Any Other Otherkin here?

You don't have wings.

They didn't claim they have wings, but it's more of a spiritual thing. They also said in their dreams they saw them, whether it's true or not, as long as try aren't claiming something completely impossible such as growing them, maybe they do feel that way.

I personally identify as a dog therian in terms of mannerisms and behaviors (I do not growl or bark). At one point, I identified as a polytherian with my other identification being a Red Tailed Hawk; I still identify with this, though it has bounced between Therianthropy and Otherkin categorization for the simple fact that I also identify with other birds. To give a little context here, my understanding of Therianthropy and Otherkin belief is that both can be psychological and/or spiritual, with the main difference being that Therians are limited to life forms that do and have existed while Otherkins can identify as something that is not of the prior criteria.

It wasn't until I talked to a friend recently that I found out that Otherkin belief is treated as a coping mechanism for bodily disphoria, even going to the extents of relating it to being Transgender; I would like to clarify that Transgenderism and Otherkin beliefs are not illnesses - they are simply how people identify and most folk don't like associating Otherkin belief with Transgenderism because of the Trans-misanthropy that affects those who are Transgender.

To put simply, we need not believe or deny the existence of Otherkins because it is merely a form of identification and we all have our own beliefs about what is real and what is not. Astral projection, for example, is seen as a valid belief even though not everyone believes in it; the same should be true for Otherkin who don't make outrageous physical claims as there is no need for the stigma and misinformation surrounding Otherkin and Therians.

Trigger Warning : The subjects below may offend or otherwise surprise , intrigue or shock some members. There shouldn't be anything bad necessarily in this post , but I do want to spare a sensitive audience the trauma by warning the members upfront that this will be concerning the topic of what is and is not Otherkin . I know that such a claim may seem biased, but I assure you it is not my opinion alone but the general community's as well . This, and one more thing: All that is written here is intended to be informative. I do not expect anyone to 100% agree with me or the general Kin community. I merely present the information as it is for the sake of knowledge and attempted helpfulness . Thank you for reading and have a blessed day.

Stabby summed this up really nicely, but for those who still have some misconceptions about Therians or Otherkin, allow me to attempt to shed some light on the subject.

To start with, Therians are people who spiritually, psychologically or neurologically identify as a non-human earthly animal. As Stabby said, it is a form of identification and not a roleplay or spiritual practice. Otherkin are also people who spiritually, psychologically or neurologically identify as non-human - but as a mythological creature or mythical animal. It is still a form of identityand is not a roleplay or spiritual practice. The difference between us and roleplayers is simple: We do not believe we are anything other than human, but we identify as that animal or mythological creature be it spiritually/psychologically/neurologically. It is not a relatability. If you relate to a non-human earthly animal or mythological creature/being, that would make you what the community calls a "Kith" or "Animal Hearted". It is very different from being "Kin" or "The Animal".

Another thing to take note of is that all Therians are Otherkin, which generally means "Identifying as nonhuman", but not all Otherkin are Therians, because Therian generally means "Identifying as an earthly animal". This is why the terms are used interchangably.

Here is the common list of misconceptions for Therianthropy...

• We cannot under any circumstances shapeshift.
• We do not have superpowers or any supernatural inhuman abilities.
• Therianthropy and Otherkinity are not religions.
• Not all Therianthropy and Otherkinity is spiritual. There are psychological therians and neurological therians too.
• Not all Kin get "Phantom Limbs".
• Not all Kin get "Mental shifts" (< That animal behaviorism mentioned.)
• There are Kin that are in the community from age 16 to 30 and are still helping out.
• Being a Kin is not solely a Wolf-Thing. It is a common mistake a lot of new Kin make.
• It is not currently believed by the general community to be genetic in nature.
• Most Kin do not know their kintypes and it can take years of research and introspection to figure it out.
• Being Kin is so much more than merely feeling a connection to or liking an animal. It's identifying as, not with.
• There is no law to follow. It's a personal journey, just with general community guidelines to keep logic and reason within.
• Therianthropy is not new.
• It is not a teen trend.
• Wearing certain things such as collars or tails is not a kin thing. It's just a fashion choice people make.
• Kin is not the same as being a Furry. Furry is a fanbase or more accurately a collective group of artists who appreciate anthropomorphic art.
• It is not a gender.
• It is not a Tumblrism. A majority of Kin on Tumblr are known to be untrustable sources of information, to put it kindly.
• Currently, there is no explanation for what causes therianthropy. It is up to personal introspection and interpretation, which is what makes the journey such a personal experience.
• It is not a choice. No singular person can wake up and say they want to be a Therian. You either are, or you are not.
• It is not the same or related to clinical Lycanthropy.
• Therianthropy/Otherkinity is not a mental illness or disorder, it is an identity.
• Kin do not only date other Kin, and rarely if ever do they even get the chance.
• A person's kintype does not affect their behavior towards a person or animal. They are still human and should still possess a respectable human amount of control,at the very least in a public setting.
• A majority of Kin do not believe they are currently their kintype and will legitimately try to debunk themselves out of deep introspection or attempts to prove themselves right by first trying to prove themselves wrong; For example, someone who is afraid they might not be kin will look for every possible clue that what they are experiencing is a general human experience. The community is just that determined to be both true to themselves and as rational as possible.

