This month our newest Vampire Church Council member, Linda, shares a bit about herself. While new to the VC Council, she hardly is new to the Vampire Church. In fact, she has been an Associate member for much longer than most. She is a warm, welcoming empathic lady and gladly shares her personal experiences, and knowledge. She even discuses her new role as Editor at the helm of the Vampire Church Newzine.
LA: Greetings Linda and welcome to the hotseat. As the newest member of the Vampire Church Council and Editor of the VC Newszine you get the privilege of being put
under the microscope this month. Tell me a bit about yourself and your vampirism.
Linda: Greetings LA and thank you for your time. I'm a 28 year old mother of two boys living currently in central Maryland and an empathic/elemental vampire.
LA: Empathic vampirism is a very personal method of feeding. How does that work for you and how affected are you by the emotions of others on a day to day basis?
Linda: Feeding empathically comes quite naturally to me as I have always been an empath in general. Since about the age of 11. The emotions of others affect in both positive and negative ways. I would say more so in the positive way.
LA: So are you affected then empathically all the time or just when you feed?
Linda: I am affected all the time, which can be very overwhelming.
LA: Given the personal nature of empathic feeding, and how it affects you, do you find you pull back a bit because of that? Are you a bit more reserved in public situations because of your empathic vampirism?
Linda: I don't pull back at all in public situations. I tend to become "lost" in a sense if I attempt to block out my natural empathic abilities. I am a person who "feels" more than anything in any situation especially personal.
LA: I also know from discussions with you, that you are affected both by your monthly hormonal cycle and have a constant and sometimes severe headache. How are these connected to your vampirism?
Linda: I suffer from migraines on a regular basis which formed from an overly indulgent caffeine intake. I have cut back on the caffeine, but still have them. If I don't feed or I over feed, the headaches tend to get worse. I started having problems with my monthly hormonal cycle about 3 years ago. In that time I have found that I cannot feed during my cycle at all. As a result of that, I become very irritable and tired.
LA: That too then seems to affect your feeding abilities, which must make it fairly rough to balance your energy needs. What works for you and helps you to maintain that balance?
Linda: Well, I don't use a Shielding technique. Being a natural empath, I have learned to use what I call a Filter. It's like a huge energy strainer, almost like a net. I don't have a need to block out negative emotions or anything. I just find it difficult to separate another's emotions from my own personal ones. A Filter helps on that aspect. To balance out my energy needs, I simply feed well before my cycle happens. I do use elemental feeding as a secondary source, but it's very rarely.
LA: Changing gears a bit here. You have been here in the Vampire Church since 1999 - ah right? That is quite a long time. Things have changed a lot since then and the organization has grown and matured. What is it that first attracted you to the Vampire Church?
Linda: I was first attracted to the VC because of it's level of seriousness regarding the subject of vampirism. When I read through the website, everything was so well organized and not scattered. Very professional with no flights of fancy.
LA: Is that what holds you here today or has that focused changed for you?
Linda: The level of seriousness still holds me here. I have had a chance with this organization to help others and that is something that I enjoy doing. I also don't get to participate in the offline community too much so what I can do online is better than nothing. The members here have an equal learning/sharing relationship.
LA: Given your experiences here, what is it that you see people getting from this organization?
Linda: I see people getting very informative and useful information to help deal with their own vampirism. Whether it is through the classes, the lists, or the Newszine, I have noticed that it has helped immensely. They also get a sense of family. We get so many members who have no one to really go to for help and it is great that the VC can offer that to them.
LA: Do you feel that as a VC Associate you gain the same things or is there something more?
Linda: Oh, most definitely! You don't get the sense of inferiority that some groups can put into you.
LA: And now that you have joined the Vampire Church Council, has that focus changed for you and how do you expect to grow?
Linda: The focus hasn't changed at all. I look forward to getting out more into the offline community though. Being a part of the Council and the Editor of the Newszine gives me the opportunity to expand on that goal.
LA: As the new Editor for the VC Newzine you are taking on new challenges. You mentioned once in conversation, that this feels like a real editorship. Lol - that is a very empathic comment. But how so? What gives it that feel to you?
Linda: There is a flow to everything. You can feel that connection and things just go smoothly. Take for instance any normal magazine. They have their different departments and such that work together to meet deadlines. It's all about teamwork and that is what we are. A really awesome team.
LA: And lastly, as Editor, what do you see as possibilities? Do you have any goals for the Newszine or you personally as Editor? What directions would you like to see it take and what do you what to accomplish here?
Linda: I would like to see more involvement of the Associate and General membership. I've been working on some ideas to make that happen. As Editor, there is just so much I can do with the zine. I really don't know where to start. I know that during my time as Editor, the zine will grow to it's full potential.
LA: Thank you Linda for sharing both your private side and your experiences with your vampirism. Also thank you for sharing your personal insights into the Vampire Church Newszine and your goals there. I feel that working together as an organization we can all
accomplish great things. And I am certainly glad for your being here. It enriches us all.
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