AWAKENING?

Yes, I know, an all caps subject isn't "nice" but I wants attention.

Awakening is a term frequently used in otherkin and in new-age circles.
What I would like to know is; (And please reply without reading other people's answers.. I want YOUR thoughts)

If I asked you to explain what an awakening is, how would you explain it?

Note again, I want each and every one who's remotely interested to give his her own words on this.

Now, I won't give my definition, but that's because I don't really think the term has any real validity. I just don't like the term sort of thing.

The reason I'm asking is research.
I'm going back to my writing, going back to making my otherkin book, and as a part of that I would like to know what the word means to all of you, so that I can have a logical basis off of stating how it's used in otherkin circles.
The reason I want everyone to answer before reading other people's answers is because I want you to give me the definition you've been working off of before reading this thread. To see how this is inside your heads without "interfering" with the definitions you currently possess.

To anyone who doesn't want to answer, fine by me, I won't ask you to do something you don't want to..
To those of you who do answer.
Thank you, I'll make note of you in my list of "sources", which will end up three miles long. <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s -->

<!-- s:evil: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_evil.gif" alt=":evil:" title="Evil or Very Mad" /><!-- s:evil: --> Nn, I don't really like the term either. For me, it has several meanings:

1) Suddenly regaining memories of past lives or otherkin identity
2) Discovering otherkin identity (are you elven, therian, etc.?) "naturally" i.e. via revelation, dream, etc. and exploring it
3) Discovering the term and realizing that other people have felt like you have your whole life
4) Discovering the term/community, thinking it might fit, and actively exploring the idea

Those are broad, I could make them more specific but that is what I think in a nutshell. <!-- s:geek: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_geek.gif" alt=":geek:" title="Geek" /><!-- s:geek: -->

Random emoticon: <!-- s:oops: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_redface.gif" alt=":oops:" title="Embarrassed" /><!-- s:oops: -->

Copied (and slightly elaborated upon) from OKC:

"Awakening," to me (in an otherkin context), means that someone has come to the realization that some part of their self-identity isn't human (for whatever reason, be it past life stuff, phantom limbs, etc.) and said individual makes the conscious decision to explore those feelings and/or adopt "in some way non-human" as part of their self-identity.

When I use the term 'awakening' it's usually refering to a process of becoming self-aware but I use this term for everyone (Otherkin, witchy folk, anyone who uses any kind of magic/energy and anyone who doesn't). In a purely otherkin sense, it'd be becoming aware that you identify part of yourself as something other than standrad 'human'.

As SoulWalker has stated, Awakening is very often used as a term for the beginning of awareness of something usually of the self.

To take it a step deeper, let's look at the word itself. When you interact with someone who just doesn't seem to be "with it," you might use a phrase like "wake up" to convey that they are unaware, as if they were asleep, as to whatever information is right in front of them.

Awakening refers to the sensation of becoming aware of surroundings or seeing things clearly. It can be considered a moment of clarity. Awakening can refer to a person suddenly putting several different occurrences together and coming to the realization of their being Otherkin, it can refer to a person first making an astral journey or first seeing spiritual energies and becoming aware of them, or even refer to a person who is reading a mystery book and having the epiphany that "the butler" did indeed do it.

For me, start of awakening is the state of consciousness about that other myself. Before awakening, I thought I was only human. After, I believe that there is non-human soul within me.
It raises many questions about ourselves and thus, by trying to solving them, we may gain some further knowledge about ourselves. I characterize this as continual process of awakening. (And fully awakened otherkin, should be aware of most of it's non human part, but I don't think that is possible in human body <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" /><!-- s --> )

Miniar Wrote:And please reply without reading other people's answers.. I want YOUR thoughts.

And I didn't cheat either! <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_biggrin.gif" alt=":D" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s -->

Miniar Wrote:If I asked you to explain what an awakening is, how would you explain it?

I have used the term "awakening" before although I personally prefer the term "re-awakening" when referring to my own experiences. But I'll explain that a bit later. I define awakening as the point in time, sometimes described as a light bulb clicking on, where a person becomes aware of their therian or Otherkin nature and then starts to accept it as being true for themselves. For some people this takes years, for others not as long. Most people claim to have always known there was something "different" about themselves, but that there was a specific point in time where they realized the feelings and thoughts/memories for what they were and believed them to be true. That point of realization and the beginning of accepting it is what I think most people are referring to when they talk about "awakening".

For myself personally, I refer to my becoming aware of all the therian-related stuff as my "re-awakening" simply because I have always been this way. I crawled around on all fours as a child, wore a tail as a child, acted like a canine as a child, etc. There was nothing to "awaken" to since I've always been like this, so I prefer to call it my "re-awakening" because I simply became more aware of what was already there. For most people, what I've just described is what they call their own "awakening".

As I stated before, I believe an "awakening" is that point in time where someone comes to realize that they're something other than human on the inside. For some it's a light bulb, for others it's a slow progression of "duh" facts coming to light. It's a different experience for everyone, but that initial realization and then coming to accept it is what I would classify as an awakening. Hope that answers your question!

Miniar Wrote:Thank you, I'll make note of you in my list of "sources", which will end up three miles long. <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s -->

That would be awesome, thank you. Please credit me, if you use my info, as "Elinox". You rock and good luck on your writing!

I don't like the term, it sounds too sudden of a realization. Then again, my own literal wake-ups in the morning are also sudden, so that's probably why.

When I hear someone use the term awakening, it sounds like an "AHA" moment; a lightbulb in their heads. My experience was (and still is) a much more gradual process of self-awareness and self-analysis; little pieces here and there over the course of a decade so far. I didn't have an "aha" moment.

Since awakening's a neologism, I'll use "awake" instead:

Dictionary Wrote:Main Entry: awake
Pronunciation: \ə-ˈwāk\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s):
awoke \-ˈwōk\ ; also awaked \-ˈwākt\ ; awo·ken \-ˈwō-kən\ ; or awaken ; also awoke; awak·ing
Etymology:
Middle English awaken (from Old English awacan, onwacan, from 1a-, on + wacan to awake) & awakien, from Old English awacian, from 1a- + wacian to be awake — more at wake
Date: before 12th century

intransitive verb
1 : to cease sleeping 2 : to become aroused or active again 3 : to become conscious or aware of something <awoke to the possibilities>

transitive verb
1 : to arouse from sleep or a sleeplike state <awoken by the storm> 2 : to make active : stir up <awoke old memories>

"Awakening" is used, in many... erm... "cultures" to describe figuring something out, suddenly or gradually, that one understood before but hadn't fully experienced.
You can "awaken" in say, Christianity, by having an experience with God and fully realizing that it's your savior, yadda yadda yadda.
You could "awaken" in your sexuality by fully realizing you like men, women, both, neither, cookware, etc.
You can "awaken" as Otherkin by fully realizing you're not entirely human: perhaps through a sudden barage of past life memories, or perhaps a phantom shift, or maybe just a sudden thought that bing! You're not human.

Awakening - becoming conscious or aware.
In the case of Otherkin, it is typically assumed that awakening refers to the time and/or process by which an individual becomes conscious or aware of something non-human about himself or his identity.

Pretty straight forward, in my opinion.