Preface
If you’re reading this blog for the first time and you haven’t read “What Vampyrism.com is & who it’s for” yet, make sure you go back and read that too for full context. As a singular website & teaching resource, vampyrism.com caters to a specific style of vampyre. The style of Vampyre we cater to is a broad umbrella, but not as broad as “catering to all” the way many places in the Vampyre Community attempt.
Our focus is on Real Vampyres who are inherently connected to the Vampyre Current. Esoteric Vampyres, whether sang, psi, tantric, all of the above, indifferent about separation of the types, whatever. The only requisite is that one has a relationship with energy & the occult, and holds an intrinsic vampyric nature driving their practice. As such, the information within this article caters to one style of vampyre, our style, and the style we’re putting a beacon out for so others can find us.
Other styles of vampires are purposely not covered, not out of malice or erasure, but simply because we are not a space that caters to the needs of those outside of the narratives we speak of. Other styles of vampire/vampyre are just as valid in their own right, but they are better served by those equipped to handle their specific needs rather than trying to squeeze them into spaces that aren’t built to support them.
See more about who we do and do not cater to here
What is a Vampyre?
A vampyre is an individual who feels on a deep intrinsic level that either all or part of their spirit or soul is imprinted with an essence that causes their energy body to read as something other than human, namely a vampire or vampiric. They are someone who believes all or part of their subtle body is vampiric in nature and most parts of their lives are influenced by this nature. They often feel that at some point in their life, something within them awakens, a beast within them that is only sated by strange needs that one eventually lands on being vampyric in nature.
Vampire vs. Vampyre and the history of the argument between the usage of the terms.
Very simply, a good portion of the vampyre community has taken a liking to using “Vampyre” as an identifier that sets them apart from the fictional and folkloric “vampire”. However, the popularity of that idea waxes and wanes depending on what side of the VC you happen to be on.
“Vampyre”, in some circles, denotes those who are more involved in the lifestyle aspects of the community. Depending on your personal leanings, that’s either accurate or an insult. People like to frown upon the lifestyle as if diving into the vampiric archetype throughout your life is a problem. If you’re living a grounded and productive life, why shouldn’t you indulge in the lifestyle?
You’ll see folks who shy away from the “vampyre” and opt for “vampire” instead. You’ll see folks who don’t identify with any of the above and opt for something else.
You’ll find folks who use “Vampyre” are the ones most comfortable with the combination of vampyric existence, the spirituality & occult side, and the [life]/style side. We own that combination and don’t shy away from it. For our website, everything we write, and everything we teach, we acknowledge the identity of “Vampyre” and stick with it without remorse.
What makes someone a vampyre?
Again, our definitions are our own, we don’t speak for everyone and only offer one perspective.
There are a few traits that make someone a Vampyre
Let’s talk about the obvious… The need to gather and feed on life force [or blood] does seem somewhat universal to all vampyres. However, what “need” means to folks varies vastly. The common issue is that feeding is the beginning and end of the story for many.
This is where Vampyres differ.
The true Vampyre takes it farther.
WHILE MANY PEOPLE ENCOUNTER SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THEIR AWAKENING STORIES, THIS VAMPYRIC NATURE CAN MANIFEST IN A MYRIAD OF WAYS.
The connection one feels to the mythological and media vampire through this phenomenon varies *greatly.* However, just because many of us feel akin to the myth in some ways, it doesn’t mean people who identify as Vampyres believe themselves to be actual mythological creatures. Immortality is more about reincarnation or the Viking idea of fame & glory and continuing on in a spiritual nature rather than physical immortality. “Powers” that we might possess are more just metaphysical gifts that we may have an edge on. Vampyres seem to have proclivities for certain types of magick or skills that we gravitate towards. We know we’re not blood draining monsters stalking the night and killing people.
Feeling any sort of connection at all with the spirit, the myth, the legend, or the archetype is in no way a prerequisite of vampyrism. There are many self identified vampyres who could not give a fuck less about any of it or any of the culture… but that’s no fun, is it? Vampyres recognize the line between fiction and reality and we jump rope with that line in a controlled and discerning fashion 😜 Our personal spiritual reality gifted to us by the Vampyre Current isn’t one we choose to suppress.
What you will hear about vampyres when you venture out into the subculture is not the whole story.
One of the more popular & publicly accepted definitions of vampyric existence is that vampyres are energetically deficient. They’re either not making enough life force energy to sustain themselves or they have a higher turnover rate of life force energy due to their higher vibrational/evolved metaphysical state. To recover from said energy deficit, they need to feed on life force from another person to be able to thrive in life. For many, it is treated as an affliction; a disease even. You’ll find people who cling to the idea that they are incapable of survival without having a donor to feed from.
While this does occur, it is extraordinarily less common than people think. It’s not that it doesn’t happen. I’m also not saying that vampyres don’t often feel very drained and feel the need to feed to replenish themselves in ways that are unique to us… but what I am saying is that people who believe that is the whole story are doing themselves a great disservice. People who treat it as if it is only a disease are missing out on great metaphysical potential if they do actually have vampyric potential within them. People who refuse to broaden their knowledge and find ways to cope with whatever energy deficiency they’re feeling beyond having a single specific human donor are stunting their own growth. There are an unfortunate amount of people out there who are married to the vampire fantasy or “vampyre as a sickness” because they’re using it as an escapism technique to blame something else for their mental illnesses (or as a way to ignore it/get away from it). Many of them deep in their shadows enjoy the comfort of having a reason to stay in that lower vibrational existence rather than working to improve themselves.
