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Strigoi Vii is the plural for Strigoi Viu, the Romanian word meaning, approximately, “living vampire witch.” This is the name We find best suited to describe Our Family, traditions, Mysteries and philosophies. Strigoi Vii is Our form of Vampyric witchcraft, sharing many elements with modern neo-paganism and other esoteric systems, yet still remaining very unique.
Many great thinkers such as Aristotle, William Blake, Carl Jung, Friedrich Nietzsche, Ayn Rand with her philosophy of Objectivism, and Ragnar Redbeard (author of Might is Right), have expressed elements of Our Dayside perspectives in various ways. However, it must be noted that the Dayside Strigoi Vii philosophy is only partially revealed by these viewpoints or thinkers. Moreover, many of these authors unfortunately include mortal sentiments objectionable to the Strigoi Vii along with their more excellent philosophies. You can also see elements of Our Nightside and Twilight perspectives reflected throughout history in the esoteric realms, including the chaos magick of Peter J. Carroll, Sumerian and Egyptian magic, Hinduism, Bhuddism, the Thelema of Magus Aleister Crowley, shamanism, Gnostic teachings, Judo-Christian mysticism, esotericism, and Hermetic Magick from ancient times.
The process of syncretism is defined as reading between the lines and seeing the elements of Our Mysteries in disparate myths, stories, and thoughts, then putting them back together into greater and more practical truths. As Strigoi Vii that is what We do, seeking the truth and reason through Our own insight as well as that of other wise ones.
For the last millennia since the end of the days of traditional Khem, better know as today as Ancient Egypt, the Strigoi Vii have been in the shadows, working in secrecy on a solitary basis with Our ancestors. However, all of this is changing now. With the guidance of Our Ancestors, a new generation of The Family is finally deliberately reveling Our collective heritage. We are gathering together and slowly coming out of the shadows in order to take part in the future and embrace Our past as one.

The preferred and most effective method of feeding is direct personal contact. This of course presumes that you have someone who is willing to play the part of donor for you, and who has no issue with you coming into close physical contact with them. Not all of us are so lucky as to have an individual who is both aware of what we are and willing to serve in the capacity for us. In such cases, one must make do with long-distance feeding, surface feeding, and ambient feeds.

For now, let me explain in detail how one can best approach the matter of contact feeding.

The best contact for feeding is made with your hands or with your mouth. as anyone who is familiar with techniques like Reiki or Healing Touch, the hands are a major center for energy work, and they can both give as well as take energy from others. The mouth most of us stumble upon as a focal point long before we are even conscious of what we are doing. there are two reasons the mouth is so effective for feeding. First, of course, the energy rides upon the breath. A good deal of breathing and breath control comes into play when feeding, even when the main medium of contact is the hands.

Secondly, of course, is the symbolism of the mouth. Not only is this where we take in life-sustaining breath, but it is also the part of our body that takes in more physical sustenance, such as food and drink. I could segue into the whole psychology of orality, but the basic thing to know is that on a deep psychological and physiological level, we associate the mouth with taking things in. Thus it serves as a perfect focus for the in-take of energy.

Now, knowing that you can take energy in with either your mouth or your hands will not help much if you don't know the best places on the other person's body with which to initiate an effective point of contact. A point of contact is a physical position where it is relatively easy to bridge the gap between the physical and subtle bodies of a person. The most obvious points of contact occur upon the chakras. These are the most significant and hardest to miss junctures between physical and subtle bodies. However, other points of contact exist along the various energy channels running along the arms and legs, various points along the torso, and of course the neck.

A number of Eastern texts can be consulted for more information about energy channels, also called meridians in Taoist literature. These can give you an idea of where to look for good points of contact, but since everyone's body is slightly different -- not only in subtle physiology but in basic physical size and shape -- the placement of the meridians and other energy channels will vary from person to person. And so any work you might consult can only serve as a guideline, and the best method of locating these points is simply with hands-on experience where you feel along the general areas on a person's body where such points should be and let your own subtle senses guide you to the proper point.

This is a technique that I thought only I did, but when discussion about feeding came up, I learned that several other people used it as well. Apparently, it's a pretty common method of feeding, although it really can only be done with an intimate partner.


Here's what you do: you and your partner start off by kissing. I'll leave the details of that up to you. However, when you get to that point in things where it's really intense and you are kissing with open mouths, pull away for just a second. Your partner's mouth should be open a little. Tease it open with your finger or with your tongue if you have to. Then get so close that you are almost touching her mouth with your lips.

Open your own mouth and breathe in her life. This should not be a shallow breath but that deep controlled inhalation used for feeding.

Draw in energy through her open mouth. Of course, get on with the kiss once you get a good draw. You can easily kiss a little, then feed a little more, drawing the session out as long as your partner is still interested in kissing.

I don't recommend doing this with your mouths locked together, although it's still possible to do. It's just that you'll really be sucking her breath out of her in that case, and that's not what you're trying to do. Focus on the energy and let it ride upon the breath.

