If you're a self-identified vampire, "otherkin" or "energy worker," there's a Meetup for you in the Bay Area.
The Vampirism, Energy-work and Otherkin Society (VEOS) is a loosely-organized San Francisco based group. This group is open those identifying as vampire (sang or psy), donor, otherkin, and to those who wish to learn more about such topics. Other energy-workers are also welcome, so long as you have no problem with the vampiric side of energy work.You know, I bet it's actually a pretty nice night out. As one member says, "we are all nice people and we have a good time when we get together."This group is NOT open to role-players, recruiters of any type, or those seeking to promote any form of religion (discussion about religion is OK, preaching is not).
Welcome to Bay VEOS (via JWZ)
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I must slumber, per se...
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/210821
"This group is NOT open to role-players, recruiters of any type, or those seeking to promote any form of religion (discussion about religion is OK, preaching is not). "
Um, who else would be there?
Sounds like an emo SOS Brigade?
Googling "energy worker" comes up with industrial labor unions and bullshit Reiki & other "energy healing" type crap. I'm sure folks who want these "alternative" therapies taken seriously love being associated with Otherkin and vampires (sang and psy!).
*meh* They're not doing any harm, are they? Hope they have a nice time at their 'I'm not really a person' club.
I'm sorry. I refuse to pretend this is anything but weird.
"NOT open to role-players..."
In other words, only come if you're bats**t crazy.
People who actually believe they're Elves etc. Not pretend- believe. Big difference here.
I am not skeptical enough to discount the possibility of the existence of vampires and other supernatural creatures, but the annoying thing about Otherkin is that for the most part, the rules they claim apply to their 'species' are impossible to verify. Therefore we'll have five dudes at the same convention all claiming to be vampires with so-called vampirical traits that contradict each other. Which one is real?
I am not skeptical enough to discount the possibility of the existence of vampires
You should be - with that low a skepticism threshold, you're an easy mark for con artists, peddlers of quack nostrums, and general bullshitter.
but the annoying thing about Otherkin is that for the most part, the rules they claim apply to their 'species' are impossible to verify
By the same token, why care? If they believe it, it's not infringing on anything you do, day to day. It's not more or less absurd than any other religious claim, like the transubstantiation of the host during holy communion. Also impossible to verify.
SF owns.
Oh, I don't care. If they are happy believing it, good for them. I just avoid people like that because I have a hard time responding respectfully to their beliefs when they seem so close to delusions.
And just because I'm open to the possibility of the existence of supernatural things doesn't mean I'm gullible, thank you very much. Don't know where you got that from.
Vampire hysteria goes back a long way but at least it isn't as bloody as it used to be - I hope.
http://drvitelli.typepad.com/providentia/2008/01/hunting-vampire.html
This, while weird, is far from unusual and isn't even news. There are multiple such groups that meet in Minnesota, with similar rules, etc. They're weird, they're out there - and on some level, they're organized.
This hypothesis can only be tested with a synchronized dance number.
What about the people who believe they are cats, but roleplay as humans?
Bwahahaha!!! Really? Wow. Shouldn't these people perhaps, rather than meet up and reinforce their neuroses, go get *professional help*? That's a sanity issue more than anything, imho.
What about the people who believe they are cats, but roleplay as humans?
Sounds like my uncle Fluffy. We'd like to get him some help, but then the rat problem might come back.
role-playing is so 15th Century Salem
"Energy worker"? Electrician?
Heheh. I was thinking energy industry lobbyist. At least, that would help explain the vampire angle.
I just avoid people like that because I have a hard time responding respectfully to their beliefs when they seem so close to delusions.
Almost everything people believe in, individually or en masse, is very close to delusional.
Choosing to respect some delusions over others it is merely choosing to be on the winning side.
It would be kind of awesome if this "meetup group" was just a clever trap set by some Van Helsing/Buffy wannabe.
>Otherkin: Elves trapped in men's bodies - Boing Boing
The first time I read that, I thought it said "Elvis trapped in men's bodies."
...
So does this mean I can't come to the meeting?
It's not about winning or losing sides, for me at least. I would like to give all beliefs equal respect, but unfortunately that is not possible. Even if we assume all beliefs that have not been proven beyond doubt are equal (and that is another discussion I don't even want to get into) then based on what we are familiar with and what we know, some of these beliefs will look weirder than others. This also depends on the behaviour of those who profess those beliefs.
Truth is, I don't place a belief in a deity on the same shelf as a belief in one's human body actually holding the soul of an Elf. I will try to respect both because I don't believe in mocking someone for their faith, but there are many reasons why the latter seems to me a lot less worthy of taking seriously. Now I'm not saying there are real religions and fake religions, but some of them can claim historical facts, and some are built entirely on folk myths and works of fiction. For some, there is a central reference point, for others, anything goes.
I guess that if you have to frame a hightened experience in a particular way to integrate it into your life; I'm just gonna have to learn the terminology in order to talk to you about the stuff behind the metaphor.
"On 6 February 1995, a document titled the "Elven Nation Manifesto" was posted to Usenet, including the groups alt.pagan and alt.magick. On Usenet itself, the document was universally panned and considered to be either a troll or an attempt to frame an innocent party. However, enough people contacted the original author of the Elven Nation post in good faith for a mailing list to spin off from it.[7]"
I think it's kinda awesome that the nation of elves was probably spawned by a troll.
Yeah, the "every belief has merit" ethic leads us to attract people who don't fit in anywhere else. Unfortunately, sometimes those people don't fit in for a REASON... And it's pretty rare that someone in the Pagan community will actually call bullshit on anyone.
Thanks to others for establishing a tone of scoffing derision here; saves me coming up with something.
I have to wonder whether these people are even capable of embarrassment, though...
Hahah! No role-players allowed! Just, you know, the REAL vampires, the REAL dragons living in human form, and the REAL people who can use "energy" to affect the physical world. Absolutely NO deluded manchildren playing pretend! We don't want any of THOSE folks!
To #24, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. I'm not going to go out of my way to tell people they're believing a bunch of obvious nonsense, but if you have a dragon's soul inside of you, PROVE IT. If a sentient being magically popped everything into existence, I need more proof than a really old book. Sorry. Evaluating which completely evidence-less beliefs are on the "same level" doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I mean, these otherkin weirdos are FUNNIER than your average Christian, so I guess there are levels of hilarity ... just not levels of accuracy.
My Pac-Mario costume was somewhat well-received this Halloween, so I'm thinking of wearing it to every Rocky Horror showing this winter and claiming to be "Nintendokin", the costume being an outward manifestation of my true, 8-bit self.