Ok call me crazy. When I found out I was going to be the guest interviewer for this month’s zine and that my interview subject would be Silver, I had this romantic notion of the two of us sitting down on opposite sides of the pond, with big steamy mugs of java and just having nice long relaxing afternoon chat.

And then there is reality.

VC Council member, the UK offline representative for the Vampire Church, student of psychology, VC teacher, webmistress of her own site, mother of three and general Jane of all trades Silver has a whirlwind of a schedule and admits to using time management techniques just to accomplish it all. Her plain down to earth approach to vampirism de-mystifies the subject and she is noted for getting right to the heart of the matter. She discusses past, present and hopefully future, when to approach her with caution and that thing she has for the color purple.

Silver: Ok I'm back..

LA: Cool - can ya give me a couple minutes I need to knead my bread for the first rise.

Silver: No worries, take all the time you want…I am trying to get this lot into bed for the night so I'll have peace while we do this.

LA: TY – I’ll be ready in justa few..

Silver: Ok any time.

LA: Ready? Alright here we go.

LA: Greetings Silver thanks for joining me at the end of your hectic day.

Silver: Greetings LA, thank you for having me :o)

LA: VC Council member, the UK representative for the Vampire Church. Student of psychology, VC teacher, webmaster, mother and general Jane of all trades. Boy that is quite a list? Did I leave anything out? And geez - how you do all that and find time for everything?

Silver: Well when you add in mondo homework assignments, god only knows…It's true though, of late, I have had almost no time. The good thing about all this is, I suppose I am getting a real lesson in time management here. I just try to allocate a certain amount of time for everything that needs doing in one day, or for the week, and try not to go above the amount I have allocated. This way, I am able to keep to a reasonable schedule. Although there have been many times where I have had no other option but to burn "the midnight oil".

LA: Time management is key I guess. And I KNOW that you definitely burn the midnight oil. You are on late MY time some days. Talk to me about being a mother? It is your most important job. As one myself, I often find myself giving "motherly guidance" here. Is that how it works for you as well?

Silver: Mostly... I tend to become mother to a good many, and not simply to my own kids. Being an Empath, I get people who have a need to let go and get things off their chests, or simply come seeking advice. I have even taken people into my home, cared for and nurtured them, so I suppose I am mother to all who come my way. I think it is more that I have not simply the need, but the capacity to want to care for other people. Sometimes it's difficult, but it is a need that is within me to do.

LA: That being an Empath, I guess that does make you the sympathetic ear when all someone wants is a person to listen.

Silver: Yes it does. Sometimes I have to put one part of myself to one side and not get personally involved, which is very hard to do. And at times, it does get frustrating, because I would like to interact personally, and be the rod of iron for some when it is needed, and they don't seem to have the strength to get through. Almost it angers me to see how blatantly other people are so willing to hurt and cause pain to others for no real reason, and it's hard to NOT want to jump right in and make a difference. Listening is something I feel I am getting better at. Things like that take an infinite amount of patience, which I don't possess enough of, but I work on it all the time :o)

LA: That too seems to go hand in hand with being an Empath so many have to learn the technique of listening instead of action. That does quite nicely compliment your chosen field of study. How does being a vampire affect that and how does you being a psychology student aid or detract from what you do here?

Silver: Right. The sheer fact that so many come to this organization seeking help, and assuming from the get go that there is something really wrong with them, poses a problem, and it's one that no one out there seems to be addressing.

LA: We do get quite a lot seeking help that way.

Silver: Not only that, but a good many come here with other mental and emotional issues which they have no real means of dealing with, or even getting help with. Because many were coming not only to me, but to other council members, and seeking our help in things that we were really not able to help them with, I thought it was high time that they have an outlet.

So what better field to go into than psychology? I am naturally analytically minded, and have the capacity to assist along those lines, and I think this community could do with someone in the field who is also a vampire, and yes we definitely get quite a lot seeking that sort of help. I think it would help people to know that if they at least had a professional to speak to, and put their minds at ease, we'd be defeating a lot of the problems we face out here on a regular basis.

