Articles
A look into the "Vampire"
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Written by Silveredge
...and in the news ~ an article” with the following reason
Say the word “vampyre” to a person who is not “in” the scene, either in real life or online, and one can almost predict the thoughts that flash through their mind; “unholy, evil, blood-drinking fiend”, “seductive, dangerous, evil and blood-thirsty” or, to people who have watched the daytime chat shows that have flaunted “real vampyres” before their audiences, “weird, sick, psycho”. Thus we all, every single one of us who are human living vampyres, are tarred with the same brush but do we deserve it? Real Vampyres: In the day to day stream of the world and human society there are many who feel increasingly isolated, detached and “not normal”. The forces that create these feelings are, more often than not, societal pressures from sources that demand more and more of a person until that person can feel so inadequate because they are not seeming, often to themselves more than anyone, to be keeping up the norm. There are still others who are ostracised because they are “different” or “special”. Handicapped persons are one group, disadvantaged ~ socially or economically, another. There are others who are gifted to such an extent that they are seen as weird because they do not conform to the expected “norm” of the society they live in. Think of child prodigies; a five year old who can play Mozart’s most complicated movements on a piano, a mathematical phenomena whereby a primary school child can understand, manipulate and solve complex scientific calculations within their head… these people are gifted, not weird but because of the expectations of those around them, demanding they conform to “normal” they are bullied, demeaned, psychologically tortured and driven out by the society that should be protecting and nurturing some of its greatest assets. It is, quite simply, fear. The fear of the unknown that people who see themselves as normal use, and have used, as an excuse to belittle, ostracise and drive out those that are not socially acceptable. Thus it is for modern human living vampyres. Real vampyres today have choices to make at an early stage in their development, they have to contend with knowledge that they are different and whether they choose to see that “difference” as a gift or a curse is entirely up to them. They have to contend with the “wannabe” vampyres – those individuals who are infatuated with vampyres and vampyrism and go to elaborate lengths to celebrate the fact… even so far as soliciting a “real” vampyre to “bite” or “turn” them into a vampyre. There are literally dozens of entertainment sources that provide glimpses into the world of the “real” modern vampyre and once in there one may find a bewildering array of characters, vampyres and vampyre “experts” feeding their own beliefs into a huge melting pot until the result is a dizzying blend of fact, fantasy, fallacy and showmanship. Several places to explore this array are to be found in the YouTube system: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxlQiIpuBxA On Discovery Channel's "One Step Beyond," explore the modern vampire culture in America with the unofficial figurehead and vampire, Don Henrie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lnZWd4GJxI A profile of real vampire and her suburban life. Watch her interview and learn about the real life vampire donors and her friends... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYXnvLpCggo Katherine Ramsland, Lady CG, Michelle Belanger and more http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oPGaqMdEag “I like the idea of bringing subcultures to light in order to familiarize people with them, but this sensationalism is just going to engender hate”. After watching these examples however, you may be thinking “What on earth is a vampyre anyway?” There is, in reality so much that is contradictory in the modern approach to vampyrism. There seems to be no agreement as to how it comes about; why vampyres exist at all, where are the “real” real vampyres? and what does it mean to be a vampyre in the 21st century and beyond. Vampyrism, as a concept, a way of life and a belief system seems to be different to all the individuals who live it. By definition alone a “human living vampyre” [also Vampire] must necessarily be thought of as a person who draws something from another person for the purpose of enhancing their own life. This can apply to many things, from money or life-energy to spiritual-energy and all shades in between. By intimation, a vampyre is usually thought of in connection with the historical and mythological creatures… that is, a person who drinks blood from another creature, be it person or animal. There are many and varied theories and beliefs as to what causes “vampyrism” in humans, such beliefs range from a secretive genetic virus, a preternatural energy-parasite and a bio-energy deficiency. One thing seems certain, ask a thousand “vampyres” why they are what they are and you will likely get almost the same amount of different answers. Why are there Vampyres? You may as well ask why a thunderstorm makes some people smile and others not, or, why does the thought of church fill some with a sense of calm and others not. Vampyrism is a belief and attendant with that belief comes a sense of place, a sense of purpose and a sense of being able to “get through” whatever is thrown in your way. It is my belief that human living vampyres are born, not developed. They are born not fully knowing they are vampyres, nor are they in a position to control or exercise their vampyrism. Human living vampyres are born because at some stage during the neurological development of the human foetus one of two events may well happen; 1) "Growth” cones, at the end of 'buds' on the cell body are responsible for the growth of axons and dendrites which 'close' the synaptic connections. The growth cones appear to 'recognise' target cells, and as Santiago Ramon Cajal, their discoverer, described over 100 years ago - "pushes aside mechanically all obstacles to reach its destination". And 2) "Brain functions” are expressed through activity of neural circuits. These circuits are formed throughout the foetal period and throughout the life by the formation of synapses in a process which has been called synaptogenesis. Not all synapses formed in the foetal period will survive, and new synapses are formed shortly after birth." I conjecture that; The "assignment" of bio-energy from the available supply of "universal energy" creates the pre-disposition toward human living vampirism. This assignment leads to the developmental differences I have highlighted in part 2 Either in the first instance