Presumably you are doing this with a willing partner, but if it is absolutely impossible for you to find someone who can willingly provide energy to you, this is a technique that is easily masked as simple lovemaking, and if you take in many little bursts interspersed throughout the kissing, you'll be able to get what you need without alerting your partner to what you're doing.

My Australian contact stopped writing to me immediately after I admitted that I was a vampire of the sort that I had been hypothetically describing to him. I got the distinct impression that I scared him off. I've seen this time and time again in various people who have contacted me. The vampire is fascinating to them in theory, but when confronted with a blunt admission of what a vampire is, they balk. It's not even a matter of disbelief. I would certainly understand if someone stopped writing to me because they thought I was just plain nuts. I won't pretend that my beliefs aren't hard to swallow. It took me a while to swallow them. But the general response I have received from those who are bothered by it is fear, not disbelief.

I can certainly understand the fear. The vampire you see in fiction and film, although powerful, is still controllable. There are significant limits on his activities because of his sensitivity to light. Most movie vampires burst into flame when exposed to the sun, are repelled by crosses, garlic, and a host of other easily acquired items, and are generally pretty easy to spot in a crowd (the long, flowing black opera cloak does it every time). The thought of real people who can look just like your neighbor who have the ability to silently and invisibly go out at night and siphon the life force from anyone around them is pretty intimidating. To enter someone's dreams, to influence them while sleeping or awake by interacting with their energies - that's the stuff that real horror movies are made of. What locks can you put on your house to protect yourself from someone like that? No crosses or garlic or anything else can keep away something you can't even see. I know that I wouldn't do anything to hurt someone with what I can do, but think about it from their perspective for a moment. I have to admit, we're pretty scary.

Almost all of the vampires that I know would never abuse the people around them with their powers. But there's no guarantee of this. The only person regulating their behavior is them. And let's face it, not everyone is good or moral all the time. Even I've fed off a few people through dreams without their permission, although it was usually more out of desperation than a malicious desire to cause an "astral attack". But what do you do if you're a magickal worker who knows there are people like us out there and who knows the full extent of what we can do? And you know that the only thing protecting others from being preyed upon is the vampire's good conscience? I can forgive the Wiccans and Pagans a little for their attitudes toward us when I look at things this way.

Konstantinos, the author of "Vampires: the Occult Truth" is probably one of our most vocal opponents. From his book it is clear that he views vampires as unethical predators who selfishly bring harm upon others for their own spiritual empowerment. I think his judgments are unfair, but knowing some of the groups that he probably contacted to formulate his opinion, I can see where he's coming from. Most of the vampires I know do not maliciously feed upon people in order to cause a "psychic attack." Almost all of them prefer willing donors who are fully aware of what they are and what that means. When we feed upon people without their knowledge or permission, it's usually in a large crowd situation where it's not going to hurt or personally affect anyone in the crowd anyway, and making the group aware of what we're doing would be more harmful to all involved. But not every group operates selflessly and with the consideration of others in mind. A lot of young vampires who are just discovering what they are and exercising their powers willfully hurt and manipulate people. Few of them really understand the severity of what they're doing, and once they realize that their actions have long-term and serious effects on others, they stop. But not all of them grow out of it.

So how do we regulate our behavior? Most communities have an ethical code that goes hand in hand with their beliefs. Through a system of promised rewards and punishments, the ethical code regulates people's behavior for them. The rewards and punishments have meaning within the context of the belief system, and so members of the community are obligated by their own faith to behave. Essentially, God becomes the watchdog of their actions, and hazy areas of morality are defined for them so they don't have to make a difficult ethical choice.

Because the vampire community is so spread out and so diverse, there is no single belief system that all of us adhere to. Even our idea of "God" or divinity is vastly different from person to person. Some of us are Wiccan or Pagan, some are agnostics, and some don't believe in anything at all. And therefore there is no ethical code that we are spiritually obligated to follow. There is no easy path of morality laid out for each of us and enforced by a wrathful deity. It's not that easy. Each of us is responsible for making our own ethical decisions, and the gray areas are places that we have to wrestle with ourselves. And in a world where almost every other system regulates individuals' behavior, having a group of spiritually active people who make all those decisions for themselves bothers a lot of people.

Most individual groups of vampires, like our own Kheprian Order, have developed a code of conduct of their own. Almost all of this is common sense behavior that comes down to the simple philosophy of "don't do something unless you're willing to accept the consequences of your actions." In recent years, as isolated groups have begun to contact one another and a true network of community has started to grow up, a couple valiant souls have tried to formulate an ethical code that holds true for all of us. I think given the vast diversity of the vampire culture, it is impossible to expect everyone to adhere to one system, but I respect the attempt.

