usually asleep. Dreamscape vampires are essentially astral vampires that are able to enter into a person's dream, and feed from the life-force energies within the dream. They c an be invisible observers in the dream, or they can manifest themselves within t he dream. Some are able to influence the course of the dream. Magickal vampires are vampires that are able to feed on and manipulate magickal energies. Vampires who only use one method of feeding are referred to by the way that they feed (i.e., sanguinarian, elemental vampire, sexual vampire, etc.). Vampires wh o are able to feed using some but not all psychic methods but are not able to fe ed sanguine are referred to as adaptive psi vampires. Vampires who are able to f eed using all psychic methods but are not able to feed sanguine are referred to as eclectic psi vampires. Sanguine vampires that are also able to feed using som e but not all psychic methods are referred to as adaptive vampires. Sanguine vam pires who are also able to feed using all psychic methods are referred to as ecl ectic vampires. Other 'Vampires' There are several groups of people that are often mistaken for being real vampir es that are often associated with the vampire community. One such group of people is referred to as leeches or energy leeches by some wit hin the vampire community. Such individuals are people who have developed the ab ility to manipulate and feed on life-force energies in many of the ways vampires feed; however such individuals usually do not have a genuine need for the lifeforce energies that they feed on. They manipulate and feed on life-force energie s for the feelings it gives them; usually a sense of euphoria, power and intoxic ation. Leeches can become addicted to the life-force energies they feed on (much like a drug of some kind), and feel that they need the life-force energies beca use they will go through withdrawals when they do not feed for a period of time. They will sometimes call themselves vampires, and will sometimes try to be invo lved with the vampire community. However, their apparent need for life-force ene rgies does not make them vampires, as the withdrawal symptoms will go away with

time. For real vampires, physical effects felt from not feeding get worse with t ime. It is often very easy for real vampires to realize when an individual is an energy leech and not a vampire. There are also vampire lifestylers, which are often involved in vampire communit ies and can often be mistaken for being real vampires. Vampire lifestylers are p eople that dress and live a life similar to that of mythical/fictional vampires. They try to emulate the Hollywood and fictional image of a vampire as much as p ossible: Having pale skin from staying out of the sun and/or the use of makeup Adopting nocturnal lifestyles; wearing fashions seen in movies, television shows , and described in books (most often gothic, Victorian, and/or leather and usual ly in dark colors) Wearing fake fangs Wearing WildEyes contact lenses to make their eyes look vampiric (most often, Bl ack-out, Cat Eye, Wildfire, Red Hot and White-out styles) Adopting the use of 'old world' language patterns Decorating their homes to emulate gothic and/ or Victorian styles resembling the homes/lairs of vampires seen in movies, television shows and described in books , sometimes including a coffin that they sleep in Some will even go to the extent of drinking blood although they have no need to do so. In most cases, vampire lifestylers are regular humans that have chosen to live t he lifestyle of a vampire. However, it should be noted that there are also real vampires who choose to live the lifestyle of a vampire (for example, Don Henrie from Sci-Fi Channel s Mad Mad House). It is often very easy for real vampires to t ell the real vampire lifestylers apart from the human lifestylers. Another group of people that are sometimes involved with the vampire community a nd mistaken for being real vampires are blood fetishists. Blood fetishists are r egular humans who engage in bloodplay (cutting, bloodletting and blood drinking) usually, but not always, within a BDSM setting. Although blood fetishists will often drink blood, they have no need to do so. Yet another group of people that try to be involved with the vampire community a re perhaps the most despised group of people by the vampire community; role play ers. The most predominant ones are the role players that play Vampire: The Masqu erade by White Wolf Publishing. However, role players can be anyone who chooses to play the part of a vampire in any role playing game (RPG). What usually happe ns is that the role players begin to feel that they are the characters that they are playing. The lines between reality and role playing become blurred for them , and they begin to think and believe that they are vampires. Then they try to g et involved with the vampire community, and try to pass themselves off as real v ampires. However, they usually immediately expose themselves as role players by using RPG terminology and ideas (such as the different types/races of vampire cl ans (Brujah, Ventrue, etc.*), claiming to be immortal, being a member of a certa in clan/house, etc*). Or, they come to the vampire community thinking that it is all RPG, and then find much to their disappointment that the vampire community is a very real community with a low tolerance for role players. However, it shou ld be noted that sometimes playing role playing game may trigger the awakening o f a latent vampire, and that there are some real vampires that also play role pl aying games for recreational reasons. Society also tends to misuse the idea of vampires, and will sometimes refer to p eople as being vampires or exhibiting vampiric traits and behaviors. For example: An accountant and/or phlebotomist may be described as a 'bloodsucker'

