24 April, 2007 - A Field Gudie to Otherkin is now available!

30 January, 2007 - You can now read the first 30 pages of A Field Guide to Otherkin--click here for .pdf!

26 November, 2006 - I'm now taking preorders for A Field Guide to Otherkin, which is due out in March, 2007.

14 September, 2006 - I'm taking the last rounds of surveys for this edition of the book, as I'm working on the final edit. The new cutoff date is October 1, 2006, so you've got two weeks left. After that, you're still welcome to answer questions, but I can't guarantee the information will end up being used at all in this edition of the book. I'm going to continue taking surveys for later editions, however, A) to update the information and add interesting new tidbits of people's experiencs, and B) to update one of the appendices where I lay out raw data from surveys received up til that edition.

I want to thank everyone who's taken the time to complete a survey--y'all are really awesome, and this book wouldn't be nearly as good without you :)

22 August, 2006 - There are currently two excerpts of A Field Guide to Otherkin up on Otherkin.net. You can read them here and here. I also incorporated my Witchvox essay, The Reincarnation Theory of Otherkin, into the book.

ANOTHER EDIT!!!: I would request that, for the privacy of the individuals who have posted information here, that you ask before disseminating information about them from this forum. Those who are more "closeted", as it were, have emailed me their infor,ation. However, it is polite and respectful to ask before quoting people. These people have given me permission to quote them, but that's as far as it goes.

EDIT!!!: Yes, I am STILL accepting surveys, and will be doing so until the final edit sometime in 2007. "A Field Guide to Otherkin" has officially been accepted by Immanion Press for publication next year, so it is going to be a reality! :) (8 June, 2006)

Okay, folks....here's the survey for my next book. (If you have any questions, reply here or shoot me an email). I'm gonna be crossposting the link to this LJ post in several places, but if you know anyone who'd be interested, please feel free to pass it on.

And so.......

**************

Otherkin Survey

The Otherkin community is an incredibly diverse group of people. The personal mythologies and stories vary, but all agree that there’s something not quite human to us. Theories vary as to where we came from and why we’re here, and we seek eachother out for company, answers and sometimes just to have someone who understands.

I’m using a rather broad definition of the term “Otherkin” here. In addition to the more popular meaning which involves those whose personal mythologies/backgrounds include beings not native to this plane, I am also referring to therianthropes, walk-ins and multiples. I realize that not all people of these identities consider themselves in the “Otherkin” heading. Please be assured that I will address the varying opinions on terminology in the book; I am simply using the term in a looser fashion for simplicity’s sake.

This survey is for a book I’m writing on the Otherkin community. There’s very little in the way of resources for this subculture, so I decided to make this my next project. I myself identify as a therianthrope, so I have a personal as well as professional interest in making this book happen.

I want to write a book that both an introduction to Otherkin for non-kin, and a resource for those Otherkin who may not have access to anyone but themselves or who are interested in finding out more about ‘kin besides their own. It will be relatively basic, but as thorough as possible. Given the dearth of books on the subject I’m going to have to rely somewhat heavily on personal testimony, so your answers do help! Unfortunately I won’t be able to compensate those who take this survey in any way other than “Hey, you’ve been quoted!” I do hope you’ll donate the time to fill out as many questions as you like in an effort to make this project come to fruition.

I am a previously published author; I have had articles in assorted periodicals, occult and otherwise. My first book, “Fang and Fur, Blood and Bone: A Primal Guide to Animal Magic”, is already under contract and is due out from Immanion Press in the summer of 2006. I will be submitting the manuscript of the Otherkin book to Immanion when it is complete.

All quotes will be properly cited in the text. This survey is just a start, too—if you have other material to add or wish to converse further, feel free to contact me at whishthound@gmail.com

In addition to the more “standard” types of Otherkin, multiples and walk-ins are also encouraged to reply.

All questions are optional, but obviously the more you can tell me the more complete it’ll make this book. Stay within your own comfort range, and feel free to use an alias if you prefer.

Love,

Lupa
http://www.thegreenwolf.com

And now…on to the questions!

1. What name would you prefer to be cited as? How old are you in this life? Where are you located (this can just be a general vicinity, such as your state)? What is your physical sex? What gender do you identify as? Do you keep track of these things for any other life/existence/aspect?

2. What type(s) of Otherkin do you identify as? (ie, dragon, elf, faerie, vampire, therianthrope, etc.) What are the physical/etc. characteristics unique to your race/species, and to you as an individual? Does your present body reflect any of these traits? Do you ever experience phantom limbs correlating to your Otherkin self(s)?

3. What do you consider to be the origin of your Otherkin side(s)? (ie, past life/reincarnation, personification of a personality aspect, etc.) In other words, where did your Otherkin self/selves come from?

3a. If you replied past life/reincarnation, do you remember anything about your incarnation as that being? What was your culture like? What were you like? How well do you remember it? How consistent are these memories? How have you determined that they’re not just products of your subconscious? (I’m not trying to discourage anyone here, but I am curious to know how different ‘kin figure out what’s memory and what’s purely internal imagination.) Have you had any shared memories with someone else?

4. What was your Awakening like? When did you begin to realize you were Otherkin? What brought you to the conclusions you have today? How has your perspective changed since you first started suspecting there was something “different” about you? Did you ever doubt yourself, or even completely deny the possibility?

5. How does being Otherkin affect your everyday life? Do you feel comfortable in the body/environment you were born into? Does it affect your choice of career, home or the people you prefer to socialize with? Do other people, or animals, ever sense something different about you, and how consistent are the reactions?

6. How does being Otherkin affect your spiritual/religious life? Do you practice magic(k) at all, and if so, is being Otherkin a factor in that?

6a. If you have practiced magic(k), have you ever participated in glamourbombing? What sorts of tools did you use?

7. Have you ever questioned your sanity? Has anyone else ever questioned your sanity? How do you deal with either/both situations? Have you ever received therapy, voluntary or involuntary, due to being Otherkin?

8. How “uncloseted” are you about being Otherkin? Who knows, who doesn’t and why? If you’ve told people, what was their reaction? Did it change over time?

9. Do you know any other Otherkin, in person and/or online? What’s your impression of the Otherkin community, both locally and more widespread? Have you been to any Otherkin gatherings?

10. What advice do you have to people who suspect they may be Otherkin—or, for that matter, may aid me in making this a better book? Do you recommend any particular resources—books, websites, etc.?

11. Do you have anything else you’d like to add?

(190 comments) - (Post a new comment)

defiler_wyrm 2005-09-14 02:50 am UTC (link)

1. Cite me as C "Defilerwyrm" Sims. I'm 22 currently, located in Texas. Physically I'm female, and rarely pretend to be anything else, even if I sometimes wish I was male. Not sure what the last question means. 2. Therianthrope. I don't claim to have any physically wolfish characteristics, aside from having rather sharp canines. Every shift I've had has been marked with the sensation of a phantom tail; at times I've felt wings as well, but I feel that's more totemic than therianthropic [ie, chanelling one of my spirit guides]. 3. ...I don't know. And that bothers me. Right now it's one of three things: A, I'm schizotypal; B, I'm delusional; or C, something supernatural that I really can't quantify. 3a. N/A — wolfmind [which is what I've taken to calling that part of me, that state of being — what others call their "wereside"] is still me, now, in this life. 4. Gradual. I don't think there was a particular day that I woke up and thought, "Hey, I'm a werewolf. Cool." I've never felt right referring to myself as human...I've always felt wrong in human skin, felt there's something else to the equation. Of course I doubt myself; I'm a skeptic by nature, and when I happened upon some in-depth information on schizotypal personality disorder [to wit, the DSM-IV entry on it], at least 85% of the diagnostic criteria fit, and...it's had me very worried. But I reserve judgment until I can see a psychiatrist. Until then it's up in the air whether I'm truly something "more" [less?] than human, or I suffer from mild schizophrenia, or am just full of shit. 5. Wolf-mind is always there to some extent...it shows up in my reactions to certain stimuli. Human words fail me from time to time, so I use body language and lupine vocalisations to try to express myself. Small animals [including pets] sometimes look like food, especially when they're running and/or I'm hungry. Non-humans usually either love me or hate me — take that as you will. ...Coming to think of it that seems to apply to humans, too. I definitely think it affects my choices on those with whom I socialise: I tend to gravitate to those who're strong-willed, predatory, and not quite human. As for my career...ech. What I do for money is nothing more than that: something I do for money. 6. Really my spirit guides have more to do with my spirituality than wolf-mind does. I'm very out of practise, largely due to disillusionment and, y'know, worrying that I might be truly insane. 6a. No, but I'd like to. I only recently found out what it is and it sounds marvellous: spiteful and inspirational all at once. 7. Oh, only every single day. Me and those around me. My neurologist said I was not insane but that was many years ago, and, well...things change. I'm not very good at coping with it altogether...usually I just try to ride it out, because fighting it only makes it worse. Let the madness have its way and eventually it eases off. I have yet to admit to a therapist that I "am" a therianthrope but hope to as soon as our insurance kicks in. 8. Uh...one foot out, one foot in. I've discussed my concerns of being schizotypal with my mother but no details. My mate knows, and my best friends know; those who aren't therianthropes themselves have been pretty accepting. It's far easier to tell people these things over the internet, of course. My mate in particular has been very accepting of it, though I sometimes wonder what he really thinks of it. 9. Yep, though to my knowledge I've only met one in person. The Otherkin community as a whole is plagued by delusionals, wannabe's, dogmatic jackasses, and regular jackasses, with a rare few decent folk floating around — just like any other "community," I suppose. [Actually it's a lot like high school.] I've never been to a gathering but I'd really love to, despite my scathing attitude towards my so-called fellow weres [et al]. 10. DON'T ASSUME. Keep an open mind, explore your options, and pay attention to what's leading you to that conclusion. Is it just a desire to be special? To fit in with a "cool crowd?" Taking an RPG or fantasy book/movie/whatnot too seriously? There's more than one possibility; don't cop out and just run with whatever's most flattering. 11. At the risk of sounding cliché — Seek the wolf in thyself. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	addendum to #1 defiler_wyrm 2005-09-14 02:52 am UTC (link)
	Oh, okay, I get it. Yeah kinda. Wolf-mind is female. (Reply to this) (Parent)

(no subject) - knifesmile, 2006-05-18 06:25 am UTC

(no subject) - defiler_wyrm, 2006-05-18 07:32 am UTC

quicksilver_x 2005-09-14 03:25 am UTC (link)

