Vampires and Vampirism

Links to Vampyre websites and books

Sponsored link.

Note about vampyres:

As stated in the vampire / vampyre menu, we use the term "vampyres" to refer to a real phenomenon involving real people. We use "vampire" to refer to imaginary mythical creatures who mainly inhabit horror movies and other works of imaginative fiction. This notation is used by some in the vampyre/vampire community, but its use is far from a consensus. In fact, some use the opposite definition. Still others use both terms to refer to both types of vampires/vampyres -- a confusing usage.

Links:

The online presence of vampyrism is quite volatile. For example, one website has a list of links to other Vampyre/Vampire  sites which were valid in 2000-AUG. Of the first ten links tested five years later, eight were offline; two were online but inactive.

A search for the phrase "real vampires" will often find current material.

The following information sources were active at the time that this section was written. However, these hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today. You might want to rest your eyes before tackling some of these pages. They use very dark colors and are sometimes difficult to read.

	Sanguinarius.org at: http://www.sanguinarius.org/ This is a major, highly regarded information source.
	The Society of the Black Swan at: http://www.angelfire.com/ This website is directed to friends and blood donors of vampyres. It contains an extensive glossary.
	Dark Realms was a mazazine "exploring the shadows of Art, Music and Culture." It often featured vampyre articles. See: http://www.monolithgraphics.com/
	Darkness Embraced at: http://www.darkness-embraced.com/ The links to its vampyrism articles are in  the bottom left corner under "navigation."
	Drink Deeply and Dream at: http://www.drinkdeeplyanddream.com/ This is one of the largest Vampyre sites.
	Inanna Arthen, "Real Vampires" at: http://www.earthspirit.org/ is a useful introductory article about Vampirism, particularly for those with no prior knowledge of the community.
	Monstrous Vampires at: http://vampires.monstrous.com describes some of the most famous vampires of fiction, an encyclopedia, symbols, etc, and "The Vampres Secret Library" at: http://vampires.monstrous.com/gallery/
	The Reapers of Blood at: http://reapersofblood.org/ This was another large vampyre support page. However, the domain name expired during 2010-DEC and is pending renewal and deletion as of early 2011-JAN.
	The SphynxCat's Real Vampires Support Page at: http://sphynxcatvp.nocturna.org/ This is another large vampyre site.
	House Kheperu at: http://www.kheperu.org/ This is  the website of a vampyre organization started by Michelle Belanger, author of "The Psychic Vampire Codex" and co-author of the Black Veil. It has extensive coverage including some advanced material.
	Vampires Among Us, at: http://www.vampiresamongus.com/ A small site, but with good information, presented in an open-minded way.
	Vampires.co.uk at: http://www.vampyres.co.uk/ is a forum for Vampires and other Kin where you can: "Chat to individuals and share your story with others, how you came to be the person you are now. You will also find discussions of vampires and other Kin in popular literature, movies and television. Discuss music, fashion and culture amoung other things and generally enjoy our warm and welcoming community."
	Vampire Only at http://www.vampyres.ca/ claims to be "the original vamp pop-culture website."

Recommended books on Vampyrism:

  Michelle A. Belanger, "Psychic Vampire Codex: A Manual of Magick and Energy Work," Weiser Books (2004).

A book reviewer of Amazon.com writes:

"The Psychic Vampire Codex is the first book to examine the phenomenon and experience of modern vampirism completely from the vampire’s perspective. Father Sebastian, a fellow psychic vampire writes in the foreword that Michelle Belanger’s system 'introduced a breath of fresh air into the vampire subculture. It freed us to look at ourselves in a new light, and it also helped those outside our community to view us differently. No longer were we parasites or predators . . . we could use our inborn abilities to help people heal'."

"In The Psychic Vampire Codex, Michelle Belanger, author and psychic vampire, introduces readers to the fascinating system of energy work used by vampires themselves and provides the actual codex text widely used by the vampire community for instruction in feeding and other techniques. Belanger also examines the ethics of vampirism and offers readers methods of protection from vampires."

"The Psychic Vampire Codex explodes all preconceptions and myths about who and what psychic vampires really are and reveals a vital and profound spiritual tradition based on balance, rebirth, and an integral relationship with the spirit world."

Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store

Raven Kaldera, "The Ethical Psychic Vampire," Xlibris Corp., (2005).

Michelle Belanger, herself an author on vampyre topics, reviewed this book, writing:

"Kaldera, an author who has established himself as someone who does not flinch away from touchy subjects and cultural taboos, brings his usual clear, sensible, and sometimes blunt style to the table, offering practical wisdom for those individuals who are struggling to come to terms with their psychic vampirism. In a community that is often rife with politics, Kaldera takes no sides, instead presenting the material simply as he has observed and experienced it for himself. He supplements his own research and insights into the vampiric condition with interviews with other psychic vampires -- several of them fairly well-known. An added bonus is that these are vampires who themselves are known to have radically different approaches to the topic, and so the reader gets a full-spectrum view on values, practices, and personal experiences."

"What I liked best about this work is the fact that Kaldera does not brush under the rug topics like sexuality, blood-drinking, and even parenting. The spiritual and magickal aspects of being a psychic vampire are adequately served, but the practical day-to-day concerns are also given their due."

"In all, this is a balanced and coherent text, one I will be recommending to my own readers as a must-have for their shelves."

Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store

Rosemary Ellen Guiley, "Vampires among us," Pocket, (Reissued 1991).

Two anonymous readers wrote:

I really enjoyed this book and hard a hard time putting it down. The stories are great and Ms. Guiley is a good story-teller. There are some strange people out there, and this book is an interesting look at them. Plus, I learned a lot about vampire folklore, which was really fascinating. Well-written, fun.

Vampires Among Us had a romantic quality to it which the person who wrote a review for it previous to mine didn't seem to comprehend. Let me also point out that almost anything melodramatic can be made to sound foolish. Think about it - the line "Oh Romeo o Romeo where for art thou Romeo" sounds utterly ridiculous when spoken alone. However, Romeo and Juliet is a time-honored tragedy. Vampires Among Us was written in a factual if slightly dramatic voice - however, the intensity of the writing was probably necessary to make something that sounds like such a foolish thing into an alternative reality.

On the negative side, we have received one comment that the author treats some of the characters as a bit unstable. One positive note is that, the last time we looked, a use copy of the book can be purchased for $0.01 plus postage at Amazon.com

Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store

Katherine Ramsland, "Piercing the darkness: Undercover with Vampires in America Today," Harper Prism, (1998).

Lisa Higgins of Amazon.com wrote the following review:

"Katherine Ramsland sets Piercing the Darkness up as a story about Susan Walsh, a wannabe journalist who mysteriously disappeared while researching "real" vampires. While that story line ultimately sees less light than the vampires themselves, Ramsland's rambunctious, rambling tales of nightclubbing, international travel, and meticulous wardrobe selection among the creatures of the night provide ample entertainment. The book traces her circuitous route through AOL chat rooms, Paris's underground tunnels, and any number of goth and "vampyre" clubs, pursuing leads and hunches that seem to materialize from thin air. What the story might lack in integrity, it more than makes up for in sheer strangeness....."

Read reviews or order this book

Lady CG, "Practical Vampyrisim for Modern Vampyres," Lulu Press, (2005).

A reviewer of libreriauniversitaria.it wrote:

"Practical Vampyrism for Modern Vampyres is the first handbook for the modern vampyre communities. Filled with practical advice for those learning to cope with the early stages of vampyrism, through to the second awakening, it is written with humor and compassion, in hopes of providing a light at the end of a dark tunnel for those of walking the dark path, often alone. Practical Vampyrism is the culmination of over 10 years of articles written for the online communities, in hope that a time will come when NO ONE has to go through the stages of Vampyrism alone."

Read reviews or order this book

A search of the Amazon.com data base for "vampyrism" resulted in the following:

Unfortunately, few of these books deal with vampyrism as it is practiced today.

Copyright © 2005 to 2010 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally posted: 2005-SEP-28
Latest update: 2010-JAN-07
Author: B.A. Robinson

Sponsored link

Web ReligiousTolerance.org

Page Translator: This page translator works on Firefox, Opera, Chrome, and Safari browsers only After translating, click on the "show original" button at the top of this page to restore page to English.