An attractive woman dressed for a night of clubbing may be described as 'vamping out' A person in a bad relationship may say that their mate is 'draining the life out of the relationship' References to feeding such as, 'We all feed off of each other.' (Incidentally, t ry doing a Google search using the exact phrase with the quotes. The results are rather interesting, none of them having anything to do with vampirism or vampir es.) The phrase, 'They are trying to bleed me dry' or 'They are bleeding me dry' ofte n heard during contract negotiations 'They must be a vampire because they stay up/out late all the time'; 'They are l ike a vampire, they work at night and sleep all day.' However, in most cases, the people referred to in such a manner usually are not vampires of any kind nor should they be mistaken to be vampires. As mentioned earlier, the field of behavioral psychology has co-opted the terms psychic vampire and sexual vampire to describe people who have a psychological n eed for attention and will do whatever they can to get that attention from anyon e and everyone, leaving those that interact with them feeling drained. In most c ases, these people are not real vampires. The drained feeling that people experi ence when interacting with these people comes from having to tolerate an often u ncomfortable and unpleasant situation, but not from an energy feeding. There is also another psychological condition within the field of behavioral psy chology known as clinical vampirism, or more commonly referred to as Renfield's Syndrome, based upon the fictional character of Renfield from Bram Stoker's Drac ula. Those that suffer from clinical vampirism, in most cases, are not real vamp ires either. Renfield's Syndrome is described as a pathological and delusional d isease, fetishistic and compulsive in nature, where a person (usually a male) ex periences a psychological need for blood with a strong sexual component. General ly, those that suffer from the syndrome often go through a progression of stages beginning with auto-vampirism (drinking one's own blood) and progressing to vam pirism (drinking the blood of others). The compulsion of the vampirism stage may lead a person to committing criminal acts to obtain human blood, such as steali ng blood from hospitals and blood banks or going to the extreme of killing someo ne. Another group of people that are often mistaken for being real vampires are crim inal vampires, sometimes referred to as vampire killers or psychotic vampires. T hese are individuals that have committed criminal acts that are considered vampi ric in nature, generally anything having to do with the drinking of blood or the criminal claiming to be a vampire. Some of these individuals may be in the fina l stage of clinical vampirism as described in the previous paragraph. In most ca ses though, criminal vampires are individuals that are obsessed with emulating f ictional vampires, either from watching movies and television shows about vampir es, reading (usually fictional) books about vampires, and/or playing vampire cha racters in RPGs. However, it should be noted that it is possible that some crimi nal vampires may have been real vampires. It has not been proven either way whet her any criminal vampires were real vampires or not. Symptoms/Characteristics of Vampires What are the symptoms of vampirism? I personally, and some others, dislike the term symptoms when referring to vampi rism as it makes vampirism sound like some kind of disease or illness, which it is not. Some also refer to vampirism as a condition or energy deficiency, but I personally, and some others, frown upon those terms as well, because it gives va mpirism a negative connotation. No one knows nor has been able to determine what causes vampirism. The leading t heory is that vampirism may be a combination of genetic, physiological and metap

hysical causes. One will often see vampirism referred to as a condition, and the n compared to some other physiological conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure. I personally prefer to refer to symptoms of vampirism as vampiric traits, charac teristics and abilities. However, possessing any or all of these traits, charact eristics and abilities does not make one a vampire as many of these same traits, characteristics and abilities can be accounted for by other reasons. All other explanations (i.e., medical, psychological, environmental, etc.) should be explo red before assuming that one has those traits due to vampirism. The key factor in determining if one is a vampire is going to be if one has a ge nuine need for life-force energies from outside sources and their traits, charac teristics and abilities are tied to their vampirism. Also, not all vampires will have all traits, characteristics and abilities. Each individual vampire is diff erent and may have different traits, characteristics and abilities from each oth er. Just as every individual is different, every vampire is different. Some will have more abilities than others. Some will have more limitations than others. Physical characteristics: Pale skin Sensitivity to sunlight physically (i.e., sunburn easily) and/or visually Visual sensitivity to any light source Better night vision than day vision Eye color changing with mood or for no apparent reason Heightened senses Unaccounted-for strength (i.e., stronger than one should be without working out) and quick reflexes Often feels hungry and/or thirsty despite an adequate food diet Extreme cravings for certain types of food or extreme cravings that can not be s atisfied with food Often feel run down, fatigued, tired despite an adequate food diet and activity level Frequent headaches for no apparent reason Does not require very much sleep Able to heal quicker than others Often get sick with 'flu-like' symptoms with no medical explanation when they go without feeding for a period of time Mental characteristics: Strong-willed; independent nature; confident Intellectual/highly intelligent Well-learned/educated, although not necessarily school-educated Predatory nature Dark nature Prefers nighttime over daytime; i.e., nocturnal nature Moodiness/mood swings/quick-tempered Mental and/or personality disorders (diagnosed by a medical doctor) Psychic abilities (although not necessarily psychic feeding methods) and metaphy sical characteristics: Empathy Telepathy Mind reading See and read auras Extra-sensory perception (ESP) Clairaudience, being able to mentally hear things from a distance Clairvoyance, being able to mentally see things from a distance Clairsentience, having knowledge that one can not explain Audiovoyance, being able to see and/or hear spirits and possibly communicate wit h them Telekinesis

Pyrokinesis Astral travel/astral projection Psychometry Invisibility, although not as in the Invisible Man kind of invisibility; the kin d of invisibility where one can blend into a setting, room and/or crowd, and not be noticed by anyone looking for them. Precognition/visions Past-life memories, especially vampiric past-life memories Immortal soul and a belief in reincarnation Experience dj vu quite frequently Able to sense other vampires (often referred to as 'vamp radar') Involved in 'alternative' religions (such as pagan, Wiccan, satanic, etc.) or ha ve 'alternative' spiritual beliefs Most are either born vampires or experience an awakening to their vampiric natur e later in life, usually in their teen years but it can happen later in life. The above lists are not all-inclusive lists, as I may have missed some character istics and abilities, but those are the ones that I could think of at this time. These lists of vampire characteristics and traits should not be used as a check list to determine if one is a vampire. Differences between Real Vampires and Mythical/Fictional Vampires Real vampires are not undead creatures. Real vampires are living humans. Real vampires are not immortal. Real vampires are mortal humans. However, some v ampires may believe they have immortal souls, may believe in reincarnation and m ay have past life memories. Real vampires are not demons. They are humans. Real vampires are not superior to humans. Real vampires are humans with a need t o obtain life-force energies from outside sources. They are perhaps different fr om most humans, but not superior. Religious symbols do not ward off or bother real vampires by simply being held u p at them. Beating or hitting a real vampire with said religious symbol may be a different story. Holy water does not affect real vampires other than it gets them wet, and gettin g them wet might annoy a real vampire. Real vampires in general are not necessarily evil, although some may choose to b e. Religious preferences among real vampires will vary by each individual vampir e. Some will choose to follow a certain religion, while others will not follow a ny religion. While some real vampires will choose to be satanic, not at all real vampires are satanic or devil worshippers. Believe it or not, there are even so me real vampires that are Christians. Silver does not bother most real vampires. Some are allergic to silver. Others w ill use silver for its metaphysical properties to control and/or focus shielding and/or feeding techniques. Yes, a real vampire can be killed if one drives a stake through his heart and ch op off his head, but so will most regular humans if one does the same to them. A lso, real vampires do not turn to dust or rapidly decompose when one kills them. By the way, killing a real vampire is murder, and will result in a person being arrested and put in prison. Real vampires do not change or morph into any other forms, such as wolves, bats, mist, etc. Real vampires do not have superpowers. Some may have heightened senses and abili ties, though. Real vampires do not fly, unless they are in some kind of flying device like a p lane or helicopter. Real vampires do not burst into flames in sunlight. However, some real vampires are sensitive to sunlight and will sunburn easily. Other real vampires enjoy the sun, and can elementally feed from the sun. Real vampires do not sleep all day and stay up all night. Although many real vam