LA: It does seem like a natural then. What is it that you see attracting people with "extended" issues to the "darker" communities?

Silver: Hmmm. I think they "feel" that somehow their "vampirism" is somehow connected with the night, and/or all things nocturnal. What they may not know is when you are depressed, this will cause you to sleep more during the day, which will of course extend your night time hours, and cause you to be more active by night. Doing this also affects your melatonin levels which keep you from burning in the sun. Spending daylight hours in bed will cause your skin to become pale, and you will end up burning quite easily.. These are, of course, the mythological traits we seem to come up against, and I believe this is where we run into trouble with dispelling the myths. When they are continuously perpetuated in this way, it is very hard to be able to get people to understand that mental/emotional issues such as depression, really have nothing whatever to do with vampirism, and do not cause it.

LA: We do just into quite a bit of that and it does seem to be an ongoing problem just in the time I have been here. Okay stepping back and looking at yourself, if I remember correctly, when you first came here you had some very stereotypical ideas on vampirism. The same thing many of our new members go through. You were fairly newly awakened then were you not?

Silver: When I first came, I was going through the processes of awakening, and it was a very strange period to have to go through. It was completely life-changing, and shook things up all the way around. I was under the impression that if you were not sanguinary, that whatever you were, it was simply not seen as being "up to par". Now, I never actually read that anywhere, nor did anyone tell me that - it was simply a feeling I got. I had never been on an e-list before, and didn't join the VC e-list until I had been wandering the site for about a year.

It took quite a lot of time to get used to some notions of vampirism, most especially negative vampirism. The reason for this is, because most of us had it in our minds that it was a certain way of being, and quite frankly, until both yourself and Tom came along, I think many of us were quite literally, in the dark, as it were, on this topic. We all had to assimilate the information learned from you, and then accommodate it within a set schema in our own minds - Not an easy thing to do.

LA: Lol - we all have had to deal with the stereotypes of ALL kinds that go with vampirism. Sometimes it is just as had to get over them ourselves as it is for those around us and in the media. So how did things start to change for you? How much of an influence did finding the safe haven here have on your life?

Silver: As to the first part of this, when you only have a limited experience of something, and then you are presented with an experience that doesn't match, I feel it's a little easier to be able to accommodate it SLOWLY, but at least it did happen. For me, that was particularly groundbreaking, as I am sure it was for a good many people. As for a safe haven, well, I know some people state that they have been persecuted or abused by other people. I never had that problem, with the exception of getting lip service from people online, but I think it's safe to say, a good many pay lip service simply because they CAN, because it gives them a rush. But I knew from the moment I first came to the VC that I was home. I looked through the images of the council and thought to myself, eventually, these will all be old friends. And it's true. That has actually happened.. It has been one of the best experiences I have had in my life. The more I do for this community, the more I WANT to do. My life is pretty much based in and around this community, and those within it. That is my lot in this life, I feel :o) And I have been grateful for the opportunity.

LA: Let's see you have been a council member since 2001? The Vampire Church has defiantly grown since then, talk to me about some of those changes.

Silver: Yes, I am coming up on 3 years on the Council the end of this coming April. As for changes, we have changed the way we intake new members, which I feel is a better process, and allows for a lot less people lying about on the VC couch, for example. The zine has DEFINITELY come right along since I first came here - it used to be one long scrolling page, and now it has been professionally enhanced with the talents of each editor we get. We have added more services, and Damien has made many interesting changes to the website interface, making it much more complete, and more user friendly, having the additions of a mini chat and chat facility. We have also incorporated another room on mIRC that we make use of for general membership meetings, so they have the opportunity to interact with us. Plus, in general, we have grown more in our knowledge and experience with the vampiric condition, and I feel we are better equipped to assist ALL vampires, and not simply one or two main types.

LA: That is quite a few changes in a rather short time. Is this why you bring such a passionate approach to your work here?