1. Melissa, who goes by Quicksilver. I’m 17 (will be by the time you get working on this ^^). I live in Pittsburgh, PA, and have my entire life. I’m a female, but very asexual in nature. I balance between masculine and feminine. I do not keep track of these things for any other aspect because I view myself as one complete being. 2. I am a therianthrope, and identify strongly with cats. Most of the traits people assume when they think about cats are the grace, the mysteriousness, and the hairballs. Luckily for me, the latter of the three does not apply. As for physical reflection, some cat-like aspects show in my actions, through body movement more often then not. I also sneeze like a cat, apparently. As for phantom limbs, most often I have felt a “tail” and my “ears”. 3. My theory of the origin of my Otherkin/Therian side comes from a mixture of spiritual and scientific beliefs. One of the principle laws of physics is that energy is neither created nor destroyed. If you apply this then, in an abstract sense, to spirit energy, you can then say that the energy of your spiritual side and you in turn, pull from other energies out there. I feel as though one of the strongest parts of this energy is my therian side, and this is from a deep-seated feline energy. 4. There was never one moment where I was like “omg I’m a tr00w3r3!”. I went through a lot of debate about who I was, and what I was, and whether or not I was being crazy, childish, or just following a fad. In fact, I started out thinking I was a wolf because that was the only thing I knew at the time. I still feel some of the canine aspects, but not so much anymore. I went through periods of doubt, distress, and points where I even stopped thinking about it just because it was such a hassle to try and sort it out. Eventually, through personal thoughts, psychology books, and spirituality books, I came to terms with a very foggy image I’m still working out. 5. My everyday life is not really affected that much. My mother knows about it, and my close friends are aware of what I believe. A few of them have even given thought to the idea as applying to them because of what they have felt before but never been able to name. I am comfortable in my body in all aspects, and despite living in the city I’m lucky enough to have woods around me. My career, which is technical theatre, is not at all affected by this. As for animals or people sensing this, I think it’s a case to case basis. Some animals pick up on it, as do some people. Children, actually, seem to be very aware of the fact that there is something not quite normal about me. 6. I myself have a strange balance of spirituality. Though it is constant, it is not always the most prevalent thing in my life. I follow an eclectic mix, but also do no acknowledge a God in any term, thereby declaring myself an atheist. 6a. Not yet, as we haven’t been organized and gotten around to it. ^^; I really want to, however. (Reply to this) (Thread)

quicksilver_x 2005-09-14 03:26 am UTC (link)

7. Constantly. This occurred during the psychology course I took, in which I spent my free time applying what I was learning to myself. I came to the conclusion I was not crazy, even if someone else might think that by believing I’m a cat is some bestiality call, or perhaps even a failure to grow up thing. I have never received therapy in my life. 8. Depends the group I’m with. My friends know, but for strangers and those I work with, I don’t divulge most personal information. For my friends, I explained it several times before it clicked for them. 9. Yes! I was fortunate enough to be browsing online forums when I found a link provided by someone named Lupa. After that, I found she was local, and a friend and I went to an Otherkin meeting. Everyone there was friendly and weird like us, so we hit it off quickly. Unfortunately, time constraints, previous engagements, and school have prevented me from recently attending. That will probably change in the future, once things settle down. 10. I second the above. For those who suspect, the best thing to do is keeping looking until something clicks. Don’t just jump into anything until you know more about it. And, if after personal reflection you still have questions, don’t be afraid to ask someone else about it! Despite how fierce some of the forums may seem, most of us are friendly people. 11. If CSI does an episode on this, don’t pay any attention to it at all. And cats will always rule. :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

(no subject) - knifesmile, 2006-05-18 06:27 am UTC

(no subject) - quicksilver_x, 2006-05-19 01:51 am UTC

skullfaced 2005-09-14 04:08 am UTC (link)

1. Fox Blackmane. 20. Texas. Female. Female. No. 2. Fox. Either gray or cross...it depends. Don't think so. Occasionally a tail...mostly ears when I'm scared or pissed. 3. I'm half-ass in denial/I really don't know/I don't know what I think/where I stand on therianthropy, so really, I have no friggin' clue. 3a. See above 4. I first really noticed the whole me-Fox thing when a friend of mine, for some bizarre reason, started calling me "Fox." It all went downhill from there, but it involved a lot of looking at different human-animal relationships. 5. Sometimes I feel trapped in big cities and stuff. When I'm stuck with a large number of people for more than an hour or so, I get really, really, really snappish. If my rat senses anything at all, he obviously doesn't think I'll eat him. I'm more inclined to believe that there really isn't anything for him to pick up on. 6. It doesn't really affect it much. I am more inclined to go towards items made from fox fur or fox bone, but that could just be a bias. No magic(k). 7. Multiple times. I don't really identify as being therian/otherkin, as I'm not quite sure if all this is real or just wishful thinking. 8. Very few. It's common knowledge that I tend to identify as/with a fox, but as to being a fox therian...I doubt I've actually told anyone. 9. I've probably known a couple...but as I'm agnostic/skeptical about the whole damned thing, I don't really discuss it. My views on the therian community are the same views on a lot of stuff on the internet...mostly crap, but possibly a few actual therians. 10. I'm really the wrong person to ask. 11. I might be a skeptic on this...but I do know that there is something /different/. Therianthropy? Maybe. It might be something else entirely. And on an interesting aside now that I'm reading Quicksilver's piece...I do actually identify as aromantic-asexual. I'm not androgynous, but definitely asexual. (Reply to this)

	kuwaizair 2005-09-14 01:44 pm UTC (link)
	i do't really know myself much anywhere to answer correctly. I'd like to praticipate but..I just don't know. I don't do magic and I even doubt it all, and question my santiy as well. (Reply to this)

simtra 2005-09-14 04:06 pm UTC (link)

Survey time!! Yaaaaay! 1. Name: Stephen who goes by Simtra or Fox. 30 at the end of October. Keystone Heights, FL (Near Jacksonville,FL). I am physicaly and identify as male, but I also embrace my female side. Unsure of other lifes/existence/aspects at this time 2. I am a red fox, artic fox mix. The only real physical characteristics that I would like to my physical self is I am very slight in build like a fox. My hearing it also better then standard where I can hear sounds that are a bit higher then a standard human can hear. For example electronics all make high electronic sound. When I mediate I do some times feel fox ears on my head which I am able to use to focus on sound. When I sit in chairs I can't get comfortable in them unless I am sitting sideways, like I have a tail that is getting crushed. 3. Origin? I don't know. I have some guesses at many different ideas but in the end I really don't know. 3a. N/A 4. Like many other answers, it was a very gradual process. It started with enjoying anthromophic art and roleplaying with people on FurryMuck. This just grew until that idea that I might have a fox soul entered my mind. When that happened, I felt I lost it as 'normal' people do not have theses thoughts. That was in 1998, a year after I moved out from my family and was able to explore new ideas. 5. At work it is a bit hard. I have to hide a part of my life to be normal and fit in, especialy since I work in a Fortune 500 workplace. As with other people, with the exception of my mate, I tend to be a loner. Do others sense something different? I don't know. I hide my trueself from just about everyone at all times, less I look strange to others. 6. Being otherkin as allowed me to expand my world views and look at other belief systems. I have become pagan and now I am looking into buddhist ideas and shinto because of the kitsune myths. 6a. I have practiced some magic and I use my foxyness while doing it, but I still feel that I am a beginner. I am not heard of glamourbombing before. As for tools, I have use a fox tail and ears that was made for me to help me be more one with the fox spirt. 7. Too often I have questioned it. The only peace that I can give myself is it old idea, if you think your are insane then you are not insane. Also, I tend to split myself into two people. The human side Stephen and my fox nature Fox. I know that these are just labling the masks that I have to wear, but I could very easlly see myself as two different people fighting for control and my trueself is somewhere in the middle. Sometimes I wonder if I should get therapy for this but I feel that if I was to get therapy that they would just try to 'fix' the idea that I have a fox sprit. 8. I am out and not out at the same time. I have fox stuff everywhere at work. I wear a fox amulet and a fox belt buckle. But I don't yip or growl at people when I am out unless I am dead tired and I can't keep the mask up. Luckly my wife likes me being a fox and supports me so when I am home I can relax. Other then my wife, I try to keep it very quiet. EDIT: I have been to some pagan gatherings and they seemed to noticed my fox side and wanted to learn more about it. 9. I know of one but I am not going to out them. As far a the Otherkin community, I don't know. I so often just see intro posts of, I am this great 9 tail kitsune or something like that, and I just can't belive it. But when I do that, how can I know that I am not some-a-be and I can't. Because of this, I don't realy want to go to meets and the like. I just watch people online and see what they say and how they act. Are they running around trying to prove that they are otherkin or is that just something they are. 10. Advice? You are what you are. Don't try to tell people what you are, just be you. Explore, meditate on how you feel. Also be flexable. When one first hits on the idea that they might be otherkin, don't try to force what you might be. give it time to grow. Study what you are feeling and question it. If it can't stand up to questions then it might not be right. Also study what you might be, does it seem like something that you do in real life? 11. I'll let you know if I think of anything. (Reply to this) (Thread)

walkertxkitty 2005-09-18 01:45 am UTC (link)

Additional details you may want to consider which I have observed, living with him: He has a strong connection with animals, particularly the foxes. There were no foxes when we moved out here. I talked to the neighbors about it. Now we have seen and been able to identify at least seven individuals. Wild animals, in general, like him. He spends a lot of time rescuing them off the highway and giving them a decent burial when appropriate and safe to do so. People do notice something different about him. Babies really like looking at him and younger children who can speak have labeled him "fox" or "wolfie" or "doggie" without a visual cue such as his amulet or belt buckle. I think the Japanese place where we like to eat has always known. We have a tradition of eating there on his birthday and for the last two years we've gone in wearing our ears and tails. They greeted him just like anyone with Shinto belief would have a fox spirit and when I saw this I realize that they ALWAYS greeted him that way. I would almost say that his awakening involved a shock response. We were at a convention and had been working hard. No one had eaten all day and so we went to a burger joint to get something to eat. He wigged out on us, tearing into the hamburger and throwing away the greens to get at the meat. He made fox noises while doing so and, trying to drink out of the cup, nosed it over. He left the store on all fours and stayed that way for the rest of the night. Ever since that night he always sleeps in a small littel ball. Simtra has other physical manifestations of Otherkin. His canines are elongated. His feet are oddly constructed and he's actually built more for walking digigrade than plantigrade; it hurts him to walk flat footed. His genitalia have canid-like characteristics: no sheath but it isn't as flexible as a human's and must remain close to the belly. He also marks territory. Every time we moved to a new house, he would do this. If I hear him up at night I often have to remind him that we have plumbing and that he is to use this, not the floor and not outside the front door. His ears are oddly shaped and oddly placed in the head. They come to a sort of point and are covered with a soft red down. (Reply to this) (Parent)

mud_paw 2005-09-14 07:10 pm UTC (link)

1. Just refer to me as Mud Paw (two separate words :). I am 22, currently in Alabama, originally from Georgia. I am female now, then and it seems have always been, oddly enough. Certain forms I hold are rather androgynous though. 2.I am a therian, Eurasian badger, as well as fae otherkin, Phooka, though I can be called a Polymorph if one prefers a general overall term. Well, as far as a badger, nothing dissimilar from a normal badger. My phooka side is shapeshifting, though a few parts hold true in most forms(for me personally), goat-like horns, long downward pointing ears(often look cut and scarred), and a tail that resembles that of a horse or a zebra/cow type tail(a tufted tip with an above area lacking the hair)and hooves(usually horse-like, but also goat-like at times) as well as occasional(though recently more frequent) translucent fins on my back and neck. I have no idea if these characteristics hold true with other phooka, as I don't know any in this life nor have I ever seen a vision of any others. I feel many phantom parts, horns, long tail, the hooves at times, large spine like fin protrusions, large highly movable ears, and my badger side's claws (hands and feet). 3. I believe that my otherkin selves are a result of reincarnation/past lives. 3a. Yes, I remember both, as well as human past lives. As far as culture...I don't know much, for a badger, I guess a large family group living in an area hundreds of generations held before and will as long as people allow, if that's culture. My phooka self was alone in my memories.I have never had an interaction in any of my dreams...though the feeling of more of the same species does linger strongly. I believe as far as what I was like, I was very much what I am now, just not physically. Some memories I have a very clear and very repetitive..and very different from a dream, especially since in connection with some of these memories I have received physical pain. I have shared some of my known memories with others and I believe it has helped me immensely. 4. I have always "known" something about me was different, even when I was very young, the human play and emotion traits most children display were confusing to me. The real acknowledgment that I was different probably started on a mature level when I was about 10. Every thought and feeling I have had in my accessible memory since early youth has somewhat contributed to my belief and conclusion about what I am. I really don't think much about my perception has changed since I awakened, other than the feeling that I cannot be friends or at all close with anyone non-kin for the pure lack of misunderstanding, hate, and honest incompatibility, though I guess there are a few rare exceptions, such as my fiancee. He sees absolutely nothing "wrong" with me. I have never doubted myself thankfully. From a very young age, my every feeling though we encourage through my mother...otherwise today I would have probably been a normal "gray" person in society. 5. It doesn't affect me horribly to be honest, other than the obscene lack of belief and vision. No, my body and surrounding are very uncomfortable. It does affect my career, home and socialization choices. I cannot be in a career that is heavily dependant on working with people in any way...My home is very uncomfortable most of the time...I wish I had the ability to just go live in the mountains and live off of the land, though that easier said than done. As far as socializing...I don't really...there's a sever lack of even "normal" people here that share ANY of my interest or will even talk to me. I'm very "net- reliant" for talking. 6. It does affect my spiritual life...though here lately it has done me no favors. I do practice what some people refer to as "magick" though it is usually not of the normal spell/ritual type( though if it is, my blood, water and leaves are the only physical things involved)...it seems more spirit or astrally aligned. I don't honestly know...I assume without being kin it would still be the same way, as my mother practices the same way and she is not kin. (Reply to this) (Thread)

mud_paw 2005-09-14 07:12 pm UTC (link)

6a. I guess in a way I have really (though I had to look up the term) I just refer to it all within faery glamour...as as I am a phooka...it does delve heavily into what I "do". As for tools...none...the only "tool" I ever use for anything are my own blood and water, sometimes leaves. Though this is only when something outside my normal abilities is desired. 7.No, I have not. Yes, many many other have. No, I do not believe most therapy in a "formal" setting works...I do not want nor desire it myself, especially not due to my otherkin self. 8. I am completely "closeted" around non-kin. Only at home or at an event with other kin or therians will I be open. I told my fiancee and he was totally unbothered and unwavering...absolutely nothing changed then and hasn't since, other than being more closely bonded. 9. yes, for the majority...online atleast, slightly irritating...though in "real" life, most meeting have been very nice and welcoming :). Locally, there's not many here, but more widespread seems to be more promising. Yes, I have been to kin gatherings, but only howls so far (all of the otherkin gatherings otherwise are VERY far away). 10. Be yourself, no matter what. Other advice, well,...I'm not that good at advice hehe. 11. Not really. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

(no subject) - mud_paw, 2005-09-14 07:21 pm UTC

	sphinx_atropos 2005-09-14 10:58 pm UTC (link)
	Do you need the survey answered by a certain date? I'd like to answer it, but I don't have the time to answer it right now (I'll probably print it and type my answers later.) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	lupabitch 2005-09-14 11:06 pm UTC (link)
	Plenty of time--we're talking months here. I probably won't even really get started on this til Seattle. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

(no subject) - sphinx_atropos, 2005-09-15 09:45 pm UTC

moebius8 2005-09-15 06:40 pm UTC (link)

1. My name is Briana. I'm 19, female through and through, living in Florida. As far as I'm concerned I only have one "aspect", myself. 2. A variety of animals and humans (I'm Buddhist, after all). For the purposes of this survey, a sea serpenty type thing. As far as I can tell, they were/are large, thick-bodied, dark in color, have/had a smooth thick hide (like a dolphin, maybe), with many fins and at least one set of limbs. Probably not very aesthetically appealing. As for my current physical self, I'm just a garden variety human with all the normal range of variation found in humans. I have never felt a phantom limb. 3. Reincarnation. 3a. We/they were just big animals, probably fairly intelligent. We/they were usually solitary. I don't remember anything about any friends or family. We lived in the deep sea and in isolated, cold places. I believe we ate mainly sea mammals and large fish. I've had strange thoughts about reincarnation and living in the ocean since I can remember (4? 5?). My family was mega Christian and I had never heard of reincarnation, but I "knew" that it happened when I was a toddler. The life under the ocean is the common thread running through all my random dreams and thoughts. And it "fits". That's a crappy explanation, but I suppose it will have to do. 4. I don't think I had an Awakening per se. I always just sort of "knew" in the back of my mind and never bothered to think too much about it. I doubted myself plenty, but I'm not too worried about it. Either it's true or it isn't. I guess I'll find out when I die. 5. I feel comfortable in my skin. I love the ocean and all that stuff. I don't think it affects my life, really. I mean it might, but there are plenty of people just like me who don't think they are Otherkin. Other people tend to think I'm weird, but that's probably just because I'm weird. 6. I'm a Buddhist, so to me everyone is really an Otherkin (reaching humanity on the installment plan!, one lower life form at a time). I don't practice magic, at least the kind of magic with stupid chants and robes. 6a. I've glamourbombed before for fun. Flowers, random crazy advertisements for levitating chairs, all sorts of stuff. 7. I've questioned my sanity lots, but never in a way related to Otherkin..ness. I've never had Otherkin therapy. 8. If someone asked I would tell them. Most everyone already knows my stance on reincarnation, so I doubt that it would be a shock. I've told a few people randomly, and they seemed mildly surprised. I don't think too many people know, really, but I've never thought it was important for them to know, so I never sat anyone down for the "I am coming out of the sea monster closet" talk. 9. I know a few Otherkin people in person and online. All people who think they were reincarnated from animals. My impression of the Otherkin community is that there are a lot of nice, intelligent people, but there are a metric fuckton of outrageously irritating idiots. I've never been to an Otherkin gathering, but if I went I would be sure to bring a backup friend in case of any loonie idiots. 10. Don't commit yourself to any decision right away. Have fun, and don't start taking yourself too seriously! (Reply to this)

walkertxkitty 2005-09-18 12:37 am UTC (link)

1. Cite me as TygerMoon Foxx. I'm thirty-four years old, living in Clay County, Florida, and female (both in gender and in sex). I do keep track of these things for other lives and aspects. All appear to be consistent except for age. I have, for instance, never as far as I know manifested an aspect which was masculine or had a life in which I was male. 2. I'm a hybrid therianthrope (feline variant), one with both human and animal ancestry (ie: the animal spirit residing within the body is not pure animal). The physical form and the form on the astral are completely different. The physical form is rather unremarkable except for elongated canines which several dentists have tried to convince me (unsuccessfully) to get trimmed. My vision is defective by human standards; I see colors and perceptions which more closely resemble a cat's vision and the lenses in the left eye are shaped like a cat's not a humans. Astrally, I manifest as a large tawny cat or as a bengal tiger with faded rust coloration and unusual striping. There is, as I mentioned, a hybrid form which combines somewhat awkwardly the big cat and human features. It doesn't stand completely upright and talking is difficult. I often perceive myself as having whiskers, tail, and ears although these are not present on the physical body. 3. I have no idea where the Otherkin self came from. It started out as a roleplaying scenario and gradually developed into an integrated part of my personality as I got older and began to experiment with shamanic practices and ceremonial magick. 3a. My one memory of a past life doesn't actually involve me as Otherkin. In that particular memory, I have a brother who has what the others called a transformation sickness. Judging from the garb of those in the memory, I'd have to place this either in early Colonial America or possibly in Puritan England. This was one of a series of memories in a cycle which seemed to document a family "curse". In one instance, using only the details of the memories, I was actually able to find a grave with a name on it...at a place I'd never been and could never possibly have heard of. That and the fact that the memories are fragmentary rather than complete and detailed, leads to me to give them some credibility. An added factor is that I never wanted this. It had no reason to be part of my fantasies or my dreams. It just came upon me until it was part of me. I rarely speak of it and I've only told one other person about it (my mate, Simtra, also Otherkin). (continued - I am long winded and LJ doesn't allow extended comments) (Reply to this)

walkertxkitty 2005-09-18 12:55 am UTC (link)

4. My Awakening has been slow and gradual, so slow I never noticed the change until it was complete. My senses heightened, particularly the sense of smell. I realized something was different when I began to be able to distinguish different people out of a crowd via smell alone. My vision had always been rather odd so I didn't think it particularly remarkable. I asked about the ability to see into the ultraviolet and infrared spectrum but people looked at me so strangely I never pursued the matter. In the beginning, I would look in the mirror and momentarily see a big cat or tiger looking back out at me. I developed a taste for extremely rare or raw meat. I would sniff everything and depended more on scent than eyesight for my information. My weather senses became more accute; I could tell, based on how the air smelled, whether or not it would rain hours before the weather changed. The biggest change was my inner clock; I was able to tell time without a clock. I thought I was having some sort of breakdown. When the integration was complete, I would look in the mirror and see in my face both the big cat and the human. I denied what was happening for a long time; I'd had some interactions with people styling themselves as Otherkin and I had almost nothing in common with them. Many of them seemed dysfunctional or unstable and a lot of them used their behavior as an excuse not to better themselves. I wanted no part of that. Now...I just am. I am cat. I am woman. And recently to make the connection more complete I've been contemplating getting tattooed and some body modification so that the outside more closely matches the inner being. 5. I currently have difficulty passing as a normal human being. I tend to forget and to vocalize as a cat would rather than a human would. I mew when startled and growl when annoyed. If I'm bored, I claw the armes of whatever I'm sitting in (I've been known to claw or nip people too if I want their attention and they're ignoring me). If I'm nervous, I pace and pant. I have to think very carefully when I leave the house about which behaviors are within societal norms and which will be thought odd or unacceptable. I try very hard, for instance, not to sniff my food in public or to remark about smells no one else should be able to pick up. Tigers are solitary creatures and I find I cannot abide living in a city. That's one of the reasons we live so far out into a rural area. I had to have some acreage of my own and to be able to get away from the people. I think, especially now that I've committed to the tattooing and body work, that I'm finally comfortable with my body as it is. I know I'll never in this lifetime be the hybrid cat but having prosthetic tails and ears helps. Something about me tends to make people nervous; I've had folk describe me as predatory several times. I'm not overly bold or assertive but they don't like meeting my eyes. Small animals like our pet rabbit despise me; I think they recognize me as a predator. Ironically, small cats and the dogs like me. Other wild animals don't fear me either. I'm often able to entice the big cats in the zoo to come closer or to meet eyes with me when they have been ignoring everyone else. Being Otherkin hasn't affected my choice of career but it does limit the type of people I can befriend. I have very few "normal" friends. Most are pagan and therefore at least open to the concept of Otherkin or are members of the furry fandom and will tolerate it even if they don't understand it. My best friends and those I trust most are fellow therianthropes. (Reply to this)

walkertxkitty 2005-09-18 01:24 am UTC (link)