pires have nocturnal natures, most also have daytime lives that they must deal w ith as well. However, most will stay up well into the night and sleep for a coup le of hours before resuming their daytime lives. Real vampires do not have to sleep in coffins, and they do not need to have thei r native soil with them when they sleep. However, real vampires may choose to sl eep in a coffin for personal reasons. I understand that they are quite dark and very quiet, allowing for a very peaceful sleep. Real vampires do not 'turn', 'embrace', 'sire' or 'change' someone into a vampir e. There is no such thing as a vampirism virus, and one can not become a vampire by being bitten or through an exchange of blood. Real vampires are born vampire s and may be vampires from birth or they may experience an awakening later in li fe, usually during their teen years but it can happen later in life. At best, so me real vampires may be able to trigger the awakening of a latent vampire, which is often misconstrued as a turning. Real vampires are not bloodthirsty killers. They do not feed on and kill victims . Most real vampires feed from willing donors in safe manners, never risking har m to their donors. Even for real vampires who feed from people that do not reali ze they are being fed from, although it is considered unethical by most, they wi ll not feed in a manner that causes harm to the person being fed from. Real vampires cast reflections. Some even enjoy looking at their reflections. So me enjoy it too much. Others do not enjoy looking at their reflections. Just lik e most people. Real vampires do not necessarily dress to look like vampires seen in movies, tel evision, or described in books. Some may do so by choice. Others may choose to l ook gothic. Others will dress however they want to and wear regular clothes. Real vampires do not have fangs, although some may choose to have their teeth sh aped to look like fangs or wear fake fangs. Some people have naturally occurring fangs, but that does not necessarily make them vampires. Real vampires are not able to enthrall a person simply by looking at them. Howev er, some real vampires are able to effectively seduce or charm people using vari ous methods (such as NLP** and hypnosis). Real vampires do not live in fancy mansions in households with other vampires, n or do they live in mausoleums/crypts. However, some real vampires may choose to live with each other as roommates/housemates. Others will form covens, courts, h ouses, orders, and/or organizations to gather and be with other vampires. Real vampires are not automatically rich, and do not have fancy possessions. Man y real vampires have to work regular jobs for a living. The lifestyles of real vampires are not romantic and glamorous like those seen i n movies, television or described in books. Many vampires lead regular lives, ha ve families, have to pay rent/mortgages/bills, and deal with everyday things lik e everyone else. Again, the above list is not an all-inclusive list, as I may have missed some di fferences, but those are the ones that I could think of at this time. Conclusion In this article, I have defined what a real vampire is, explained the different types of vampires and their feeding methods, described people often mistaken for real vampires, listed characteristics of real vampires, and the differences bet ween real vampires and mythical/fictional vampires. However, I want to make it c lear that there is no definitive way or 'test' for determining if one is a real vampire or not. Determining if one is a real vampire is a personal journey, and should not be taken lightly. One needs to do research and eliminate any other ex planations (i.e., medical reasons for certain characteristics) before assuming t hat they are a vampire. A person needs to determine for themselves if a real vam pire is simply what they are or what they desire to be. If a person desires to be a vampire, then one needs to determine what the motiva tion for that desire is as usually that desire will go unfulfilled. If they are not already a vampire (i.e., a latent vampire), then they will not be able to be come a vampire no matter how much they may want to become one. However, they can

still become involved with the vampire community as a vampire supporter and/or donor. There are many people involved in the vampire community who are not vampi res, and they are able to contribute to the vampire community. As mentioned before, the information presented in this article is general in nat ure, and presented for educational purposes. Any areas of specific interest shou ld be further researched. --------* Some real vampires are members of real Houses, although these are generally no t named after fictional clans, vampires or houses. ** Neuro-Linguistic Programming. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------Notes: This article is written in its entirety by Enygma, and to the best of the author 's knowledge it is an original article. The information presented in this articl e comes from personal research and participation in discussion groups within Yah oo Groups and various message boards. No other articles or authors (to the best of the author's knowledge) were quoted in the writing of this article. However, credit is due to the following people and organizations (and the members thereof ) (in alphabetical order) for educating the author about real vampires and vampi rism: Kindred Nations Yahoo Group, Michelle Belanger and House Kheperu Yahoo Gro up and website, Ordo Strigoi Vii & Vampyre Almanac, Sanguinarius: The Vampire Su pport Page (and the resources thereof), Shadowlore Yahoo Group, SphynxCat's Real Vampires Support Page website, Vampire Church Yahoo Group and website, Vampire Corner Yahoo Group and website (currently not available), and Vyrdolak's website . Brief Bibliography The idea for this article came from a discussion in the Vampire-Discussion Yahoo Group, a resource of Sanguinarius: The Vampire Support Page. Description of clinical vampirism taken from, 'Vampires, Werewolves, & Demons. T wentieth Century Reports in the Psychiatric Literature.' Richard Noll. Brunner/M azel Publishing, Inc. New York, New York. 1992. All other information for this article came from discussions in various Yahoo Gr oups and from various websites mentioned above, as well as personal experiences of the author and conversations with other vampires. About the Author Enygma is a solitary eclectic vampire residing in the state of Hawaii on the isl and of Oahu. Enygma experienced his awakening during his teen years, and has bee n a (awakened) vampire for almost twenty years within this lifetime. Enygma came to the online vampire community in November of 2003, and has taken an active ro le in participating in the online vampire community in a search for knowledge ab out vampires and vampirism. Enygma can often be found participating in discussio ns in various discussion groups and on message boards, freely sharing his knowle dge, thoughts, and opinions of vampires and vampirism. Additionally, the author welcomes any inquiries, questions, comments and/or crit icisms from readers about this article or any posts the author has made. The aut hor also welcomes requests to repost this article to discussion groups, message boards and websites, subject to the copyright notice below and conditions that t he author may require for reposting this article. The author can be reached at e nygmaone@yahoo.com. The author's only request is that any comments and/or critic isms be constructive. Messages of an inflammatory or derogatory nature will be d eleted without a response. Original Version: Saturday, Apr 24, 2004 at 9:56 pm Hawaiian Standard Time Current Revision: Tuesday, May 25, 2004 at 8:01 pm Hawaiian Standard Time (Rev. 10)

