Dear Bishop, since reading your books I have also begun exploring the different "Vampire Societies" and groups which exist in order to get a better overview of the whole phenomena of vampirism. However, unfortunately, most of these groups deal only with what you refer to as "Vampiroidism" without posing the question if "real" vampires in the traditional sense exist. Yesterday, however, I did come across one group which I wanted to ask your opinion of. This group - which calls itself the "Vampire Society" - claims to be a secret gathering not of vampiroids but of real vampires claiming to possess immortality etc. Are you familiar with this and if not, would you be so kind as to take a look at it? It's the only group I found which seriously claims to count "real" vampires amongst its member. What its exact purpose is however and if the group is to be regarded as malevolent or not is not quite clear to me yet. Also, as an additional question, I was wondering if there are any study groups or societies which engage in speculative vampirology which you could perhaps recommend? I would be interested in joining such a (discussion) group to share information because I don't yet feel the calling to enagage in any type of operative vampirology. Thanks again for taking the time to addess my questions. I have now read your book on the Grail Church by the way and found it very informative indeed. I was not familiar in detail with the fascinating history of Glastonbury which you recount. — Patrick
The Vampire Society claims to be "a private and exclusive Society of real Vampires and their disciples. We are seeking others like us and those few who desire to become like us. Vampirism is not a cult of death but one of life and overcoming death. 'To live forever and to never die'." Elsewhere it declares: "We are not psychic vampires, sanguinary vampires (blood-drinkers), 'lifestyle vampires,' or those who use the persona of the vampire as a spiritual tradition, or as a mask or path to personal power. We are Vampires." And: "Although immortal, Vampires are still human and have a respect for life. They are not murderers or the criminally insane who prey upon the living. No one loves life and shuns death more than Vampires." They frequently quote from works of fiction, fantasy and, not surprisingly, the Edwardian Satanist Aleister Crowley, but these people are not any of the things they claim to be. They are not immortal. They are not vampires. They are, in essence, vampiroids.
Vampiroids are not vampires despite some actually believing themselves to be vampires. A real vampire is an undead form with a demonic counterpart which issues forth from its tomb in the dead of night to quaff the blood of the living whereby it is nourished and preserved. Vampiroids are living people. They are not seemingly re-animated corpses with an awful supernatural existence beyond the grave. People who either believe themselves to be vampires, or want to become vampires and affect what they construe to be aspects of vampirism, even when this is taken to extremes, are not vampires. They are vampiroids and range from relatively harmless poseurs to dangerous psychopaths. The former may be benign, but the latter are capable of murder. Thus the vampiroid is not a supernatural being, but a human who embraces what he or she assumes to be a lifestyle commensurate with vampirism as largely depicted in fictional films and literature. Whereas the true vampire partakes of the dark natures and possesses the terrible qualities of both apparition and demon, assuming the form of a dead body to suck the blood of the living. Vampiroids identify with the imagery of the vampire and become totally seduced by its mythology, having no discernable regard for what is fact and what is fantasy. The more extreme examples of vampiroidism, known as ultra-vampiroids, are exceptionally dangerous. Within the supra-individual level of the psyche they respond utterly to the vampire archetype. Despite the high percentage of poseurs in most vampiroid clubs, there can nevertheless occasionally be found a small number of extreme types. These can vary in levels of psychotic behaviour from proto-vampiroids to ultra-vampiroids. By no means are all vampiroids enmeshed in diabolism and murder. In fact, the majority are definitely not. However, the clubs produce literature that feeds certain beliefs and obsessions. These undoubtedly compromise the dynamics of any benign vampiroid philosophy, such as it can be deduced from those within these groups. The crude and splenetic expression of their views points to an irrational pathological prejudice rather than a coherent philosophy. Some of this prejudice is similar to malefic occultism. Personality disorders play a part in the opinions expressed by many, but vampiroidism per se is no freak display of Gothic Romanticism at its most decadent. It is, in fact, anti-Gothic and anti-Romantic. At its cutting edge its raw materials are concepts usually allied to destructive beliefs and an acute ethnocentric identification with the archetype in forms that are mostly allegorical.
There are no open study groups or societies for speculative vampirology about which I am aware that I could happily recommend. Outside the traditional wing of the Christian Church where these topics might be discussed, organisations such as I know will accept members by invitation only for reasons all too obvious.
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Vampiroids are not vampires despite some actually believing themselves to be vampires. A real vampire is an undead form with a demonic counterpart which issues forth from its tomb in the dead of night to quaff the blood of the living whereby it is nourished and preserved. Vampiroids are living people. They are not seemingly re-animated corpses with an awful supernatural existence beyond the grave. People who either believe themselves to be vampires, or want to become vampires and affect what they construe to be aspects of vampirism, even when this is taken to extremes, are not vampires. They are vampiroids and range from relatively harmless poseurs to dangerous psychopaths. The former may be benign, but the latter are capable of murder. Thus the vampiroid is not a supernatural being, but a human who embraces what he or she assumes to be a lifestyle commensurate with vampirism as largely depicted in fictional films and literature. Whereas the true vampire partakes of the dark natures and possesses the terrible qualities of both apparition and demon, assuming the form of a dead body to suck the blood of the living. Vampiroids identify with the imagery of the vampire and become totally seduced by its mythology, having no discernable regard for what is fact and what is fantasy. The more extreme examples of vampiroidism, known as ultra-vampiroids, are exceptionally dangerous. Within the supra-individual level of the psyche they respond utterly to the vampire archetype. Despite the high percentage of poseurs in most vampiroid clubs, there can nevertheless occasionally be found a small number of extreme types. These can vary in levels of psychotic behaviour from proto-vampiroids to ultra-vampiroids. By no means are all vampiroids enmeshed in diabolism and murder. In fact, the majority are definitely not. However, the clubs produce literature that feeds certain beliefs and obsessions. These undoubtedly compromise the dynamics of any benign vampiroid philosophy, such as it can be deduced from those within these groups. The crude and splenetic expression of their views points to an irrational pathological prejudice rather than a coherent philosophy. Some of this prejudice is similar to malefic occultism. Personality disorders play a part in the opinions expressed by many, but vampiroidism per se is no freak display of Gothic Romanticism at its most decadent. It is, in fact, anti-Gothic and anti-Romantic. At its cutting edge its raw materials are concepts usually allied to destructive beliefs and an acute ethnocentric identification with the archetype in forms that are mostly allegorical.
There are no open study groups or societies for speculative vampirology about which I am aware that I could happily recommend. Outside the traditional wing of the Christian Church where these topics might be discussed, organisations such as I know will accept members by invitation only for reasons all too obvious.
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