I was going through the forum and found an old Otherkin topic posted. It was from 2013. So I thought to renew that old topic!
Otherkin, are there any on this site? Care to tell your belief system?
Please, keep it clean. No arguing. No insulting comments. Be nice, respectful, and polite. Thank you! :)
The core of my beliefs stems in being aware that I don't know everything there is to know and that my truth is not inherently universal truth - that being said, I've come to observe some things on the subjects of Otherkin and Therianthropes. Personally I only identify as Therian.
Therianthropy is described as recognizing a nonphysical, nonhuman aspect in a physically human being, with the distinction that it the nonhuman aspect is a physically existing nonhuman species. This can be identified spiritually as well as psychologically, depending on the person who identifies themselves as Therian. My Theriotype is canine (specifically a domestic dog) and is psychological, rather than spiritual, for me. It manifests that I see in the way I am playful, excitable, loyal, and will lash out when cornered in fear, as well as some minor behavior patterns. I do not bark, "mark my territory," or do anything else I feel is obnoxious and unnecessary - I also did not choose to "become" this way as it is something that I feel manifested as I grew up around dogs (and it has nothing to do with liking or disliking dogs. I'm actually a cat person in terms of pet preference). It's not something I normally make note of because being a dog therian is no more special about what I am than being physically human is. I'm just me and this happens to be a part of how that manifested.
Otherkin, that I see, are in the same line of thought in that they are human as well as subtly nonhuman (again, be it psychological and/or spiritual). The difference that I see is that it includes species identification that is outside what is physically real. So say, you can have someone who has a snail theriotype and someone who identifies as snailkin, but the same would not inherently be true vice versa (as there are people who identify as gryffinkin, though there are not any therians who have a griffin theriotype).
Some people include plants or extinct animal species as therians, some don't. Some people include fictional characters as a possibly identification for otherkin, and again, some don't. The thing about it all is that it's all about the identity of a person and how they came to understand themselves the way they do is different for every therian and otherkin. The same is true for how they believe they are as they identify, so your answers are likely to be different for any person you ask.
It's really not that different from other beliefs and even practices. Shadow self work is a practice I have where I identify aspects of myself that are embody as separate "beings" and it blends in terms of being psychological and spiritual - the key difference being that the embodied aspects are identified temporarily and for a specific purpose, rather than being an aspect of what I feel I am.
Now, there are red flags that come up in when it comes to these subjects. Anyone who claims to be physcially nonhuman should be able to back that up or be subject to scrutiny as we cannot blindly accept peoples' word without substantial evidence. The reason this is different from personal belief is that the physical body and outer physical existence is in the domain of science - while we are still budding in that area, we have a substantial body of evidence in human anatomy where we can test things and isolate variables to get the same result. While individual responses may vary, there is an understanding of a base-line of what is possible. When it comes to spiritual belief... it's just that; personal interpretations and concepts. We don't have a universal base-line of what is spiritually, magically, and religiously real because we cannot isolate all of the variables to measure "the stuff" we practice our crafts with to sufficiently get the same results every time.
With that core understanding, Otherkin and Therianthropy as subjects become less "woo woo mystical" and more "Hey, this is a thing that some people are into." the same way that we begin to understand that magic or whatever else we practice or believe in isn't some crazy thing and is more just a part of us and how we go about our lives, recognizing that not everyone is into it like we are. It's just that simple.
OtherKin can have any belief system. The spectrum of kin can be vast. Some believe they are an animal or being others feel connected to it slightly. Some use an animal as a totem animal (I don't believe it has anything to do with totems, though it may,I don't recall).
Yo, Therian here. I identify as a snow leopard and eastern dragon. I'm also a Christian Druid. For me what I am is both spiritual and psychological. I believe the soul has impact on the body, and so my identity is both.Reply to this post
I could either create a really long answer, or a to the point one. I'll stick with the latter.
I believe that on a higher metaphycial plane it is possible to have otherkin aspects to your soul. You may feel vampiric in a sense that you've felt old and tired for most of your life, or you may feel like a kitsune because you have wisdom but you're also mischievious. However, I do not believe at all that these metaphysical beings exist on our plane of living.