 2004-Present by Enygma. All copyrights reserved to original author. Do not copy, change or alter without written permission from the author. Do not reprint and/ or retransmit unless in entirety with copyright statement and credit to the orig inal author attached. Any copying, changes, alterations, reprints, and or retran smissions without copyright statement and credit to original author attached wil l be considered a copyright infringement and punishable by law. Used This ints atly t is with author's permission article is part of an effort to present things representative of various po of view held within the vampire community. Views can, and often do vary gre among individuals. The reader must seek his or her own truth and decide wha applicable or useful to them.

Vampire or Vampyre? What's the Difference? Written by Larae The word Vampire (Vampir, Vampyre) has oblique origins, but researchers and scho lars for the most part agree that it can be traced to the Slavic Tongue. There h ave been continuous debates however, as to its etymological sources. The word ma y have come from the Lithuanian wempti ('to drink'), or from the root pi ('to dr ink'), with the prefix va or av. Other suggested roots have included the Turkish uber ('witch'), and the Serbo-Croation pirati ('to blow'). Associated forms developed from the Serbo-Croation term, such as Vampir, Upyr in the Russian, Upior in the Polish, and Upir in the Byelorussian. Some scholars p refer the concept that upir is older than vampir, an eastern Slavic name that sp read westward into the Balkans, where it was adopted by the southern Slavs and r eceived vigorous circulation. The word vampire (or vampyre) arrived in the Engli sh language with two 1732 publications: the March translation of a report by the investigators looking into the case of Arnold Paole of Meduegna and the May rel ease of the article 'Political Vampires.' Vampyre is a variant spelling of vampire that endured into the nineteenth centur y, and as you have witnesses through out the net, it is still exercised by many today. 'Vampyre' is closely connected to the Latin Vampyrus, to John Polidori's title for his short story ' The Vampyre' (1819), and to the works of experts of previous centuries, including Zopfus, Rohl, and Ranft. As the word Vampire came into more common usage with the translation of such Eastern European names as up ior, upyr, vampir, and vapir into English, vampyre became less common and died o ut. Through out the Vampire Community, you will come across the two spelling variati ons of 'vampire'. Some feel that the spelling of 'vampyre' is more superior to ' vampire' because, in their opinion, it has a more aristocratic flair with a dark , elder essence. Sometimes the simplistic reason for use of 'vampyre' is the adm iration of how it appears and nothing more. Many choose to use 'vampire' over 'v ampyre' because in their opinion, it is more modern or because it differentiates vampyre (as used in immortal myths) from 'real vampires' (sanguines and psychic v ampires). Many debate the usage and the distinguished differences, but it is qui te trivial. It arrives at the conclusion of personal preference of the individua l, you either favor i or y. It s as simple as that. There isn t a right or wrong wit h the term or the use of it. It s the same scenario as You say tomato, I say tomah to.

Vampyre History ~ Just as there was the Dark Fire that spawned the Ways of Darkness, so there were other great fires of power, fires that carried life and knowledge within themse lves. These burned long before many worlds were formed, long before the existenc e of man. One of these Fires was of a dark deep red color. The Fire was dying ou t and wished to continue its essence and created beings to carry itself on, just as we would create children. That was long ago and I do not remember if there w ere seven or eight beings created from the fires. I do know that there are only three of the original beings created from the red fires still in existence today , and they are very old beings. The ones created from the Red Fires were the beginning of all that are the Vampi re races today. When first created, they drew their essence and energy from the fires. Unlike other beings they needed this energy and essence to continue their existence. Once the Red Fires died out they needed to find other methods to sus tain themselves. They found that they had the ability to take the life force of other beings within themselves, and thus use this force to continue their existe nce. These original creatures created from the Red Fires were the beginning of the Va mpire Race, and all the Races of Vampires in existence today are the descendants of these original beings created from the Red Fires. As they had children of th eir own, the original Vampires began to see changes in their children. Some had the ability to draw the required life force by drawing upon the energy of those who were their victims, while others needed the actual blood of the victim and w ould draw the life force from the blood they took. Over time their children bran ched out and through time changes caused the various and different Vampire Races . Today there are still many of these descendant races in existence. Many of these races still stand by themselves, though some have sworn themselves to other pat hs. The majority of those who have sworn themselves though, have sworn themselve s to the Dark Path, though there are those that do walk the other ways as well. And over time there have also been many changes within the Races. Some of these creatures are blessed with extreme intelligence, while others are just basic cre atures of destructive force. The most numerous of the Races are the Synthal, oth erwise known as Syn. This race is one that has sworn itself unto the Path Of Dar kness. One ability of the Synthal do have the ability to create others of their Race if they so choose during the process of taking the energy from them. That is one r eason this Race has grown to outnumber the other Vampire Races to such a great d egree. Over time members of the Vampire races have broken the veil between this world a nd the spiritual world and entered within the realm of mankind. That is why ever y known race of man has had legends of Vampires in their folklore. Some of those that have come through have shared their essence with those who walk as mankind , and this is why today there are those who among the ways of man within themsel ves consider themselves to be Vampire. And it depends upon the particular race t hat shared the essence, whether the Vampire of human Ways is of the Psi, or Sang nature. And some do have both tendencies within themselves and have the ability to draw energy from either the essence or the blood. There is also an ancient Ritual of the Ways Of Darkness that would allow one to become Syn, if during the Ritual those of the Synthal find the candidate accepta ble. Though for this to happen, the body will die during the Ritual, and the one becoming such will become such in the spiritual realm. And unlike modern legend

