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Metaphysical Dictionary

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Vampire: A dead person who returns in spirit or physical form from the grave for the purpose of destroying and sucking the blood of living persons. The conception of the vampire is rifest among Slavonic peoples, and especially in the Balkan countries, and in Hungary, Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia, and in these territories from 1730-35 there was a well-marked epidemic of vampirism, but it is by no means confined to them. In White Russia and the Ukraine it is believed that vampires are generally wizards or sorcerers, but in Bulgaria and Serbia it is thought that any corpse over which a cat or dog jumps or over which a bird has flown is liable to become a vampire. In Greece a vampire is known as a broncolaia or bourkabakos, which has been identified with the Slavonic name for werewolf. The vampire, too, is often supposed to steal the heart of his victim and to roast it over a slow fire, thus causing interminable amorous longings.

Marks of Vampirism - Vampirism is epidemic in character. Where one instance is discovered it is almost invariably followed by several others. This is accounted for by the circumstances that it is believed that the victim of a vampire pines and dies and becomes in turn a vampire himself after death, and so duly infects others. On the disinterment of a suspected vampire various well-known signs are looked for by experienced persons. Thus, if several holes about the breadth of a man's finger are observed in the soil above the grave the vampire character of its occupant may be suspected. On unearthing the corpse it is usually found with wide-open eyes, ruddy and life-like complexion and lips and a general appearance of freshness, and showing no signs of corruption. It may also be found that the hair and nails have grown as in life. On the throat two small livid marks may be looked for. The coffin is also very often full of blood, the body has a swollen and gorged appearance, and the shroud is frequently half-devoured. The blood contained in the veins of the corpse is found on examination to be in a fluid condition as in life, and the limbs are pliant and flexible and have none of the rigidity of death.

Examples of Vampirism - Many well-authenticated examples of vampires exist. Charles Ferdinand de Schertz in his work Magia Posthuma which was printed at Olmutz in 1706, relates several stories of apparitions of this sort, and tells of the mischief done by them. One, among others, is of a herdsman of the village of Blow near the town of Kadam in Bohemia, who appeared for a considerable length of time, and visited several persons, who all died within eight days. At last, the inhabitants of Blow dug up the herdsman's body, and fixed it in the ground with a stake driven through it. The man, even in his condition, laughed at the people that were employed about him, and told them they were very obliging to furnish him with a stick with which to defend himself from the dogs. The same night he extricated himself from the stake, frightened several persons by appearing to them, and occasioned he death of many more than he had hitherto done. He was then delivered into the hands of the hangman, who put him in a cart, in order to burn him throughout the town. As they went along, the carcass shrieked in the most hideous manner, and threw about its arms and legs, as if it had been alive; and upon being again run through with a stake, it gave a loud cry, and a great quantity of fresh, florid blood issued from the wound. At last, the body was burned to ashes, and this execution put a final stop to the vampire's appearances in the village.

Calmet in his Dissertation on Vampires appended to his Dissertation upon Apparitions (English translation, 1759), gives several well authenticated instances of vampiricism as follows:

"It has now about fifteen years since a soldier, who was quartered in the house of a Haidamack peasant, upon the frontiers of Hungary, saw, as he was at the table

Methods of Extirpation - The commonest methods of the extirpation of vampires are -- (a) beheading the suspected corpse; (b) taking out the heart; (c) impaling the corpse with a white-thorn stake (in Russia as Aspen), and (d) burning it. Sometimes more than one or all of these precautions is taken. Instances are on record where the graves of as many as thirty or forty persons have been disturbed during the course of an epidemic of vampirism and their occupants impaled or beheaded. Persons who fear the visits or attacks of a vampire sleep with a wreath made of garlic round the neck, as that esculent is supposed to be especially obnoxious to vampires. When impaled the vampire is usually said to emit a dreadful cry, but it has been pointed out that the gas from the intestines may be forced through the throat by the entry of the stake into the body and that this may account for the sound.

The method of discovering the vampire's grave in Siberia is to place a virgin boy upon a coal-black stallion which has never served a mare ad marking the spot where he will not pass.

Scientific Theories of Vampirism - The English custom of piercing suicide's bodies with a stake would appear to be a survival of the belief in vampirism. Such demons are also said to be seen in the Polynesian tii, the Malayan hanlu penyardin, a dog-headed water-demon, and the kephn of the Karens, which under the form of a wizard's head and stomach devours human souls. Tylor considers vampires to be "causes conceived in spiritual form to account for the specific facts of wasting disease."

Von Daniken, Eric: UFO researcher and author of the book "Chariots of the Gods." Von Daniken claims that ETs (or ancient astronauts) visited the earth in ancient history.

Van Praagh, James: Best selling author, who describes himself as a medium with the ability to communicate with spirits of the dead. Van Praagh has written several books dealing with the subject of parapsychology. From 2002 to 2003, he hosted a syndicated daytime talk show entitled "Beyond With James Van Praagh." He subsequently partnered with CBS to produce several tv-movies and mini-series based on his books, including "Living With The Dead" and "The Dead Will Tell." He is currently the co-Executive Producer of the television series Ghost Whisperer on CBS.

Vassago: The spirit of the crystal, who is invoked by the crystal-gazer for the purposes of his art.

Vedanta: (Sans.) Meaning literally, the "end of all knowledge." Among the six Darshanas or the schools of philosophy, it is also called Uttara Mimansa , or the "later" Mimansa. There are those who, unable to understand its esotericism, consider it atheistical; but this is not so, as Shankaracharya, the great apostle of this school, and its popularizer, was one of the greatest mystics and adepts of India.

Verdelet: A demon of the second order, master of ceremonies at the infernal court. He is charged with the transport of witches to the Sabbath. He takes the names of Master, Persil, Sante-Buisson, and other names of a peasant sound, so as to entice women into his snares.

Vidya: in Theosophy is the knowledge by which man on the Path can discern by means of the mental faculties which he has learnt to use. It is the antithesis of Avidya. See Path, Avidya, and Theosophy.

Vimanas: UFOs in ancient Indian myths. There are several myths which talk about ancient Indian leaders flying in the sky in disk-shaped craft and engaging in war with other craft.

Virgo: The sixth sign of the zodiac. A mutable earthy sign. Exact, methodical, industrious, discriminating, intelligent, chaste.

Vitality: according to theosophists, comes from the sun. When a physical atom is transfused with vitality, it draws to itself six other atoms and thus makes an etheric element. The sum of their vitality is then divided among each of of the atoms and in this state the element enters the physical body by means of one of the sense organs or chaksams of the etheric double - that situated opposite the spleen. Here the element is divided into its component parts and these are conveyed to the various parts of the physical body. It is on vitality that the latter depends, not only for life but for its well-being in life.

Voodoo: