Greetings once again to everyone :o) This month, I have as my guest, the VC's very own Barbie. Barbie is the managing director of the Texas Vampire Association, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/T_V_A as well as a VC Council Member http://www.vampire-church.com/, and editor of the VC zine. We are pleased to have the help and advice she provides to so many through various aspects of her work within this community, and we find her to be an extraordinary lady, very gifted and talented, and very giving of herself, which as you all know, is very rare these days. We hope you will learn something of her, and that this interview helps those actively seeking.

Silver: Greetings Barbie. Thanks for joining me this eve :o)

Barbie: Heya Silver, great to be here.

Silver: Ok, if you wouldn't mind, could you indulge us with a little background on yourself?

Barbie: Don't mind at all... I'm Barbie, a Council Member of the Vampire Church as the Editor of our monthly newsletter; I'm also the managing director of the Texas Vampire Association, and also living in the state of Texas. I first joined the VC in the August of 2000 and first joined the council in October of 2001.

Silver: So you have been involved within the Vampire Church community for quite some time, then. At what point in your life did you discover you were a vampire?

Barbie: I believe I was about 12 or along that line, I'm not very good at remembering my age, but I can recall that it was when I was in the 6th grade.

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?

Barbie: I was totally on my own until I found the VC.

Silver: How old were you when you came to the VC?

Barbie: Help me out here...lol, I think I was 21?

Silver: So we are talking roughly 10 years almost. That’s quite a long time to sit there floundering away, really, isn't it?

Barbie: that would be about right, I believe. And yes it was a long time to sit here...lol, very uncomfortable not knowing that you aren't alone.

Silver: This is something I think many of us share, but for you, you were actually aware of it from a young age, whereas myself, for example, though I can look back in my life and see there were times when it attempted to make itself known, it could not, because it was quite effectively placed on the back burner, so to speak, due to other issues, which I deemed important at that time. It was later in my life that I finally figured it out. Do you think you would have handled things a little better or differently had you been older when your awakening took place?

Barbie: I think it just might have been easier to not get into the trouble I did, but perhaps not having people to guide me helped in a way. I can understand the people who come to the VC without knowing why they feel the way they feel, or what they can do to make themselves feel less insecure.

Silver: Can you tell us a little about your awakening?

Barbie: It was pretty difficult, first off the psychological things that came around, instead of dealing with things, I turned to less than legal substances to help me forget, or at least ignore what was going on, on the inside. I was also very quiet, and very insecure.

Silver: That sounds like a rough time, and not at all fun.

Barbie: It was insane for a while, but like with all things, you clear up and adjust.

Silver: What ways do you seek out what you need from others?

Barbie: Being sanguine, I've been lucky in having had a steady donor, who is my husband. He's been here for nearly 9 years, so that isn't a problem that I have to face.

Silver: I suppose that is a lucky break for you, but we know that other people don't have that kind of a source as readily available, nor knowing for certain if that source is fully clean, so I guess in this case, it is an added bonus :o) How could you help and/or advise others who may be sanguine also, or believe they are, in finding sources of energy?

Barbie: If you mean, in finding other sources, I really can't say, I never could find another way to feed. It's not in my nature I guess, the only thing I can suggest to someone who only has sanguine tendencies is to take it as best as you can when you can't get what you need.

Silver: How has working within the Vampire Church helped you within your own vampirism?

Barbie: Being that the Vampire Church is such a vast organization, in the beginning it helped in a way that I found acceptance from people who were more like me than unlike me. As the year progressed, and I became more involved with the VC, it helped me to learn about other types of vampirism, and help a few people that were like me. Now with my duties on council, it helps a lot in being able to express myself through the art and layout of the newsletter, also it helps me with my writing, and helping other people with their vampirism without necessarily having to be right there to explain things.

Silver: I fully understand that. The VC has provided us with a place and an opportunity to express our innermost selves on a wider scale. What do you hope to see in the future of the vampire community?

Barbie: Honestly, I'd like to see a lot less infighting. That seems to be what ends up making things difficult. Personal problems with one person can lead to a problem with an entire group, or between one group and another, or several groups and other groups.

Silver: Yes, I believe we call that drama :o) But being serious here, I know that many have attempted to bring all the groups/orgs/houses together, but I think that is going to be an impossibility, because many of them out there are set up to appeal to the lifestylers, and also to those who like to have the additional bits in there such as otherkin, and what have you. There are very few besides the VC who actually portray vampirism all on its own, in its true form, without the need for embellishing it. But I fully understand what you are saying, and I still hold onto the thought that MAYBE one day, it'll happen. Ok, I would like to go back to the TVA. Personally, because I don't live in Texas, I don't know what it is you do for the TVA. Would you like to talk about your duties there a little bit?

