Sad Wolf Boy

Because people have been asking about non-metaphysical theories behind otherkin, and I’m additionally seeing lots of people with the misconception that “otherkin” means “caused by past lives”…

I’ve spent several years collecting theories about the causes of an otherkin identity/nature from the community. This is by no means a complete list, but it’s what I’ve managed to gather. (I would love to hear any theories that aren’t on this list!) You can find an earlier, more formatted version (though a therianthropy-centric version, because that’s where I spent the first several years of my time in the community) of this list at Project Shift.

Archetypal: Otherkin are connecting on a deep personal level to archetypes and mythic symbols, and embodying those archetypes.

Biological: Being otherkin is a biological phenomenon, rooted in the hindbrain and showing up in physical characteristics and changes, like elongated eyeteeth and shifting eye color. Or there’s an abnormality of the brain, a genetic mutation. (Can be said to go along with the “genetic” theory.)

Dissociation: Being otherkin is related to or due to a dissociative disorder, whether it be full dissociative identity disorder or a lesser form of dissociation. Shifting is dissociation from higher thought processes and emotion, the “human side”.

Dual Souls/Walk-In: Two souls occupy the otherkin’s body, one human and one non-human, or his soul is part non-human and part human.

Energetic Resonance: The otherkin’s energy resonates at the same frequency or on the same wavelength as that of their kintype, leading to some similarities and identification.

Everyone’s Otherkin: Everyone’s an otherkin, everyone has a non-human aspect. But very few people become aware of or accepting of this fact, and so there aren’t a lot of awakened otherkin. Anyone can awaken, though, and become otherkin.

Genetic: Otherness is passed from generation to generation, like body type or some mental disorders.

Imprinting (from Winged Wolf’s site): When young, the human imprinted on an animal of a different species, and thus grew to believe (at some level) that she was that animal, imitating the behavior and mannerisms of that animal.

Links to Gaia: Therians are links to nature and the primal side of humanity, an attempt by nature or deities or some other power to return balance to the world. Therians are to fight for this and protect the environment.

Links to Magic: Otherkin are links to magic and the otherworlds, an attempt by deities or Faerie or some other power to return magic to the world. The duty of otherkin is to bring magic into mundane life and introduce wonder into the world around them; this was one of the original purposes behind glamourbombing. (This theory is most often seen with fae-kin.)

Mental: Otherkin identity is a mental fabrication, where the person desires so much to be something other that sie tricks hir mind into experiencing shifts of perception, phantom limbs, etc. It’s an elaborate game of ‘let’s pretend” taken to a new, more vibrant, more serious level. (Similar to the “dissociation” theory.)

Neurological: Otherkin identity and the experience of being other-than-human results from atypical neurology. An article by Liesk explores this at greater length.

Primal Association (from Winged Wolf’s site): “Everyone has a primal side–this is the part of the brain and personality which is instinct-driven. It may be that in some persons, the primal side is very well-developed. On top of that, the person may identify their primal nature with an animal or animals, similar to the way a dissociative has separated different personalities in their mind.”

Psychic Connection (from Winged Wolf’s site): “If a person, when very young, developed a very deep psychic link with a certain animal, then they may take on–or take in–the mind of that animal to such a degree that it becomes a part of them, and remains so even after the link is severed.”

Reincarnation: The otherkin was hir kintype in a past life, and shifts are past life memories. Or hir soul is non-human, but instead of being reincarnated into the corresponded body, something happened to reincarnate hir as a human. Or sie spent enough lifetimes as a certain species (or had a lifetime as that species that heavily impacted her soul) that the energetic nature of hir soul (or something of the like) is that of a certain non-human species.

Shamanic/Totemic: Therianthropes are people with a natural affinity for shamanic practices, astral shape-shifting, etc, and their theriotype is their power animal, not who they are. Or the totem animal of the therianthrope has more influence over the therianthrope’s behavior and mannerisms, or they’re more in touch with their totem.

Soul Parts: The soul has many parts (such as with the Egyptian concept of the soul or the Norse concept of the self) and one or more of those parts resonates with, has the nature/shape of, or in some other way is non-human. This can also explain people with multiple kintypes, if each part is, in some way, a different “species”.

Soul Splitting/Shattering: Souls can split, break, fission, or shatter into more than one piece, and often do. Soul-pieces sometimes/often fuse onto other soul-pieces, and sometimes a nonhuman soul-piece fuses to a human soul, resulting in an otherkin.

Out-dated language used here. It needs a substitute that does not imply any association with closed cultures. Also, in terms of the bolding, this is not otherkin. Otherkin ARE their kintype on a deep internal level. (Still physically human, still with a functional human intelligence.) See otherhearted instead. 

Otherkin who often pursue astral or journey work will very likely see themselves AS their kintype. Astral shapeshifting as a mental or spiritual exercise is also possible and might not mean that you’re otherkin, or otherkin who shift into something other than their usual kintype shouldn’t automatically assume they have a new kintype. Temporary or cameo shifts are possible. 

