thetadelta

[thetadelta]

DID IS NOT RARE DID IS NOT RARE DID IS NOT RARE DID IS NOT RARE DID IS NOT-

[thetadelta]

Well, that happened...

Keeping in line with how the last 8 or so years of my life have gone, I started ramping up to get involved in the community again and almost immediately became incapacitated by health issues for 9 months. The good news is that I had surgery 2 weeks ago and it may have fixed a lot of things (at the very least it should have fixed the more recent problems). Here's hoping I become more functional once I'm out of recovery! I really miss this corner of the internet, and the progress the community has made since I was last active is incredible. There's so much more going on and it seems like people can actually talk freely about stuff without the crushing amount of gatekeeping and outside mockery that used to be a constant.

[thetadelta]

Does anyone have a link to resources regarding the known origins of nonhuman/therian identities, like is there a compiled list somewhere of different root causes for therian identities?

I know of the general categories of spiritual and psychological origins but I’d love to see something that outlines specifics within each category; like past lives, walk-in spirits, neurodiversity, trauma, imprinting, etc. if that already exists somewhere!

Thanks!

[thetadelta]

Image description: A 3-panel meme. The first panel pictures a sleeping canine and the text "Questioning my sexuality". The second panel pictures the canine having awoken and the text "Questioning my gender". The third panel pictures the canine with glowing red eyes and the text "Questioning my species". Description ends.

found this on pinterest, can say this is very true

[thetadelta]

... I'm just imagining the experience of a completely human kid with openly therian parents

"Were you raised by wolves or something?" "A coyote and a badger actually"

We need an alterhuman dating app for serious grownups who want serious relationships. Is it too much to ask for, to want to raise a family with another nonhuman?

[thetadelta]

Sorry if you're asked this a lot, but do you have any good sources to read about theriantropy? Especially off Tumblr? Im trying to reconnect with my therian identity and it's been a while since I've done any reading so I have no idea where to start lol. Thank you!

Here's a list on some stuff where you can read about therianthropy and therian experiences. This isn't the end-all be-all to what's out there, and some things in this may be outdated but still worth a gander:

Alterhuman Archive's therianthropy section. An archive with 230~ writings by therians or otherwise about therianthropy. Don't be afraid to poke around the websites or blogs where these writings are linked from, either!

Radiant Obscurities. A project dedicated to showcasing writings about personal animality (especially those of more uncommon or rare theriotypes.)

Project Shift. An older information and resource site about therianthropy. Some things may be very out of date, but it's still worth looking into-- just keep that in mind.

WereLibrary. An archive dedicated specifically to writings about therianthropy, with 84 writings.

I also recommend my partner system House of Chimeras' Therian Timeline ebook. I know there's more out there too-- check the notes on this post to see if folks have added in their own recommendations!

[thetadelta]

Hi, I'm back! This is the new location for thetadelta. I'm still catching up on what's happened in the community during my absence but I am available as an information resource with the caveat that some of my community knowledge/terminology may be a few years out of date. Please, please correct me if you see that happen!

About Me

I am a queer, trans, autistic polytherian. I was previously active in the Tumblr therian/otherkin community from 2012-2018, but I've lurked and/or dabbled in various corners of the internet since 2006.

My theriotypes are snow leopard (contherian), gyrfalcon, barred owl, and some sort of deer-shaped forest spirit thing I'm still figuring out.

You can also find me me at awkwardtherianthings, which I'm planning on revisiting when I have the time, and at my non-therian blog.

- Information for Newcomers -

This is a therianthropy blog. A therianthrope, or “therian” for short, is a person who in some way identifies as a nonhuman animal.

If you think I am delusional for believing that I am mentally/spiritually nonhuman I don’t blame you — you have every right to be skeptical and I’m glad you don’t believe everything you read on the internet. You are free to share any material I write here even if you plan to use it to mock me; in all honesty it will probably give me a good laugh if you do so (so please do!).

