THE WHITE RITE
The Rite of the Mirror and the Oracle : A Vampyre’s Rite of Transformation
This initiation is required for membership tothe Sanguinarium.net by Father Sebastiaan, edits by Silver Black (thank you) and Victor Magnus
Within the White Rite there are two components: the Rite of the Mirror and the Oracle.
Here is a little background on the inspiration for this ritual of Vampyre
Transformation and what it is analogous to. I discovered a commonality of my customers reactions when they first saw themselves in the mirror with their fangs. For many the ceremony of getting fangs made by Sabretooth is life-changing experience, that continues to have a profound effect on them many years later.
The Inspiration
Soon after the first Endless Night Vampire Ball in New Orleans in 1998, when I arrived back in NYC, Tony Timpone (then editor of Fangoria Magazine) invite me and my staff of theSabretooth Emporium to go to the Warner Brothers
screening room to watch an early cut of the film the Matrix. This was five months before its theatrical release.
When I saw the Matrix, the film was not yet fully complete. Many of the special effects unfinished, and a different eerie soundtrack. As we watched the film that night, I saw the faces of my staff shift from skepticism to excitement and wonder.
Their Vampyre Eyes began to open wider.
As we stood in the lobby, following the screening. We were trance-like state, trying to proces all that we had experienced, but we weren’t alone in feeling that way. There was another person standing nearby who seemed equally affected:
the actor Laurence Fishburne, who of course played Morpheus in the film. A giant afro and beard had disguised him during the screening, but now I could recognize
him the bright lights of the lobby. Standing there as moved by what we had just seen.
In the months leading up to the release of The Matrix in March of 1999, the promotional advertising campaign for the movie asked, “What is the Matrix?”
Only a few who were fans of the Cyberpunk genre understood what a Matrix was, but even they were not prepared for the full impact of the feature film. No one could understand what the Matrix was until they actually saw the movie, and asking the question was truly a great way to make people think about it and question what it could mean.
Those who read into the film deeply ended up ponder some of our basic perceptions concerning the nature of reality. I believe this to be a major subtle shift in the history of human collective consciousness. In my opinion for the vast majority of humanity, nothing would ever be the same. And it was no exception for me as well. For months after the film was released many felt they got to see reality from a different perspective and experience a shift in awareness.
How does this relate to the experience getting your first pair of fangs? Really simply put it is another subtle personal shift of consciousness. What happened to the five of us over the next few months, leading up to the public release of the film, was truly a shift of consciousness, not unlike what Louis de Pointe du Lac (Interview with the Vampire) experienced during his first night as a vampire.
Most significantly the wonders the Matrix presented reminded of when each of us, of the experience of getting our first set of fangs, and how changed and alive we’d felt the first few weeks afterwards. While it seemed the rest of the world was still experiencing things in a traditional way, the rite of transformation we had undergone as Vampyres had caused us to see and feel things differently. We felt a sense of “awakening” stirring in our spirits.
When the movie opened, and ‘Matrix Mania’ descended upon the masses, the question “What is the Matrix?” was finally answered. It was on the lips of
moviegoers everywhere, and we felt as though the process of “getting fanged”
could finally be appreciated. One more step towards the Singularity had come to pass.
On October 15th, 1999 another groundbreaking, and perception shifting film would shape the Sanguinarium even further, revealing what it is like to see the world amongst other Sabretooth Vampyres: Fight Club.
This is how I discovered the shift in consciousness that making fangs creates, using film references to help understand.
The Rite of the Mirror
Since that fateful day in November 1993, when I got my first pair of fangs, I have seen the world differently. The most memorable part of my first Rite of
Transformation was not having my fangs made, not holding my lip up, but looking into the mirror for the first time, and seeing myself in a completely different way.
Fourteen months later, I sat my mother down on Christmas Day and put her through the same experience — but I got to see it from the Fangsmith’s perspective. Since then, I have fanged people from around the world and witnessed their first look into the mirror; their reactions as they feel their lives change, and a small shift of perception occurs.
This is why the first element of the White Rite is the Rite of the Mirror. You can see this very personal, and often life-changing ceremony done a hundred times on my YouTube Channel. Everyone has a different reaction. Some cry, some
laugh, some stare in silence for what seems like hours. It is a moment as profound and memorable as getting your first tattoo, but still very different.
The Rite was also borne out of practicality. As a professional, I had to keep people and their curiosity from inspecting their fangs and critiquing them before they were finished, as seeing them before the end ruined the mystery and slowed down my fangmaking process. With the Rite of the Mirror I can stop my clients from looking at their fangs until I’m satisfied that they’re ready to be seen.
