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| TAPS Paranormal Magazine - Halloween 2007 Special Edition - Interview With A Vampire (Merticus) |
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| "Would The Real Vampires Please Stand Up?" Paranormal Insider - Blog Contributed By Michelle Belanger - September 2007
Is
vampirism a condition that exists outside of folklore and film? Are
there real living people who psychically feed on human life force — or
even on blood? What is the source of these supernatural hungers? The
Atlanta Vampire Alliance (http://www.atlantavampirealliance.com) has the answers. Formed in 2005, the AVA is a
research group devoted to the modern condition of vampirism — but
Dracula would never recognize these vampires as kin. The vampires of
the AVA are living human beings, often psychic, who have a need for the
life force of others, and they have come together as a group to study
and better understand that need.
This is no fly-by-night
venture. The AVA's Vampire and Energy Work Research Survey, circulated
to thousands of self-identified vampires and energy workers around the
world, has hundreds of questions, focusing on everything from an
individual's religious beliefs to the minute details of their medical
history. The AVA's goal is to gather hard statistics about real
vampires — statistics which they hope will ultimately be taken
seriously in an academic context. Part of this goal has already been
achieved. Featured in the recent book, Vampires in Their Own Words, the
AVA has also worked with several individuals attached to colleges as
part of academic research. Most recently, they have started working
with author and fellow Paranormal Insider blogger Rosemary Ellen Guiley
to help add their knowledge to the future re-release of her landmark
work, Vampires Among Us. The ongoing research of the AVA may very well
change the way vampirism is defined.
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"Unearthing Real Vampire Culture" By Anne Neville of Buffalo News - October 28, 2011 (Printed October 30, 2011) http://www.buffalonews.com/life/article611232.ece
"Vampires: Fact Or Fiction?" - Interview With Zero & Merticus True-Ghost-Story.com - November 24, 2007 http://www.true-ghost-story.com/readarticle.php?article_id=65
"Vampires Seek Tolerance, Understanding From Others"
By Christopher Quinn of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution - November 17, 2009
http://www.ajc.com/lifestyle/vampires-seek-tolerance-understanding-199809.html
"Vampire Community In Search Of Positive Energy - An Interview With The Vampires" By Laura Figueroa of the Miami Herald - October 30, 2009 http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/v-fullstory/story/1308594.html
"The De-Evilution Of The Vampire" By Rick Allen of the Ocala Star-Banner - October 25, 2009 http://www.ocala.com/article/20091025/ARTICLES/910251018/1016/ENTERTAINMENT?Title=The-de-evilution-of-the-vampire
"Vampires Of New Jersey" By Lisa Rose of Inside Jersey Magazine - October 15, 2009 http://www.nj.com/insidejersey/index.ssf/2009/10/vampires_of_new_jersey.html
"V Is For Voracious: Vampire Culture Unveiled" By Alexandra Zayas of the St. Petersburg Times - August 16, 2009
http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/v-is-for-voracious-vampire-culture-unveiled/1027763
"A Vampire's Life? It's Really Draining" By Monica Hesse of the Washington Post - November 24, 2008 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/11/14/ST2008111401409.html
"Real-Life Vampires: Who Are They?" By Ki Mae Heussner of ABCNews.com - October 31, 2008 http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=6154446&page=1
"Night Neighbors" - FOX News Channel Hannity's America w/Michelle Belanger & Anshar Seraphim - December 7, 2008 Members Of America's Vampire Subculture Could Be Living Right Under Your Nose http://www.foxnews.com/hannitysamerica
TAPS Magazine - Halloween 2007 Special Edition "Interview With A Vampire" By Amber Vanzant w/Merticus Of Suscitatio & AVA http://www.merticus.com/vampirism.html - Full Text Of Interview http://www.tapsparamag.com/subscription.php
"First rule of 'bite' club: Vampires are people, too" By Norma Meyer of Copley News Service - October 19, 2007 http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20071019-9999-lz1c19vampire.html
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| Psychic Vampirism - Halloween 2008 Special Edition - Bizarre Magazine |
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| Are Vampires Real? - December 2009 - Paranormal Magazine (UK) |
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| [Click Book To Order] |
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| "Vampires Today: The Truth about Modern Vampirism" http://www.amazon.com/Vampires-Today-Truth-Modern-Vampirism/dp/0313364729 Joseph Laycock, PhD Praeger Publishers - May 30, 2009 ISBN: 0-313-36472-9