If, however, you are genuinely interested in therianthropy you can either message me or take a look through my tags:

Basics - A few posts to get you started

Informative - General tag for useful information and discussion

Resources - Posts with links to information outside of Tumblr

Discovery - Posts about figuring out if you are a therian/otherkin and/or finding your theriotype

Note that all posts tagged "archive" have been moved over from my old blog and date between 2012-2018.

-

All posts I make are derived from my own knowledge, experiences, and opinions, and while I do my best to provide as many perspectives as possible when answering questions I am only one person. There is no universally agreed-upon "right" way to view therianthropy, and I strongly encourage you to seek information from multiple sources and to always keep an open mind.

I intend for this blog to be screen reader accessible, but I may forget to add image descriptions to reblogs on occasion so let me know if that happens and I will fix it ASAP.

My icon image is by OdysseusUT, used with permission.

[thetadelta]

Image description: A woman holding her head in her hands, with the text "my bladder is full, but I can't urinate until I find a ceramic bowl of water". End description.

This was the very first thing I posted on my old blog, so I feel it's only fitting to have it here, too. My sense of humor has not improved.

Human problems.

[thetadelta]

Hi, I'm just curious about you. How come that you knew that you were 'otherkin' or how does this thing works? Or are you just very interested in snow leopards or is there something spiritual behind? Is this some sort of religion? I've never heard of this before and I'd be happy if you would like to explain. I respect you for the one you are, and I will leave your personal life to yourself. And I won't be turned down if you are tired of explaining or if you don't feel like answering.

I’m perfectly happy talking to anyone about it :3

Therianthropy (a therian is someone who identifies as an animal) isn’t something that can be fully explained through words. For me it’s both mental and spiritual; it shapes the way I see and interact with the world. I’ve always inherently known that I somehow wasn’t human, which is nearly impossible to explain to someone whose brain agrees with their body. There’s a feeling of subtle wrongness, that everything around you, including your physical self, doesn’t quite belong. It wasn’t until I was ten or so that I realized that wasn’t normal, though. Before then I would ask the other kids what animal they were and get confused when they didn’t know ^^;

Therianthropy isn’t an interest or a religion, it’s who you are. It isn’t a choice, but rather something you discover about yourself. Some (like myself) have always known, but others may go years or even decades before realizing why they have never felt completely at home in their own skin.

Most therians experience “shifts” where our instincts or physical perception of ourselves changes to fit our inner animal. “Mental shifts” are when our thought processes change. We may feel the urge to growl, run through the trees, or build a den, for example; it can become overwhelming to the point where it’s nearly impossible to suppress. During intense shifts it can become difficult or even impossible to speak and act normally so it sucks when you get a strong one in public. “Phantom shifts" are when we feel limbs that we do not physically possess. I constantly feel ears on top of my head and a long tail sprouting from my lower back. They move as they are supposed to, and generally avoid hitting physical objects. Occasionally I will get “real” neural feedback from them, like pain when someone steps on my tail.

My perception of myself fluctuates between a human body with a tail and ears and a fully feline one, though thankfully it generally leans toward the human side (walking feels really weird when your legs are the wrong proportions and only two of them touch the ground).

Shifts can be triggered by a number of things, the most common ones being emotion and being near/looking at either the animal you feel like you are or a place that animal lives. I’ve noticed that I have a lot more control over my shifts than a lot of therians, though… I can also “cameo shift” at will (phantom/mental shift as pretty much whatever I want), but I don’t think that’s too common so I won’t go into detail.

I’ve had mental shifts for as long as I can remember, and I started experiencing noticeable ���phantom shifts” around age twelve/thirteen; I learned how to cameo shift at the same time.

Additionally some therians, like myself, identify as more than one animal. The most common numbers of “theriotypes” are one and two; I have three, though two of them are significantly weaker (i.e, they only cause phantom shifts most of the time and do not affect my personality). I am a snow leopard/barred owl/gyrfalcon. I am real-life friends with a wolf/raven, fox/snake, domestic dog/cat/reindeer, marten/crow, and a number of others.