The Oracle
During the Rite of the Mirror, I found myself observing, asking questions, and compiling a collection of clients’ ideas, desires, interests, responses and perspectives into a journal; the same journal where Sanguinomicon and all my other books come from. A few years ago, I took one hundred words from vampire mythology and cut them down into one-page descriptions, based on these
testimonials, and my book the Red Veils was born. Combined with notes from Sanguinomicon (a manifesto of sorts), I was describing a philosophy which I call Vampyrism, in a new way. Spelling it with a ‘y’ instead of an ‘i’, to differentiate between the mythological vampire and the philosophy.
If my clients seem especially interested in the Vampyre Philosophy, I provide them with a copy of the Red Veils to perform the Rite of the Oracle. The secret to the Rite is to look through the Table of Contents of Red Veils before looking at any other part of the book. Once this is done, the fledgling chooses one Veil which appeals to him and reads it. The result is an experience similar to reading your own tarot cards and most often will be an amazing, synchronistic, experience that adds another dimension to the White Rite of Transformation, and brings the client closer to his or her own Vampyric Awakening.
My other book, Sanguinomicon, is a long, deep, esoteric manuscript on Vampyre Philosophy– which is not appropriate for the mainstream world. The Red Veils is a
much more suitable experience for my fang clients, used to introduce them to the experience of wearing fangs.
Vampyres?
I know what you’re thinking. Vampyrism as a philosophy? What? Aren’t vampires evil, blood drinking, satanic, bunny-sacrificing demons? Relax. Following the White Rite, Vampyres will not automatically live forever, fly, generate a thirst for human blood, or transform into a bat. Those are obviously misconceptions and metaphors. They will, however, be introduced to a new way of life; a new
perspective, philosophy, lifestyle, and transformation as deep as they choose to take it. But one must have caution, because those who define themselves exclusively by Vampyrism miss the point. Vampyrism should compliment the individual — not wholly define them.
And Vampyres are not easily defined. On the contrary, I enjoy a diverse client base of individualists from around the world. They have taught me that Vampyres are like cats: you can’t herd them or group them; they are uniquely one tribe, each individual dancing to the beat of his own drum, then forming a collective chorus when they come into agreement.
Unlike their mythical and subculture counterparts, the point of Vampyrism is to LIVE (which is evil spelled backwards) and enjoy a hunger for life. This means engaging in every aspect of life and drinking in all of the wonders the world has to offer; from a beautiful walk in a park in Paris, to the satisfaction of learning a new skill; from climbing mountains, to the pleasures of finding love or
experiencing the birth of a child. This is the true philosophy of a Vampyre, not the depressed, energy deficient, cursed, miserable life which the media makes it out to be.
The Awakening?
Often I hear the phrase, “Getting fangs does not make you a Vampyre”, and this is true. However, the ceremony of the White Rite, and its components, often trigger a fuller awakening that leads to embracing the Vampyre Philosophy, and through it, a fuller, more enjoyable lifestyle. I have witnessed this many times with my clients, and many of them will testify that the White Rite has changed their lives, their self perception, and has led them to look at the world in a whole new way.
The Sanguinarium – www.sanguinarium.net
The Sanguinarium is a private international network and of individuals who are drawn to on various levels the culture and philosophy of Vampyrism as defined by the VAMPYRE series of books by Father Sebastiaan. This community was founded and is exclusively for the fang clients of the Sabretooth Clan (you need to get fangs by Father Sebastiaan to receive an invite).
Many people ask “how do I join the Sanguinarium”? This is a simple answer, you need to go through the White Rite to get an invitation. Otherwise your experience there will remain lost as you will not connect with others through Our Current (our vibe and traditions).
We are exclusive but inclusive, everyone is welcome as long as they come with the same spirit and have the same basic experience of the White Rite and are not intimately affiliated with any other Vampyre / vampire organization. We are neutral and independent, with a dedicated Inner Circle
and international membership in North America, Australia, Brazil and Europe.
Once you go through the White Rite you must respond to the email invitation provided within 72 hours. If you dont receive it and have gone through the White Rite please email the administrators at [email protected].
By getting fangs from Sabretooth you go through a ritual, something in common with everyone else within the Sanguinarium and this has created a unique, diverse and highly intimate movement. We have private events and the Endless Nights are our public “Outer Circle” gatherings. The Sanguinarium community is international, successful and very much like a worldwide Family of like minded individuals.
Our Story
Why do I think this is important? Because knowing the story behind your fangs imbues the experience of getting them with unique power and significance. It is an experience few others in this world ever have. After all, there are very few fangsmiths in the world and we can never make enough fangs to sell out, so I have chosen to Rock Out!
Welcome to the Family.
-Father Sebastiaan