Greetings all :o) my guest this month, is the VC's own Chrystal Vitale. She is a recent associate member with a lot of promise, and fully dedicated to helping those new in the community with their awakenings and queries on vampirism in general, plus helping with the VC classes and other resources. We are happy to have her here among us. Those wishing to contact her may do so via AIM on LucitaCV, or via hotmail on Lucitacv@hotmail.com
Silver: Greetings Chrystal. Thank you for being my guest this eve :o)
Chrystal: Greetings Silver, thank you so much for having me :D
Silver: Ok :o) would you indulge us with a little background information on yourself, to start with?
Chrystal: Sure, I am a 20 year old who still goes to college and joined the VC 6 months ago. Since then, I have been made an Associate, and recently the VC Offline Rep for NY.
Silver: So, now you're active within the community. How has working within the Vampire Church helped you within your own vampirism?
Chrystal: Oh, where do I start? Being a member of the VC has allowed me to be able to come to terms with who and what I am. It has helped me to grow in my abilities as well as a person. I started off knowing nothing, I have learned so much and so I continue to walk on this journey of knowledge.
Silver: I think it's important to be able to have a network of people available that are able to help. So can you tell us at what point in your life did you discover you were a vampire?
Chrystal: I started to discover what I was when I was 15 years old, a sophomore in high school. I thought it was just a phase I was going through; that I was just "into" vampires. Little did I know I had started to awaken at this point.
Silver: Did you have anyone else to relate with along the way, or were you on your own for the most part in finding explanations?
Chrystal: I was completely alone. But my thirst for knowledge over what was happening to me was overwhelming. I watched all the movies, went to websites and read all the books I could, marking off any pages that seemed to fit. Nothing seemed to truly help.
Silver: How do you feel the movies relate to vampirism?
Chrystal: Lol, very poorly sometimes, but I still watch them, for entertainment value and to see if sometimes they get it right.
Silver: Do you think they have far too much influence on the majority? Because going on a lot of the responses to questions on the list, especially from new people, many of them feel what they see on the big screen is real.
Chrystal: Yes, unfortunately they are the major influence on the majority. This also makes for very confused, newly awakening, vamps out there. They see the fantasy and want to so desperately be a part of it. They don't know any better sometimes that it just doesn't happen that way.
Silver: I agree, and I think it's sad, because it shows that there is a huge void in their lives, desperately needing to be filled.
Chrystal: Yes, definitely.
Silver: Well, let's get back to you. Can you tell us a little about your awakening?
Chrystal: Sure...The first year was really bad, I found myself constantly tired (this was due to school too). My headaches grew at a rapid rate, and by the time I would reach for a bottle of Tylenol, they would be gone. I also grew very depressed. I would just have this wave of sadness, of being unfulfilled, and being harassed in school didn't help either. It wasn't until I started going out with my recent boyfriend, that things started to change.
Silver: Really? How so?
Chrystal: We talked about things here or there, and when I mentioned exchanging blood with him, he surprisingly said okay.
Silver: What made you decide to do that in the first place? I mean, had you heard somewhere that it might help, or...?
Chrystal: No I didn't, it was part of me seeing the movies, seeing the fantasy that made me push to try it.
Silver: Ah.
Chrystal: I didn't understand what I was doing at the time.
Silver: Continue :o)
Chrystal: It just felt really natural. I knew I felt better afterward.
Silver: I just find it interesting to know what drew someone, anyone for that matter, to try it in the first place. It's very different, you know? :o)
Chrystal: Lol
Silver: And I suppose it does have a certain appeal...
Chrystal: Yes, I know.
Silver: So, then you can say, that having seen it on "the big screen", it had an effect on you?
Chrystal: It did, and so I, out of curiosity indulged. Yes, very much indeed.
Silver: See? I think this is what drives many to try it. But at the same time, I see no reason for people on the outside to flip out over this. I mean, after all, most don't bat an eye when it comes to oral sex...And that's very similar. Both are bodily fluids. But I'm assuming one would be a bit more palatable :oD Ok, I admit it, that was gross :o)
Chrystal: Lol…
Silver: Still!
Chrystal: I found just as much pleasure, and maybe even more from feeding.
Silver: That's very interesting...Would you care to give some detail?
Chrystal: Lol, sure. When I first started feeding, I felt, and still do today, that exchanging of the blood was one of the most intimate things one can do. To me, it's the ultimate bond.
Silver: Yes, I often hear it explained as such.
Chrystal: Yes, it made me feel whole and loved.
Silver: Interesting…
Chrystal: I continued, whenever he would allow me to, I would feed. I knew even back then, never to take without consent.
Silver: Not being a sanguinarian, it's a little harder for me to really relate. I have never asked anyhow deep this bond goes. Depth, I can fathom, because I am empathic, and feed that way. But this to me is so different, and I have always been interested to know what all lies within such a bond.
Chrystal: Blood is the life. Someone is sharing with me the most precious gift that they have. For that, I'm eternally grateful to my donor.
Silver: I understand :o) do you seek out your energy needs in other ways, or only via sanguinary energies?
Chrystal: Yes as a matter of fact, I have learned to seek out energy needs in other ways, such as elemental energies. And I've also discovered I have some psi ability in me as well.