I hope that was helpful!

[thetadelta]

Regarding a conversation spaced over several different posts dealing with otherkin and therians that experience extreme dysphoria with their human bodies and/or lament their human lives vs Otherkin and therians who only experience a small degree of discomfort, no discomfort and/or have accepted or embraced their human bodies and lives.

There is not set deffinition, not really, for what an otherkin or a therian happen to be-other than feeling nonhuman to some extent in some way- they are useful labels we can use to find others of a similar mind or experience as well as putting a name to what we feel.

What those words are not, is a list of criteria that if you don’t meet you are not truly a therian or otherkin.

I’ve heard in the community before, both on otherkin centric forums as well as therian centric forums, that if you ask 10 of us what it mean you’re going to get 12 different answers. 

We all experience being other in different ways. Even our reasons for being other vary wildly from the spiritual, to the psychological, to possibly nuerological to no discernable reason at all.

Some of experience extreme body dysphoria and discomfort in their human bodies, some only feel slight discomfort, and others don’t feel any at all.

At one point in my life, I DID feel a fair amount of discomfort with my human self and life, but I believe now that it was born mostly out of immaturity and lack of true experience and thought to my kintype. I was young, and new to this and it was my life. It pained me that I could not be what I was, have my wings.

But now? Not so much. The moment I learned to accept this human life, that there are beautilful things about it. People, things, adventures to be had, that the world is full of wonderous and awful things and that humans have such a great potential for..everything! That I get to experience mortality, get to love and eat and fight and fuck and then die old and feeble, how great an experience it all is, thats when my discomfort vanished.

Does this somehow make me less otherkin than someone who does continouosly experience discomfort? No of course not.

Does it mean everyone experiencing discomfort is becuase they are not mature enough to truly realize how wonderful human life is? No of course not.

We all experience it DIFFERENTLY, it is an individual and personal experience, and trying to set extreme limitations and deffinitions on it is only going to cause problems.

It will exculde people, or drive them away from the community on the basis that they experience their therianthropy or otherkinness differently than the person who “made the rules” does.

Hell, by the very nature of what we are, set deffinitions and criteria just don’t work. Its too individual, too personal to lay down those kind of hard rules.

And we shouldn’t, we should welcome everyone regardless of how they experience it.

[thetadelta]

You're one of the only reasonable people in the otherkin community, so I figured you could answer this. I'm positive I'm a 'kin, but I can't help but feel like more than one animal. Is that normal?

I like to think I’m reasonable; glad you agree ~

To answer your question, most of my real-life therian friends are more than one animal, and so am I. Supposedly that is not the case with most people, but in my experience “poly-therians” are far more common than people think. Some have one “main” theriotype (i.e, animal identity) and one or more less influential ‘types, while others will have multiple equally strong ‘types. Here are some examples of theriotype combinations in people I know personally:

Snow leopard (main), leucistic barred owl / gyrfalcon (secondary), others (weak) [this is me]

Gray wolf (main), raven (secondary)

Yorkshire terrier mutt / hairless cat (main), reindeer (secondary)

Melanistic red fox / green venomous snake (main)

Marten / Crow (main)

Different ‘types will generally become stronger or weaker in different situations. My dog/cat friend, for example, feels strongly canine when she is around people but strongly feline when she is alone or in a bad mood, and my avian side(s) are most prominent when I am feeling insecure and when there is dramatic weather. Physical surroundings are very influential for most therians, as well (e.g, whether my wings are barred owl or gyrfalcon ones usually depends entirely on where I am).

How much someone’s theriotype(s) influence them (if they do at all) also differs from person to person - any number of your theriotypes may be part of your personality, and it may not be clear at first which ones are and which are not. Some (like myself) have their main nonhuman identity integrated into their personality in such a way that they are always in a state of partial “shift”. That is, human/nonhuman mental composition may change but the nonhuman part never dips below a certain percentage, often resulting in consistently present phantom limbs and noticeably nonhuman personality quirks. The general term for this is “suntherian”; there are also “contherians” who always feel partially nonhuman but do not experience shifts. In contrast, some therians/otherkin feel almost entirely human most of the time and only experience phantom limbs and nonhuman instincts when a shift is triggered.