6. The religious aspects were there long before the therianthropic aspects came into play. My religious beliefs have always included an intimate connection with animals and the concept that we are brethren. My earliest workings dealt with Wolf but as I matured (and partially as a result of the influence of my sun sign, which is Leo) I began strongly identifying with felines. My religious, therianthropic, and "normal" life overlap one another in so many places I could not separate one from the other if I tried and I would not want to. I live my religion and my beliefs are put into practice even for every day mundane tasks like cleaning house. When I do ritual, I almost always officiate as cat and woman. My primary goddesses, Bast and Freyja, both have strong connections to cats. 6a. N/A 7. I questioned my sanity frequently, even before I Awakened. I think everyone practicing any sort of shamanic pagan path has those moments when he or she steps back and looks at what they're doing wondering if it's all some sort of twisted roleplay game and if he or she isn't just a bit too old for that sort of thing. I've since determined that such questioning is critical to growth and to keeping the ego in check. It keeps you from dillusions of grandueur and from developing a persecution complex. My determinant for sanity is rather simple: 1) whether or not someone else can verify the experience (there are obviously others who have the same feelings and beliefs I do and one or two folk have seen me during a mental shapeshifting) and 2) whether or not I can maintain my ability to function in society. Thus far both checks have been passed each time I question myself. 8. I don't refer to myself as Otherkin or a therianthrope. I'm fairly careful about making statements such as "I'm a tiger" or "I'm a cat". In the first place, since I'm a hybrid, that isn't quite true. In the second place, I'm stuck in this life with a human form and introducing oneself like that simply confuses people. I would suspect that only my mate knows the extent to which I think myself to be Otherkin. Even among generally tolerant folk like the furry fandom, I don't tend to talk about the detailed aspects of therianthropy. Most just wouldn't understand and I've unfortunately gained a reputation in the community as being one of the few "normal" or "sane" ones who "doesn't do that stuff". If any of them knew, most would probably stop associating with me. I spoke briefly once with a therapist about the Otherkin notion. She was more concerned with my sexuality and wanted to place me on an antidepressant in order to "cure" my lesbian tendencies. I now tend to work my issues out among other therianthropes or through meditation and journaling. 9. I am married to someone who identifies as Otherkin and I know a few other therianthropes personally. In my experience, the ones who are most functional and still able to be a part of society are not going to be found online. In each case, the folk I became friends with revealed who and what they wer gradually in the course of face-to-face encounters. They had done a lot of research about their condition, including historical and psychological resources. The online communities seem, to me, to be rather dysfunctional. Most of them have some sort of mental illness which they refuse to have treated because they're afraid it will remove their Otherkinness. They behave unacceptably in social situations and then complain that no one understands them. I very rarely see someone who has done the aforementioned research. A lot of what they "know" is taken from anime and science fiction or video games. Quite a few claim to be able to physically transform completely. I generally avoid the Otherkin communities because they feel "sick" to me. (Reply to this)

walkertxkitty 2005-09-18 01:31 am UTC (link)

10. If someone were to suspect they were Otherkin, my advice would be to research. Do not rely upon anime and video games or roleplay as your sources. Read a lot about shamanism and astral shapeshifting. Make the effort to find out the historical background of the creature with which you identify --- what the cultures of that creature's realm say about it, modern manifestations. Attend furry conventions and go to their spirituality panels. MFM's at least is based on research, history, and fact rather than personal experience and hearsay. Stay away from the online communities. They're cesspools. I actually do have a long list of books and people you could contact if you'd like them. E-mail me and I'll help you out. Also, if you have mental illness GET IT TREATED. It won't change the fact that you're Otherkin and it WILL give you the tools you need to cope with being Otherkin. Don't use your uniqueness as an excuse to behave unacceptably or to live off of the efforts of others. (Reply to this)

suede_bear 2005-09-18 08:42 pm UTC (link)

1. Call me Suede, im male, 23 and from washington state. I identify myself as a male. I dont keep track of much anymore. 2. I believe myself to be a therianthrope. Simply a mental trait of the animal is the normal, or a feeling of deep connection with it. Personally, I do look the part of a human "bear", large, stout, muscled, hairy. The only time ive ever experienced any phantom "limbs" is when ive been heavily altered under the presence of drugs or in a trance. Ive experienced the feelig of claws, a stub tail and seeing a muzzle in my line of vision. 3. Ive no idea where my bear side came from. Only that when i was five i came to the conclusion that i should have been a bear. That being a human wasnt right for me. Perhaps a past life experience or that the bear is my totem, ive never really understood it or been bothered by it. 3.a. ive only the feelings and dreams of living in the forest and time being meaningless, seasons may change, but i am ever present. 4. I was five when i realized i should have been a bear, though i could never convince anyone of it back then and was prone to being given serious ridicule. By the time i was 13 I was fairly wild when id let myself "be myself". At about 20 i looked into therianthropy and decided that was the most likely answer to my problem. And yes, ive doubted myself a hundred times wondering if this was some mental illness and that it was all in my head, though ive decided that i no longer care in the least. I like myself for whatever, whoever i am. 5. I doubt being a therianthrope bear truly affects my life all that much. Though now that ive had to move to the city from the woods, for work, ive been fairly uncomfortable with the lack of fellow animals and the woods. Im fairly comfortable in my body, now that ive altered myself somewhat. Filed cannine teeth, gained weight while working out so im both large and muscular and some *coughs* minor genital modification. Ive been known to always have a knack with animals, they all love me, with the occasion of a few. but i freaked out a man who had a pet black bear by it taking an immediate like to me, it only ever cared to be around him before that. I got an immediate reaction from the exotic cat breeder, bobcats, lynx's..whatnot, as they all hated me with a passion, they couldnt understand why i angered them. 6. i gave up being a catholic and calling it bull at 7. It wasnt right and definately not right for me. Im closer to a pagan, but even thats not right, i merely enjoy it. My cathredal is the woods, just by being there again makes me weep, wish i could spend all eternity there and never leave. 7. Everyone questions my sanity, even myself in the past. Though its not for the therianthropy. Merely due to being eccentric. Irecieved therapy in the past, when i was small for being a "loner" and having a "pre-pubescent fetish" for bears. 8. Everyone knows i have a "thing" for bears. That i identify with them, though only a few know that i am connected with them at that deep a level. Ive scared a few away over time from their knowledge of my ursine involvement. 9. Ive met a were therianthropes before. Most are nice as a general rule, though most are not what id want as friends. Any more, i merely have a single therianthrope friend. Ive been to one gathering and wasnt impressed by it. 10. The werelist helped me a small amount in my search for other weres..but in trying to find yourself, all i can say is to do some serious soul searching and decide whats right for you. 11. be yourself, at any cost, be yourself. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	jackal_child 2006-03-20 07:21 am UTC (link)
	washington, eh? If you are so inclined, there's a local yahoo 'kin list if you want to touch base with others. Northwest Kin. Fairly quiet group so far, so no worries on a flooded inbox. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

(no subject) - suede_bear, 2006-03-20 07:30 am UTC

(no subject) - jackal_child, 2006-03-23 05:14 am UTC

(no subject) - sputteringraven, 2006-09-14 11:31 pm UTC

I don't remember if I answered this before... faithchan 2005-09-18 10:13 pm UTC (link)

So feel free to ignore me if I'm doubling you up with info. ^_^ 1. I'm Sarah, 24, Long Island, New York. Female all the way. Most of the past lives I've connected with have been female, but I feel as though I've been male also, though I don't "remember" it. 2. I'm a faerie. Physical characteristics....none that I come by naturally, but I recently finished having full sized wings tattooed on my back. Other characteristics...tend to be in my mindset and in my communication skills. I do and say and think things that make other people raise their eyebrows. I feel phantom wings. 3. Reincarnation. Not sure if it was my "first" life or not, but I think it was. 3a. Vaguely, but I believe it has been colored by my imagination and the fact that my brain is human and can only process things in certain ways. Faeries are not corporeal beings, existing mostly as energy, and their "appearance" is mostly determined by humanity and how our minds process something so different from ourselves. I don't know how to draw the line between imagination and memory, but I don't think I need to. I know what I am, and that is enough for me. Pretty much all of my friends and family know my beliefs. 4. A friend told me I was a faerie. At the time, I blindly accepted that as the truth, but since then, I have grown and looked into myself, seeing who and what I am for myself. Since then, there has been no denying my gut realization that I am fae. I never denied the possibility, but a few times I have doubted. Then I'd shake my head and realize that I am what I am. I now sometimes see myself as apart from humanity...not better or worse, but separate. 5. I feel comfortable in my body most of the time, but there are days when I want to shed my skin in the worst way, and I long to dance in ways that no human body ever could, and I feel my muscles strain against themselves, yearning to be free. I have been drawn towards a healers path, and to that end, psychology, because the human mind fascinates me, both how the healthy mind works, and how and why things go wrong. Home...I love to be comfortable, I want money and material things, yet I'm engaged to a man in debt because I love him, and that is more important to me. I socialize with people who are good and kind, whether they share my beliefs or not. The people I have found myself most drawn to and most accepting of me are people who think and believe similarly, though few of them are fae, most are 'kin. Most "normal" people raise their eyebrows at me, my tattoo wings, my mindset, my ways of talking and interacting. Once they get over that, though, they pretty much accept me as I am and ignore my strangeness. 6. I started with energy work which led me to practice Wicca. I am an initiated Witch, but I find myself pulled away from formal rituals and drawn towards making up my spellwork as I go along. 6a. I've never heard of "glamourbombing," but it sounds like some of the energy work I played with when I was starting out. Not entirely sure. 7. My sanity has been questioned many times, but not due to my 'kin beliefs. I have seen psychologists in the past and currently see a psychiatrist and receive medication for an anxiety disorder that, in the past, was so severe it gave me panic attacks that were almost like psychotic breaks. They were made worse by an extremely stressful situation that had nothing to do with being 'kin. 8. All my friends and family know, for the most part. Some of my family thought I was joking when I called myself a crazy faerie, and I'm not sure if even now they really understand. They were more shocked that I was a Witch, so I'm guessing they don't fully understand. When people ask about my tattoo, I tell them they're my faerie wings. Sometimes I get raised eyebrows and smirks, but mostly just a nod and comment that they're beautiful. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Re: I don't remember if I answered this before... faithchan 2005-09-18 10:14 pm UTC (link)

9. Yes, many. Including people who are not awakened to their 'kin selves. I don't associate with people BASED on 'kinness, and I've never been to any gatherings (unless you count the Ren Faire), so I can't comment on the community, really. The individual 'kin I know run from my best friends to my worst enemies...just as everyone else in life, 'kin can be good and bad, it all depends on who you meet. 10. Trust your gut. It doesn't usually lie. 11. Don't think so. Good luck, and I hope I've been helpful. (Reply to this) (Parent)

kitten_goddess 2005-09-19 01:30 am UTC (link)

