The vampire lifestyle, also known as the vampire subculture or vampire community (sometimes spelled "vampyre"), is an alternative lifestyle and subculture inspired by the mythology and popular culture surrounding vampires. Participants often identify with or as vampires, drawing inspiration from various media, including gothic literature, films, and role-playing games. The subculture encompasses a range of practices, from incorporating vampire aesthetics into daily life to engaging in rituals involving blood consumption or energy work.

The vampire subculture largely stemmed from the goth subculture, but also incorporates some elements of the sadomasochism and relevant aesthetic known as Vampirecore, which romanticizes vampires in total.

Participants within the subculture range from those who dress and act as vampires but understand themselves to be human, to those who assert a need to consume either blood or human 'energy' and 'emotions', or both. Though the vampire subculture has considerable overlap with gothic subculture, the vampire community also has overlap with both therian and otherkin communities, and are considered by some to be a part of both, despite the difference in cultural and historical development.

Characteristics

alt=Two people dressed as vampires, one with fangs.|thumb|Two people dressed as vampires, one with fangs.

Vampire lifestylers might dress up in 'vampire' clothing, indulge in habits like sleeping in a coffin, maintaining nighttime lifestyle or participating in RPGs such as Vampire: The Masquerade."

  • "Psychic vampires" claim to attain nourishment from the aura or pranic energy of others willingly allow other members of the subculture to drink their blood.
  • "Blood fetishists" or "eros" use blood as a stimulant or sexual fetish, sometimes drinking it during the course of sadomasochistic sex.

Practices

The members of Vampire community have different practices of vampirism, depending on their type. Sanguinarians typically consume human blood, provided by a voluntary donor, with special "donor ethics" existing to ensure proper relations between the donor and the vampire and prevent abuse. Sanguinarians also often use animal blood in culinary purposes, with traditional dishes from around the world like black pudding, sangrecita, dinuguan being popular, together with experimental dishes like blood ice cream.

Psychic vampires often feed on donor's "baggage" - 'leftover emotions or energy'. They typically have three different practices, called Grounding (feeding on the "energy of Earth"), Centering ('gathering' energy to concentrate on yourself) and Shielding (protecting yourself from negative energies).

References

Further reading

  • Belanger, Michelle A. (2004). The Psychic Vampire Codex: A Manual of Magick and Energy Work. Red Wheel/Weiser.
  • Laycock, Joseph (2009). Vampires Today: The Truth About Modern Vampirism. Praeger.
  • Russo, Arlene (2005). Vampire Nation. John Blake.
  • Peter Day (Hrsg.): Vampires: myths and metaphors of enduring evil- Editions Rodopi, 2006,