A guideline of behavior for a community like ours is not necessarily a bad idea. Father Todd of House Sehjaza formulated one of the first wide-spread codes of conduct for the community, a set of rules he dubbed "The Black Veil." An early form of this code was in use in the New York community for several years. As Todd started to reach out to the communities outside of Gotham, he asked a few of us from other traditions to offer our input into this code. The idea was to develop something that would make sense to everyone and hold true for the entire community, whether you were a sanguine (blood-drinking) vampire, an energy vampire like those of the Kheprian Order, or anything in between. With the help of myself and Sanguinarius, Todd's original code of conduct was developed into the following thirteen rules to help members of the community make ethical choices for their behavior.

It's important to keep in mind here that there is still no one regulating your actions but you. Todd, Sanguinarius, and myself have formed a council of elders that represents a unification of several very different traditions among the community (kind of a vampire co-operative), but it's not like some vampire enforcer from COVICA is going to wind up on your doorstep someday and inform you that you broke rule number six and would you come along nicely so we can put you in the pillory. The accountability of your actions is your own responsibility. The Black Veil is a guideline only, and while I personally don't think it contains anything objectionable or overly restricting, only you can decide what is right and wrong for you. Contrary to the assertions of more strict ethical systems (such as Christianity) the same set of rules does not and cannot hold true for every single situation and every single individual. Morality is never black and white. You get into dangerous territory indeed when you try to separate the world into stark dualities like that. So even within this guideline, the hard choices are something you have to make on your own as each situation dictates.

This is what I've learned during my short period of awakening. 'Awakening' means a rousing from slumber, an increase of consciousness. The awakening for me is occurring on all levels, physical, mental and spiritual. Inner Voice says the initial seeds were always within me, and, indeed, when I look at past journal writings, I find this so.



Each day, I learn more. Is this not the whole of the 'Kheper/Xeper', the 'willed conscious evolution' that propels us to be more than what we've been? Thus it is, I find myself always 'in process'. I test new things to see what I can learn.

And now I'll share what I've learned in these past few months.

Shortly after my loved one, Laura, died, I came into possession of Anne Rice's, Cry To Heaven. This was back in late summer of 2002. Her sensuous writing style mesmerized me, but I was curious, for I'd heard she wrote about vampires, and this book featured none. So I began searching the library for her books, and got started on the Vampire Chronicles.

Soon, a vampire mythos of my own devising inspired me to write some vampire fiction of my own. And I began to scour the web for every reference to vampires. The pain of losing my loved one made me wonder if in fact there WERE immortals who walked the earth. The thought of a lover one would not lose to death intrigued me.

But what I found in that search disappointed me greatly. I found so many false claims, of people wishing to be 'more than human', that I grew dishearted at humanity's ability to lie to themselves. That they are all the more fervent believers of those lies makes it only the sadder.

On a lark, I thought, 'Hm, I've checked everywhere else, let's see what the Satanists have to say about the vampire subject.' Links led to links, in which an entire vampire philosophy was exposed. I found the 'me predator, you prey' brand of philosophy not very appealing, but some aspects of their focus was fascinating. The concept of 'ego-worship', declaring one's own divinity, drew me. I experimented and found it energizing and liberating.

From there, my whole spiritual framework opened up. However, I didn't quite understand what they meant by 'life force'. Finally finding more truthful discussion formats elsewhere on the web, I learned of the thing called 'ambient energy'. I decided to experiment to learn if this thing really existed. In large gatherings of people,
'I observed the subtle shifts in energy as people came and left and others came. Each human puts out a distinct energy signature. Previously, I had not known this consciously.
Later, . . . . I noticed this again was the case. Each human threw off energy, which was there to leave its indelible mark for the psychically sensitive.' (These were observations I made the end of May, 2003)

It took some while before further experiments were made. I hadn't a clue at first upon observing these 'vibes' how anyone could draw them into oneself consciously. The truthful informative sources explained how psi-vamps have an energy deficit, that their bodies do not generate it like other people do. I've never been an energetic person, and as I've gotten older, I've found this increasingly so. The agonizing fatigue had been getting so bad, I was literally falling asleep at work. After three times of being nudged awake, I thought it prudent to experiment. Bringing a fully energized me to all my tasks is important.

On August 9th, I recorded the following:

'On our Friday night food fest, which after three such celebrations is becoming a tradition, I noticed a few things. I'd noticed the 'communal' nature of the first Friday Feast experience, and have since noted this has been common to all of them, no matter what the seating arrangements.

Everyone there is enjoying a particularily joyful celebration, as the work week is finished, they've likely just been paid, and a sumptious meal is being devoured. It seems we are all partaking of an ancient Epicurean rite as we savor the moment.

With that, LOTS of good energies are being tossed about! I could feel the happy vibes bouncing off of each other. One psi-vamp calls it a''huge pot of chaotic energy stew''. It's quite easy to channel this cast-off energy into oneself. I've probably been doing it unawares all along. So as I fed, I 'fed'.'

