By now, you most likely have
heard about Jonathon "The Impaler" Sharkey" who has publicly
announced his intention to run for Governor of Minnesota. In
fact, you may have found this page solely because of his
outlandish and downright frightening claims. I want to make it
emphatically clear that he does NOT in any way, speak on behalf
of any website, group, religion or related. His ideas are
completely his own and they do not reflect the beliefs of anyone
else. I hope to provide some basic information to help clarify
the horrible position he has put millions of people in by
presuming to speak on their behalf without consent.
"Vampyre/Witch/Pagan
Party"
There is no such thing. This sick man does NOT speak on behalf
of anyone. We are NOT interested in supporting him and we do NOT
agree with, nor condone any of his statements. He falsely tries
to speak on behalf of millions of Americans and he does not have
the right to do so. Period.
He claims that it is Federally
recognized but it is not. In fact, it is listed as both
"Unauthorized" and a "Non-Qualified Party" by the Federal
Election Committee. This is something he has completely made up
and something which does not represent ANY Witch, Pagan, Wiccan
or vampire individual or group.
"Vampyres"
First off, the word, as everyone knows is spelled "vampire."
People who use the "y" spelling do so because they are Gothic,
Lifestylers and enjoy melodrama and fictional characters. These
are the crazy people you see on TV documentaries, dressed all in
black, who wear fang implants, capes and pretend to be immortal.
"Vampires"
On the other hand, there are many people in the world who
believe they require additional nutritional intake in addition
to normal food. This comes in the form of either blood or energy
from people, plants or places. They do not follow any specific
religion, they do not have a dress code, they do not follow any
leader and they are not in a cult. They are otherwise completely
normal people. You would literally never know they had this
condition and they are completely part of society, hold normal
jobs and live normal lives. Most chose to use terms other then
"vampire" for the obvious reason that the term comes with heavy
connotations. The term, "sanguinarian" (or "sang" for short) is
used to identify a human being who feels they require small
amounts of blood in their diet to remain healthy. The term, "psy"
or "psi" refers to someone who does not consume blood, but
rather, "feeds" off of life energy of people, plants or places.
Please see the
Real
Vampires section of this site for lengthy explanations of
this condition as well as the common misconceptions.
"Demons"
There are no such things as demons. People who think they are
demons or demonic are mentally unbalanced.
"Pagans/Witches"
I can not stress enough that Pagans or Witches have NOTHING to
do with Satanism. Satan is a part of the Christian mythos and
literally does not exist in any Pagan, Wiccan, Witch or related
religion.
-
Pagan is a catch-all term for
any number of earth-based faiths. Neo-Pagan is also
sometimes used interchangeably.
-
Wicca is a modern revival of
ancient European/Celtic beliefs, and is credited to Gerald
B. Gardner, a British Civil Servant who first published a
book on the subject in 1949. Since then, countless different
versions and traditions of Wicca have been developed and
practiced both by individuals ("solitary") or in groups
(often called "circles" or "covens.")
-
Witch is a term for a Pagan,
Neo-Pagan or Wiccan who practices magic as part of their
spiritual expression. The term "Wiccan" and "Witch" are NOT
synonymous. Witch is gender neutral term applying to both
men and women.
While there are many different
beliefs that fall under the "Pagan" heading, the unifying belief
is in the sanctity of the earth, nature and life. In fact,
Wicca's core tenant, "The Wiccan Rede1" is very
similar to the Christian "Golden Rule." It states simply, "An'
it harm none, do what ye will." Meaning to live one's life
as one chooses without bringing harm to another or themselves.
Pagans are kind, caring, open-minded people who simply wish to
live in harmony with the world around them and allow others to
do the same. Pagans are not now, nor ever will be evil, dark,
gothic, or satanists.
Pagans respect freedom of
religion and freedom of choice. Their entire outlook is summed
up as a "live and let live" mentality. Pagans do not believe in
prostylization or conversion of any kind. People who wish to
learn about the different traditions are welcomed but no Pagan
group would ever try to force their beliefs on anyone else.
Spirituality is a deeply personal thing and therefore, each
person's faith should be respected and treated with reverence.
Pagans, Witches and Wiccans do not hate Christianity and do not
oppose it. They do not hate the Christian deity. They do not
believe in the Christian devil figure. There is no "hell" or
"Satan" figure in Pagan faith whatsoever.
Magic/Powers
Some denominations of Paganism (called, "Traditions")
include magic and ritual as part of their belief. Magic
(alternately spelled "magick" to differentiate it from stage
tricks) is simply a practice of focusing one's will on an intent
to bring about a change. It is a focus and a tool similar to
prayer, dance, chanting or meditation in other religions.
Magic(k) does not bring about fantastic changes and is nothing
like fiction. It does not produce flashy special effects.
Magic(k) is used in the way that positive thinking, or directed
goals are. It's a tool to make a change in one's life and it's a
ceremony and a celebration. Magic(k) is not supernatural, it's
simply ritual and expression of personal beliefs, faith and
one's interaction with divinity and nature.
Pagans, Witches, Wiccans, and even vampires are
all normal human beings. They do NOT possess supernatural
abilities nor powers of any kind. Anyone who says they do are
deluded and have problems distinguishing reality from fiction.
"Dark/Gothic/Satanist"
It is extremely important to state
that legitimate vampirism is not about fashion. It's not a
religion. And it's not about being an angsty teen who shops at
"Hot Topic." It is not a "lifestyle" at all. It is a medical
condition that is not yet understood by modern science. People
who go around dressed all in black, listen to morbid or
depressing music, who attend gothic raves or clubs are engaging
in a specific subculture completely independent of vampires,
Pagans, or Witches.
"Impaling"
I can't express how disgusting, vulgar and barbaric this entire
concept is. No sane person would honestly believe torture is an
acceptable form of justice or punishment for crimes committed.
This practice was considered barbaric hundreds of years ago and
the disgust over such practice has not diminished in anyway
through the present day.
"Vlad
The Imapler"
Prince Vlad III Dracula2, also known as "Vlad Tepes"
("Vlad the Impaler") was ruler of the country of Walachia in the
14th century. This small country is now part of modern-day
Romania. His father, Vlad II was known as Vlad Dracul due to his
membership in a secret order of knights known as "The Order of
the Dragon." In Romanian, the word "dracul" means dragon. His
son became, "dracula" meaning, "son of the dragon."
Vlad Tepes was a vicious and
cruel man, swift to severely punish his enemies, including
commonly, torture. He would impale people through the anus on
long, wooden poles and leave them to die a slow and agonizing
death. Bram Stoker's famous novel, "Dracula" is loosely based on
this prince though in no way was Vlad immortal or a vampire. He
is nothing more then a sick historical figure who lived in a
barbaric period of history and who was fanatical and extreme in
his methods. Vlad is not a figure nor figurehead in vampirism
whatsoever.