1. What name would you prefer to be cited as? How old are you in this life? Where are you located (this can just be a general vicinity, such as your state)? What is your physical sex? What gender do you identify as? Do you keep track of these things for any other life/existence/aspect? Name: Butterfly Age: 31 Location: DC Sex: Female Gender: Female I remember no other lives or existences. I have three aspects. All are of the female sex and gender. Name: Crysse (pronounced Krissa) Age: Six Our conscience. Has many Dominionist attitudes and values, particularly about religion and gender roles. Works in tandem with Jenny most of the time. Does the "right thing" without regard to whether it is socially appropriate. Lends an aspect of innocence to the entire personality, which makes it easier to get away with "bad" things. Name: Jenny Age: Early 20's The social adapter. Works with with Crysse in daily tasks. The two are often very charming and personable together. When by herself, Jenny is amoral and selfish, using others as her guide for appropriate behavior. However, she is far more flexible in her thinking and less self-destructive than Crysse and Therra. Very much the party girl. Name: Therra Age: Fifteen Very pessimistic. Controls what media are consumed and rules over political viewpoints. Can spin out horrific tales, particularly bloody and apocalyptic ones, at the drop of a hat. Obssessed with AIDS and divine retribution. When she and Crysse are together, the two are quite annoying to others, but they are too busy freaking out to notice at the time. Loves Goth/heavy metal/industrial/psychedelic music. When she and Jenny are together, they are funny but mean, spinning out putdowns of everyone, particuarly New Agers and Dominionists. 2. What type(s) of Otherkin do you identify as? (ie, dragon, elf, faerie, vampire, therianthrope, etc.) What are the physical/etc. characteristics unique to your race/species, and to you as an individual? Does your present body reflect any of these traits? Do you ever experience phantom limbs correlating to your Otherkin self(s)? Bloodline: Lilin (descedant of Lilith) Physical Characteristics: Pointy ears (not unique to my species, I know) Physical Characteristics of body: Double-jointed No phantom limbs (ear sharpening does not count) Species: Kittykin/Succubus/Elf 3. What do you consider to be the origin of your Otherkin side(s)? (ie, past life/reincarnation, personification of a personality aspect, etc.) In other words, where did your Otherkin self/selves come from? I have no idea. No past lives, etc. I only knew what I was when I overheard two Kin talking about me. One asked the other "Do you think you found another elf?" and said my name. Suddenly things made a whole lot more sense. 3a. If you replied past life/reincarnation, do you remember anything about your incarnation as that being? What was your culture like? What were you like? How well do you remember it? How consistent are these memories? How have you determined that they’re not just products of your subconscious? (I’m not trying to discourage anyone here, but I am curious to know how different ‘kin figure out what’s memory and what’s purely internal imagination.) Have you had any shared memories with someone else? Not applicable. 4. What was your Awakening like? When did you begin to realize you were Otherkin? What brought you to the conclusions you have today? How has your perspective changed since you first started suspecting there was something “different” about you? Did you ever doubt yourself, or even completely deny the possibility? See #2 for how I Awakened. I shut down the Otherkin aspects of myself after attending my first gather in 1999. I met too many nutcases there, and I mistakenly thought the Otherkin path made one crazy! I had to unfreeze those aspects in 2001 after I went into a depression. (Reply to this) (Thread)

rest of my response kitten_goddess 2005-09-19 01:31 am UTC (link)

Then in 2002, I found out I was actually part succubus. I tried to deny that I had to feed, as people had pegged me as a vampire, which I am not. I do not need to feed on others' life forces to physically live. And I definitely am not sang (blood-drinking). But I found out that if I do not feed, I starve anyway. I went for the first energy source that presented herself. Let's just say I Can't Believe I Fed From That and stop there! After that, I accepted the fact I have to feed and have had no problems ever since. 5. How does being Otherkin affect your everyday life? Do you feel comfortable in the body/environment you were born into? Does it affect your choice of career, home or the people you prefer to socialize with? Do other people, or animals, ever sense something different about you, and how consistent are the reactions? It does not affect everyday life at all. I already isolate myself from those who are not magickal anyway, so my social life is not affected. People always blink at me, but that is because I'm weird. I'm used to it, as I've gotten that all my life. 6. How does being Otherkin affect your spiritual/religious life? Do you practice magic(k) at all, and if so, is being Otherkin a factor in that? I shut down being Otherkin again in 2001, as my ceremonial magickal group did not accept that. This led to the starvation in 2002 (see above). Now, the group is more accepting, so it is no longer a factor. I have been practicing magick since 1996, and I did not Awaken until 1998, so the magick was never an issue for me. Otherkin are just another community for me. 6a. If you have practiced magic(k), have you ever participated in glamourbombing? What sorts of tools did you use? I've never done glamourbombing. I'd love to, though! Show me how! 7. Have you ever questioned your sanity? Has anyone else ever questioned your sanity? How do you deal with either/both situations? Have you ever received therapy, voluntary or involuntary, due to being Otherkin? I've always questioned my sanity, for reasons entirely unrelated to Otherkin. This is because I was in therapy for various things since age three off and on. I reasoned that being labeled "mentally ill" meant I was incompetent and could not trust my own judgment and had to rely on authorities instead. This was wrong, of course. My shrinks and my parents never thought I was crazy. I thought they considered me that, though. The Otherkin thing never came up until I was 24 and no longer in therapy. Therapy was never forced on me. 8. How “uncloseted” are you about being Otherkin? Who knows, who doesn’t and why? If you’ve told people, what was their reaction? Did it change over time? At first, my magickal group went "Yeesh" when I told them and forbade me to do Reiki around them. Then the other Otherkin in the group were expelled (they deserved it, I might add), and things calmed down. They became more accepting of it and now I get the occasional joke about making them some shoes. Pagans are much more accepting of that sort of thing than a lot of ceremonialists, I might add. 9. Do you know any other Otherkin, in person and/or online? What’s your impression of the Otherkin community, both locally and more widespread? Have you been to any Otherkin gatherings? Oh, yes, quite a few! I'm part of the Otherkin community in DC and regularly hand out with them. I've attended Walking the Thresholds several times. 10. What advice do you have to people who suspect they may be Otherkin—or, for that matter, may aid me in making this a better book? Do you recommend any particular resources—books, websites, etc.? You're not crazy. Never tell fundies you're Otherkin, as they will probably foam at the mouth. Mundanes will only laugh at you, so don't bother telling them. If you're looking for an Otherkin-friendly magickal group, the Feri tradition or ADF may be a good choice. Stay grounded and keep hold of reality. And for heaven's sake, if anyone seems to be "off," keep away from that person! There are a lot of flakes in the community, I'm sorry to say. 11. Do you have anything else you’d like to add? No. I shared tons already. (Reply to this) (Parent)

Pt. 1 since my response was too long. neserit 2005-09-19 02:16 am UTC (link)

1. What name would you prefer to be cited as? How old are you in this life? Where are you located (this can just be a general vicinity, such as your state)? What is your physical sex? What gender do you identify as? Do you keep track of these things for any other life/existence/aspect?: I go by Neserit, I'm 24 and I don't believe in tacking on the ages of all of my lives and adding them up. I live in Michigan, I am a female and I identify myself as such. I keep track of my gender in previous lives for refrence only. 2. What type(s) of Otherkin do you identify as? (ie, dragon, elf, faerie, vampire, therianthrope, etc.) What are the physical/etc. characteristics unique to your race/species, and to you as an individual? Does your present body reflect any of these traits? Do you ever experience phantom limbs correlating to your Otherkin self(s)?: I simply consider myself as a black panther with psi-vampire tendencies. I keep it simple. I prefer the term Otherkin for myself, however. I carry no traits/characteristics/etc. of my species that I am aware of. I have in the past experienced a few phantom limb issues. 3. What do you consider to be the origin of your Otherkin side(s)? (ie, past life/reincarnation, personification of a personality aspect, etc.) In other words, where did your Otherkin self/selves come from?: I believe that all of my Otherkin side originate from past lives. 3a. If you replied past life/reincarnation, do you remember anything about your incarnation as that being? What was your culture like? What were you like? How well do you remember it? How consistent are these memories? How have you determined that they’re not just products of your subconscious? (I’m not trying to discourage anyone here, but I am curious to know how different ‘kin figure out what’s memory and what’s purely internal imagination.) Have you had any shared memories with someone else?: Yes, I actually do remember a few things from my past lives. My culture...most of my "incarnations" were human. The one that I do remember strongly lived like animals and were nearly all female. I remember them all pretty well and the memories are quite consistant. As for determining if they aren't byproducts of my subconscious...I'm still debating that bit. With some aspects, there are pieces of information included that I know for sure that I did not know or even went near. With most of it, I take time to study it and see if it matches with any previous mental scrap of information. I try not to take it all as face value either. My husband and I actually share quite a few memories. Most of the time, were clarify each other's memories. 4. What was your Awakening like? When did you begin to realize you were Otherkin? What brought you to the conclusions you have today? How has your perspective changed since you first started suspecting there was something “different” about you? Did you ever doubt yourself, or even completely deny the possibility?: My Awakening was a nightmare. I actually cried most of the time because I thought that I was losing my mind. I started realizing that I was Otherkin after doing some inner searching, really...and that was at 21, I believe. My inner journey and personal experiences brought me to where I am right now. How has my perspective changed? Well, when I first started looking into this, I was swept into the "I R SPECUL!" crowd. Now, I'm realizing that it's actually apart of an old belief and it's not that I'm special or sent here for a special purpose, I'm just here and now I want to learn about myself. Do I doubt myself? Just about every day! I still weigh in the theory that it could be a form of a mental disorder or that the memories we experience and feel may be just mental debris. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Pt.2 neserit 2005-09-19 02:17 am UTC (link)

5. How does being Otherkin affect your everyday life? Do you feel comfortable in the body/environment you were born into? Does it affect your choice of career, home or the people you prefer to socialize with? Do other people, or animals, ever sense something different about you, and how consistent are the reactions?: Being Otherkin really doesn't affect my everyday life. It's jsut who I am and we live in harmony. :P I feel VERY comfortable in my body. Actually, it's about the same as every body I've ever had...minus a couple of pounds. The only part of it that affects my social life is that I can't jsut talk to everyone about it. Some people get it and some people just move themselves closer to the door to get away. I'm really not sure if anyone or anything can sense any difference in me. I'm not very observant of what others feel about me. 6. How does being Otherkin affect your spiritual/religious life? Do you practice magic(k) at all, and if so, is being Otherkin a factor in that?: Being Otherkin has made me delve deeper into my spirituality and really start taking it seriously. I do practice magic and I have since before being Otherkin, s it really hasn't changed that much. 6a. If you have practiced magic(k), have you ever participated in glamourbombing? What sorts of tools did you use?: I've read up on glamourbombing, but I've never practiced or participated in it. 7. Have you ever questioned your sanity? Has anyone else ever questioned your sanity? How do you deal with either/both situations? Have you ever received therapy, voluntary or involuntary, due to being Otherkin?: Have I ever questioned my sanity? *laughs* Just about every moment. I see a therapist for other issues and when I did mention Otherkin to her, she said that it just sounded like Native American beliefs to her. People always question mine...and they were always joking. I hope. I react to my own questions by talking to others and debating it...with other people, I laugh it off. I have never recieved therapy for being Otherkin. Depression, yes...Otherkin, no. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Pt. 3 - neserit, 2005-09-19 02:17 am UTC

raichu26 2005-09-19 06:16 am UTC (link)