In short, there is no “right” or “normal” way to be a therian/otherkin; your identity is unique. Just observe yourself and patterns will appear.

Happy introspection, and good luck!

[thetadelta]

Before I post my large entry on otherkin, I’ll give a little preface. I’m skeptical about the whole concept, and for good reason. Most of the things that people use as evidence to their otherkin/therian identity can be explained as being part of your human condition, and they’re often overlooked. Ultimately no one can tell you what to identify as but yourself, nor can they invalidate your feelings on the subject. However it’s good to challenge these feelings and debunk what can be debunked. First off I’ll say it’s not healthy to identify as otherkin because you don’t like humans or you think they’re boring. Humans are some of the most complex creatures in the universe, and definitely the most complex on earth. Many can do bad things, but just as many can do amazingly good and beautiful things too, so it’s not fair to rule them out as boring or evil creatures. Even if you do identify as another species, a part of you IS human, especially biologically. In body, you are just as human as everyone else. That comes with a lot of possibility for psychological quirks, which are more than possible. 

Phantom limbs should not be the deciding factor. The fact is, humans are very imaginative, and basically whatever they can imagine… they can also believe and feel is real. Any layman could be told to imagine whiskers, wings, claws, or hooves, and they will start to get phantom feelings. So phantom limbs do not mean you are inhuman. Is it interesting and could it be a ‘side effect’ of your ‘other’ identity? Perhaps. Still, it shouldn’t be the deciding factor, because anyone can create these sensations. With that out of the way, we still need to explore other psychological options. After all, a lot of otherkin claim to feel ‘alienated’ from humans, myself included. A lot of them also come from rough backgrounds. You need to make sure your feelings of alienation don’t stem from social ineptitude, or your being a very isolated person. Your upbringing should be considered too. If you grew up in an isolated environment, or without proper socialization, chances are you won’t connect with other people very well. Abuse can cause the same feelings. Those need to be addressed before you consider your ‘other’ identity.

When and how you started to become aware of your ‘other’ identity should be considered too. Was it after you discovered the otherkin community? Have you always felt this way? Is it something natural in you or something learned? Does it feel natural or do you have to try hard to fit into your other identity? Does it impact your life or can you hide it easily? It’s also good to make sure you actually fit into your other identity. If your personality doesn’t match the creature you feel you are at your core, then chances are that isn’t what you are. You should also make sure that you aren’t mistaking your other identity for something else. For example, maybe you think you identify with species A, when really you’re more like species B, which is similar in behaviour/personality/so on. It’s good to look at other species and not just the ones you favour. You might feel a connection with one, but discover another and have an even deeper connection.

Only you can truly know yourself. You may be human biologically, but it’s healthy to explore the psyche, the subconscious, the spirit, the soul, and so on. These feelings could also be related to past lives, which shouldn’t be ruled out either. Still, it’s best to think critically and debunk what can be debunked, while keeping an open mind. It’s also a good idea to make sure these feelings aren’t results of serious psychological issues. After all, blaming your social dysfunction on the fact you’re a harpy isn’t healthy. Claiming to be an ancient griffin for an ego-boost isn’t healthy. Using these feelings as a crutch to support past wounds isn’t healthy. If you truly want to identify as another species, you should do it to help you on your spiritual and life journey. If you identify as the wolf, you should use the knowledge of the wolf to become a better person. You should also be aware that people out there who do identify as otherkin/therians more seriously will probably call you out if you identify as a creature and don’t follow the path of said creature, along with other things. Not knowing what you were from the start makes more serious therians doubt your claims, I’ve found. 

All in all, some serious soul-searching should be done before you start identifying as another creature. It shouldn’t be something found out overnight, but something sought after until you have some concrete answers. In the end, it’s your say.