Note: This was originally written by a member in the community, with added stuff by members along the way including myself. The original poster was known as DinoCanid.

Here is the section that does not constitute Therianthropy.

• Shifts ( be they mental, phantom, or otherwise spiritual; Not all therians shift and so it is not considered the be-all answer to the identity. Vice versa, human beings without the identity could have phantom limbs and not be a therian. )
• Connections ( A lot of people like animals, a lot of people love animals, and a lot of people love a specific animal but it would still not make them all Therians. On a 5% chance it might make them Kith but even then that's a bond way out of loving a specific animal. It's relating so much that it could be mistaken for being Kin. )
• Coping Mechanisms ( Copingkin are not welcomed into the Otherkin community because identifying as an animal to deal with personal problems is simply not what being an Otherkin means. If you identify as Kin, you identify as Kin for life, not temporarily. It's similar to saying that you're a different gender identity until you pass a really stressful high school test, it just doesn't make sense. )
• Physical shapeshifting ( No. It is completely impossible. )
• Magick ( The big one for you guys huh? It actually doesn't have anything to do with Therianthropy at all because Therianthropy is an identity whereas Magick is a personal practice, craft or path. It can certainly coincide with it, and help you grow with it, but it's not related. )
• Reincarnation ( This is one of the most common reasons a spiritual kin might claim to be one, but on its own it doesn't constitute to therianthropy because of the fact that things such as dreams and astral experiences can be very misleading. To further explain, if you were a horse in a past life that was great but what makes you feel that you are one now. Right now. If it was just in a past life, then reincarnation cannot be a singular reason to claim you're a therian. )
• Fashion ( It's a choice ofstyle, and nothing but a choice of style, and claiming you're a Kin because of a style is...well. Read over again. Notice the word Choice. You understand right? )
• Childhood Experiences ( Children are already naturally capable of acting like animals, playing with animals and mimicking them. Just because someone acted like a dog, doesn't mean they're a canine therian. It could just be because as a young child they grew up with dogs. )

Note: Like the above, this was also a group effort, though solely edited by a poster known as Calico.

Hopefully, this clears up a lot of misunderstandings.

If you have any other questions about Therianthropy, please pm me or visit this resource site for more information. If you identify as a Kin yourself, i highly recommend reading up on the information found here, as it is very reliable:http://www.therian-guide.com/

Again, I apologize for resurrecting and flooding this thread with information, but it seemed a great number of members were misinformed or otherwise confused over the differences between the community and its bad representations in the media. I really do apologize if I somehow came on too strongly. It doesn't look that way to me personally but I know I can be brutally honest sometimes. :(

No need to be sorry. The information is solid as far as I'm aware and I agree that there are a lot of misconceptions about Otherkins and Therians.

Im therian. If you want to chat mail me.

I'm used to people becoming angry with me for bringing up this sort of information so it's natural habit to apologize and make sure nobody gets hurt. Anyway, thank you Stabby, I think you provided really solid information as well.

I'm really glad to see that sort of thing honestly because you're right, there are a large number of misconceptions that people just naturally believe and it's really sad to see. Especially when you know a person is already very wise and intelligent and is only in that mindset because of unreliable sources who want a good story.

Thats phantom shifting and in a sense dream shifting. So other-kin and therians or witches/wiccans could see them too. But not humans.

Twinavocat I'm unsure as to what you mean by this.

What do are you referring to by saying, "That's phantom shifting or otherwise dream shifting" and why are you saying that only a certain group can have these? This is not true. A phantom shift is not at all related to a dream shift and you do not need to be any specific thing in order to experience them.

Phantom shifts are when you experience phantom limbs, similar to that of someone who lost an arm but still feels their arm is there. Dream shifts are when you yourself act and behave as a realistic animal in a dream (Example: if you are a fox you experience a fox's natural behaviour, movements, etc. very vividly and realistically in the dream,).

Phantom shifts can be experienced by Soldiers, Hospital Patients, and the average everyday person. What's more, not all Therians even experience shifts at all (See above to the list of misconceptions...). Dream shifts are the same, as anyone might have a dream of being an animal and this does not solely happen for a Witch or a Therian. Therians may not even experience dream shifts at all.

I suggest you research more about Therianthropy through the site I linked or another reliable source before you begin making claims that lack truth to them. It will surely help you grow and perhaps learn what it truly means to be a Therian.