, the body will not rise from the grave. Once one chooses to become Syn, that is all they will ever be. Syn have no love. They have no friends. They have that which they are and that is all they will e ver have or ever be. And the first that they will feed upon and destroy upon the ir awakening will be those within their lives who they have truly loved. However there is an advantage to such and for some it is worth it. For the Syn can live forever, and they hold the knowledge and powers of any they have taken through out their existence as a Syn. And for some, the knowledge and powers available t o this existence are worth the costs of being such. 2007 Immortal Darkness

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 exerci se of 'form over function.' Going further, there is also the consideration of wh at is the nature of the titles in question. When we speak of the Prime Minster of Canada, more often than not we are speakin g 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 identifyin g 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 considerati on. 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 tha t GW is a despised man, who personal identity alone manages to taint the honorar y identity of the office he holds. Were the title 'President' to come without al l the executive privilages of its current function, you would have little more t han a pompous declaration (i.e. see the current english system of knights who ar e 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 so mething from outside the self to sustain/transcend the self, and perhaps more ri gidly 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 a nd the community: Those who come saying, 'I am.' (form) And those who come sayin g, '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 an d 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 so cial network in which contriving status becomes the next step once they've achie ved 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 s imilarities between their behaviour and the archetypical concept of the vampire. They seek to discover their own motives and understand their particular situati on for personal reasons: whether to improve the methods, dissolve unfavorable sy mptoms, escape the pattern entirely, etc. Other person's play a role not as a so urce of validation, but as a source of comparison to create a better understandi ng of the commonalities as a phenomenon, and the differences as a personal manif estation. Because of my idea on this, I find zero use in organizations that contrive a gro up 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 con dition 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 doe sn't hasten respect from those who can sincerely provide it. Semantics will not earn you anything. I respect several persons throughout the communitity for thei r 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 forum s for discussion on the topic, enabling a superior realm of community and feedba ck 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 somet imes, 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.

Shielding for Beginners ~ What is a shield? A psychic shield is a non material substance/force/ power with which you surroun d yourself for protection. Many types of force can be called into play in its co nstruction, and many forms can be used, all at your discretion. It's important t hat a friend, instructor or adept NOT do this work for you; your shield will be with you permanently, and you need to have the intimate connection that creating your own provides. Why make a shield? The best reason is for protection against psychic flak of all kinds, especially important when you are first starting down the Path, and aren't yet well-versed in defensive measures. It's protection from mind-games and psychic vampires (yes , they do exist), and a good shield helps you to separate mundane flak from psyc hic flak. It exercises the faculties of self-reliance and visualization. All tol d, it's one of the most essential tools of the working occultist. What do I need to know about shields? Your shield is your BASIC piece of protection/comfort/ defence. It is a permanen t part of you, and something like wearing a Circle like a second skin. It should be flexible and semi-permeable, moving and growing with you, and 'breathing' wi th your energy usage. Be aware that what you visualize when you start out is wha t will be there, but that the shield will probably change of its own accord to k eep up with your changing capabilities and needs.

Building the Shield Preliminary Cleansing When building your first shield, it seems rather ridiculous to lock in any negat ive energies you may be carrying with you currently. Therefore, a preliminary cl eansing, as follows: Stand in a quiet place and centre your energies. Visualize a gleaming sharp sword in your hand. Use it joyously, vigorously slicing through the air close to your body on all sides, over your head and under your feet. As you slash, visualize all unfriendly or negative ties being severed and the ends shrivelling away to nothing. Do not be specific -- 'this tie, that tie' - ALL u nfriendly ties are being cut!! Note that friendly and unfriendly ties exist on d ifferent planes, so you can't damage the friendly ties -- although you may be su rprised that ties you thought were friendly, aren't -- and vice versa. It isn't necessary to do this every time you work on your shields, although a once-a-year cleansing and general housecleaning couldn't hurt. Other helpful rituals include: The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram; the Middle Pillar; the Kabalistic Cross; any other cleansing/grounding rituals you may be aware of. Visualizations You have to decide every detail of the visualization of your shields. What shape will it take? What colour (if any)? What materials? What appearance? These are the basics; we'll touch on the embellishments later. Shapes - Round, spherical, cylindrical, square, cube, pentagon, pentagram, ovoid , and any other shape you like. If you can form and hold a dodecahedron in your mind's eye, go to it!! Colours - Any colour of the rainbow, and a few never seen on this plane are all acceptable. White is one commonly-used colour, but if you want chartreuse, by al l means go ahead! Try to avoid black; not for its effect on you, necessarily, bu t for not giving the wrong signals to the folks you might want to be working wit h. Textures - Vary widely; from brick walls to energy cocoons, to steel spheres and laser force fields. Whatever your mind conceives of as protecting is what you u se. Warning - Leaving this construct semi-permeable is strongly advised. This leaves you open to receiving positive energies while still giving you protection, and allows the important vibrational interactions that lead to growth. THE PROCESS Once you've decided what you shield will be, sit quietly and begin to visualize it around you in the form you've chose. Take 10 or 15 minutes to get it solid an d clear to your inner eyes, then quit for the day. Once a day for a week, re-vis ualize your shield and strengthen it. Then check your shield once a week for the next month, re-visualizing and strengthening as needed. After that, check on yo ur shield as you feel it's needed, but at least once a year. Keep in mind that o nce your shield is well-established, it's basically self-sustaining and maintain ing. Eventually, the only times you'll need to be aware of your shield is at its yearly housecleaning, when you think of an improvement, or when it's reacting t o a threat.