[thetadelta]

A thing that makes me skeptical about therians is... Why does everyone realize they identify as a stereotypically "cool" animal? I only ever hear about dragons, big cats, wolves, birds of prey, etc. How can this be a real phenomenon if it is skewed in "favor" of animals that human societies have historically adored or respected? It seems to me that with these trends, people are more likely to identify as certain animals depending on cultural background. And that makes it feel like make-believe.

Not all therians are “cool” animals. I know and have met many people who are rodents and ungulates (squirrels, rabbits, reindeer, etc) as well as other “less desirable” things (hairless cats, fish, songbirds, vultures), and have heard tell of insect therians popping up in online communities from time to time.

The number of people who identify as large predators is disproportionally high, however. There are a number of possible explanations for this; I believe it is caused by a few things:

Not everyone who posts online about being a therian/otherkin actually is one. A lot of people dabble in therian communities as part of teenage rebellion or identity-seeking, and they gravitate towards “cool” animals because they want to feel special.

Some of the people who identify as “cool” animals do so because they feel a kinship with that animal’s family and stuck with an animal they knew instead of doing research. An example of this would be a self-proclaimed wolf therian who, if they were to do some more soul-searching, would realize they are actually a dhole.

A lot of therians (I would say the vast majority, speaking from experience) have never heard the word “therianthropy” and probably never will. What you see on the internet is only a small cross-section of what’s really out there. Perhaps people who identify as predators are more likely to recognize and explore that part of themselves, since having a predator-brain is a very significant shift from the normal human mindset.

liongoatsnake:

To add to this, the therian community can be unwelcoming or off-putting to non-predator and/or non-mammalian therians. Discussion on therian forums tends to favor the experiences of more common theriotypes. If someone’s theriotype doesn’t experience things like hunting instincts, vocalizations, etc they might not have much to say and thus won’t be as active. (Also, topics on say grazing instincts, perching instincts, and so on also can be easily overlooked due to the few people who can talk about such experiences.)  Also, therians with predator theriotypes sometimes react in unsettling ways to therians with non-predator theriotypes. I’ve personally had several wolf therians talk about how “tasty I am” or how they “promise not to hunt me” only to get mad when I point out we are all human and what they said isn’t funny. So, because of these, and other reasons, non-predator and/or non-mammalian therians might be more apt to not be that active or not be active at all in the community.

If you subscribe to the idea of nonhuman identity as a side-effect of past lives, these are also possible explanations:

“Cool” animals are generally ones that live longer and have more complex minds, so they leave a greater impression that is more likely to impact later lives. “Shifting” as a shellfish wouldn’t feel like much.

A lot of “cool” animals are going extinct while the number of humans is rising, so the likelihood of a human getting the soul/energy/whatever of one of those animals is greater.

Most of the “cool” animals have a spiritual/cultural connection to humans, which might dictate how likely they are to become human in a future life.

Finally, I would like to note that therianthropy is a trait, not a choice - the only decision we make is whether or not we acknowledge it as part of who we are. I did not choose to be a snow leopard, it’s just who I am. I don’t think of snow leopards as being in any way superior to other animals, and it would be the same if I were anything else.

As always, feel free to send me questions or correct/debate anything I’ve said!

EDIT: growlbarkrunhide’s reply is worth reading, but it’s a bit too long to paste directly into this post.

[thetadelta]

Excuse me but can you can please explain astral limbs?

Astral limbs are essentially supernumerary phantom limbs, where a person experiences sensations in a body part that is not physically there (and would not normally be, distinguishing them from amputee phantom limbs). Many (if not most) therians and otherkin experience phantom limb sensations with varying frequency.

I, for example, constantly feel a tail sprouting from my lower back and small ears on top of my head. I know that they are not physically there and cannot see them, but they react to my surroundings and I can feel them move. If someone steps on my tail I feel some discomfort (and occasionally pain), but it passes through objects like a ghost if there isn’t enough room. I will sometimes feel other body parts such as a muzzle, retractable claws, and fur. Other therians/otherkin may only experience phantom/astral limbs sporadically, and some do not have them at all.

