Real Vampires?

           What exactly is a real vampire? Are they not supposed to be the product of folk lore and fantasy? Are you immortal? Can you turn me into a vampire? You do know Twilight is just a movie, right? These questions along with many others go hand in hand when pondered and spoken by those that look at the vampire
community from the outside looking in. So what is a real vampire? I guess the easiest way to explain it is to explain what a real vampire is not. When I think of this subject I am often reminded of the words of William Shakespeare in his play Hamlet. “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” This above all else should be referred when reading my words in regards to real vampires.
In the world of real vampires I am but one part of thousands upon thousands of parts that make up a community. A real vampire is what it is because of their physiological makeup, they are unable to maintain and or generate the bodies needed prana (or life force). Most people who identify themselves as real vampires believe it is their souls which are vampire in nature and not their overall being. We are not immortal! We can and do die just like everyone else. We believe in the immortality of our souls being reincarnated. It has been our vampire’s soul has been present many times within our many lives that often lead us towards real vampirism in this one. It is that soul that center which is suffering from the lack of prana if denied, then the whole body endures the consequences.
           As for vampires being the product of fantasy and folklore, They are, but when theorized an honest explanation would explain how the vampire achieved the status of fantasy and folklore. The concept of a vampire has been around for a very long time. In fact certain characteristics that have long been assigned to the children of the night, can be traced to the gods of ancient times. India’s mythology has tales of Kali a goddess whom drank the blood of her foe in order to prevent him from regenerating from his split blood, thus destroying him. In ancient Greece the story of Lamia is told. She was a daughter of Poseidon, who had a love affair with Zeus. Hera who was jealous of Zeus’s way ordered the death of all but one of Lamia’s children. Lamia so overwhelmed with grief and anger was eventually turned in a half woman half serpent who gained her revenge by consuming and killing the chi;children of the gods.
           These tales over centuries had been taken and adapted to fit the mysteries of the times. Through trade routes east the characteristics of the vampire reaches eastern Europe where it took root within gypsy and eastern European beliefs of the region. It is here that the present idea of what a vampire is was fostered. Once Bram Stoker put quill to paper and wrote the saga of Vlad Tepes (Dracula) the rest as they say is history. Everything that was believed through out those long past eons is not what a real vampire is.
Real vampires, who although may identify with the arch type of the classical vampire, do not embrace the brutality and blood lust associated with those figures in history. We are fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters. We are the office worker, the construction worker, and the bus driver. We are a lot of things in society, but blood thirsty gods and practitioners of Princely brutality is not one of them. In fact other than a topic of discussion or research we tend to shun away from the comparisons. This is not as easy as simply ignoring it, Hollywood insures that. With what seems like an endless line of vampire related movies and scripts, there is no shortage of misinformed people that approach me wishing to be turned. This is somewhat of a pet peeve of real vampires world wide. We are not Edward Cullin, we are not Selene’s, and we are Bill Compton. The idea of being turned begins and ends with those fictional characters.
           A real vampire has a soul of a vampire therefore real vampires are born and not turned. The closest thing that remotely resembles a turning would be our awakening and even that is stretching it. Our awakenings are actually more akin to personal discovery and realization and finally acceptance of who and what we have become than anything else. Do we consume blood? Yes! Some of us must gain that missing energy through the consumption of another’s blood. But before any misgivings occur, I must add that it requires less than an ounce if that to accomplish what needs to be accomplished. Others can gain this energy by taking it from the very source that generates the bodies aura. Still others gain through elemental and more nature oriented ways.
           There is very little noticeable difference between a real vampire and anyone else. We do heal and recover from injury and illness faster than others. Our appearance will always appear 10 to 15 years younger than we actually are. Our senses are more heightened and our personalities can be described as dynamic and intriguing. Those are about the only true differences between us. Our numbers can be estimated in the thousands world wide. So it is not a far fetched assumption to say that at some point in time the average Joe has been in arms reach of a real vampire. We are not the things of myth and lore, we are flesh and blood and have been around for a very, very long time. We will continue to be here for generations on end. We transcend color, age, and economic status. We could be anybody and nobody.
          Basically we’re just like all people, we’re just stumbling through trying to find our place in this life.
The life of real vampire is somewhat of a wonder though. The fact that more of us do not go completely crazy is truly an astounding feat. We endure ridicule and skepticism and the endless number of people willing to convince us that we have lost our minds. Our romantic relationships as well as family relationships are filled with deceit and heartache. We often have work issues, and society in general has no place for us at its table. Real vampires are and are not a lot of things in this world. But we all can agree amongst ourselves within the vampire community, that the four things we definitely are is this. We have always been here, we will always be here, and we are very, very real. And who really knows we may even live right next door to you!