Grounding and Shielding ~ Of the best advice I or anyone else can give another is the advice of practicing grounding and shielding.The practice of grounding will help root your energy, g ive you a stable outlet to channel out excess/unwanted energies and even bring y ou back to a more tolerable and comfortable level of energy to handle. Shielding is the best and only way I know of to protect yourself and others from unwanted energy draining. Shielding can help protect a person from negative energies, but not only does sh

ielding keep energy out; it in turn can also help keep energy in. This is good f or those that are not in control of their own energies that they may be leaking out. I don't just recommend this for us vampires, but for psychics as well.For t hose that are just learning how to do these techniques or other techniques, give yourself time to feel the affects and to master these two powerful tools. In ti me you'll be able to switch these techniques on and off without to much thought or effort. Before trying either of grounding or shielding, I suggest you first find a time in the day or night that is most calm and without distractions. If you try to gr ound or shield and you are anxious or nervous you may not do it properly and/or may not feel the affects of it. Just relax and try it again or wait until you ar e more calm. Sit comfortably in a chair with both feet flat on the ground, your hands can be folded in your lap or down at your sides, which ever you prefer.Now then take 4 -5 deep slow breathes paying attention do your breathing as you do. Breathe in slowly to the count of 5 seconds, hold it for 1 second and then exha le the count of 5 to 10 seconds. You will want to let the air completely out of your lungs. Feel the air fill your lungs as you inhale and feel the air leave yo ur lungs as you inhale. If you start to feel lightheaded, STOP! You shouldn't fe el lightheaded, but more relaxed.Pay attention to how your body feels, you shoul d feel more relaxed at this point. You don't have to continue breathing as deepl y, but continue to pay attention to your breathing for the remainder of this exe rcise. Close your eyes and visualize your feet becoming roots; pushing down into the surface under them. Keep pushing your 'roots' down as far as you can go unt il you can't go any further. Remember your breathing as well. Now with your mind on your roots and your breathing, visualize your energy flowing through and aro und you. The color violet seems to work best in doing this, you may of course ch oose the color you feel to be yours and use that instead. Now then, see this col ored energy flowing through you when you breathe in, it expands with you when yo u exhale it contracts with you. You may or may not feel any different, but if yo u do you have become more aware of your own energy. I want you to push that ener gy down towards your roots. See this energy flow outwards from your roots and de ep within the ground away from you. If you have trouble doing this, then imagine the way a garden hose has water flowing from it, your energy can flow as slowly or as strongly as you wish. I don't recommend going to fast or tr ying to do to much at once if you are just learning how to do this. Don't push a ll of the energy out and away, but enough to connect with the Earth and enough s o that will feel more relaxed. When you feel comfortable (not tired) and relaxed you will have successfully grounded your energy. To stop grounding, concentrate on your breathing and visualize your energy flow from your roots, slowing down and eventually stopping. Again if you have trouble with this just visualize a ga rden hose being shut off. You should have your 'roots' come back up from the gro und becoming feet again. After a while you won't have to visualize the roots por tion and will be able to ground automatically. There are various techniques to shield. You can practice shielding either standing or sitting. Just be sure you are doing this when you won't be disturbed . Shielding is easy to learn and can be practiced in a small amount of time. So you don't need to worry about trying this for half an hour. O ne method is the Violet Flame. You can either start the 'fire' in your hands by cupping both hands close together as if you are trying to create an energy ball or protect a small flame from being blown out in your hand s. Visualize this violet fire first as a small flame about the size of a flame c oming off of a match, lighter or candle stick. It may help you to close your eyes although it's not necessary. Using the same technique to push your energy as you did when you were grounding, visualize your energy aroun d you and push that energy into your hands and 'feed' that little flame to make it grow. While this flame grows bigger 'see' it surrounding your hands, arms, to rso, head, waist, legs and feet becoming part of you.This flame will be the barr ier that protects your energy from unwanted energy and at the same time keep you r energy to yourself and prevent others from tapping into it and taking it. To h elp strengthen/solidify this action in your mind you can visualize unwanted/nega

tive energy frying up like a piece of paper does when it touches a flame. Or for laughs, if you know what a bug zapper does to a mosquito you can visualize that instead. Either way you are still protecting yourself. If you like you can push this flame out and away from you a few feet if you like or keep it tight against your skin. You do not have to keep thinking of this flame to keep it there or to keep it wo rking. To stop shielding, simply see the flame burn out or fade away. Mirror Technique This technique can be a more visually powerful tool for protecting oneself. Imagine yourself inside a ball of silver light that reflects away any energy. Wh en you visualize this light around you, make sure it appears solid in your minds eye. You will want this light to surround you completely. Concentrating on this silver ball of light, see it transform into a mirror like aura. It will reflect any unwanted energy back to it's origin. Personally I like to visualize spikes that can automatically destroy really negative energy befor e it has a chance to get too close. I've also used this technique for the whole house or even in the car. You don't have to do this if you don't want to, it jus t gives me a sense of added protection. Make sure you concentrate enough energy into this or any technique you use to help make it more concrete. You should rea lly only have to spend about a minute or so on doing so. However do take whateve r time you feel you need to do this. Just as the flame technique this one will b e there until you turn it off.As with any technique you use, once you get the fe el of it, you can create your own barriers and shields and even have them act as a filter. It's really all up to you.

Myth and Fact ~ 1. Vampires hate garlic 2. Holy water repels us. 3. Vampires have no reflection. 4. Vampires can be made. 5. All vampires belong to Clans. 6. Vampires have sharp pointy teeth. 7. All vampires drink blood. 8. We turn into bats, mist and can hypnotize people and animals. 9. Vampires sleep in coffins. 10. Vampires go 'poof' in sunlight. 11. Vampires have no soul. Conform legendelor lumii, vampirii sunt oameni al caror trup continua sa traiasc a n absenta sufletului. Inteligenta lor nu tine de calitatile duhului, ci de spir itul diabolic. Tocmai din cauza absentei sufletului, vampirii nu au umbra si nu se vad n oglinda. Conditia lor de morti vii este consecinta unui pact infernal, p rin care si-au cedat sufletul n schimbul nemuririi trupului. Dar aceasta nemurire nu reprezinta, mntuirea n lumina, ci este damnare la ntuneric. Cnd a aparut legenda vampirilor?

