Vampyrism to me, is the need to consume either blood or energy. And in some cases both. There are several different answers one will find while searching the net for information. Some believe that we are born this way, and that it is a latent thing that surfaces later in life. There are others who believe that one must be quickened also. Hence, one who is born a Vampyre must be quickened by another Vampyre to be awakened. And there are others out there who believe we can be made by other Vampyres. In a sense, it could possibly be all three combined. I do not know. I only know from experience what it is like. And with me, it's harder still, since I have been searching since a child of 7. Yes, I was very young. I didn't know what a Vampyre was, I just knew that I required something more that any "normal" human would need. There are many places to search for information online. There is the Sanguinarium (sp-elling?) and of course this particular Egroup, Real-Vampires. I myself even have a small website dedicated to Vampyrism and Wereism. Now we move on to the next step in this topic, the different types of Vampyres out there in the world. The most commonly known is the blood vamp. Also known as a Sang or traditional Vampyre. Some will argue that it is the blood we need to survive while others will say that it is the pranic energy that travels within the blood. Some of us need more, or less to survive. It is a personal situation and all, varying from person to person. With pranic energy comes second type of Vampyre, the Psi-Vamp. They are able to pull the energy out of objects, people, even storms without the need to consume the blood. I am finding out, with some help, that storms are a great source for energy. For lightning is nothing but that. There are those out there that know so much more than I do. So feel free to post to the group with your questions folks. It's the only way to learn, ask!
Now for the second part of this little thing. Lycanthropy, Wereism, therianthropy, Wolfen. The list of names could possibly go on forever. Depending on who you talk to, you'll hear most of these terms. Lycanthropy deals with only one type, Wolf. However, much to popular beliefs and legends, there are many more. Most of the people I talk to are however wolf based, but there are those who are feline, reptilian or even avian. And even still, there are those Werecreatures out there who have more than one type. Which leads me into the different terms used with Wereism. You have your Pheno-type, which is what type of animal you are. And for those of multiple types, they are called Poly-Weres. These can have other animals surface when ever, and sometimes those with animal types that have always been there but misinterpreted as another. Now this is when it gets really confusing to most, and even us Weres actually. These terms have come along to try and find words that are easy to use and explain. However for each Were, they will have their own definitions as well. Again, let me reinforce that all this is based on my own personal experiences and is in no way a bible of sorts. I'll start with the most simple of shifts. Spiritual shifting invovles totem animals and the like. This is just a broad reasoning, so please bear with me. It's hard to explain, but here's my shot at it. It's when one is close to a particular animal spirit and sometimes has the characteristics of that spirit. One can call the animal a spirit guide or totem animal. With me, it is the Wolf that I am close to. The second type of shift is a Dream shift. This is when one can shift into the animal in their dreams, able to control the body and all. I am still learning to deal with this aspect of shifting and it is hard to understand and control to say the least. The third type of shift is the Astral Shift. This is where the person's aura actually takes the form of the animal and they can actually feel either a tail (the most common), muzzle or even fur. However, the limbs are not really there physically. And believe you me, sitting on one's tail is a bit annoying to say the least. Especially while driving! The fourth shift is the Mental shift, which most of the time can work in conjunction with the spiritual shift. When having a mental shift, one will actually start acting like the animal. Hearing, smell, even sight, can be heightened and such. For me, it's almost a constant shift, the mental one. All this also depends on the type of animal the person's pheno type is. The mother of all shifting abilitys is called the physical shift. I myself do not believe this is actually possible. For many reasons. One, to shift oneself physcially into another form would be messy and to say the least quite painful. There are those out there who claim to be able to shift physically. However I tend to write those off as children caught up in the art of Role Playing. As will all this, I only know what I am sharing with you all. I inisist everyone to search the web, ask questions of others. Get as much information as possible. For no one answer is always the proper one. Sometimes it takes several answers put together to come up with one that suits one's own personal needs.
Laura R.
July 21, 2000