Barbie: Sure, the TVA *Texas Vampire Association* is an organization attempting to unite Texas vampires. The founder is Damien Daville. My duties for that have been to find area contacts for different areas of Texas, moderating the e - list and approving people for membership to our e - list as well as a bit of graphic work.

Silver: Does this organization provide offline services? And if so, could you elaborate on those?

Barbie: Actually, the area contacts sometimes organize gatherings in their areas, and are available for meetings if another in their area would like to meet them.

Silver: Have you been to any meetings yourself?

Barbie: Unfortunately no, not TVA meetings. I have met Damien on one occasion, but that was a bit before the TVA had fully organized. And I've met a couple of other vampires in my own area.

Silver: That sounds pretty kewl; I would also like to meet everyone. I am sure eventually it will happen. The world IS round after all, so we'll get to it ;o) Ok, do you think personally, that there is anything else you/we could be doing for this community, that are not currently doing? And why?

Barbie: Because of the legal aspects of counseling, talking to, or helping minors, it seems a bit of an impossibility at the moment. However, I personally wish there was a way to help the younger ones barely learning of their vampirism. It's a difficult thing to go through your awakening, and a lot of the younger set really doesn’t have a means of getting information (at least not legally).

Silver: Do you think there is some way this can be taken care of without causing trouble for us?

Barbie: The only way I could see that happening, would be if their parents were willing to allow them to join in discussions about real vampirism, and if they themselves are willing to learn what is right, instead of falling into flights of fancy, perpetuated by people who like to victimize younger people into believing what they believe, even if it's false.

Silver: Well, personally speaking, I don't hold out much hope of many parents giving the ok, nor would we be able to really verify for definite at any rate. But it is too bad that the laws have to be this way, but I suppose really, that they are there to protect both sides, though I truly do feel for some of these kids. Ok, I have a final question for you, and then I will let you get back to your duties :o)

Barbie: ok :-)

Silver: How would you advise other people who seek help, but are too firmly rooted within the vampire myth or lifestyle?

Barbie: Basically I'd say look beyond the surface of things, or people who want you to look a certain way, and act a certain way, while we all have a tendency to be a bit on the darker side, its not what we're about at all, its just a preference. Best advice I can give is, look beyond the pretty, look to what the root is, not the pretty images of Lestat, or Louis.

Silver: I fully agree. Too many have the idea that vampirism is somehow a romantic thing, because of how it is portrayed within books and in movies. Vampirism is not an entertainment, though we fully understand there are some who enjoy dressing up, and sporting fangs and what have you, but people also need to be aware that, that is a choice to do so, whereas vampirism itself is not a choice, but a lifelong condition. Ok. Seeing as you asked...What would your life motto be on a t-shirt?

Barbie: Hehehehe *place ad here* No, but really, my life motto would most likely be *Wherever you go, there you are*

Silver: I like it. Straight to the point :o)

Barbie: Yeap, its useless to dwell on the past, and constantly plan for the future...lol

Silver: Well Barbie, I appreciate your company this eve, I had an excellent time interviewing you. You certainly do a lot for this community, and here's hoping you'll be around for a long while. We need more like you in all the orgs out there :o)

Barbie: Thanks Silver, it's been a pleasure and an honor to be here, and I believe a lot of places could take a couple of notes on what the VC is doing :-)

Silver: I concur. They certainly could. I think we do some great work here.

Barbie: Hehehe, think that's tooting our own nose there?

Silver: Well even if it is, I believe credit should be given where it is due. :o)

Silver's Final Thoughts ~

In the years I have been involved within this community, and most notably, this organization, I have seen several thousand people come to us, and other places on the net, seeking help. Hopefully, we have provided it to those out there who genuinely needed it, and educated those who were before, thinking we were other than what we are. Anything we can accomplish towards the positive growth of this community, whether it be to raise awareness, and portray the truth on real vampirism, or to help people in genuine need to feel better about themselves, hopefully we have done so, graciously and with integrity, and concern for their well being. I hope this month's quote will reflect on what we strive to do here, and that those of you out here who have benefited in some way from the help the VC community freely gives, will feel the wisdom of this simple, yet powerful quote.

"There is a transcendent power in example. We reform others unconsciously when we walk uprightly"...

- Anne Sophie Swetchine

Enjoy the upcoming Vernal Equinox. May you and your families be richly blessed. Until next month.

Darkest Blessings ~

Silver

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