Vampires are not just the stuff of folklore and fiction. This book
explores the modern world of vampirism in all its variety. Based upon
extensive interviews with members of the Atlanta Vampire Alliance and
others within vampire communities throughout the United States,
Vampires Today looks at the many expressions of vampirism: "lifestyle
vampires," those who adopt a culture and a gothic ascetic associated
with the vampires of art and legend; "real vampires," those who believe
they must actually consume blood and/or psychic energy for their well
being; or others who self-identify in some way as vampires. Is
vampirism a religion? Is it a fantasy? Is it a medical condition? Is it
a little bit of each? Throughout the world, untold numbers of people
are self-identifying as "vampires" and following the ways of
"vampirism." Over the years, but particularly in the past decade or so,
vampirism has come under increased study, yet most scholarship has
portrayed the vampire community at best as a cultural phenomenon and at
worst as a religious cult. In this book, author Laycock explores the
modern world of vampirism in all its variety. Having interviewed many
vampires across the country, both "lifestylers" and "real," even those
"reluctants" who try not to be vampires, he argues that today's
vampires are best understood as an identity group and that vampirism
has caused a profound change in how individuals choose to define
themselves. As vampires come "out of the closet," either as followers
of a "religion" or "lifestyle" or as people biologically distinct from
other humans, their confrontation with mainstream society will raise
questions about the definition of "normal" and what it means to be
human. In this book the reader will meet "lifestyle" vampires, who
adopt a culture and a gothic ascetic associated with the vampires of
art and legend; and "real" vampires, who believe that they must
actually consume blood and/or psychic energy for their well being. The
reader will hear from members of the Atlanta Vampire Alliance and will
learn about the Order of the Vampyre, the Ordo Strigoi Vii, and the
Temple of the Vampire. Even before Dracula and Bella Lugosi, people
have been fascinated with vampires, and this interest has continued,
through Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Anne Rice's Interview with the
Vampire and other novels, to HBO's new series True Blood and the recent
big-screen hit Twilight. Readers will find the details of real vampire
life--including vampire role-playing games, grimoires, "vampyre" balls,
vampire houses like House Sahjaza and House Kheperu, the vampire
"caste" system, and other details--utterly fascinating.
"Modern Vampires: Your Neighbors and Spouses" By Joseph Laycock, PhD for Religion Dispatches - May 28, 2009 http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/rdbook/1438/modern_vampires%3A_your_neighbors_and_spouses/?page=1
"Joseph Laycock: Vampires Today" By John W. Morehead of TheoFantastique - August 25, 2009 http://www.theofantastique.com/2009/08/25/joseph-laycock-vampires-today/
Interview With Joseph Laycock - Real Vampirism Radio Interview by Dave and Tom of KAPS Paranormal Radio - October 11, 2009 http://www.veritasvosliberabit.com/VVCArchive/KAPSParanormalRadio-10.11.09-JosephLaycock.mp3
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"Vampires In Their Own Words: An Anthology of Vampire Voices" http://www.amazon.com/Vampires-Their-Own-Words-Anthology/dp/0738712205 Edited By Michelle Belanger Llewellyn Publications - September 1, 2007 ISBN: 0738712205
"Revelations" by Kiera of House AVA; Pages 30-35 "Accepting Our Differences, Revealing Our Natures" by Eclecta; Pages 109-112 "Finding A Path In The South" by Eclecta of House AVA; Pages 192-199 "Atlanta Vampire Alliance: Initiating Serious Studies"; Pages 200-201
For this anthology, vampire Michelle Belanger convinced nearly two
dozen real-life vampires to break the code of silence that has kept
their fascinating subculture shrouded in secrecy. Sometimes
provocative, sometimes surprisingly down-to-earth, these candid
firsthand accounts come from both psi vampires who feed on energy and
sanguine vampires who drink actual blood. Their true stories shed light
on a variety of topics, including awakening to vampirism, the
compulsion to feed and feeding practices, donor ethics and etiquette,
and vampire traditions and codes of behavior.
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| "Allure of the Vampire: Our Sexual Attraction to the Undead" http://www.amazon.com/Allure-Vampire-Sexual-Attraction-Undead/dp/1448658942 Corvis Nocturnum Dark Moon Press - July 23, 2009 ISBN: 1448658942
The
mere mention of vampires used to be enough to make people think of a
nocturnal predator. But over the centuries the vampire has changed from
monstrous villain to sexual object, for both men and women alike.
