Vampires Amongst Us

Welcome to Vampires for Pagans! We’re glad you could make it! This is a brand new group, not a clone, so we shan’t be encouraging you to check out our other groups by that name, but do check out our other vampire groups: Kindred the Embraced and True Blood for Pagans. More will come. We’re happy you’re here to investigate the vamp in all of us. Historywise, there have been vampires in many countries and cultures: Ireland,Britain, Gaul (France) Eastern Europe, Africa, Scandinavia, other Celtic cultures, and even Native Americans had their versions of the vampire. The ancient Greeks had their lamias, the Germans their lichias, Eastern Europe had their Vampyr, and Asia their hungry ghosts. Vampires come in many shapes and sizes and many shades of power. Some vampires use ritual magick. Tegwedd knows one that doesn’t. He distrusts magick in any way, shape or form. That would be Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Clarence, a character in Blood Ties, a series based on Tanya Huuff’s novels. Monday, when the library opens after 2 weeks of being closed for renovations, Tegwedd is going to look up Tanya Huff on their computer catalog, and see if she can get any of her books. Those Canadians, man, they turn out quality stuff. Something about being cooped up inside for those long cold winters must do something to their minds. Others besides Fitzroy did not like magick. Some had direct Pagan origins Others were Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist, Shinto, and yes, sad to say, even Christians such as Nicholas Knight of Forever Knight. Many were famous personages of both exoteric and occult history. One of these was the Comte de Saint-Germain, according to the novels of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. Another was the infamous Vlad Tepesh the Impaler. Paracelsus and even Pythagoras could have been vampires. Tegwedd thinks Doc Holiday was one. Stephen mentioned Jesse James (the outlaw, not the reality show star). There may also be a link with shamanism, since shamans are so involved with spirit magick. There is possibly a link to huna and to two of the several religions of the African Diaspora, Santeria and Umbanda.

As we said before, vampires can come in all shapes and sizes, male, female, music major, and even from the animal kingdom--vampiric dogs and cats. Not all vampires are blood suckers. There are also psychic vampires who drain their victims of life or psychic force. There may be more psychic vampires than blood vampires. Have you ever been to a party, seen someone sitting alone in a room, then when you leave the room, you feel drained as though you were about to pass out and fall down? That person could be a psychic vampire. There are also sexual vampires who suck out your sexual energy. In Tantra, men are taught to reserve their seed because it is felt that women sap the life force of men if they allow themselves to ejaculate. Not all vampires can be equated with evil. If you were a vampire, would you see yourself as evil? You might, if you had a really twisted self-image. You might glory in it. But not necessarily. The concept of such dualism originated with the Persians, and took over Christianity.

To a Pagan, a vampire is not necessarily even supernatural. It is just part of the natural process of evolution, and the food chain. Man, the highest mammal, preys on all the lower animals. What preys on man? Why are we so fascinated with the concept of vampirism? That’s a good question. Tegwedd will have to ask her psychiatrist. Our world seems boring and uneventful. The vampire world is anything but boring or uneventful. Vampirism can be found throughout the arts through films, books, theatre, dance , and music. There are at least five Tarot decks: Stephen has 4 decks, and Tegwedd has 3. They each have Vampire’s Tarot of the Eternal Night, the Tarot of Vampires from Llewellyn,, and Tegwedd has the Bohemian Gothic Tarot. Stephen has the Vampire Tarot and the Gothic Tarot of Vampires. Stephen wants the Bohemian Gothic Tarot, and ordered it from Beer’s Books. The deck is from the Czech Republic. We both enjoy doing readings with our Tarot decks. Tegwedd also has 2 very fat excellent books on vampires that Doc bought for her. One is Vampires: Encounters with the Undead. by David J. Skal, a noted author on the horror film genre and dark fantasy in general. It is full of literature about vampires and featuring vampires, stories ranging in period from the 18th century to 1997. The genre of these stories, at least the earlier ones, is known as Romantic Gothic. The other book about vampires Tegwedd has is the Vampire Book, an encyclopedic volume about vampires in popular culture. The cover features Kiefer Sutherland as the leader of a gang of young vampires in the 1987 film called “The Lost Boys.” The band Korn has some good vampire music. Some people claim that Abraham Lincoln was both a vampire and gay, or at least bisexual. Because of her education, when Tegwedd does research for a novel, she likes to delve into the traditional literature on the subject. This is why she wanted those books.

The deck is published by the Magic [sic] Realist Press, the Baba Group. They have 2 other decks which you may be interested in. We sure are. One is called the Tarot of Prague, the other the Victorian Romantic Tarot. In a way, it makes sense that they would name a deck after Prague. From thee Middle Ages to the Renaissance, until the Commies took over in 1945, Prague was a leading center for intellectuals, and for magick. The Golem came from the Prague Jewish ghetto. Johannes Dee and Edward Talbot Kelly did many alchemical experiments in their struggle to turn base metal into gold during the 1580s. Also during the 3rd Reich, Prague was a leading center for the underground resistance against the Nazis. There is a variant of the Faust stories that took place in Prague. If Tegwedd ever made enough money that she could travel, she would like to visit Prague to view the magickal sights. We will check out the website listed on Tegwedd’s deck, and see if there are any other decks that these people are selling. When Stephen talked about the Bohemian Gothic Tarot to the people at Beer’s Books, they knew all about the company; that’s how together they are, and why Stephen prefers to patronize them, rather than going the easy way out and ordering it from Amazon. He also wants to turn you, dear readers, onto them. Their phone number is 916-442-9475. Their address is 915 S street (that’s the letter, not the direction) Sacramento 95814. If you’re local, stop in. If you buy something before 1 pm, you get 10% off. Email is beersbks@pacbell.net.

There are many movies about vampires. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is perhaps the most romantic of the loot. Then there’s the original Dracula starring Bela Lugosi, the 1979 Dracula starring Frank Langella, When I was first doing my research for Blood of her Fathers, I viewed all the Hammer Dracula films starring Christopher Lee. There is also John Carpenter’s The Vampires, From Dusk Til Dawn 1 & 1, Fright Night 1 & 2, Once Bitten, Dead and Loving It, Moonlight the TV series, the movie 30 Days of Night, the series Forever Knight, Blood Ties, Salem’s Lot, Kindred the Embraced, and Terror at 30,000 Feet, aka Night Flyer or Night Flight, a cunning Stephen King yarn about a vampire pilot who flew from place to place, finding his victims at airports all over the world.

There is much literature about vampires in many cultures from the novels of Tanya Huff to the stories of the lichia in Germany. Vampires have been around us for centuries, maybe even millennia. Stories have been told about them and their predations for that long, first in hushed voices around the fire, then committed to paper and ink. What would you like to see this group cover re: vampires? You members have extraordinary powers. You do not need to be an admin to post. Give us your feedback. And, as always, go to http://abbottsinn.com/ , http://abbottsinninternational.com/ and our ning network http://abbottsinn.ning.com/ and call 1-888-611-7982.