Poisoner's Apothecary
Vampyre and Vampire
You’ll notice throughout the article that I use various spellings of the word vampire. Just like in magical practice, we use different spellings of the same word to differentiate between fact and fantasy. Vampire, is often used in a historical context, when referencing folklore or vampires in general. Vampyre, is used to distinguish modern practitioners from the vampires of legend. The vampire community is very diverse, like other communities and is made up of smaller groups that aren’t necessarily connected with one another so preferences on spelling change depending on the vampire!
The Queen of the Night
The nocturnal spirit in the form of the vampire has terrified and seduced mankind for millennia. It’s archaic roots can be traced back into the shadows of ancient history, to the first civilizations. The vampire in its many forms represents the dangerous and adversarial forces of the wild, at a time when humans first began to dwell behind city walls. While vampires have had many forms and many names throughout history, their presence persists, a testament to their fabled immortality.
Vampires and witches occupy the same shadowy place in our collective unconscious, and when we look back far enough we see they have shared origins. The Burney Relief (1800 BCE), an ancient Mesopotamian sculpture from the Old Babylonian Period depicts a nude goddess, accompanied by owls and lions, often referred to as the Queen of the Night. Hekate, Lilith, and Diana, important figures to modern practitioners of the Craft all have their associations to the mysteries of the Night. Powerful female figures from history and myth, larger than life and made monstrous because of their sovereignty.
Vampyre Witch
The vampyre witch remembers their dark origins, the smell of the Night air and the thrill of the hunt, the vampyre witch remembers a time when we were red in tooth and claw. Primal, sexually empowered, libertine and fierce are all words that describe the modern vampyre witch. The vampyre witch empowers anyone who connects with the feminine frequency within the Vampyre Current. Like the vampires in the Anne Rice novels, who were matriarchal, vampyres recognize the inherent power of female ferocity.
In this article I explore the realm of the vampyre witch with, Alexis Pharae who produces the Endless Night Vampire Ball in Salem, MA. Alexis is a vampyre queen, at least that’s what I like to call her because she is a fierce businessperson, community leader, and fashion icon. You can also find Alexis haunting the high-backed chairs at Maison Vampyre or officiating a vampiric wedding ceremony. When not fulfilling her role as priestess, witch and healer Alexis designs clothing for her Dark Alchemy clothing line. Alexis who originally started as a vampyre in corporate advertising has been part of many successful projects in Salem with her business partner Benjamin Addams, including Vampfangs, Maison Vampyre and the “Exhibit V” vampire hunting collection!
Meeting Alexis
When we sat down for this interview, Alexis was in the middle of preparing for the annual Endless Night Vampire Ball held in Salem. A huge two-night event hosted at the Hawthorne Hotel, where vampires, witches and other creatures of the night come dressed in their finest and ready to party! Endless Night Productions has been hosting vampire events since the late 90s in New Orleans, Los Angeles and Tampa. The events are truly something to behold, and the energy is electric. They are worth going to just to see Alexis in full vampyre queen mode and all of the other guests who go all-out on their outfits!
We got to catch up and I was able to ask some questions that I have been curious about while Alexis was preparing for a meeting at Hawthorne Hotel. Alexis reminisces of the influence her mother’s work as an energy healer had on her own magical journey. She mentions that her “early childhood was a very white light background.” Later exploring witchcraft and other occult practices, she discovered vampirism which “allowed for both,” something that is “super amazing and empowering. I realized I didn’t have to fit into a box.” I can totally relate to this feeling, and it is almost as if by embracing some of these “darker” qualities and being willing to explore them that we achieve true balance.
The practice of vampiric energy work or vampyric witchcraft are just like any other spiritual or esoteric paradigm or modality, using a set of associated symbols, myths and rituals to connect to the numinous. Like many esoteric practices it is a path of balance, growth and self-empowerment. When discussing vampiric energy work, Alexis says that it offers more adaptability and flexibility compared to other modalities which follow more direct paths. Vampiric energy work has some interesting techniques for cutting cords and clearing energy, many of which are quite shamanic in nature. I’ve often noticed that my own energy work takes on a vampiric quality, and is just a different way of interacting with and directing energy for a specific purpose.
By incorporating vampiric energy work into our ritual practice we can achieve powerful results channeling energy on multiple levels. The vampire and the witch are distant cousins and their spirits work well together, each having their own special gifts. The Black Veils by Father Sebastian is one of the first books to go into detail on the inner workings on the vampire community, which has been around for centuries. It consists of a uniquely vampiric code of conduct for energetic interaction and ritual practice. To learn more about vampyres, see what they are doing at Maison Vampyre and check out when the next vampire ball is check out the links at the bottom!
I want to thank Alexis Pharae for taking the time to participate in this interview, which we originally did on video. Its always a pleasure, and I love seeing all of the things you are up too! Alexis also just made a cameo at Professor Spindlewink’s World of Wizardry in Salem. I think it is safe to say that the vampyres have brought their own special magick to Salem and are helping to create an amazing experience for anyone who visits.
Links and Reading
The Black Veils by Father Sebastian
The Secret History of Vampires: Their Multiple Forms and Hidden Purposes by Claude Lecouteaux
Visit HOME – Maison Vampyre (vampirehouse.com) @maison_vampyre
Endless Night Productions Endless Night Vampire Ball @endlessnightvb
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