Vampyre Spirituality
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“House Kheperu is an eclectic spiritual society
dedicated to balance, education, and transformation. We see ourselves as a
wisdom tradition, and our function in the community is to research and
safeguard metaphysical knowledge as well as to pass this on to those who may
benefit from it.” House
Kheperu web site |
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Vampyre
Spirituality Psychic vampires were first mentioned in the Flying Rolls
(instructional texts) of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Dion Fortune elaborated on this concept in
her book Psychic Self Defence, which came
out early in the twentieth century. In
this book Fortune speaks of defence against astral vampirism: Astral entities that prey on the vital
energy of their victims. Later in this
book Fortune speaks of unintentional psychic vampires: People who unintentionally draw energy from
people around them. Katherine Ramsland
discussed this phenomenon in Piercing the Darkness (Harper Prism, 1998). A few books, such as Konstantinos’s
Vampires: The Occult Truth, speak of
intentional psychic vampires. Such
people consciously take energy from those around them. These books were written about psychic
vampires, not by them. It was only a
matter of time before such psychic vampires came forward to do so. The most recent example of this is Michelle
Belanger’s Psychic Vampire Codex. For the purposes of this article, I’m going to use the Elorathian spelling, Vampyre, in reference to this spiritual path in
order to differentiate it from the vampires of myth and literature. In reality, about half of this community
retains the traditional spelling. Some individuals were recognized as
vampiric as early as the nineteenth century.
However, their vampirism was generally looked upon as an affliction.
In the 1960s, the television series Dark
Shadows portrayed the vampire Barnabas
Collins in a sympathetic light. Such sympathetic portrayals of vampires in
fiction and film opened the door for individuals to conceptualize the vampire
as something other than hated and evil. The novels of Anne Rice furthered the
idea of the vampire as a potentially sympathetic being. These influences caused individuals
with vampiric qualities to begin exploring their natures and their spiritual
implications. There was no Vampyre
community at this early stage, but there were several movements that allowed
for at least a minimal expression of one's vampiric traits. One was the
underground fetish scene, particularly in New York City: In this venue many individuals recognized
the energetic exchange between dom and sub. Blood play was also accepted
within this culture. This permitted
both psychic and sanguine vampires an outlet for some of their needs. Another
movement that allowed for expression of vampirism was the Gothic
subculture. Goths viewed the vampire
as a romantic figure. Many Vampyres were subsequently drawn to the Goth
community, which allowed them to further explore the aesthetics and
philosophies of Vampyre spirituality.
Another venue, already mentioned, was the fantasy role playing game
Vampire: the Masquerade, which itself was inspired by the novels of Anne
Rice. This game provided a social
venue where Vampyres could experiment with their identities without fear of
ridicule. Although Vampyres understood the games to be make-believe, they
nevertheless attracted individuals with an interest in vampires and the
occult. This, in turn, allowed people
with shared interests to connect and explore those common interests outside
of the game. Many Vampyres were
also drawn to the Neo-Pagan movement because it allowed them to acknowledge
the spiritual side of their natures. Pagans and Vampyres share beliefs in
magick, reincarnation, and the existence of energy. Belanger states that “In the eighties and nineties (and even the 70s),
when vamps were participating in Pagan circles for some place to express
their spirituality, they did so ‘in the coffin’ so to speak -- they didn't
typically reveal their natures to the other members of the group, largely
because the rift of misunderstanding often got us barred from circles. But
over time, vampires participating in strictly Pagan systems felt that their
dark side wasn't being acknowledged.”
When Vampyres started creating their own spiritual groups they adapted
many concepts from the Pagan groups they used to associate with. For example, Vampyres have borrowed the
festival dates of the Wheel of the Year used by Wiccans. Vampyres interpret this cycle differently
from Wiccans, however. Vampyres see
things in terms of a cycle of two polar opposites which are nevertheless part
of the same whole. For some Vampyres this is expressed as the concepts of
Dayside and Nigthside (more on this below).
For others, Darkside and Lightside have more to do with spirit and
flesh, death and life. These four different communities each
contributed to the Vampyre community which subsequently developed. Much of
the interaction between Vampyre and donor holds lingering traces of the
dom/sub relationship from BDSM. This is especially evident in the Elorathian
treatment of Kitra (more on this below). Vampyres borrowed many of their
aesthetics from the Gothic movement.
Much of their fundamental understanding of magick and ritual is
derived from their Neo-Pagan roots. The initial social structure as well as
certain terms can be traced to the game Vampire:
the Masquerade:
This is likely because it was through such games that many Vampyres
first got together and began socializing with one another openly. A Vampyre (also
known as a Sanguinarian) is a person who lives a Vampyre lifestyle and has a
what they describe as a vampyric condition.
A vampyric condition requires them to replenish themselves by
consuming the energy and/or blood of others in an ethical and/or consensual
manner. Vampyres of the Elorathian
traditions refer to this process as Communion. A person from who a Vampyre gets blood or
life energy is referred to as a “Source.”
This is true whether the donation of energy is voluntary or not. Someone who shares their blood or life
energy with a Vampyre without obligation is known as a “Donor.” Most Donors are monogamous, offering
themselves to only one Vampyre. Coming to a
realization of one’s Vampyre nature is referred to as “Awakening.” Vampyres believe that Awakening typically
occurs during or shortly after puberty, though it can occur later. Symptoms of Awakening include: Sensitivity to light (especially sunlight),
affinity for darkness/night, switching sleeping patterns from nocturnal to
diurnal, and thirst. Once awakened,
Vampyres describe the following symptoms of their condition: -A real need to consume the blood or life energy of others -Heightened psychic abilities such as astral projection and powers of
divination -Sensitivity to light. This
sensitivity does not prevent them from being in sunlight, though many report
susceptibility to sunburn/sunstroke. -Tendency to a nocturnal sleep cycle -Increased healing abilities -Possibly lengthened lifespan. The process of
embracing one’s Vampyrism is referred to as “Becoming.” Becoming is marked by a rite of
passage: This can involve the exchange
of blood or energy with a mentor or a ritual of death and rebirth. There are a
number of key concepts relevant to all Vampyres. These include: |
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