This initial experiment really was the beginning of the full awakening. I then became aware of a stronger energy emission, which I can sense when my astral body intersects with another's astral body, upon getting close to a person, and the humming energy is so rich. Ambient, I understand, is freely tossed off and no longer belonging to the person. I'm not so sure of this other type, closer to the person themselves. But it is so juicy and rich! Am I a thief to pull a little of it into me?

Some might say so, thinking it breaks the Wiccan rede 'an it harm none'. I try get my main feed from the loose ambient supply, and when I do pull from closer to the astral bodies, to keep it only a little bit from each of the 'many', to lessen any harmful effects it might have. I can't keep the psychic fingers off the juicy stuff. It is so much more rich, and I am much more quickly energized.

I am grateful that there is a solution to my energy needs. With a grateful heart, my heart feels light, and I pass the test of Ma'at. I ease any sort of strain I might place upon the environment and others by conserving the energy I do have, by however source I obtain it. I try to get an adequate amount of sleep and eat sufficient quantities of healthy food, via the vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, fish and less saturated fat, to get enough vitamins, minerals, proteins and calories.

Learning better means of dealing with stress is a big help. Not taking on more than I can handle is another. Learning to say 'no' is very helpful. Finding better ways of dealing with those stressers I cannot remove may be a matter of attitude adjustment. Learning not to worry so much helps. Learning how to simply relax is a good thing. I've learned that the intake of energy is aided by a deep breath on the intake. This deep breath can be multiple purpose, as it can be an aid to relaxation as well.

And I try not to burden myself with needless guilt. This is also a waste of energy, a crushing of the soul. Our energy need is a real need, no different than our need for physical food. In this world, there are those who don't understand, and may react with hostility. But I try not to return hatred for hatred. I am greedy thirsty, yet I have my innocence. That's what one visit with the Mystery told me. My inner child, who can be quite the 'bad-boy', is favored, for he has no malice in him. He's up to the ends of his long red hair in greed and lust, but he has no malice.

It's easier that way. I think to have a heart burdened by hate would be very hard, indeed. I am not trying to sound like a 'saint' here. It is just the way I feel. Hate is such a waste of energy. And energy is such a precious and rare commodity. I appreciate each and every bit of it I can siphon from the ether. With a joyful heart, I partake of all my meals, enjoying the uniqueness of each sip's flavor.

'Taking care of ourselves' is taking care of ourselves in all ways. This is something of which to be proud. Through all my careful actions, I can bring to my experience of life the best possible me I can be.

This is where I am at today. But this is always a 'process'. Where I shall be a year from now, I can't fully say. Does ever complete awakening occur? I've heard some declare it takes as much as three years. Possibly, for every experiment I can give the vampiric experience, it may take that long to fully understand myself and my relation to the world at large. I correct that, it will take all of my life to do that, and still there will be mysteries untouched. I look forward to future discoveries.

May we value who we are, and what we can uniquely contribute to the world. May all our lives be long and healthy.

The hierarchical structure of Vampyre culture is referred to as The Three Pillars.

The lowest level consists of Fledglings who are either new to the lifestyle, inexperienced, or who are children of Vampyre adults. They are signified by having no prefix before their name and no stone in their sigil.

After a period of initiation Fledglings can become Calmae, which signifies experienced members of the Clan, coven, or circle, and they wear a red stone in their sigil.

The highest level is that of the Elders who are the most experienced and influential members of the Sanguinarium. They consist of leaders and founders of clans, owners of havens and fangmakers (dentists who make permanent fangs for members), and they have a purple stone in their sigil. Elders can be Makers or Sires (they guide and protect a new person in the scene during their Awakening, and later) whilst the Family Dentists are responsible for getting people in touch, and encouraging connections between Covens and Clans.

A Sire is a Vampyre parent, including parent and child, lovers, friends--anyone who guides a fledging to his Vampyre nature. A Childe is a fledgling who is apprenticed to a "Sire" and taught the Black Veil and the ins-and-outs of the Vampyre scene. Once they have learned these rules, they can be presented to the Elder of their household or Court through a ceremony of recognition. Mundanes signify non-Vampyres and people who do not support the lifestyle.

Swans refer to those who are aware of the culture but choose not to partake. Black Swans are people who are tolerant of the lifestyle while White Swans are those who disapprove and try to persuade family members or friends to get out of the scene.

Invisibles are those members of the community who, having been ostracized and stripped of their name, are treated as if they no longer existed. Invisibles have committed some great crime in the eyes of the community, and for this they are no longer allowed to associate themselves with the rest of vampire culture.


The Caste System
A growing number of vampiric covens and households make use of a specific caste system to help define the roles of their members. Originally utilized by the Kheprian Order, the caste system is derived from similar caste systems used in ancient societies and make great use of pseudonyms derived from various historical, mythological and biblical sources.

The vampyre castes include Priests, Concubines, and Warriors. The Concubines are lovers, donors, advisors, and altars (the center balance of a ritual for sangomancy). The Priests are the leaders, scholars, organizers and practitioners of magick, such as Sangomancy or Vampyrecrafte. Finally, the Warriors are the strongarms, protectors and guardians of the Coven.