Prima aparitie a cuvntului upir ( n prima forma a cuvntului de mai trziu care a deven t vampir ) se regaseste ntr-un document din anul 1047, referitor la un print rus car

e este numit upir sichy , sau vampir periculos. Mai trziu, n 1190 Walter Map n De Nagi Curialium face referiri asupra unui vampir ca existent n Anglia. Totodata, n 1196, Wiliam de Newburgh n ale sale Cronici nregistreaza cteva povesti despre vampiri orig inari din Anglia. Cum se ajunge vampir si cum actioneaza vampirii? * Oamenii devin vampiri de obicei daca sunt muscati, dar nu ucisi, de un vampir. Alte legende spun ca trupul devine vampir atunci cnd o pisica sau un cine sare pe ste el. Tot alte legende spun ca vrajitoarele sau vrajitorii devin vampiri atunc i cnd mor. * Vampirii au nevoie de obicei de snge sau tnjesc dupa el, de obicei snge uman. Vam pirii obtin de obicei sngele prin muscarea gtului victimei si sugndu-i sngele. n unel e legende vampirii practica, pentru a suge sngele, incizii lungi si adnci. * Vampirii de obicei nu tolereaza lumina soarelui sau focul. Ei dorm de obicei z iua si ies afara doar noaptea si actioneaza numai noaptea, la ora 12 fix, pentru o scurta perioada. Vampirii si petrec ziua de obicei ntr-un sicriu sau ngropati n p amnt. * Vampirii nu pot traversa ape curgatoare si nu pot intra ntr-o casa sau camera f ara sa fie invitat. Unele legende sustin ca vampirii pot sa se rencarneze n liliec i sau lupi. Totodata, unghiile de la degetele vampirilor sunt ca din sticla. vampir3Cum se ndeparteaza si se distrug vampirii? * Unele legende spun ca vampirii nu suporta sunetul clopotelor trase, n special a l celor din biserica. * Legenda spune ca, de obicei, o teapa de lemn nfipta n inima vampirului l va ucide . Teapa trebuie sa fie facuta dintr-un anumit tip de lemn, ca de exemplu lemn d e maces. * Unele legende spun ca vampirii sunt alungati cu ajutorul crucifixului, apa sfi ntita, sau usturoi. Simptome medicale de confundare cu vampirismul Exista trei simptome medicale datorita carora oamenii obisnuiti pot fi confundat i cu vampirii: porfiria, anemia, catalepsia. * Porfiria este o boala rara genetica a sngelui. Duce la o piele palida, sensibil itate la lumina, si face ca incisivii sa arate mai mari. Porfiria a influentat c el mai mult legenda vampirilor. * Anemia duce la o culoare a fetei foarte palida si poate da impresia de vampiri sm. * Catalepsia poate cauza moartea clinica pentru o perioada de cteva zile. O perso ana care iese din asemenea stare apare ca o persoana ce nvie din morti. Vampirii n traditiile populare romnesti De cele mai multe ori, n traditiile populare romnesti, vampirii sunt identificati cu strigoii morti, ce vin si sug sngele celor vii n timp ce acestia dorm. Pentru c a nu se stie sigur niciodata despre niciun om, n momentul cnd este nmormntat, daca v a fi sau nu strigoi, n unele zone se pune mortului cte un bob de lamie n fiecare nar a, ca sa nu mai poata rasufla , n urechi, n ochi si n gura. Mai demult, cadavrele erau exhumate la trei pna la sapte ani dupa nmormntare si, daca descompunerea lor nu er

a completa, li se introducea o teapa n inima (teapa se confectiona din lemn de tr andafir salbatic sau din frasin, n alte parti din fier rosu). Ca sa piara n sfrsit strigoiul, cei ce l-au dezgropat trebuie sa i nfiga tepusa n ini ma (sau n buric); sau, despicnd mortul nca viu sa i scoata inima din piept ca sa fie rsa pe carbuni, ca siguranta ca a murit. Daca strigoiul-vampir ramne nedescoperit timp de sapte ani, dupa ce ucide n voie mai ales copiii neamului sau, apoi alti oameni, el poate sa plece ntr-o alta tara sau ntr-un loc unde se vorbeste alta lim ba si sa devina iarasi fiinta omeneasca, sa se casatoreasca si sa faca copii car e, dupa moarte, devin strigoi-vampiri Strigoiul mort nu se poate ndeparta prea mult de groapa lui, ntruct trebuie sa se nt oarca n ea nainte de rasaritul] soarelui. Daca se banuieste prezenta malefica a un ui strigoi-vampir ntr-o zona, se apeleaza la un baiat sau la o fata, destul de ti neri nct sa fie nca virgini. Cel ales trebuie sa ncalece un cal de o singura culoare , alb, roib sau negru, de asemenea virgin. Calul cu calaretul copil este dus la cimitir si pus sa treaca peste toate gropile. Daca refuza sa treaca peste o groa pa nseamna ca acolo se afla un strigoi. n ceea ce i priveste pe strigoii vii, se co nsidera ca orice persoana care nu mannca usturoi, sau care aversiune la usturoi, poate fi un strigoi. Filme cu vampiri De la Nosferatu al lui Murnau pna la Dracula , al lui Coppola s-au turnat o multime de productii cu vampiri, dar clasicele pot fi numarate pe degetele de la o mna. * Bram Stoker s Dracula (1992) a cstigat trei Oscaruri si a reusit sa treaca de clise ele acelui Dracula baroc si ntunecat, surprinznd cte ceva din stilul sofisticat si seducator al faimosului vampir din Transilvania. Filmul merita revazut, printre altele, pentru jocul lui Garry Oldman, unul dintre cei mai buni actori ai genera tie sale. * Interview with the Vampire (1994), realizat dupa romanul reginei literaturii hor ror, Anne Rice, aduna ntr-o scenografie de secol al XVIII-lea doi dintre cei mai aratosi actori ai Hollywoodului: Brad Pitt si Tom Cruise. Primul e un proprietar de plantatie care se mprieteneste cu vampirul Lestat, care vrea sa-l initieze n t ainele vietii de noapte ale fapturilor nsetate de snge. Camera bine mnuita si inter pretarea bine dirijata a actorilor au incintat-o pna si pe Anne Rice, care a dedi cat filmului o recenzie laudativa de doua pagini n revista Variety . * The Lost Boys (1987), n care neovampirul Kiefer Sutherland terorizeaza un orasel din California, spune povestea unor amatori de snge care mpaca cerintele vietii mo derne cu stilul de viata rock n'roll.

vampir2* Dracula (1931) De la vampirii pop ai anilor 80 ne ntoarcem la clasicul Drac la (1931) jucat admirabil de Bela Lugosi. Ce poate fi mai nfricosator dect atmosfer a alb-negru ncarcata de umbre si de o tacere care-ti ridica parul n cap? Cu accent ul sau natural si caninii sai ascutiti, Lugosi pare sa se fi nascut special pent ru rolul Contelui Dracula. * Nosferatu (1922). n fine, thrillerul gotic Nosferatu (1922), semnat de F.W. Murnau, poate fi numit filmul cu cei mai urti actori. Chiar daca nu se bucura de sprijin ul trucajelor digitale, legendara ecranizare ramne unul dintre cele mai ciudate s i mai sumbre filme cu vampiri.

