April Fool’s Day – What’s In A Name?

I don’t know if other bloggers had the same issue as me but one of my main concerns has always been “what day should I launch”!

It could be the Jungian or mythologist in me, or just a reflection of my love of symbolism, but April Fool’s Day just seemed right.

Why? Well, April Fool’s Day has a myriad of mythology behind it. Some to do with Fool’s being King’s for a day, some to do with Spring and some to do with New Year’s Day. It is this aspect that appeals to me.

My connection between April Fool’s Day and New Year’s Day is tarot. More than a quarter of a century ago I met my first tarot deck. While it wasn’t love at first sight, it quickly turned into love and we have been happy together ever since. As the Fool begins the journey of the tarot, I chose this symbolic Fool’s Day to be my day for starting a New Year.

The first momentous decision I made on April Fool’s day was in 2003. After almost a lifetime of wanting to change my last name, I finally did it! Why didn’t I like my birth name?

• It wasn’t an ancestral name. My family come from a part of Eastern Europe that was colonised and as part of that process they had their name changed to reflect the nationality of the colonisers. Cultural identity is a big issue for me, one I will come back to many times here. But in relation to my last name, I hated people thinking I had ties to a cultural background that wasn’t my own. I always dreamed of having a name that reflected my ancestry but could never come up with one.

• Personal identity is an interesting thing. I’ve loved the esoteric world since I was a child. Vampires remain my first love but as I studied more I became fascinated with witchcraft, paganism, astrology, numerology and tarot. I also loved myths and legends, particularly stories about ancient Gods and Goddesses. Wanting to reflect this I often went by the name Vicky Venus, in honour of the ruler of my astrological sign Taurus. I loved the initials VV and in my punk days I adopted the last names Vodka & Valium – but they are stories for another time! But what I really wanted was a name that had a vampire connection. Vicky Vampire just wasn’t me so I waited until a name came – it was a long wait!

• The vampire connection. A large chunk of my world came crashing down at the turn of the millennium. I didn’t deal with it well but I came through it. What I needed most to move forward was a new name, a new identity, a new me. I wanted to be free of the past, free of old connections, free of family ties. It was late in 2002 and I was working on the Dracula Tarot. I heard a voice whisper the name Vladic. The word came with an image showing me the spelling. It clicked immediately. Finally, I had my last name! It was a VV, it was Eastern European and most importantly it had a vampire connection. Vlad is the first name of Dracula. I thought it was ironic that I would be taking his first name as my last name. On April’s Fool’s Day 2003 I handed in my change of name form. When the form was stamped I felt a chill run down my spine. Vicky Vladic was born and I have been her ever since

So now, 11 years later, another first is about to be born – my very first blog.

What can you expect to find here? Lots of different things.

• I am a writer specialising in vampirism, tarot, witchcraft and cookery – so far!
• I have a PhD in film theory, Jungian theory and witchcraft.
• I have published The Dracula Tarot book and deck, illustrated by Australian artist Anna Gerraty.
• I have just finished a cookbook which I am getting ready to send to publishers and agents.
• I am working on a second cookbook with American artist Anne Belov.
• I love all things vampire.
• I love all things esoteric especially tarot, astrology, numerology, paganism and witchcraft.
• I have a keen interest in politics, the environment and social issues.
• I am involved in animal welfare and sponsor giant pandas, red pandas, and an Atlantic puffin.
• I have dogs.
• I have a long term partner.
• I am also an amateur photographer specialising in food & drink, still life, architectural, gothic and nature photography.

You can expect me to talk about all these things and more.

Photos will also be part of this blog.

So come and join the fun at vsomethingspeaks.

I’d love to hear from you!