1. Rythen Eugea will work for me. 18 years old. Texas. I am both female and identify as female. 2. I have two that I am aware of at this time. Keep in mind that I am kind of a Newkin, you could say. First is a wolf, wherein I am unsure if I was winged or not, seeing as though I can feel wings attached to my back at the shoulderblades. Along with the wings of unknown origin, I feel a Tail and Ears, along with a muzzle. Along with a Wolf, I was/am also a Phoenix. I do feel my arms as wings occasionally, and have felt a beak once or twice. 3. Reincarnation for both. 3a. what frustrates me is I remember little of either one. I remember being killed as a Phoenix, by humans. Of the Wolf, I remember nothing but running in the wild. 4. For years I have joked that I was a reincarnated wolf. It didn't hit me until someone mentioned memories of being a Dragon. I thought about this, and started to feel real to me. Awakening as a Phoenix just happened one day, it was a quick awakening that did hurt a bit. 5. Everyday life is normal, except for my near constant phantom limbs. Animals seem to be drawn to me almost. There are few animals I've met who didn't seem to take to me. 6. That's been another journey of mine, but it hasn't effected much of it. 6a. I haven't, but I do believe that objects or people can contail magical properties. 7. I've not told many people, so no, my sanity on that hasn't been questioned. 8. I've mentioned it in my livejournal. Since it's online, it's harder to tell who is lying, though, but most responses were positive. 9. No, I haven't personally known any because I am a bit shy, even online. I feel I should know more and be sure of more before I come too far forward. 10. For those who believe to be otherkin, theres nothing to worry about if you don't remember things instantly. It can take months, no matter how frustrating it is. Listen to everyone, but take what they say with a grain of salt. This is, in fact, your spirit(s), not theirs. They can advise you, not tell you who you are. 11. Nothing else really, unless I think of it later. (Reply to this)

aminomiko 2005-09-19 10:16 pm UTC (link)

1. I suppose you may cite me as Miss Mouse. I'm 25 and female (and identify as such), living in Nevada. I don't keep track of any life but my current one. 2. As the name may imply, I'm a mouse. Physically, I do have several traits that are similar to those of a rodent's. My two front teeth are rather large and I have a pronounced overbite. Quite often I don't feel comfortable unless I'm chewing on something. My sense of smell is rather well developed for a human, which is usually more of a hinderance to me than a help, although I can recognize people through smell. I do feel phantom limbs, mostly tail, but not as strong as others have described it, as rodents don't have a whole lot of autonomy over their tail. It just sits there, for the most part. 3. Reincarnation, which works into a personification of a personality aspect. My working theory is that I was a mouse last life (perhaps an unusually long-lived one) who just wasn't able to let go in this one. (Reply to this) (Thread)

aminomiko 2005-09-19 10:51 pm UTC (link)

Sorry, that posted before I was ready. Darn Enter key... 3a. I believe in reincarnation and that some people can remember past lives, but I don't. I've never really worried about it. 4. I’ve never had an Awakening, per se. This is the way I’ve always been. My family recognized it from the beginning, although probably not as therianthropy of course, and my childhood nickname was Miss Mouse. I’ve known what I was from as far back as I can remember, although I didn’t think it was unusual, since my sister is Otherkin as well (she’s an elf), so I thought it was normal to feel… not human. I suppose this has shaped my approach to this today, as I don’t give a whole lot of thought about this “otherness” and rather just accept that this is who I am. 5. The emotional aspects affect my life daily. I have a rather finely honed “flight” response for someone who has never been in any really dangerous situation. This makes it hard for me to deal with any person or situation that frightens me, as I can’t really get beyond the “run away” instinct. I feel just as comfortable in the city as I do in the forest or in the middle of the desert, however I don’t like large masses of people. I feel more comfortable in closed in spaces. During winter I find it difficult to stay awake and active. I horde things, especially food. So far, it’s effected my work in that I can’t stay in an environment where I have to deal with large amounts of people, as people trigger that flight response and most employers don’t look kindly on their workers hiding in the bathrooms. I’ve never noticed that animals treat me any differently than other people, but there have been rather a lot of people who seem to have picked up on the “PREY SPECIES” as if it was tattooed on my forehead. 6. Other than the belief in reincarnation, not a whole lot. I prefer to focus on this life and leave the next life for when it comes. I don’t practice magic. 7. I think everyone questions their sanity at some point in their lives… Or at least, I’ve never met anyone who didn’t. But my questions were never due to the mouse itself, but rather the mouse’s difficulty in adapting to a human world. So far I’ve dealt with it by consciously electing not to put myself in situations that frighten me. I’ve never been to therapy. 8. As this is just who I am, I am as uncloseted as you can get without boring total strangers with my life story. Everyone I know who is more than a passing acquaintance knows that this is who I am, although not everyone knows that it is a mouse, per se. I don’t affect animal behaviors, such as yipping, biting, or otherwise radiating your animal nature to everyone within eye shot, as mine are more ingrained. But it’s pretty obvious that I don’t identify with humans. Most people I know have no problems with it, as they’re not exactly enamored with the human race either. 9. I know several others who could be Otherkin, both online and in real life. However, I’m not really part of the community, so I couldn’t really comment on it. There are some that I’ve met that seem a little… extreme, but it isn’t my place to judge their spirituality. I have noticed a prevalence of predators in the furry lifestyle community and there’s a reason for the stereotype that they’re all wolves, foxes and tigers. Those of us who identify with a prey species are definitely in the minority. I think it might be because people like to identify with the powerful aspects of themselves and predators are more often symbols of that power. However, that’s just a theory and I don’t actually know, really. Like my earlier comment, it isn’t my place to judge anybody else’s spirituality. 10. I’m not sure if I could really give any good advice, as my go with the flow method probably wouldn’t work with someone just discovering their deeper nature. I’d just like to say that none of this is anything to be ashamed of. You are, and can only be, you, even if you end up realizing that there’s a part of you that isn’t human. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	sayonara_solita 2005-09-20 01:27 am UTC (link)
	I have emailed my comments to you from the email address of sayonara solitaire at woh dot rr dot com. Yay for mangled email addresses. (Reply to this)

Survey Answers meirya 2005-09-20 06:01 pm UTC (link)

1. Cite me as Meirya. I'm 19 years old, and live in Ohio. I'm female both in gender and in sex. I don't generally keep track of gender or sex when it comes to that which I shift into, or the bird part of myself, but it generally varies, and is of much less import to "bird" than it is to "human". Understandable, I suppose; male/female is purely a physical/reproductive and territory thing for most raptors. 2. I consider myself a therianthrope. As for my actual species... I'm still trying to narrow it down. For identification's sake, I consider myself a cladotherian, one whose theriotype (animal-self) encompasses a larger group than species or genus. My theriotype is the order falconiformes, or birds-of-prey (excluding owls, which are order strigoformes). I also have a very strong connection to the phoenix, and thought myself to be one for quite a while. Until I can solidify in my mind whether I am or not, however, I simply say that I'm a bird-of-prey with a strong connection to the phoenix. Perhaps it's a totem or somesuch. Characteristics of falconiformes? Raptors are raptors. Birds-of-prey. Secretary birds, hawks, falcons, ospreys, eagles, caracaras, condors, vultures. I generally just shift to hawk, falcon, eagle, or vulture, but the other families pop up from time to time as well (and probably more often than I recognize). I don't know that my body reflects much in the way of bird-like traits. My ways of moving and vocalizations, oftentimes; my way of running (while I deny it vehemently, my friends find no end of amusement in pointing out to me that I run like a bird and that it looks very comical); but my physical attributes aren't very raptor-like, as near as I can tell. I experience phantom limbs only during a mental/phantom/subtle-body shift to bird. There's a beak, and sometimes a crest of feathers, and my arms bend at odd angles because my mind has them as wings, so I can't quite bring them forward at their full use as arms without effort and discomfort. If you want a full description of what it's like to be bird, for me, or what it's like to shift, then I have a somewhat lengthy piece I wrote here. 3. I haven't done a ton of thinking on this (though I've done research on what others think), but I have a few ideas, I suppose. I don't think it comes from a past life. Maybe the phoenix connection does, but not the raptor. It's too much a part of me to be just a memory. I can't call it an aspect of personality like I once did, either - not with the strong mental/subtle-body shifts. I am bird. A large portion of my being is bird-of-prey. I am bird and human both; a bird in a human's body, or bird-soul fused with human; I don't know for sure. A friend of mine came up with the idea that there are very few purely human souls out there, and those that exist are either very young or very rare. That souls merge, or fuse; that souls shatter and those shards fuse with other souls in the reincarnating; that souls are constantly mixing and separating and melding and changing. And so we get mixtures. Human with a bit of elf, human with a portion of dragon, human with a large percentage of wolf; or the other way around, bird with a portion of human, cat with a bit of human... It makes sense to me, though I'd have to do more thinking on it before I said any definites. 3a. I don't have any concrete past-life memories other than a reoccuring nightmare, in which I am human on this world. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Re: Survey Answers (cont) meirya 2005-09-20 06:03 pm UTC (link)

4. Judging by some of the otherkin I know offline, I was lucky in my awakening. It was a gradual thing, more a realization of "Holy crap, there's people who feel the same stuff I feel, but they think it's more than an overactive imagination? That's insane, not possible! ...I need to research this" than a sudden jolting violent awakening. I heard the term first through the Gryphon Guild's forums, then did a lot of research before I could even accept it as a possibility (I was always rather logical and methodical, though I've come to accept a lot of "impossible" things since). That was followed by extensive journaling and self-examination that continues to this day. What brought me to the conclusions I have today? A lot of discussion, a lot of research, a lot of self-examination and questioning. A lot of strange experiences. I've redefined myself and my world several times over. I started out thinking I was phoenix, then later decided to reexamine, as I felt I'd jumped to conclusions a bit simply because I was near-obsessed with the phoenix mythos. I figured it had to be something "real", something of this world; it was too far-fetched and a bit egocentric to assume I was something out of myth. Now, though, I've started reevaluating again, as recent experiences have led me to believe it is possible for people to be creatures out of mythology. "Bird" has remained constant, though, even as I fumble for particulars. I've most certainly doubted myself. There's been many times where I've thought "I'm insane. This is impossible. I am human, I can't possibly be something else, it goes against all rationality. I'm fooling myself." But it doesn't hold, because there's the instincts and the shifting and the dreams and the strange occurances in my world that are confirmed by people I know (and some I don't) that prove over and over again that this world is more than science acknowledges. 5. I've learned to live with it. It's odd, sometimes, when I glance into a mirror and don't recognize my reflection. And it's more than a little inconvenient when I have a strong shift to bird in a crowded indoor area, and bird-panic flutters in my chest, and flight-instinct kicks in, and I have to hold tightly to the rational human part of me to keep from making a scene. It hasn't affected much in my life choices, though I prefer above-ground places for my bedroom, and I tend to spend my time with pagan-types and otherkin. Some people sense something different about me; I've had more than one person ask me if I have a connection to birds, or if I'm a falcon or a hawk or something similar. And simply shifting in front of pigeons, making sure to not move physically, will get them all flying nearly every time. When working with birds-of-prey at the local wildlife rehab center, I have to take care to keep my subtle body as human as possible around them or shield myself, because otherwise they'll get territorial and react in a manner unsafe to both me and the birds. 6. It really doesn't affect my mystic life or spiritual path too much. I have more of an affinity with air and fire; I have an easy time going and traveling astrally; I can draw in natural energies with reasonable ease - but that might not have anything to do with my avian nature. The only solid affect it has on my magical practice is when going astral - I'm almost always bird. 6a. Glamourbombing? I'm unfamiliar with the term. Something to do with faekin, isn't it? (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Re: Survey Answers (cont. again) - meirya, 2005-09-20 06:03 pm UTC