Now, I’m not discounting that a lot of vampyres feel the need to feed. I’m not arguing that some won’t feel shitty if they don’t feed. What I am saying is that this dynamic has been exaggerated by the community masses to the point where it’s the only thing on the “are you a vampyre” checklist and nothing else is talked about. This energy deficient narrative tracks for people for many reasons, and I’m not going to get too deep into the debate for or against this philosophy but I feel the need to mention that this is not the end all be all, nor universal paradigm within the entire Vampyre Community, contrary to popular belief. What is readily available or easily findable online is not the whole picture. Just keep that in mind as you explore this path.
The Social Parasite
In Don Webb’s Book “Energy Magick of the Vampyre” he speaks of one’s “social parasite.” It’s “the accumulation of social and language training that acts as though it were a living part of your personality.” People are taught by social experience what is acceptable and adopt it into their identity because it feels safe. Sometimes these things have been ingrained into your sense of self for so long that it becomes hard to handle when it’s questioned. It causes you to hesitate when you want to give your real opinion on something that you know isn’t going to sit well with your audience. You tailor your words to make them more comfortable. People are conditioned to lash out when things they hold as truth are challenged, even though they themselves never challenged those truths when it was spoon fed to them. This dynamic is what has fueled the new internet age of the vampyre community. It’s why this “leaky chakras” dynamic surrounding vampyres has taken hold like wildfire. This definition has been widely adopted into the public community sphere that you’ll find online because it was popularized by Michelle Belanger and was a very publicized definition in the mid to late 2000s. It’s been adopted as gospel by the public VC ever since. In my early vampyre journey, I felt like I was supposed to fit into that narrative, and through confirmation bias from things I experienced in life, I adopted that story for a while. I took in what I was told from people who were supposed to be respected mentors in the VC at face value. Eventually, “following the leader” didn’t work out so well for me. I realized I was suppressing myself to fit a mold that wasn’t right for me and realized a lot of people were doing the same just to feel accepted. Henceforth I’ve been on a quest to find as much information on my own and share it. It’s my own shadow work to log what I find and experience through my own authentic journey with vampyrism to share with others to read and take what they can from. This website is a product of that work.
What a Vampyre is, aside from deficit
Being a Vampyre is more about the spirit you have within you than the need to feed. I’m not rejecting the notion that many vampyres need to feed on energy or blood to get by in a way that is unique to them at all. However, the need for energy recharging due to society depleting us all the time is way more prevalent for everyone than people realize.
What the Vampyre has beyond feeding is an uncanny ability to master and control their surroundings when they train themselves to see the bigger picture of their surroundings. Vampyres have an intrinsic ability to understand objective truths, seeing past the constructs built around them, and weaving magic in the liminal spaces between those constructs to manifest their desire, whatever that desire may be.
They have an inherent mental strength and fortitude that helps drive them to create the narrative of the truth they wish to create. Vampyre Magick & Vampyre Witchcraft all has the chaote energy of “use what works, nothing is true, everything is permitted.” Vampyric paradigms work for those who put forth true effort with them regardless of the content held within them. This is why you can look at various vampyric systems and find them to be so vastly different from one another, yet find similarities between them all as well. The Vampyre Current we’re all led to informs us, the way we perceive it varies. What I find is that many Vampyres lean towards “dark”, chthonic, or left hand path systems. We’re all usually looking towards the Vampyre Community to express ourselves in ways that may have been suppressed by others. We lean into the power found in places that have been shunned by society as we have also been shunned by society for existing differently. We lean towards the taboo to connect with the deepest and darkest parts of ourselves and express them outwardly in what we hope is a safe place to do so.
Vampyres are weavers and creators. We learn to understand the intricacies of the psyche and project the reality we intend to conjure. We conjure that reality with great force and we don’t let anything stand in our way. We learn to strategically maneuver through social constructs and bend them in our favor. We embody the cunning and determined spirit of the vampire just as much as we experience energetic anomalies that may or may not require us to feed. This attitude towards life is crafted through the Vampyre’s practice and experience over time. The cultivation process of this way of thinking and way of life is often the result of many years of hard work and dedicated practice (and a lot of annoyance and heartbreak) with vampyric communities and systems.
What truly makes a real vampyre is their spirit, their soul, the way they move, the way they carry themselves. It is a deep carnal and primal nature about them that can’t really be taught, but can be trained once awake and skills sharpened over time. It’s less about the fact that someone needs to recharge their depleted energy but instead more about why they ended up reaching out to the vampyre current to do it.
While this is what we know Vampyres to be, the spectrum of vampyric belief is vast and often contradictory.
The spectrum of philosophy, magic, and lived experience found within and throughout the Greater Vampyre Community across the globe is extremely varied. We speak from a particular perspective that favors an immersive and empowered trajectory through the vampyre current. Our way is far from the only way and we implore you to traverse many paths and learn from them all.
Being a Vampyre can be an incredible source of energy and empowerment when you learn how to lose the victim mindset many attach to it. Vampyrism can help broaden your thoughts when it comes to energy work, glamour, ritual, etc. Utilizing the nature of the vampire, the Vampyre Current, and embodying the archetype has been a style of LHP practice longer than the Vampyre Community as most know it has existed. The VC is a diverse community with many styles of practice and belief. There’s no one size fits all answer for what vampyres are & what they believe. Anyone who puts their mind to it can find value in what they study here.