Prefixes such as Lord, Lady, Marquis, Marquise, Mistress, and Master denotes status in a clan.

The first candidates to become a vampire are those who commit crimes against man or religion.
This is certainly the broadest, if not most abundant, category for potential vampires. As society needed a scapegoat to blame for the calamities of these times, people on the fringes of society and the church made an easy target and were quickly disposed off, living the kingdoms and the Church free of potential trouble-makers.



Suicidals, eretics, schismatics and excommunicants
The Church has long considered suicide one of the unforgivable sins. It was commonly believed in Christian Europe that such souls were unable to rest in the grave, especially in hallowed ground. Their bodies could not decay and return to their original dust (the most commonly accepted proof of vampiric infection) and they left their graves at night to prey upon the living who were granted the chance of salvation that they were denied. The act of excommunication prohibited one from receiving the sacraments of the church. This case is similar to that of the suicide. He who died excommunicated was believed to be unable to return to dust or to find release from the body.



Sinners
Those who were particularly cruel or violent in life were believed to be prime candidates to return from the grave as vampires. Bulgarians included robbers, highwaymen, arsonists, prostitutes, deceitful and treacherous barmaids and other dishonourable people. Those who led dissolute or debauched lives were also likely to return as vampires. This, of course, was only the case for those individuals who did not repent and receive absolution before death. Again, the soul was believed to be bound to the body, preventing the natural decomposition of the body. And while the soul was bound to the body it was also bound in servitude to Satan.



Witches and wizards
Those who practiced black magic or summoned spirits were believed to servants the devil and particularly subject to vampirism. If a witch or a black sorcerer died unrepentant he, like the suicide or the excommunicant, was bound to earth and unable to pass into the next world. Also, the witch or sorcerer was more subjected to demonic infestation. The offspring of a witch or a sorcerer were also subjected to becoming a vampire after death. This was especially true if there was reason to suspect that the child might be the result of a union between a witch and an incubus or a sorcerer and a succubus.



Werewolves
There was a strong link between the werewolf and the vampire. Unlike the vampire, the werewolf was not generally believed to be immortal. It was commonly held that when a werewolf died he was most likely to return as a vampire. Also, those who were killed by a werewolf were thought to be prime candidates for resurrection as a vampire. Often the two curses were to be found in the same geographic regions.

Oppression is the Holy Law
In God I distrust
In time His monuments will fall
Like ashes to dust
Is war and greed the master plan?
The Bible's where it all began
Its propaganda sells despair
And spreads the virus everywhere

Religion is hate
Religion is fear
Religion is war
Religion is rape
Religion's obscene
Religion's a whore

The pestilence of Jesus Christ
There never was a sacrifice
No man upon the crucifix
Beware the cult of purity
Infectious imbecility
I've made my choice
666!

Corruption breeds the *****
Don't pray for the priest
Confession finds the lonely child
God preys on the weak
You think your soul can still be saved
I think you're ******** miles away
Scream out loud, here's where you begin
Forgive me Father for I have sinned!

Religion is hate
Religion is fear
Religion is war
Religion is rape
Religion's obscene
Religion's a whore

The target's ******** Jesus Christ
I would've lead the sacrifice
And nailed him to the crucifix
Beware the cult of purity
Infectious imbecility
I've made my choice
666!

Jesus is pain
Jesus is gore
Jesus is the blood
That's spilled in war
He's everything
He's all things dead
He's pulling on the trigger
Pointed at your head!

Through the fear you're sold into the fraud
Revelation,
Revolution,
I see through your Christ illusion!

The war on terror just drags along
My war with God is growing strong
His propaganda sells despair
And spreads this violence everywhere

There is no ******** Jesus Christ
There never was a sacrifice
No man upon the crucifix
Beware the cult of purity
Infectious imbecility
I've made my choice
666!

Since human ancestors first looked up at a majestic eagle soaring gracefully over a snow covered mountain top and thought "i wonder what that tastes like", we have been asking questions and seeking answers.

For primitive man this presented some difficulties. While he was able to ask the questions how did i get here, what is that bright circle in the sky and why do i stick to the ground he had absolutely no way of answering them. So he done what any primitive mind unable to answer questions would do, He invented gods. He invented thousands of them. Some primitives invented one all encapsulating god to answer every question and other primitives invented a god for each question.

After the invention of gods it didn't take long for leaders and bullies to realize that gods can also be used to control people if the people thought that god doesn't just make the sun rise, but he also has a set of arbitrary rules that wants us to follow which have been "revealed" to a select few. Rules like cutting your childs p***s, Not eating sometimes and hating gays. At which point we found our species infected with the cancer we now call religion.

In todays society we don't need god in an explanatory sense. The only people who find answers in god are the people are lack the intelligence to understand the answers science has given them (given with no threat of eternal punishment or eternal subservience). We know what the bright circle in the sky is, We know how we got here, We know why we stick to the ground and we know what an eagle tastes like.