Some people (usually those who can see auras, I believe) can see phantom/astral limbs, and a good number of others (myself included) can sense them in a sort of “sixth sense” way.

Historically, the term “phantom limb” has been used to describe this phenomenon, but some people now use “astral limb” because they feel that “phantom limb” may be offensive to amputees and/or because they think “astral limb” is more descriptive of what they experience. Both terms are used at this point in time; generally more spiritual therians/otherkin gravitate towards “astral”, while psychological therians/otherkin stick with “phantom”.

[thetadelta]

Nonhuman limbs and health

When I’m healthy I feel my phantom/astral limbs essentially all the time and they act and move normally. When I’m in poor physical health, however, my tail and wings get heavy and sluggish and may even drag on the ground. Alternatively, if my mental health isn’t great then I can barely feel them. It’s so reliable that I can actually use my nonhuman limbs to assess the source of health issues - if I’m feeling overly tired and my wings are dragging then I’m probably coming down with a cold, but if I can barely feel them it’s likely depression instead.

I’m not sure if this pattern applies to anyone else, but it’s certainly food for thought.

EDIT:

Going by the comments it seems like this applies to a lot of people, so it’s definitely something to be aware of if you’re someone who experiences phantom/astral limbs a lot.

In general, rapid and/or significant changes in the way you experience shifts (any kind of shift, not just phantom limbs) should be something you pay attention to.

[thetadelta]

What is otherkin?

There really needs to be some way of making sticky posts on Tumblr because this question gets  asked so often. 

Otherkin are people who internally, not physically(!), identify as nonhuman. Yes, we do know that we’re living human lives currently, and that we are physically human.

If that nonhuman being is an earthly animal, like birds, wolves, cats fish, etc. then that person is called a therian. Otherkin who are not therians might identify as anything else, like elves, mermaids, fae, angels and so on. There is also a subset called fickin who identify as fictional characters which may or may not be human. (I don’t have as much experience with fickin, so if you want details there, you’d need to ask them.) 

Different people have different explanations for how such an identification comes about. Some believe it’s a spiritual belief, such as being that thing in a previous life, or incarnation, or any other spiritual explanation you can think of. Some otherkin aren’t into the spiritual explanation and go for something more psychological or neruological. Calling it a coping mechanism seems to be popular right now, but I really don’t see it that way. Coping mechanisms are things you do, not who you are.

Either way, it is not something that is consciously chosen. You don’t choose to be otherkin. You don’t consciously choose your kintype. It’s not roleplaying. It’s not a mental exercise. It’s not pretending. It’s not a phase that you grow out of. You usually see younger kin on tumblr, but that’s not because there aren’t older ones. It’s just that the older ones who are more comfortable and experienced with their identities don’t seek outward validation or advice as often.

Anyway, it is something that is discovered, not made (up). Some otherkin aren’t sure what their kintype is when they start, and that can take time to figure out. They may try on different things to see how they fit. That’s not the same as choosing a type and forcing yourself into it. Like wearing the wrong size shoes, that will rub you the wrong way and eventually you have to abandon it for something else. Discovering the right fit takes a lot of introspection, meditation, honesty and persistence. But once you find it, it doesn’t fade over time. I’ve had the same kintype for twenty years and counting, through good and bad, through highs and lows. Even for otherkin who aren’t spiritual, the journey of finding your true inner self can feel like a spiritual thing, or philosophical at least. 

[thetadelta]

do you have any tips on figuring out if something is just a cameo shift as opposed to an additional kintype? im not really capable of meditation so thats never helped me :/

I usually say that if the cameo shifts are recurring for more than a week, they might be worth exploring as a second kintype. It’s up to you to determine when they’re frequent enough to be considered not-cameo shifts, but a week is a safe bet before exploration.

-Mod Jag