http://www.dailytitan.com/1.847437Myths about the legendary creatures abound but local vampires blend in seemlessly
Andy Anderson
Daily Titan Assistant Web Editor
Published: Tuesday, October 28, 2008With their long, sharp fangs, pale skin and uncanny ability to turn into bats, vampires are some of the most frightening of legendary creatures.
Very little can be done to stop a pursuing vampire.
“I’ve always thought that vampires stalk and kill people, turning them into vampires themselves,” Angela Kuo, 20, a communications major, said. “They have pale white skin, never age, hate garlic, and have an aversion to mirrors.”
Unless the stalked individual is armed with a supply of garlic, large mirrors or wooden stakes, this fanged being will most likely catch, bite and convert the victim.
This, of course, is all according to folklore, which has been distorted over years and years of retelling. It may be surprising then to learn that people from one edge of the world to the other identify themselves as "vampires." Some are simply playing the part of a vampire – donning flowing capes, sporting fangs and sleeping in coffins – but others have shed their vampiric facades, living their lives as "real vampires."
“When I was younger, people used to think I was a vampire because I had unusually sharp canine teeth,” John Nicoll, 20, an art major, said. “After years of thinking I might be a vampire, I did a lot of research on them and I found that many vampires don’t even have sharp fangs. It’s just a myth.”
Folklore also claims that victims of vampires become vampires themselves. According to Inanna Arthen, who has studied vampire phenomena since the 1960s, in her article, "Real Vampires," on www.earthspirit.com, “True vampires are born the way they are – no one can be 'turned into a vampire.'”To determine if someone you know is a vampire, do not look for sharp teeth, gothic dress, or pale skin. There are many deeper characteristics that real vampires possess.
“A real vampire is a person born with an extraordinary capacity to absorb, channel, transform, and manipulate "pranic energy," or life force,” Arthen said. “The capacity to handle energy results in a constantly imbalanced system, and is the cause of negative behaviors and notable characteristics of a vampiric person.”
There are many different types of real vampires out in the world today. They go by many names, including pranic vampire, energy predator, empathic vampire, psionic vampire, energy parasite, or energivore.
In the Asetian Bible, the predominant literary work on vampirism and predatory spirituality, author Luis Marques defines a vampire as “a being beyond the ability to drain energy, but also as a definitive condition of the individuals soul, and a secret mark of connection to a shared past.”“A lot of the things people hear about vampires are myths,” said Olivia Chavez, 21, a self-proclaimed real vampire. “Yes, we drink blood at times, but it doesn’t have to be human. I personally choose to feed off of animal blood instead.”There are usually a number of true characteristics that vampires possess, which distinguish them as real vampires.
According to Arthen, vampires are night people on a biochemical level with inverted circadian rhythms and a brain that produces sleep hormones at the opposite time of day than most. They also tend to be highly photosensitive, avoid sunlight, sunburn easily, and have excellent night vision.
Emotionally, vampires are unpredictable, moody, temperamental, and at the core, extremely intense people. Real vampires are empathic, according to Arthen, which means they are psychic sponges that absorb everything around them. Most real vampires have a talent for attracting, or distracting the attention of everyone present.
The need for pranic energy is also referred to as “the hunger” in vampire culture. It can refer to the need to manipulate or remove (feed from) then energy of others. Vampires deplete positive energy from those around them in their craving for pranic energy.
This does not mean that vampires are dangerous, though. According to vampiresamongus.com, it is no more common for a vampire to be psychopaths or killers than for any other person.“I have learned to control my hunger,” Chavez said. “If I ever feel tempted to feed on someone, I always try my best to avoid them. If it became impossible to avoid them, I would do everything in my power not to feed.”
Another cure for the hunger, according to sanguinarius.org contributor Sarah Dorrance, is to mix red Gatorade, high pulp orange juice, beef broth, and liquid multivitamins.Others have found that high pulp orange juice alone can take some of the pain of the hunger away, according to "Fate," another contributor to sanguinarius.org.
This Halloween, remember that real vampires are distinctly different than the made-up, fake-fang-wearing, caped partygoers.
Real vampires may be different, even scary to some, but they are real people with unusual gifts and cravings, which they are forced to hide from mainstream society in order to maintain their vampiric lifestyles.
So if you’re able to spot a real vampire on the streets, try to remember that they will not hurt you. They can be just as gentle and caring as everyday humans. They just happen to have a thirst for a life force that the rest of us can live without.
Author