Allure of the Vampire examines our intimate attraction to these beings
in a detailed manner. Now, join occult author Corvis Nocturnum as he
reveals the fascinating evolution of this icon as it has lured and
enticed us in folklore, film and books from the days of ancient
civilization to the living breathing inhabitants of our modern
subculture, the vampire community.
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"Real Vampires, Night Stalkers and Creatures from the Darkside" http://www.amazon.com/Vampires-Night-Stalkers-Creatures-Darkside/dp/1578592550 Brad Steiger Visible Ink Press - September 1, 2009 ISBN: 1578592550
A
chilling chronicle of the often ignored history of vampirism as it has
surfaced repeatedly in news articles, historical accounts, and first
person interviews, this shocking account of occultist rituals and the
inhuman forces that influence them shines a light on the horrifying
truth. Revealing that real vampires are not immortal, do not have fangs
or sleep in coffins, and have no fear of sunlight or crucifixes, the
examination dispels many myths but also confirms the truth behind
several traits of real vampires, such as the insatiable thirst for
blood and the dream of an eternal soul. Complete with 30 spine-tingling
tales of the hideous wraiths and creatures that lurk in shadow, this
fascinating collection includes the stories of the Mexican prostitute
who mesmerized an entire village, convincing them she was an Incan
goddess who required human sacrifice for her magic; the three teenagers
who left a trail across the South as they conducted blood-drinking
rituals with animals; and the mysterious Lady in Black who draws
psychic energy from men who dare approach her as she wanders through
city streets and parks.
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| [Click Book To Order] |
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| San Diego, CA - AAR 2007 Conference |
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"Gathering Data with the Vampire: Analyzing Causes and Effects of an Introspective Survey by the Vampire Community" Annual Conference of American Academy of Religion, November 17, 2007 Joseph Laycock, PhD Boston University & MTS Harvard Divinity School http://www.aarweb.org
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"Ontological Rebellion: The Otherkin Community and the Struggle for Reality" Association for the Sociology of Religion (ASR) Annual Meeting, August 8, 2009 Joseph Laycock, PhD Boston University & MTS Harvard Divinity School http://www.sociologyofreligion.com
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| San Francisco, CA - ASR 2009 Conference |
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Academic Citations:
- Vampires Today: The Truth About Modern Vampirism
Joseph Laycock, PhD Boston University & MTS Harvard Divinity School Praeger
Publishers (2009); Pages 7-8, 13-14, 18, 26, 33, 34, 37-38, 60-61,
67-68, 82, 84, 106-07, 110, 118, 121-122, 125, 133-34, 138-42, 145,
158, & 161-63
- Real Vampires as an Identity Group: Analyzing Causes and Effects of an Introspective Survey by the Vampire Community
Joseph Laycock, PhD - Author of Vampires Today: The Truth About Modern Vampirism Nova Religio - The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions August 2010, Vol. 14, No. 1, Pages 4–23 http://www.jstor.org/pss/10.1525/nr.2010.14.1.4
Abstract:
"Real vampires" believe that they must either consume blood or feed on "subtle" energy in order to maintain their physical, mental, and spiritual health. Recent scholarship has analyzed vampirism as a religious movement or as a cluster of "vampire religions." This article argues that vampirism should be viewed foremost as an identity around which social and religious institutions have formed. This model accounts for the mosaic of religious and cultural orientations held by vampires and acknowledges the vampire community's claims that vampirism is not a choice. It also facilitates a functionalist reading of vampire discourse as validating a new category of person.
- Contemporary Vampires and (Blood-Red) Leisure: Should We Be Afraid of the Dark?
DJ Williams, LCSW, PhD - Idaho State University Leisure/Loisir - Volume 32 (2) (2008); Pages 513-539
- “Predatory Spirituality:” Vampire Religion In America
David and Kiara Falk of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Sacred Tribes Journal - Volume 3 Number 2 (2008); Pages 102-131
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TWILIGHT - A Formal Gathering Of The Vampire Community
TWILIGHT I - Los Angeles, CA - October 30, 2007 TWILIGHT II - Atlanta, GA - March 7-9, 2008 TWILIGHT III - Seattle, WA - September 26-28, 2008
Photo & Program Guide Directory http://www.suscitatio.com/twilight.html
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