Silver: Ohhhh gee :o) Yes, my "passion" is rather well - known, I think :o) I think it's more that this is where I belong, and I try to do my best with what I know from my own experiences, and those of others, and at times, this comes off as a bit over the top, or "passionate" as you would say. But my heart is firmly sunk within this organization, and I suppose you could say I am passionate to a fault in seeing and ensuring its continuity.

LA: Ok Silver, you know there is a joke going around that kind of involves you. The moon phase’s info on the main Vampire Church page is being referred to in some circles as the "Silver Early Warning System". Lol - having seen you go thru this month after month, I almost have to agree. But no joking aside, you do seem to be very affected by you monthly cycles and full moons. And if they hit together I know that you have a rough time both physically and emotionally. Describe what happens to you and the affects it has.

Silver: Hehehehehehehehehehehehe..I had NO idea anyone was saying THAT! :o)

Alright, lemme see if I can fitly explain this...

LA: Well at least you have a sense of humor about it.

Silver: Ok. Some know, some do not, but the moon affects the tides of the earth. It has a gravitational pull on the tides, and if it can affect large bodies of water, it can also affect people. I'm not sure if you have noticed or not, but nearing the full moon phase, people seem to naturally become more aggressive. Even local hospital E.R. wards have an influx of accident patients near or on the full moon - something to consider! There is something to be said about those of us who are Cancerians - we are "ruled" by the moon. Being Cancerian, I am the poster child for all that being Cancerian means. Moody, empathic, sympathetic, a homemaker, very into the family (both my family and the VC family), nurturing, caring and loving, and very loyal. But once a month, those energies, when they gravitate towards the full, are like a double helping of chaos and catastrophe. It negatively affects my moods, and I become easy to upset, I cry at the drop of a hat, get not just mad but ANGRY, and this sometimes even reflects in my posts, and this accounts for many labeling me as being "too passionate".

And while I don't mean for this to happen, I also have no way to stop it, so I have given warning to steer clear of me during the full :o) Some think that maybe this is just PMS in the mix, and while I fully admit to being one who suffers from horrific PMS, I need to state that this is in ADDITION TO PMS. So for me, full moon energies are a lethal concoction. I am not able to feed at that time, and end up expending more energy than I am able to take in, hence worsened moods and headaches. I know I cannot be the only one out there that is affected in this way, but I am glad you asked, because hopefully, this'll make others take more notice.

LA: Thanks for being so personal here and hey we all have our days of being out of sorts with our selves and the rest of the world. Lol - I have to ask… I know that you have this theory about purple cows. Explain that and explain how that came about?

Silver: Yeah :o) I have likened real vampires to a herd of purple cows. There have been times when a white cow (someone who is not a vampire, but claims they are) comes along, loudly mooing or proclaiming their purpleness, when the rest of us can see quite plainly that the white cow is white, and definitely not purple. I realize for some, that being a vampire is seen as something wonderful and unique, and this is because they have been duped by all the Hollywood finery and pomp and circumstance, but for those of us who really do have to battle with it daily, we know that it's nothing like this.

LA: That is fun. And it does work that way doesn’t it. And while we are talking about purple - humm lets see you have QUITE the reputation for loving the color. Tell me a bit about that.

Silver: Yes, purple is my favorite color. It's a color that I feel promotes peace and calm. If being human could be defined in terms of color, purple would represent many of us, most especially those who are real vampires, and those who are open and/or sensitive to the workings of energies.

LA: Interesting that purple signifies that to you when the stereotype is to associate this community with the color black.

Silver: I realize. The good thing about black however, is that it is very energy - drawing. I wear black much of the time for just that purpose, and can't help but wonder if this is why a good many of us choose to encase ourselves in black. But there is always something purple that I am wearing as well.. Always promoting the violet consciousness :o)

LA: Ooo warm bread just came out of oven. < Hands Silver some across the pond.>

Silver: Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

LA: Ok. I want to ask you here about your group, In Medias Res. That is Latin right? Tell me about the name and how your whole group came into be.