the "recognition" of target cells is incomplete or, in the second instance, there is an unusually high mortality rate amongst the synapses immediately prior to birth. Either of these events might well cause a lowered utilisation; not quantity of, bio-energy. If this is the case then this "under-utilisation" would need to be balanced out to enable the organism (person) to function as a living system. Faced with such a dilemma the body's physiology develops methods of supplementing the availability of "free energy" to work with. It is at either of these event points that a Human Living Vampyre comes into being. This is the physiological “birth” of the vampyre, the birth of the “awareness” that one is a vampyre may come at a much later stage, a stage commonly referred to as “awakening”. During this formative period the vampyre becomes aware that they are different and may begin to experience a bewildering array of sensations that seem “abnormal” when taken in context with the sorts of things society expects. These clashes of sensation and feeling versus normality may well lead to the development of deep seated and wholly unnecessary feelings of ostracism and isolationism. During any investigation into what makes a modern vampyre one will come across many claims that are somewhat difficult to substantiate. There are claims of increased strength, increased speed and coordination, faster than normal healing from illness or injury, enhanced senses ~ such as night sight, pronounced sensitivity to certain things; especially sunlight and abnormal physiological processes such as faster than normal metabolism and the like. By and large the majority of modern vampyres view these claims with some scepticism. I have not found, in almost five years of research, any claims such as these that have been measured and quantified as being in evidence. I do not mean to imply, for one moment, that they can not and do not occur for, as a famous man once said, “there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in our philosophies Horatio” ~ or words to that effect. Nothing can be absolutely dismissed unless it is absolutely disproven. Here again it becomes a matter of faith, a matter of what each person believes rather than what is in evidence. If a modern vampyre believes they have certain abilities then there must be something leading them to that conclusion. In essence, I think, there are vampyres because of an anomaly in the bio-energetic development of a baby during gestation. What does the modern vampyre possess that separates them from human? In a word, knowledge. Modern vampyres are in possession of certain knowledge; knowledge and understanding of themselves, their environment and their interaction with it, that is different to the understanding possessed by the “normal” person. There is a deeper, core understanding of the energies as a whole that transcends the perception enjoyed by the majority of the population and it is this understanding and knowledge that sets modern vampyres apart. It can also cause the modern vampyre to experience more intense psychological and physiological extremes. The recent surveys conducted by the Atlanta Vampire Alliance seem to bear this out when we look at the results that were obtained over the sample group; one question that still remains, however, is how far and widespread is this? I am currently engaged in research to attempt to estimate the probable global modern vampyre population and dependant upon this result it must be borne in mind that the sample group represented in the aforementioned surveys may only be a small percentage of the total world population. I conjecture that there are probably a minimum of some 300,000 people worldwide that identify themselves as modern vampyres and my research to date indicates that this figure may reach as high as 800,000, as many as 800,000 that recognise the fact that they are “different” from that which is considered “normal” in speaking of human beings. And… damage control? Where to begin? Unfortunately, I believe, the damage that has been done is for the most part irreparable. As long as there are those who call themselves “vampyres” they are destined to be regarded as crazy, unstable, dangerous or a host of other misdirected commentary and observation simply because of the association with the word, associations that have been promulgated, endlessly, by the news media and the entertainment world. In reality vampyres are people who have different knowledge and perceptions that live, almost entirely, in the way other non-vampyre members of society do. Modern vampyres are, in reality, welders, teachers, doctors, stock-brokers, grocers, dentists, police officers, bankers, shopkeepers, parents etc. Modern vampyres are everywhere but they are not all willing to reveal their private differences to everyone. It is a sad fact that the societal norm is to fear, mistrust and ultimately hate that which is perceived as being different and this fact, unfortunately, means the vampyre needs to be circumspect about their differences and be careful about who they trust. A shining example of the turmoil that the online, and real-life, vampyre community can find itself in is borne out by the latest news in the media concerning an individual by the name of Jonathon Sharkey.
ALERT: 16 Year Old Paige Marie Brewer Missing With Jonathon Sharkey
Jonathan Sharkey's Teen Girlfriend Taken Into Custody By Faribault Police
Vampire Community Poll Regarding Jonathon Sharkey
Jonathon Sharkey Declares The Vampire Community Domestic Terrorists Et al. The blaze of media and activity surrounding this incident is but the latest in a long line of news-worthy matters that serve simply to focus attention on the worst that the vampyre community has to offer… and as we all know, “bad press sells news-copy – good press sells less”. As a community the vampyres are constantly waging a war against a public perception that is governed, guided and formed by negative press. Is there a solution? Not, in my opinion, that has been formulated as yet. Even though the vampyre community has such collectives as Dark Nations and the Voices of the Vampire Community attempting to rectify the public vision of the vampyre they are constantly hampered by the news attracting antics of those who style themselves as “true vampyres” and seek only to set themselves above all others. In short we are a nation divided, and as a nation divided, surely, we must eventually fall. I contend, as I have all along, that vampyres are ~ by their very nature ~ best suited to solitary lives, small gatherings and quiet deportment. The best that the modern vampyre can hope for is a quiet life and the only way this can be achieved is by being remote, restrained and inconspicuous. |