Pe tot parcursul anului 1970, paznicii Cimitirului Highgate (cimitir situat n nor dul Londrei) au descoperit zeci de cadavre de cini si pisici, golite de snge. n ace

easi perioada, doua adolescente care se ntorceau noaptea trziu prin zona au afirma t ca au vazut morti ridicndu-se din morminte. Una dintre ele a suferit grave tulb urari psihice dupa ce i s-a ntmplat. De atunci, marturiile cu privire la aparitiil e nocturne ale unor fiinte ciudate pe timpul noptii n cimitir s-au nmultit ca numa r, cea mai frecventa fiind o silueta nalta de doi metri care plutea printre cruci si cavouri. Vampirul din Turcia Mediatizarea acestui fenomen a luat amploare, astfel ca un cleric, reverendul Se an Manchester, a luat decizia de a-i pune capat. Sarcofagul cel mai vizat ca ar adaposti un vampir era unul adus tocmai din Turcia, n secolul al XVIII-lea, plasa t ntr-un cavou dintr-o capela a cimitirului. nca de cnd a fost adus n Highgate, au e xistat zvonuri cu privire la continutul periculos al sarcofagului. Ritualul gndit de reverend avea doua acte. Primul era intrarea sa n capela, cu aju torul rugaciunilor si al unui crucifix. Urmatorul act ar fi constat n nfigerea une i tepuse n inima mortului. Dar cum legea britanica se opune mutilarii persoanelor decedate, Sean Manchester s-a multumit doar sa arunce usturoi n jurul sarcofagul ui si sa atrne crucifixul de el. La sfrsit, a zidit intrarea capelei. n ciuda masur ilor luate de reverend, psihoza creata de vampirul din Highgate nu s-a terminat. Mai mult, a fost alimentata de doua poloneze, care i-au povestit lui Sean Manche ster ca se simt vizitate n vis de vampir. Una dintre ele chiar avea pe gt urme de muscatura n stilul caracteristic al acestor fiinte. Veghe prelungita Cimitirul Highgate Cimitirul Highgate Dupa mai bine de patru ani de adunat dovezi, reverendul a reluat investigatiile, hotart sa puna capat odata pentru totdeauna aparitiilor vampirului. Cercetarile l-au dus ntr-un final tot n Highgate, dar nu n cimitir, ci la o casa veche si aband onata, construita n stil gotic, despre care se stia de mai mult timp ca este bntui ta. Sean Manchester a cautat atent prin toate colturile casei, gasind ntr-un sfrsit un cosciug n care se afla un cadavru conservat perfect. Fara sa ezite, reverendul a vrt o tepusa n inima cadavrului, care s-a descompus foarte rapid, fapt confirmat p rintr-o serie de fotografii facute chiar n momentul descompunerii. Dar singura do vada a acestei actiuni este propria sa marturie. n 1985, Sean Manchester a public at o carte despre vampirul din Highgate, n care a precizat si modul n care a salva t cartierul respectiv de sngeroasa fantoma. Arestat din cauza fantomei Presedintele Societatii Britanice de Ocultism, David Farrant, a ajuns doi ani du pa gratii din cauza vampirului din Highgate. Politia britanica a considerat ca e l a declansat isteria colectiva de atunci. n urma mediatizarii excesive a apariti ei oculte, sute de vnatori de vampiri au luat cu asalt cimitirul, rascolindu-l n c autarea prazii si provocnd nenumarate daune. Dovada incriminatoare a fost furniza ta de propriile sale fotografii facute n timpul sedintelor de ocultism pe care Da vid Farrant le practica ndeosebi noaptea, printre cavouri. Cimitirul Highgate, ap arut nca din epoca victoriana, este recunoscut ca unul dintre monumentele turisti ce cele mai faimoase ale Londrei. Peste 850 de personalitati odihnesc aici, cea mai reprezentativa fiind Karl Marx.

In Italia au fost descoperite ramasitele unei femei n al carei craniu fusese nfipt , n secolul al XVI-lea, un tarus din piatra. Potrivit antropologilor italieni, ac easta descoperire demonstreaza ct de puternica era frica de vampiri n Evul Mediul. Craniul femeii-vampir a fost descoperit n timpul unor sapaturi arheologice ntreprin se ntr-un cimitir medieval de pe insula Lazzaretto Nuovo, din apropiere de Veneti a. Un pietroi lung si ascutit este nfipt n gura larg deschisa a raposatei.

n Evul Mediu se credea ca femeile-vampir erau responsabile pentru raspndirea ciume i pe continent, a precizat antropologul Matteo Borrini de la Universitatea din F lorenta. Astfel, pentru a le impiedica sa se ridice din mormnt si sa atace din nou, moartelor, suspectate de vampirism, li se fixau, n gura, pietre sau caramizi. Co nvingerea ca victimele ciumei se transformau n vampiri era destul de raspndita n ac ele vremuri, mai ales ca muribunzii sngerau pe gura. Ramasitele femeii-vampir au fo st descoperite ntr-o groapa comuna n care au fost nhumate victimele unei epidemii d e ciuma izbucnite la Venetia n 1576. Borrini mai spune ca vnatorii de vampiri au act ionat att de brutal nct i-au rupt decedatei mai multi dinti n momentul n care i-au nf pt piatra n gura.