Silver: So then you are what we term as being an adaptive vampire? Kewl…
Chrystal: Right.
Silver: Did you find it difficult? I mean, many sangs that I have known, find it difficult to be able to draw from sources other than sang, and also find those other sources (for those who are able to tap them) to not be as potent. Is it so for you?
Chrystal: I actually learned that I was able to tap into elemental energies, such as wind, before I even knew that’s what I was doing. It has been more of a task learning how to pos. psi feed, but I’m hopeful. ;) My supplemental feeds have helped to curb my needs, but I still find that sang works the best for me.
Silver: Ok, you said it has been a task learning to positive psi feed, do you feel pulled to something more? Rather, something other than positive psi?
Chrystal: It’s just that I’m still very new to psi feeding. I know positive energies work with me really well. I react very badly to negative energy.
Silver: Is it that you react badly, period ended, or just when you get hit with a HUGE dose all at once? In other words, are you able to process smaller amounts, as opposed to all at once?
Chrystal: When negative energy hits me, I get really bad headaches and just not an overall good feeling. Even smaller amounts I don’t respond well to.
Silver: Wow, I see…
Chrystal: On the other hand with positive energy...I get over giddy, light-headed, fulfilled, all around good for me.
Silver: Bouncy…
Chrystal: Lol yup
Silver: I get that way also. It fully uplifts me and changes my mood.
Chrystal: Yes, definitely.
Silver: Ok, just going to take a bit of a different direction here. Do you think personally, that there is anything else you/we could be doing for this community, that you/we are not currently doing? And what?
Chrystal: Hmm, I love what this community has done for its members. The VC has helped to inform people on so many directions. The only thing I can think of to improve is to have more offline communities, which I know Damien is already working on.
Silver: Really? Because I have found that quality is more preferred over quantity.
Chrystal: Oh definitely.
Silver: And there are so many orgs, houses, and e-lists out there as it is, that I would think that it were better to have something more concrete that has many resources, would be better. But there are a few spots where an offline rep is def. needed. And yeah, but this is what I mean by offering a more quality organization. Where you'd be able to get in touch with someone offline, who is relatively nearby where you live :o)
Chrystal: Concrete is good, definitely not going against that. I think the VC has done a great job, and will continue to do so.
Silver: I hope so. The council and associates certainly do give a valiant effort in ensuring the continuity of the community.
Chrystal: That they do.
Silver: And speaking of which, what do you hope to see in the future of the vampire community?
Chrystal: To build up on the unity and understanding that we already have. By staying civil, united, and focused on the same goals, we can accomplish so much.
Silver: I would just like to add, that in every interview I have done, these same words have graced the page. And since this is what everyone claims to want, I wonder why there aren't more efforts made to bring it about?
Chrystal: It can be so hard sometimes. Many of us do want the same thing; unfortunately, we have things going against it. We face outside influences that like to tear others down over pettiness. And we all have our own lives to balance out as well, our families, jobs and relationships. It can be overwhelming at times. So that’s why every little bit does help. Unfortunately time goes by so quickly, we all do what we can and are able to do.
Silver: That's true. I just think that there are those out there that say they want one thing, but then go off and do another. If they would, perhaps, put their money where their mouths are, so to speak, we might well have a better chance. Ok, I just have one question left for you :o)
Chrystal: Sure...
Silver: How would you advise other people who seek help, but are too firmly rooted within the vampire myth or lifestyle?
Chrystal: It can be hard sometimes, that's why the classes that are held are so important. People get to ask questions and finally get answers. We can't help someone who truly doesn't want it. So if they come to us, then they are already making the first step. It's up to us to direct them from there.
Silver: Yes, I fully agree. Well Chrystal, it has been my pleasure to sit and chat with you this eve. I appreciate as do others, the time you give in helping the VC and its continued workings in the community :o)
Chrystal: Why thank you so much. It's been my pleasure as well. :)
Silver's Final Thoughts
Now when the days of summer are growing shorter, and the nights are cooling off, we can begin to relax and unwind, and enjoy the approach of autumn, and all the comforts it brings with it. Things like flannel pajamas, big fluffy robes, warm slippers, and hot chocolate with a candy cane dipped in.
If these images evoke happy thoughts, make use of them to meditate and ground you. Allow pent up frustration to flow out of you, and be replaced by the more vibrant energies that seem to be on the increase with the changing climate. The icy bite of the wind. The smell of snow in the air. The frost on the grass under your feet. These are all sensory awakeners. and as such, a good source of energy to tap into. Allow yourself to open and become like a dry sponge, soaking it up, and allowing it to nourish your whole being. Cleanse yourself of all stagnant energy and revive and renew with fresh, free flowing energies. Breathe in deeply, and exhale, seeing all stagnant energy as thick smoke. Feel all the harmful toxins leaving you. Inhale deeply, and visualize vibrant energies, permeating your being. Take notice of the lymph coursing its way around your body, oxygenating your blood. Continue to do this for as long as it is necessary to refresh yourself. I have a lovely quote to share with you, that I think will match the mood I have attempted to create here. I hope you will enjoy it :o)
"The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us".
- Ashley Montagu
That's it for this month! Enjoy the Labor Day holiday, and I'll see you all next month :o)
Silver-