For example, there is a difference between having a dragon soul and hanging out with a dragon in the unseen and shifting your astral form to learn about dragons.

So I think that maybe I at some point I should eventually make a writing that sort of ‘revisits’ my “Therian Community: Status Quo & Development” essay and update it with some additional related views, thoughts, and experiences I have gathered on that and related topics over the past years since I wrote that piece (2008; gosh, it’s been almost 6 years, and at the time I’d only been in the therian/‘kin communities for about 3 years).

It’s not that I disagree with anything I wrote in it–I find I still feel essentially the same way about the various things mentioned in it.  However, I think it’s a piece deserving of eventually getting more, updated info added to it, particularly things like resources I mentioned in it (Project Shift–as it was only in early development then–, Werelist–was also newly rebuilt then–, and Awereness Forums–which went completely down and very recently has been officially revived in some form).  Plus I think it would give me a good place to ramble on about how my active and passive role(s) in the therian and otherkin communities have changed over these past 6 years and maybe some thoughts on my potential future ‘plans’ for however long in either or both of those communities.

That and mentioning how a lot of what I said in that writing has stayed rather true, although I personally see some of the bad parts and angry, jaded ‘older’ members less, yet I also don’t read nearly as much on therian/‘kin boards anymore and I’ve found other ways to focus my thoughts, efforts, and reading about personal animality online beyond a lot of the places that were my old ‘haunts’.  And I’d like to talk about how that relates to my position as one of those therian community contributor 'generations’ and my thoughts on seeing a 'new generation’ of people step up or if I think there’s been too much lacking in that area.

I still see, from time to time, someone who is an 'older’ member of the therian and/or 'kin communities rant on about how either/both communities have changed for the worse over the years since they were most active in them.  And sure, we’re all entitled to our opinions and being able to voice them.  My issue is more so that this concept is usually expressed as an inherent problem with the community (especially 'newer’ people in it), and not a matter of “I have personally outgrown this community” or “this community just isn’t a good fit for me anymore and I don’t like it for myself–my own personal reasons”.  It’s most often about how the dire problem is not in how one views the community and how their views have changed, but how the community is, itself, a place that has become worse and various levels of 'terrible’ for its members in general.

But should we not try to at least take a step or two back and look at some of the positive ways the therian/'kin communities have changed?  That they’ve become more diverse (of 'kin/therian and other, non-related, experiences and aspects), more accepting and respectful, less about identity politics, grilling, and needing to fit some pre-established standard before one is even allowed to interact on a given board/site.  Yes, those aspects are still found to whatever extent in pretty much any part of the 'kin/therian communities, however, they’ve become less emphasized, less enforced, than they were, and the amount and 'list’ of therian/'kin identity and experience types, and other identities and aspects, has grown broader and still gradually grows now, so far without being “too encompassing” or “too open” or “too accepting”, so to speak.  It takes frequent, regular efforts to work toward finding and trying to maintain a good sense of balance and well-roundedness for these communities, and perfection will never be an option–nor should it be treated as one, let alone one to aim for.

While the communities have grown to become less focused, less magnified, on any one kind of belief, experience, or group of 'kin/theriotypes–that is, they have become less *specialized* and more *generalized*, per se–that can be a major drawback to those people who did or could have found (if they were active back then) a lot of use, friendship, interesting discussion, etc. in the communities for those particular specialties.  Yet there has been a mass of other people who were outright rejected, chased off, called on as being fluffy, bullshitting, or roleplaying, and/or expected to fit X,Y,Z standards in the given community before they were 'allowed’ to really interact much, if at all, and those people are progressively being given a chance to finally interact in and make good use of the 'kin/therian communities.

I think the 'specialty’ focused places ('old’, new, and otherwise) are still good to have around as sites, boards, mailing lists, journal communities/groups, etc., but they shouldn’t anymore be in the position of acting as though they are the entirety of the [“valid”] 'kin or therian communities, or that they are the Gatekeepers to who is and is not otherkin, therian, fictionkin, etc. (and really, the communities are going progressively toward essentially not having such Gatekeepers and focusing more on educating people about what is and is not, even if more basically, under the concepts of otherkin, therianthropy, and fictionkin).  The old 'specialty’ groups were, in essence, the foundations and entirety of the 'kin/therian communities (online) for however long, and they should be remembered and respected for what good things they brought to those communities and the people within them, while also remembering how the communities have grown beyond those early points–gradually fixing or reducing flaws and problems, and becoming more welcoming, understanding, and accepting of a wider diversity of experiences that should have, in concept, always been included as okay and valid under the definitions and ideas of otherkin and therianthropy.