Survey Answers (update) - meirya, 2006-08-18 07:57 pm UTC

Re: Survey Answers (update) - lupabitch, 2006-08-18 08:01 pm UTC

Questions... (Anonymous) 2005-09-21 12:15 am UTC (link)

Well, here's what's true for me. 1. Sa'arine. I'm 24 in this life. I'm in Michigan, presently, and female. In all lives I remember I've been female so I identify with that. Other than my memories, no, I don't really keep track. 2. I identify as an elvenmix mostly. I s'pose the characteristics I recall are wings, pointed ears. I personally have always been short. Variations were natural; height ranged from 5'3 to 7' as do humans. Colors of hair were as varied too-same range as humans,except truer and the range broader and more vibrant. Eye color was the same,blue, brown, gray, green, occasionally yellow. I had red-black hair(garnet color) and blue-green eyes.I was short. I'm still short. I feel phantom wings often. 3. I think a combination of past-life reincarnation and a present trace in the physical blood. Not sure it'd be possible for a nonhuman soul to exist in a purely human body. 3a. Yeah, I remember a lot about past life. I remember being a tempermental Ranger-type(though it wasn't called that). I was among a mountains dwelling family. What I've remembered, generally, I know to be me,who I am. It makes too much logical sense as to why I am the way I am. I have not changed who I am; I merely have come to understand why. Others have mentioned remembering things about me, without me saying so or remembered details I didn't mention. 4. My awakening has been a long process. I knew I was 'different' from day 1. Never understood why people and the world was the way it was. In College, I met people who identified as being nonhuman and I knew I wasnt either. I first thought I was Fae, though it didn't feel complete. I then thought about Elven, and it clicked. I did some research and the more I read the more it fit, with individual quirks. People aren't cut out of a mold. Oh yeah, of course I've doubted myself, but I've seen too much happen to doubt that I am other than human. The title-Elf, Dryad, Faerie-doesn't matter.I simply am who I am-those are names. Once I stopped doubting myself, accepted who and what I am and how I differ from the human norm and how the world is set up for humanity-I made alot of strides. It has to be an unconscious knowing. You just *know*.It's instinct. Once you've answered the initial question of why, you have to do. For example, nonhumans often have more sensitive senses than humans.Trust your senses. If a noise hurts your ears though humans say it's a safe level of noise-protect your hearing anyway. Doubt is the sign of a sane mind, but dont let it rule you. 5. Being otherkin gives me a lot of joy in everyday life. I know who I am. I am very comfortable with myself and who I am-I am not comfortable with the environment. I find this world denies, destroys, or hides alot of the beauty I see by being Otherkin. It assaults my senses,people confuse me. I don't understand why they treat each other the way they do. I don't understand the frustration of money. As far as socializing,it does make a difference.I prefer to be around those I can be honest and open with based on what I know of them. Most do sense something different about me. Animals generally like me. Kids generally are fascinated by me, adults, wary around me. 6. I practice magick of a form; its influenced by my nature, which I suppose is influenced by being Otherkin. 6a.I have not participated in glamourbombing; my magick is far more instinctive. I don't need tools. 7. I've questioned my sanity.I've always had it reconfirmed. I believe as I do. I cannot judge myself by human standards nor is it for others to do so. My 'therapists' are my friends and family. 8. I'm pretty circumspect about who I tell.I have to be pretty sure they'll either have a positive reaction or keep quiet about it before I'll tell them. I have enough to deal with without causing more for myself. 9. I know several otherkin. I find that the Otherkin 'community' as a whole still has a lot of maturing to do. 10.Ask yourself the reasons why you think so. Be sure you think you are because you really are, not because your friends are or because it looks so cool or because you need an escape from reality. Being Kin changes you. It is a path that never truly ends. (Reply to this)

bewylderbeast 2005-09-21 08:11 pm UTC (link)

1. What name would you prefer to be cited as? How old are you in this life? Where are you located (this can just be a general vicinity, such as your state)? What is your physical sex? What gender do you identify as? Do you keep track of these things for any other life/existence/aspect? - I would prefer to be cited as Padfoot. I am 22 years old. I'm from Glasgow, UK. I'm physically female, and I feel female. 2. What type(s) of Otherkin do you identify as? (ie, dragon, elf, faerie, vampire, therianthrope, etc.) What are the physical/etc. characteristics unique to your race/species, and to you as an individual? Does your present body reflect any of these traits? Do you ever experience phantom limbs correlating to your Otherkin self(s)? - identify as a therianthrope. My theriotypes are maned wolf and ying lung dragon. For both, I experience what I believe to be mental shifts which are described in detail here: http://www.therianthropy.org/padfoot/padfoot/Shifts%20in%20perception.htm . I also experience phantom limbs. For maned wolf, a tail, muzzle, ears and paws. For dragon, horns/antlers, muzzle and wings. Characteristics of my "race" can be found on google. 3. What do you consider to be the origin of your Otherkin side(s)? (ie, past life/reincarnation, personification of a personality aspect, etc.) In other words, where did your Otherkin self/selves come from? -I believe that my therianthropy stems from some sort of mental condition. Probably from imprinting as a kid. There were always dogs in my family, and I was 'raised' with them, so it's probably stuck in my mind. As for dragon, I don't know where that came from. 3a. If you replied past life/reincarnation, do you remember anything about your incarnation as that being? What was your culture like? What were you like? How well do you remember it? How consistent are these memories? How have you determined that they’re not just products of your subconscious? (I’m not trying to discourage anyone here, but I am curious to know how different ‘kin figure out what’s memory and what’s purely internal imagination.) Have you had any shared memories with someone else? - N/A 4. What was your Awakening like? When did you begin to realize you were Otherkin? What brought you to the conclusions you have today? How has your perspective changed since you first started suspecting there was something “different” about you? Did you ever doubt yourself, or even completely deny the possibility? - I did not experience an awakening. From what I've gathered from my time in the therian community, therians generally don't 'awaken'. As long as Ican remember, I've always felt animal inside. I figured out I was therian after spending time documenting what I was experiencing (in a diary, with notes and sketches). The label therianthropy fits what I experience. I have doubted, and still do at times. Mainly because I suffer from mental illness, and my therianthropy could just be a part of that. 5. How does being Otherkin affect your everyday life? Do you feel comfortable in the body/environment you were born into? Does it affect your choice of career, home or the people you prefer to socialize with? Do other people, or animals, ever sense something different about you, and how consistent are the reactions? - It doesn't really affect my life at all. Sometimes I feel awkward in my body, but the feeling usually passes, and sometimes it takes me a while to recognise my reflection. I love animals, and would love to work with them. I do not know if this is because I'm therian. Maybe I'm therian because I like animals (the imprinting thing I mentioned). Since discovering others who are therian, I do have a preference for socialising with them, just because I feel more relaxed with them, and can be myself. (Reply to this) (Thread)

bewylderbeast 2005-09-21 08:11 pm UTC (link)

6. How does being Otherkin affect your spiritual/religious life? Do you practice magic(k) at all, and if so, is being Otherkin a factor in that? - I practise various shaman "crafts", which I got into through praticing cameo shifting for fun. I don't believe in magic and have no time for religion, I see my practise as a psychological thing. 6a. If you have practiced magic(k), have you ever participated in glamourbombing? What sorts of tools did you use? - What is glamourbombing? It sounds like fun! 7. Have you ever questioned your sanity? Has anyone else ever questioned your sanity? How do you deal with either/both situations? Have you ever received therapy, voluntary or involuntary, due to being Otherkin? - I question my sanity a lot. But because I know other people experience what I do, I don't feel worried about what happens. I have been in therapy, but not for being otherkin. 8. How “uncloseted” are you about being Otherkin? Who knows, who doesn’t and why? If you’ve told people, what was their reaction? Did it change over time? - My friends know, both therian and non-therian ones. My family doesn't know. My therian friends are cool with it, my non-therian friends are a bit freaked, but they accept me. I'd like to tell my family, but I don't know how they would take it. My therianthropy isn't a secret (if anybody googles my real name they can find out), but it's not something I need to tell everybody about. I don't want to end up like a Jehovah, and ram it down people's throats! 9. Do you know any other Otherkin, in person and/or online? What’s your impression of the Otherkin community, both locally and more widespread? Have you been to any Otherkin gatherings? - I know several otherkin on-line (most of my LJ friends and IM people are otherkin) and my RL best friends (who I met on the net)are therianthropes. We used to organise the only regular therian meets in the UK, until some drama brought it to an end. 10. What advice do you have to people who suspect they may be Otherkin—or, for that matter, may aid me in making this a better book? Do you recommend any particular resources—books, websites, etc.? - If someone suspects that they are otherkin, I'd recommend that they keep a diary of when they experience things that could be attributed to "otherkiness". Specifically for therianthropes, they should take notes of their shifts, and try drawing their phantom limbs to piece together what their theriotype could be. Learning meditation skills is usefull. And looking into natural history/zoology info is always good. When I started out, the sites I used were therianthropy.org and shifters.org. But there are hundereds out there now. My top ones are: http://akhila.weresources.net/ http://www.therianthropy.org/korrok/ http://www.snowspine.com/therian/ and mine http://www.therianthropy.org/padfoot/padfoot/welcome.htm *shameless plug* 11. Do you have anything else you’d like to add? If you need me to clarify or expand on anything, I can be contacted at blackshuck@gmail.com . Good luck with the book! (Reply to this) (Parent)

xanthvamp 2005-09-22 08:28 pm UTC (link)

