Philadelphia's Vampire House Morpheus

30 Vampires Reside Among the Skulls and Life Energy

Kate Blanche, the head of House Morpheus in Philadelphia, asked me to spend a weekend in the Victorian, three-floor home with turrets and a vast garden. A large marble plaque, the sigil or coat of arms hangs in the salon. The Latin inscription Ad Vitam Aeternam means Unto Eternal Life. Blanche clarifies. "We don't believe we are immortal."

The only bit of somber décor is an array of artificial skulls, including a large ceramic skull resting on t a coffee table. "In House Morpheus, we hold that the skull is the seat of the mind, and the mind is all important to us. Therefore, we use the skull as our emblem as a representation of the abstract mind," Blanche clarifies. Joining a Vampire Community

Anna Gatewood was the founder of House Morpheus, a graduate student who concluded that vampirism involved energy play. The vampire did not get power from blood, Gatewood theorized, but rather from the living energy that was in the blood.

On the main floor are the salon, a larger meeting room, and a kitchen and dining room. Two upper level floors were dedicated to bedrooms for the more than 30 vampires living in the house. The residents are 25 - 40 years.

All hold at least a four-year degree in a variety of disciplines, with a strong leaning towards the humanities. Blanche, 36, is a musician, giving lessons in piano and guitar. Sometimes the whole house will convene for a drumming session to raise energy.