Since we don't need god in an explanatory sense anymore how can faith based businesses (churches) get people to continue to believe in god and hand over their money? it's simple. All they have to do is turn god from something that provides answers in to something that is just itching for you to mess up so he can send you to hell forever.

Just like children the religious not only find comfort in fictitious entities but they can also be controlled through fear of punishment.

So next time you are in church hearing about all the rules your god wants you to follow, How he wants you to have sex with your wife, What days you can eat on and how to mutilate your childs genitals ask yourself this very simple question;
Does this sound like something the creator of the universe would be concerned with, or does it sound like something invented by the depraved mind of a man intent on controlling a subservient population?

The answer will be clear, Even if you lack the courage or honesty to admit it.

The Bible, like many myths, begins with answering how the world came to be and why it’s so screwed up.

The Bible tells us that God created everything in six days. He created Adam out of dust, and Eve out of Adam’s rib. (Woman, being the property of man, doesn’t get the dignity of her own mud spawning.) They were placed in the Garden of Eden and told they could eat of any fruit except one. If they ate that evil forbidden fruit, they would die that day.

Well, as you know, the snake tempts Eve, she eats the fruit and then Adam eats some too — and what do you know, they’re still alive. Soon after, God shows up, asking, “Where art thou?” (Come on, God, do you really not know?) When he finds them, he gets angry at their disobedience and curses Adam, Eve, the snake and the earth.

And that’s the explanation for why the world is the way it is — our ancestors ate some forbidden fruit, God got angry, and now everything is screwed up. That’s definitely on The Top 10 List of Worst Explanations Why the World is Screwed Up.

The Blame Falls on God
The story attempts to put the blame on man, but fails. The blame falls on God.

Man was doing what he does best — eating things that look delicious and disobeying rules for which he has no reason to obey. Only the snake gave an explanation, who said man’s eyes would be open, and they would know good from evil — that they would be like God. And you know what? The snake was right!

God was the one who made man with a nature that is susceptible to temptation.God made the tree look delicious and tempting. God made man to require reasons — and didn’t give him any. God created the snake and let him into the garden. And Godknew all this would happen, yet still setup things so man would disobey him!

Man is not at fault — God is. This myth does not get God off the hook for what a crazy, screwed up world we live in — it would make him responsible for it.

What kind of God would punish so many innocent people and animals throughout history because of one sin that he orchestrated to happen? Why did he put the tree there anyway? Why did he make the tree have magical properties so that when they ate Adam and Eve “knew good from evil” — clearly a desirable thing? And if they didn’t know good from evil before they ate the fruit, how would they have known eating it was evil?

Some may find this story profound, but instead of answering questions, it just creates more. Of course it’s just a crazy ancient story, though — what did you expect?

Two Ways
There are two ways to view the world around us: the natural and the supernatural.

As we look around, we see that things are not ideal. Natural disasters kill millions of innocent people. Diseases ravage through populations. Children die of starvation. People are born with horrible birth defects. Good people suffer, while the evil prosper. Life isn’t fair.

Christians believe that God created the world and is in control of it, so they must find a scapegoat for all this evil that goes on. They can’t believe their God could have intended all this to happen. So they have the story of the forbidden fruit and Satan, the rebellious angel. Yet is the Bible’s answer really satisfying? As I have argued, it would make God responsible for this mess.

On the other hand, we have the natural answer. We see that there are natural laws and can predict many natural disasters. We know they are simply part of the world that we live in — parts that have helped form us, and without which we would not exist.

We can study disease and see it is not demonic or a superstitious curse. And as we have progressed in science, we have been able to cure many diseases.

We know that children are starving because of economic, agricultural, political, and cultural problems — problems that can be solved with science, government, and human compassion — not sacrificing sheep to an angry sky God who delights in the burning smell of animal blood.

The natural explanation makes far more sense than a supernatural one, and has the advantage of having an abundance of evidence. Why cling to old superstitions and supernatural boogeymen when we have a better natural explanation?

We are all familiar with time travel stories, and there are few among us who have not imagined traveling back in time to experience some particular period or meet some notable person from the past. But is time travel even possible?

One question that is relevant here is whether time travel is permitted by the prevailing laws of nature. This is presumably a matter of empirical science (or perhaps the correct philosophical interpretation of our best theories from the empirical sciences). But a further question, and one that falls squarely under the heading of philosophy, is whether time travel is permitted by the laws of logic and metaphysics. For it has been argued that various absurdities follow from the supposition that time travel is (logically and metaphysically) possible. Here is an example of such an argument.

(1) If you could travel back in time, then you could kill your grandfather before your father was ever conceived. (For what's to stop you from bringing a gun with you and simply shooting him?)
(2) It's not the case that you could kill your grandfather before your father was ever conceived. (Because if you did, then you would ensure that you never existed, and that is not something that you could ensure.)

