Terminology

OK the thread under "General" made me think about this.

Is there a difference among therians (and/or in terminology) if:

(1) one believes they are a wolf soul living in a human body

(2) one believes they have a soul which once was in a wolf body but now is in a human body

(3) one discards the soul concept altogether and just says in a prior life they were a wolf

(4) one says they have a shared wolf/human soul

?
I love thinking of random questions ... but I am honestly wondering. How many kinds of therians are there? What are all the different belief systems? Did we choose to live this life as a human, did we choose a prior life as an animal? Was the animal life an anomaly, or is the human life one?

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I think you've got your list wrong. #3 is the same as #2. Its usually #1, #2, or people believe it is a psychological thing, caused by simply nurture (the things they were around growing up/animals they relate to) or just a different mindset.

As far as my oppinion on the matter...I believe I have wolf imprinted on my soul due to several recent previous lives of a wolf. I also believe that everyone can be right in this matter....or at least possibly right. I can have the reincarnated soul of a wolf, and the next person can simply be human closely related mentally and behaviorily to a wolf.

My only issue with the psychological view (and the reason I stick to otherkin sites) is that...if its only mental, you can't really say you're an animal. You may kinda be like one, and have some quirks that resemble it...but theres nothing that changed your mind to somehow understand the inner workings of an animal.

Myenia Wrote:My only issue with the psychological view (and the reason I stick to otherkin sites) is that...if its only mental, you can't really say you're an animal. You may kinda be like one, and have some quirks that resemble it...but theres nothing that changed your mind to somehow understand the inner workings of an animal.

I'm not sure if I agree or disagree with this. I'm divided between the mental and reincarnation theories. What if psychological therianthropy was a toned down, and more "sane" (if you will) version of lycanthropy? Because personally, if my therianthropy is mentally it doesn't change how I feel. Yes, I am a human, but inside I am a rabbit. However, if I do ever conclude that my therianthropy is mental - I didn't develop into it. It wasn't caused by nuturing, I was born this way.

(So then, can mental therianthropy be divided into two subcategories? Those who believe how they were raised altered their mindset and those who believe that mentally they are different? I personally haven't met anyone who thinks they belong in the first subcategory, only those who think they were just born with different "wiring".)

Most therians I have come in contact with have had the same experiences and feelings that I do. It doesn't seem to matter what the cause of one's therianthropy is; I really believe it to be a universal "feeling" between therians. And as far as theories go, personal beliefs have a lot to do with it. That's why I'm divided; I don't know if I believe in reincarnation, souls and whatnot. I used to 100%, but as time goes on I'm less positive of that route.

Not trying to ruffle any feathers/fur/scales, just throwing that out there. My opinion. And it's fine if you believe mental therianthropy less authentic - I'm not one to ever say what you can or cannot believe in.

But I do agree with the three main types of therianthropy.

Hm, I might have explained it wrong. I've never heard anyone say they became a therian either...but at the same time they say that its all in their mind, develped from things they've been exposed to/just the way they are. My issue is just...for example, with clinical lycanthropy "toned down..." is that they don't believe they're a wolf. They act savage, violent, and animalistic, but it isn't like their mind becomes wolf. A human mind may be different from normal, closely resembling whatever animal...but to actually experience everything as the animal does...it doesnt make sense without a direct animal influence (as in, the actual experience of being that animal at one point or another). IMO...if I hadn't been a wolf in a past life...maybe I'd be territorial, and have a packlike mindset, but I couldn't have ALL the characteristics. Why would my mind experience all those, and also stick on a tail, ears, and whatever else? How does it explain those therians who claim its a mental thing, yet they knew nothing about their animal until they did research?

Anyway, I'm not saying they're wrong, I believe that some are reincarnated, some are psychological, and some others are different still. I just know with me..I was all these things before I knew wolves were. I didn't have the slightest interest in wolves until I started awakening. It had to be an innate part of me...something I'd have even if I didn't know wolves existed.