Silver: Yes, it's called In Medias Res, which means "in the midst of", and I chose it because this is essentially what we do in this community - get into the midst of vampirism.. I found out later that it was also used by Freud in his book "An Outline Of Psychoanalysis" - "I have made several similar observations since then, but I will stick to my initial example because it is the easiest to describe - and you will immediately find yourselves in medias res". When I saw this months later in his book, it felt as though I had had a mind meld with Freud, who, for me, is one of my favorites in this field .He is the one that started psychology on the path of dealing with it by analyzing how people felt, by their emotional states, hence empathy. So this was, you might say, ground breaking for me, and made me feel like I had made the right choice as far as a name for my organization went.

LA: It is a fairly small intimate group. How does it's focus differ from that of the Vampire Church and how does it complement it?

Silver: It really doesn't differ from the VC at all, with the exception that it was designed with the UK/European crowd in mind. I have stated that the welcome mat is out to all, regardless of where they are in the world, and I think all who are on it are also on the VC list, so as a result, there's not a lot happening currently. As far as complementing it, maybe by the fact that I have my pages designed in every color BUT black, and this was mainly because I saw people coming to the VC site saying "but why does it HAVE to be black"? So when you make use of peaceful, non - threatening colors and layouts, with beautiful graphics, plus information intense, I think it softens the blow for those who might see vampire organizations as a place of fear. And I think Damien also recognizes this, hence the change on his own site. It's really wonderful how we can grow from such a simple experience as that. I have no real plans to turn IMR into a large organization like the VC - My main goal was basically to get the information out there because there is a void here in the UK, that, and as a place to showcase my works in psychology and human development.

LA: And a pleasant place to visit, it is. You have a wealth of information there.

Silver: Well I am still working on it, but of late, haven't really had much of a chance to add anything. But for those who wish to take a look, the URL is http://www.geocities.com/silvervcc

LA: A couple last things here and then I will let you get back to your WAY too busy schedule. How do you feel about the work you are doing here now and where do you see yourself in a few years?

Silver: My contribution to this community is in the form of a counselor when needed, a teacher for those needing instruction, a friend, and hopefully confidante to many, and someone that has had the added joy of introducing various genres of music to those who may otherwise never be prompted to give a listen. We have been called "creatures of beauty" and as such, music, amongst other things, is the lifeblood, and it has been my pleasure to present this to everyone by way of the zine. Over the next few years, I still see myself here, but by then, I will have a Bachelor of Science honors degree, and hopefully will go on towards getting my PhD. I don't, of course want to jump the gun on that too soon, but that's what my goals are :o)

LA: Quite ambitious goals and well, you certainly are on track. Lastly I have to ask, and this comes from being a mother myself, how do you approach the subject of vampirism with your children, or do you just avoid it?

Silver: No, I don't avoid it at all. My children are very well aware of my vampirism, and I know at least one of mine is also vampiric. They, like all kids, have questions, and when they ask, I answer them in a manner I know they are able to understand. I know for some people, this is a no - go area with their kids, and that's fine, and I think it's really an individual thing here, but I saw no reason to keep quiet about it. It's not something that is fearsome or scary, and I don't portray it in that light. I feel I have done my best in this area for the now. I allow my son to read my articles and question me afterwards if he feels the need to do so.

LA: Quite cool. Good approach. And truly in your down to earth style. I can definitely see where being so open about it at home helps combat the horrible stereotypes that they may learn else where.

Silver: Yes it does. It's still a little early yet for the girls, but in a few years, we'll see what happens.

LA: Lol - I hope for their sake they are not.

Silver: Well, me too, but if it should happen that they are, I'll deal with it accordingly and do my best for them.

LA: I want to thank you here for your time and for joining me. It has truly been a pleasure. And I know that I will be talking to you here still later to night on line.

Silver: Well, the pleasure was all mine, I assure you :o) Thanks for having me, again :o)



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