Should we really be looking back in so very much nostalgia of years and times gone by in these communities, as though those times were inherently superior, and looking down on the times since then as inferior and bad, without taking into account that the communities have had and will always have flaws and problems, good, wonderful, and bad things, and what appeals to or is useful for one person may not be for another person?  Should we try to specifically set upon high the aspects of the communities that were (and still are in some places and extents) focused on weeding out people whom the 'accepted standard’ (within the given community or site/board) felt weren’t legitimate enough or good enough to be part of the exclusive group (or seemingly treated as exclusive)?  These aspects that have placed the value of policing people’s identities, beliefs, and experiences as being much more valuable than helping to nurture a more accepting, understanding, and diverse group of individuals and educating them about stuff in the communities in responsible, mature, kind ways.

Additionally - as someone who’s been in those older communities, I feel like the identity policing, like most identity policing, never did what it was supposed to do.

I mean, if the point was to keep roleplayers and people with immature/naively grandiose concepts of their identity out of those particular communities - then it did that, for the most part. But if it was to make those people stop doing what they were doing - to make the Grand Lords of All Dragondom reflect on whether they actually were Grand Lords or just regular dragons, to encourage self-exploration and thoughtfulness - then I feel like it failed spectacularly.

Those people didn’t stop feeling and acting that way, they just went somewhere else. And in time most of them probably grew out of some of those ideas naturally, while others gained a firmer understanding of why, in fact, those things were actually true for them, and how to merge that with a public persona that didn’t come off as unpleasant.

Because - that’s what happens when people are young, or new to an identity and exploring it. They try things on. They sparkledog it up. They go for what’s cool. That doesn’t mean there isn’t some truth there deep down; it means they’re experimenting. Forcing them to leave that stage too early just leaves them bitter and uneducated, parroting concepts without knowing intuitively what they really mean. I think we see the fruits of some of that harsh treatment in the communities today: people who are quick to judge because they were judged, who shut things down before truly listening to them, who can’t internalise new ideas because when they had new ideas they were taught to sit down and shut up and stop being stupid.

And while I understand any given group of grumpy elders not wanting to deal with the new blood… I feel like someone has to. Someone has to give these people a space to grow, and explore, that also doesn’t leave them completely out in the cold when it comes to advice from those who’ve gone before. As self-professed “elders” and “greymuzzles” - as people who often invoke imagery of the “old ways”, of roots in small community and shared wisdom and spiritual heritage - we’re failing the next generation quite badly. We’re hardly fit to call ourselves “elders” at all if we don’t perform that very basic task of educating the young.

If you can see the ocean, the ocean can see you

Otherkin (Otherkinity) - Someone who either spiritually or psychologically identifies as non-human.

Therian (Therianthrope) - Someone who spiritually or psychologically identifies as an animal that exists or existed on earth.

Theriomythic -  Essentially the same as Otherkin, but identifies as a feral/uncivilized creature from myth, and is animalistic in nature. 

Fictionkin (AKA Otakukin) - Someone who either spiritually or mentally identifies as a fictional character or of a creature from a fictional series.

Draconic/Draconity - Someone who spiritually or mentally identifies as a dragon. 

Animafidem (Animafidemism) - Someone who spiritually identifies as non-human, because they believe their soul is non-human.

Cerebrumalius (Cerebrumalia) - Someone who psychologically identifies as non-human, because they believe their brain responsible.

Incarnate (Reincarnation) - Someone who believes they are an incarnation from a past life.

Otherhearted - Someone who strongly identifies with something non-human.

Copinglink - Someone who creates or has an identity to cope with mental illness. Not the same as an otherkin or therian.

Kintype - The type of being an otherkin identifies as.

Theriotype - The type of animal a therian identifies as.

Spirit Guide - A spirit of any species that guides you along your path. 

Awakening - When you realize that you identify as something other than human and discover what you are on the inside. “Awakening your otherself”

Astral Limbs - The sensation of limbs that you do not possess in this life, that one believes exist on the astral. 

Supernumerary Phantom Limbs - The sensation of limbs you do not posses in this life. 

Phantom Limbs - The sensation of a limb or limbs someone used to have, but have lost or were amputated. (Not the same as supernumerary limbs and not non-human)

Astral-Shift - (A-shift) Spiritually shifting into that which you identify in the astral realm.

Mental-Shift - (M-shift) Mentally shifting into the mentality, instincts, and urges of that which you identify.

Aura-shift - When someone’s aura field takes the shape of that which they identify.

Cameo-shift - A temporary shift into something that doesn’t last and isn’t actually you. Often confused with an actual shift.

P-Shift (Physical Shift) - Turning into that which you identify physically, which under any circumstance is not physically possible. This does not and can not happen.  Any claims of this are liars or scammers. 

Aura-shift - When someone’s aura field takes the shape of that which they identify.

Greymuzzle - An older member of the community, usually having been a member for at least 10 years, or are someone highly respected. 

 Fledgling - Newer members of the community, usually for no longer than 1 year. 

Cladotherian - A therian who believes they do not just fit one specific species, but the whole species of that type. (Ex. Not just a housecat, but all species of cat)