(3) You cannot travel back in time.
Another argument that might be raised against the possibility of time travel depends on the claim that Presentism is true. For if Presentism is true, then neither past nor future objects exist. And in that case, it is hard to see how anyone could travel to the past or the future.

Despite the existence of these and other arguments against the possibility of time travel, there may also be problems associated with the claim that time travel is notpossible. For one thing, many scientists and philosophers believe that the actual laws of physics are in fact compatible with time travel. And for another thing, as I mentioned at the beginning of this section, we often think about time travel stories; but it is very plausible to think that a story cannot depict things that are downright impossible. For example, it is natural to think that there could not be a story in which two plus two are five, or in which there is a sphere that both is and is not red all over. (This seems especially true if the story is told pictorially, as in the case of a movie.) Hence, if time travel is impossible, then we should not even be able to consider any story in which time travel occurs. And yet we do so all the time! One task facing the philosopher who claims that time travel is impossible, then, is to explain the existence of a huge number of well-known stories that appear to be specifically about time travel.

Two intense desires rule and govern mankind and control all man's thoughts, his joys and sorrows. They are man's two appetites, hunger for food and craving for love. Curiously enough, while man takes great pains in the education of the young to prepare them for the gratification of hunger, the much tabooed question of sex has been excluded, in our present civilization, from every discussion.

Yet love lies at the foundation of society, it permeates unconsciously the thoughts, aspirations and hopes of mankind. Love is glorified as the source of the most admirable productions of art, of the sublime creations of poetry and music; it is accepted as the mightiest factor in human civilization, as the basis of the family and state. The egoism of passion and the power of love are absorbing all other considerations. Virgil calls love the greatest conqueror: "Love conquers all; let us yield to it." Solomon sings: "Love is strong as death."

The word love is, as a rule, employed very loosely and made to do duty for almost any attraction, whether purely physical or wholly sentimental. Even great philosophers and distinguished writers rarely differentiate between animal passion and human love or between pure sensuality or the physical part of sex, and mental attraction or the psychic phenomenon.

Plato says that love between a man and a woman is mere animal passion, far inferior in nobility and importance to love for boys, to friendship, or to filial, parental or brotherly love. According to Plato, Socrates understood nothing by love except its science. Eros Uranos (heavenly love) incites only youth, the more intelligent sex, to love and this only at a time when their good character and high culture are beyond doubt.

Plutarch says: The passion for women causes at the best the gain of sensual pleasure and the enjoyment of bodily beauty. The Greeks, therefore, applied the celestial kind of love only to friendship and boy-love, never to the love between men and women.

Guiseppe Sergi finds the cause of love in the stimuli of the reproductive organs, and in the senses of touch and temperature.

Ernst Haeckel says: The oldest source of sexual love is found in the chemical attraction which the male and female sexual cells exercise upon each other. This sexual affinity is found even in the lowest stage of plants as in the protophytes, where both cells swim toward each other to unite.

Johann Karl Friedrich Rosenkranz finds in nature only an empire of love, of a love that penetrates all things and leads them to a common end. Gravitation is love dominating nature. Organic life is a continued phenomenon of love. Even in inorganic nature the combination of substances, one with the other, is a trait of love. The appearance of heat and the flash of light that accompany the chemical process are, in a manner, the heralds of lust felt by the substances while uniting. Love of the sexes is a love for things that is ignored and unknown and which is not yet even in existence. The lovers must perish that love may continually rise to new life; the individual dies that the species may live. Love is not the aim but the means, serving life and development.

Love is the joy at another's existence and is stronger than the delight at one's own existence. Love transforms the nuptials into a jubilee even where it is the eve of death. It is hence as strong as death. There exists not only a natural love, but also a spiritual love that is stronger than death. Natural love is not the true love, but only a stepping-stone. True love is no longer blind and necessary, but conscious and free.

Arthur Schopenhauer sees in amorousness an individualized sexual impulse. The growing affection of the two lovers is, in reality, the will for life of the new individual that they could and might beget. The species has a prior, nearer and greater claim upon the individual than the frail individuality itself. The exact destiny of the individuals of the future generation is a much higher and worthier end than the extravagant and transient bubbles of the enamored. The beauty or the ugliness of the mate has nothing to do with the gratification itself, so far as it is a sensual pleasure depending upon a pressing necessity of the individual. Yet beauty is a matter of great consideration, because it represents the will of the species. Every lover finds himself deceived after the accomplished great work. For the delusion has vanished by which the individual was deceived by the species.

In defining human love, Schopenhauer says that every individual exercises a sexual attraction proportionate to the moral and physical perfection it possesses which we attribute to the ideal of the human species. The attraction of two individuals will be the more energetic the more the deficiencies of the one will be counterbalanced by the virtues of the other, and the union of the two promises a child more conforming to the type of the species. Thus the greater the disparity the stronger will be the attraction.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau says: The physical desire is the one which drives one sex to unite with the other. The moral one is that which determines the desire and fixes it upon a single object exclusively, or at least gives a greater degree of energy for this preferred object. Now it is easily seen that the moral element in love is a factitious sentiment born of the usage of society and glorified with assiduity and care by women to establish their dominion.