1. I'm Melinda, AKA Kitty, AKA Xanthvamp... I'd say just site me as Melinda, heh. I'm 25, living in northern IL. I'm female, and I think I've pretty much been female every time. I remember one past life strongly, the rest are just snippets, but I've always been a girl. 2. I am angelkin. As you've no doubtedly encountered, opinions vary wildly... I feel that I am an angelkin, but it is a different kind of angel. I had a corporal body, I was female, I loved a wolven and I fought in wars. I was tall, pale with brilliant red curly hair and brown eyes. My wing were the palest blue as to almost seem white. There were others of my kind I believe too. We were messengers, working for a higher power, but we were not celestial. We lived long, but I do not remember dying per say. My current body could not be further from that... I'm female with curly hair, that's about it. I DO still have my wings on the astral side, and my sword too. Some people can see them, and I definitely feel them. They're too big for me now, heh. 3. Past life. 3a. I remember lots... shared memories is actually how I learned about all this. I was with the guy who was my wolven lover. We clasped hands and were shot into a vision together of a wedding that we were both at, me as the angel and he as the wolven. We were both like, woah. I was best friends with the bride's sister (elves). The bride was marrying a human man as part of a peace treaty. The building had stained glass windows of the Tarot cards. It was lovely. I don't doubt myself because I just don't. I am a VERY magical girl, and I trust my instincts. I know what is a memory, it feels like that, versus a story - I role-play, so I know what that feels like too. Also, people who I've not told anything about this to have asked me about my wings. They can see it too... it's not just me. 4. Well, I awakened to magic before to my Kin-ness (freshman in college), so I think my Kin-ness wasn't so much of a shock. Like I said, it was a shared vision, which left no doubt in my mind about what I was. Not too much has changed, really... I know what I am, and that really is enough. 5. Well, I'm not always comfortable in this body... sometimes it feels like having to go to the bathroom or eat is such an inconvenience, and I think that's a layover. I am very sensitive to energy, empathic and passionate and I See lots of things like spirits and energy, so all of that impacts my life. I am close to animals and work as a veterinary technician. I love to research religion and mythology, also I think stemming from this. 6. Religion, magic and Kin-ness are all tied together for me. I was raised Catholic, but left the faith before I knew I was Angelkin. I'm just an eclectic pagan now, but I believe that we are all children of the Lord and the Lady, and They have gifted us with our knowledge and abilities, and allow us to try again to correct past wrongs and learn new things. Nothing would be possible if not for Them. I follow Bast and Athena personally. 6a. I practice magic, but not in an organized fashion. I am instinctive, and practice thusly. I've never really done much with anyone else, though I'd like to try one day. So, no, I've not glamoured anything. (Reply to this) (Thread)

Part 2... heh xanthvamp 2005-09-22 08:28 pm UTC (link)

7. I did question my sanity a little, but I think it this banal "rational" world we all do. I talked to the Wolven and other kin and magical people that I'br met along the way. At this point, if we are all insane, I think I like it better this way anyway! All my friends are as nuts as I am, and we're pretty happy together! 8. All of my friends that are magical in one way or another know. I think some knew before I ever said anything, really. I've told my Mom I'm pagan, but that's all. My brother knows it all. My Dad... I'm still waiting, but I prolly won't tell either parent about my kin-ness. My hubby knew when we were dating. 9. I know that wolven of course, and a few other actual kin, vampires and fairies. I'm not really in any community... my friends and I are tight, but we're not all kin, so it's not like that. This LJ group is the closest to a gather I've ever gotten. To me as a partial outsider, it doesn't seem that there is much community, but I've never gathered either. 10. By biggest advice is for life in general: follow your instincts. If you suspect there is something different, do a little inner searching. You may be surprized at what you find. And be HONEST with yourself. As a former Catholic I'm well acquainted with guilt and denial... you don't have to tell another single living soul, but if you can't be honest with yourself, you'll be living in torment. I don't have any good resources, sorry. 11. There was debate about my definition of myself last time, but I still stand by my feeling that I am angelkin. Just thought you might be interested in that . :D Good luck on your book!! Keep us informed. :D (Reply to this) (Parent)

nyxks 2005-09-30 06:06 am UTC (link)

1. My name is Nyx and I go by Wolfka, I'm 27 though to ask most will say I am as old as time yet as young as creation. I'm Canadian, and live in Toronto, Ontario. I am a genetic female, though to know me one would say I am both sexes in one. As to keeping track of things, I let life take care of what ever is it that needs taking care of, and I live my life to the best of my abilities. 2. I consider myself to me wolf, though i've been dicovering that there is a cat side to me that I've known little about until recently. Well most of my kin are teachers in one for or another and I am no different in that regards. I do experiance the ghost effect of a tail on occasion and I constantly forget that I do not posess claws or paws (a common saying around me is - let me get my paws on that). 3. From what I have learned over the years via my guides and guardians and spiritual teachers is that the wolf is a strong part of me in my past and from what I have learned I have been a wolf and run with various packs, I've dreamt the dreams of the pack and felt content, I have called to the wolves of local packs and hear their calls returned (and thats only what happens when I visit the zoo or natural parks where wolves still run). I belive my other self to be part of who I was in the past, and who I will be again in the future. 4. Its hard to explain as I have always felt different, and have since I was a child had a connection to the wolf that everyone new about and nurtured (its part of my native culture). I only in the past couple of years have even heard the term Otherkin, so i'm still learning about that term, for me who I am and my feelings etc are natural and have been with me since birth. 5. I'm confortable in most places that are open and forested, I'm not overly socail but I enjoy the comapny of those I know as well as my kin. I can go for a walk and have various dogs come up to me and be as gental as can be, but one look and there can be an exception to that as well - I've had more then one owner ask me to take their dog cause of how I handled them. 6. It doesn't I walk the path that I walk, I'm pagan so what ever path works for me I walk that is tune with nature. 7. Nope, never given any reason to do so, since from birth I've been raised to know be who I feel I am. I have had ppl think I am strange because of things I have said, but that was there problem not mine, I've learned over the years that everyone has their way of handeling things and that is up to them, not me. 8. People know that I have a wolf in me, and have for some time. I don't make much of a secrate of it. I didn't get the nick Wolfka for nothing. Most people who know of my wolf side think nothing of it, for many it is natural others its just part of who I am so they either acapt it or move on. 9. I know a few, one person I meet in JR High School, and have known for over 15 years now. Another I meet in High School, though he didn't tell me about his other self till I was in University that was when he told me. I also belong to a local fur community so, there are other's there who I know. 10. Hmmm best I can say, look to many of the Native American cultures, there is much to learn about animal spirits and bodies from them. But also look at other cultures and their respect for animals and you might learn more then you though was possible to learn about what's inside of you and others, that they don't even known was there. well take care, Nyx aka Wolfka (Reply to this)

sirius_achamoth 2005-10-20 02:48 am UTC (link)

1. What name would you prefer to be cited as? How old are you in this life? Where are you located (this can just be a general vicinity, such as your state)? What is your physical sex? What gender do you identify as? Do you keep track of these things for any other life/existence/aspect? Sirius will do nicely. Australia will do, actually. Physicial sex is male, although I identify as genderqueer (and frequently dress as female. I'm wearing a dress now. SWISHY. But you don't really need that, right? :D). 2. What type(s) of Otherkin do you identify as? (ie, dragon, elf, faerie, vampire, therianthrope, etc.) What are the physical/etc. characteristics unique to your race/species, and to you as an individual? Does your present body reflect any of these traits? Do you ever experience phantom limbs correlating to your Otherkin self(s)? No. I don't believe in such things- most can be explained by not slouching whilst at a keyboard, or wishful thinking. There is a common (at least with those I associate with) belief that any "memories" are flights of the imagination, for example, different sensory input would result in different memories... I think if such a thing as being able to "remember" past lives did exist, it would be very blurry at best. But you know about the whole chaos magick thing already, so... 3. What do you consider to be the origin of your Otherkin side(s)? (ie, past life/reincarnation, personification of a personality aspect, etc.) In other words, where did your Otherkin self/selves come from? Muse would be a better word. I don't hold with the concept of reincarnation- at least, not in the traditional sense of one soul travelling from one body to the next. Although common, it seems to allow people to disregard the here and now as they believe that this life is only temporary and of no importance. 4. What was your Awakening like? When did you begin to realize you were Otherkin? What brought you to the conclusions you have today? How has your perspective changed since you first started suspecting there was something “different” about you? Did you ever doubt yourself, or even completely deny the possibility? Although most others would consider me otherkin, I certainly do not, due to the fact that most "otherkin" use it only as a crutch to escape their boring, lonely lives. I think, on the whole, are based on isolation and alienation and too much D&D, that the majority of people who claim to be as such merely do it in order to make themselves feel special. Hence, I check myself on a very frequent basis. A real problem is that many use this to escape reality, which is, as you can imagine, not a good thing. It is quite difficult, as the majority of the so-called community is internet based- sure, there are gatherings and the like, but a major problem exists in that most people discover us online. Most of those who do get involved are therefore people who are alienated from others and our society, which leads to many people not being all that serious about this, and just using it as a crutch. (Reply to this) (Thread)

sirius_achamoth 2005-10-20 02:49 am UTC (link)

5. How does being Otherkin affect your everyday life? Do you feel comfortable in the body/environment you were born into? Does it affect your choice of career, home or the people you prefer to socialize with? Do other people, or animals, ever sense something different about you, and how consistent are the reactions? Not really. Not at all. This isn't some religion where we are ordered to help the poor or, conversely, burn the fags). As to people seeing something different, I get that a lot, but I'm weird when I'm being myself. 6. How does being Otherkin affect your spiritual/religious life? Do you practice magic(k) at all, and if so, is being Otherkin a factor in that? Not a factor, but... related. Difficult to explain, really. 6a. If you have practiced magic(k), have you ever participated in glamourbombing? What sorts of tools did you use? Yeah, I'm interested in various forms of Chaos Magic(k) and such. I glamourbomb every other full moon, usually just chalking things about, maybe glitter. I like things that make people think, and often incorporate my political beliefs into things I do (left-libertarian, anarcho-socialist). 7. Have you ever questioned your sanity? Has anyone else ever questioned your sanity? How do you deal with either/both situations? Have you ever received therapy, voluntary or involuntary, due to being Otherkin? Nah. I keep such things close to my chest- saying MY SOUL IS A DRAGON, RAWR! is far more dangerous than having a few "new-age" books on my bookshelf. 8. How “uncloseted” are you about being Otherkin? Who knows, who doesn’t and why? If you’ve told people, what was their reaction? Did it change over time? Nobody knows IRL, apart from a few I trust implicitly that I actually didn't meet IRL in the first place. 9. Do you know any other Otherkin, in person and/or online? What’s your impression of the Otherkin community, both locally and more widespread? Have you been to any Otherkin gatherings? Nah. Too far spread out, really. I've met... one, honestly. To be blunt, he fits the people I describe here as possibly escapist. 10. What advice do you have to people who suspect they may be Otherkin—or, for that matter, may aid me in making this a better book? Do you recommend any particular resources—books, websites, etc.? Not really. Again, checking yourself and not getting sucked into the "subculture" is a good thing to do, because people who do that end up with things as insane as their own royal draconic language and the ability to remember all two dozen of their past lives or whatnot. Actually, I think that is the most dangerous aspect of the entire thing- building a false reality around yourself to the point where you lose sight of your actual position in society. "Hey, I'm a dragon, STFU I don't need a life!" is a position that is far too common for my liking. I like to promote (well, we, if you include the entire order/cabal/collective/whatever of extended friends (and non-friends)) the idea that this isn't roleplay and that people need to actually question and define themselves, rather than spamming online communities with "HAY, HOW DO I AWAKEN" and the like. Postmodernism is bad is the general thrust of my/our thoughts. Do you want me to send a few more people this way? I know of several who'd certainly comment, if it isn't too late. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

(no subject) - lupabitch, 2005-10-20 10:32 pm UTC

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