There are three main classifications for vampirism: sanguine, meaning to feed on blood, pranic, meaning to feed on energy, and hybrid, meaning a mixture or combination of both.
Some communities do not class the hybrid as a separate category, and some do not accept its existence, although numbers of the doubtful are becoming somewhat smaller.
Sanguine
Sanguine vampires feed on blood. They usually take on one or more donors from which they can feed on a regular basis. The theory is that sanguine vampires have the same need for energy as other vampires, and that it is not the blood they require so much as the energy it contains. As to whether blood contains anything of use to a vampire; that is still under debate within many communities, however it is accepted that such is needed for a sanguine to survive in a healthy state.
One theory states that the blood itself may not contain any energy at all, but offers a sympathetic link to the donor's psychic energy which acts as a pathway through which the sanguine vampire can draw the energy into themselves. Another idea is that the blood acts as a kind of container for the energy, and by drinking in the blood the vampire is also drinking in the person's energy and that which they need to supplement their own in order to survive.
Either way, the key thing that defines a sanguine vampire is the desire and the need to feed on human blood. It is in some ways one of the hardest aspects of vampirism to deal with; not only does the idea of drinking blood have numerous psychological attachments and impressions, it can also be dangerous, risks the spreading blood borne infections, is an almost impossible craving to alleviate and a very hard medium to find a donor for.
Sanguine vampirism is not a romantic condition, but an often difficult and trying thing to deal with in one's life. And it doesn't go away. There is no cure for vampirism that is known of, and the discrimination from the general public is still fairly high.
Pranic
I tend to refer to energy feeding vampires as Pranic Vampires as against psi or psychic vampires. The main reason for this is the common confusion that occurs in the naming. Scientists and psychologists have been responsible for the use of the term psychic vampire in the past, and the people that they apply the label to are not psychic vampires. They are basically needy people who leave people feeling drained and washed out after any interaction with them; drama queens, attention seekers and emotional leeches would better describe them. Unfortunately for the vampire community, people have begun to tar pranic vampires with the same brush - even going so far within the new age and metaphysical communities as to write books on how to 'deal with' us and defend themselves against us. The common belief is in a person who maliciously and deliberately goes around psychically attacking people for the fun of it, or of people who do it without realising and must be dealt with. People commonly see psychic vampirism as evil, and a chosen path; which in many cases it is not.
Pranic vampires, like all vampires, have a need to feed on energy. Mostly this energy needs to be human in source, though the reason for that is still, no doubt, under debate. My own theory would be that the human body functions on a particular 'frequency' or level, and that a vampire, being fundamentally human, can best feed on sources that vibrate at that same frequency.
However, it has to be noted that there are other vampires who are quite able to feed on non-human sources; from living trees, to lightning storms to energy from electrical appliances. However, the most common remains the vampire who feeds on human energy alone.
Pranic vampires come in several forms or types. Tantric vampires feed on sexual stimulation and emotional currents, emotional vampires feed on the emotions thrown off by humankind, elemental vampires feed on non-human sources of energy such as lightning storms, plants and animals. There are other pranic vampires who feed on mass ambient energy, or any energy at all - these would be termed as just general pranic vampires rather than of a specific category or type.
Tantric Vampires
I class tantric vampires as a sub-class of pranic, mainly due to the fact that they are still feeding on human energy; just on a slightly narrower aspect of the spectrum. For a tantric vampire, feeding is deeper and easier when tied in with sexual encounters. Every sign and moan and movement of their partner can be fed upon during the encounter, and many tantrics can also feed on emotional responses like lust and desire.
Emotional Vampires
Emotional vampires are again energy feeders. Human energy can come in many different forms, and emotional is one of the strongest. Some emotional vampires tend to feed on one particular emotion above others, whilst others can feed on a whole range. Some vampires find themselves becoming quite sick when surrounded by too much anger, or too much depression; finding that they take the energy onboard themselves and for some reason it does not mix well with their own.
Elemental Vampires
Elemental vampires are vampires who do not tend to feed from human sources. Elemental vampires instead draw their energy from the environment around them. Many vampires, both elemental and not, can say that the energy given off during a strong lighting storm can be extraordinarily strong, and elemental vampires are able to feed quite well on such storms. They are also able to feed on plant and animal life, and some even claim that electrical appliances and sockets can offer some sustenance; although the effect has been described as something like a sugar rush - intense, but over quite swiftly leaving the vampire craving more.
Symbiotic
There are also symbiotic vampires who whilst feeding on human energy, tend to work with their donor rather than against them.
A standard vampire takes energy from their donor into themselves. A symbiotic vampire will take the energy of a sick or unwell person, rid it of its negative energy and then feed the positive back; thus the vampire gets a free meal, and the human is strengthened by the returning positive energy.
Other Vampires
There are two other main classes of vampire, but these are not usually considered as true vampires in the strictest sense. Learned Vampires are humans who have learnt how to draw energy from other people in order to supplement their own and have often become quite addicted to the 'high' and the power of the experience. And Sympathetic Vampires occur within normal humans who have been 'attacked' or drained repeatedly or forcefully by another vampire begin to exhibit vampire-like behaviours until they have managed to rebalance their systems. Both of these types of vampires are classed as human or perhaps temporary vampires due to the fact that they do not have a true need for the energy in order to function. Both are temporary states that can be reversed in time.