Franz Joseph Delboeuf looks for the basis of love in the chemical action by which the female sex cells, or ova, exercise an attraction, magnetic in nature, upon the spermatozoa, and vice versa.

Baruch Spinoza defines love as “a pleasure accompanied by the thought of its external cause.”

Alexander Bain finds the cause of love in the charm of dissimilarity.

Paolo Mantegazza defines love as a desire for a particular beauty.

Eduard von Hartmann says: Man is moved by instinct to look for an individual of the other sex to satisfy his physical necessity, imagining that in this way he will enjoy a pleasure he would look for in vain elsewhere. This pleasure, one lover dreams to find in the arms of the other, is only a delusion. Subconsciousness uses these deceiving means to oppose the egotistic reflection and to dispose the individual to sacrifice its own interest to the interest of the future generation.

Herbert Spencer says that the passions that unite the sexes are the most complex and the most powerful of all feelings. Admiration, respect, reverence, love of approbation, emotion of self-esteem, pleasure of possession, love of freedom, love of sympathy, they all unite in the one powerful feeling of love. They represent a variety of pleasurable ideas, not in themselves amatory, but have an organized relation to the amatory feelings. The complex sentiment, termed affection, can, therefore, exist between those of the same sex, but it is greatly exalted in love.

The poet, Philip Sidney declares love to be the most intense desire to enjoy beauty, and where it is reciprocal, the most entire and exact union of hearts. The instinct, on the other hand, is absolutely sensual; it makes the exterior its object and has no other end than sensual pleasure. Every individual, therefore, loves more or less spiritually or sensually in proportion as it approaches to the spiritual or bestial nature.

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel says: Love is the complete surrender of the "ego" to another "ego" or to an ideal. Not the sacrifice of the possession or wealth of the ego, but the "I" itself must be given away.

Finally, Pierre Janet declares love to be complete madness in its origin as well as in its development and mechanism.

These philosophic definitions of love all have an interest for the reader, since they help to indicate the difficulty of classifying or of describing the emotion. However for a practical study of love it may be sufficient to show two distinct types of love; i.e. "sensual" love and "sentimental" love. Sensual love is the instinctive form of the emotion such as is found in all nature. Sentimental love, although grounded in the self-same instincts of self-preservation and racial perpetuation, has added to it the mental qualities found only in civilized human beings.

Gustav Teichmuller says: In sensual love, Nature makes use of the individual only incidentally by making the propagation of the species a personal concern of the individual. She gains her end by a mystification. The individuals, by virtue of the innate impulse, consider the external aim of nature as their own personal concern, for which they voluntarily hazard everything, even life itself. Teichmuller further claims that in physical love only the state of irritability and the sensibility of the nerves of the subject are important. The object is only concerned as a soliciting casualty. The natural impulse cannot aim at lust, for lust is not an end, but only expresses the coordinate state of the subject during the actions. Every desire aims at a specific action as its end. The musician does not long for lust but for music. The pleasure connected with it ensues coordinately with the success of the performance.

Of sentimental love, Teichimiller says, the individual loves an ideal that it has itself created in its thoughts and fancy and with which the actual need not harmonize at all. For that reason the "treasure" lies not without but within the lover. The beloved person outside is only the key that understands how to unlock the treasure. The key is not able to create the wealth. Whoever is poor and desolate within, for him no key can unlock the treasure of love.

When a man, for instance, is attached to a woman because of her outward harmonious appearance, i.e., beauty, it means that she pleases his sense of sight. If he is fascinated by her beautiful voice, then his sense of hearing has been appealed to. When he falls in love by the touch of her soft little hand, then his tactile sense has been excited. The meaning of all such attachments is the desire to satisfy the senses. Hence the love is sensual. For any of the five senses may be the starting point of sexual desire.

It is the year 1691... The land of Transylvania has been at peace for 100 years now, and the peasants and villagers have begun to purge their minds of the memories of the times when the lands were dominated by chaos and shadows, and when the undead walked the earth. However, there are those that remember that the evil Count Dracula returns every 100 years to plague the land, bringing with him the forces of Hell. Thus, one evening, the Prince of Darkness rises and returns to Castlevania, his ancestral home, calling forth his minions to purge the world of human flesh. The people cry out for a hero - someone to defend them from the evil desires of the count. Thankfully, they don't have to look very far, for within the land of Transylvania the Belmont line still lives, as Simon Belmont, great-grandson of Christopher Belmont, takes up the legendary whip called the Vampire Killer, and sets forth on his journey through the darkened countryside to the dark lord's castle. Upon arrival, the young man fights his way through legions of zombies, gigantic bats, and even faces Death himself, but in the end, he makes it to the Count and in a battle to end all battles, he comes out the victor. The price? The evil master places a curse of death upon Simon, which will lead him into a long and dangerous journey in the very near future.