In the most general of senses, vampires can be basically classed into two categories: Psychic Vampires, or Sanguinarian Vampires.
Dion Fortune wrote of psychic parasitism in relation to vampirism as early as 1930 (considering it a combination of psychic and psychological pathology) in "Psychic Self-Defense". The term "psychic vampire" first gained attention in the 1960s with the publication of Anton LaVey's Satanic Bible. LaVey, who stated he had coined the term, used it to mean a paranormal entity within such a person allowing the psychic draining of energy from the environment. (i.e. people, elements or electricity)
The term 'psychic vampires' has also been adopted by twenty-first century vampire enthusiasts such as author Michelle Belanger, who defines them in her 2004 The Psychic Vampire Codex as "individuals who, for one reason or another, need to take the vital force of others",and author Luis Marques, who portrays psychic vampirism in his 2007 Asetian Bible as a condition of the individual's soul and a secret mark of a connection to a shared past.
The theme of the psychic vampire has been a focus within modern vampire subculture.
These vampires are your more famous (infamous?) variety. When one mentions the word vampire it is usually the vision of an either very appealing or very monsterous form with long fangs perching over their potential prey that will more often enter one's mind. Of course, this is a greatly skewed image of vampirism that used to be perpetuated by Hollywood. Unfortunately, with the introduction of a new line of fiction, the image that is now being portrayed upon the silver screen is a great departure from this glorified image and is outside of the scope of this site. Alas, the reality is something entirely different. Those who call themselves Real Vampires fit into neither category. For one, they are not undead. They are very much alive in reality, and they most certainly do neither shine like diamonds nor burst into flames in the sunlight. Sanguinarian vampires are beings that partake in the practice of sanguinarian vampirism.
Sanguinarian vampirism involves the consumption of whole blood from either an animal or human. Human blood is often recieved from a person who willingly gives up a small amount of blood through cutting themselves or use of hypodermic needles. For those who practice this form of vampirism caution should always be used when recieving any blood product, clean needles and razors as well as a healthy, disease free donor should be used.
Vampires of both classes, though they will tend to deny this, are a form of Otherkin. At the basic level, they tout themselves as being something other than human, and thus fit into the definition of an Otherkin. Here, we have various articles written by members of the vampiric community to not only delve into the questions of philosophy regarding how one would identify themselves as a vampire, but also to instruct others in what can only be described as ethical and responsible vampirism.
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| I, Vampire -by Malevolence |
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| RK's Primer to Vampirism and the Vampire's World -by RKCoon |
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