deitykin? cool. what's not cool? demanding sacrifices and altars and worship just bc ur deitykin. that was a past life, dude. you gotta work for it now. nobody's stopping you from feeling divine but you have no right to push yourself onto other people.
We’ve heard it from community members and antis alike: the divinekin community is “toxic.” But what does that mean?
When somebody says a person, group, or setting is “toxic,” the very base idea that they’re trying to get at is that it’s potentially harmful to be in. If the air in a particular place is toxic, for example, you shouldn’t spend extended amounts of time there without access to clean air. Many would opt to avoid that place entirely. Some, depending on circumstance, may still find the place worth the effort and preparation it requires.
It’s true that almost any religious group has the potential to breed certain unhealthy characteristics. No religious organization is without its glaring flaws. No religious group is free of harmful characters.
There are many faults that people see within our community, and I’ve absolutely seen many of them firsthand. We can all name plenty: asking for worship, claiming to be the only source of a particular divine energy, directing others’ beliefs… the list really does go on. And there’s very little arguing that these are inappropriate behaviors.
Let me explain something, briefly. This is a small community, and much of it happens to be young, and/or mentally ill, and/or members of otherwise marginalized groups. When a person is disempowered, they’re an easy and coveted target for cultish behavior. Not only is this a fairly well-known idea, it’s also heavily capitalized upon by budding cult leaders and political figureheads. It’s a strategy used by TEFs, fascists, and priests alike: hook them while they’re vulnerable. When they have little to no access to research and philosophical development of their own. This isn’t a fault of the victims, obviously. And it’s not something inherent to a divine identity. But we HAVE to be aware of what we do and say around vulnerable people, because whether we intend to or not, we can seriously fuck a person up that way.
The fact of the matter is that this community IS toxic. It has the potential to cause harm. It DOES cause harm, often. Does that mean it’s a bad community? No. Does that mean it’s bad to be divine? HELL no. Does that mean that we’re all compliant in the levels of toxicity within the community, for better or worse? Well, yeah.
You can blame others for it all you want, but we’re all here. Directly or not, by identifying as a part of the divine community, we’re all participating in the atmosphere we create. Your choices aren’t “partake or don’t.” If you’re an active part of the divine community on Tumblr, you’re a responsible party. ESPECIALLY if you’re an adult. E S P E C I A L L Y if you’re an adult who interacts with minors. For the record, I do know several divine folks who opt not to take part in the community at all, some of whom don’t even have a Tumblr or mention it to anybody except extremely close friends in real life.
All this to pose the question: what are you doing to make this a safer community? And I do want answers here, this isn’t rhetorical. What are you doing, what do you want to do, and what can others do to keep the divine community in check so that it doesn’t end up hurting others? So that YOU don’t hurt others?
Big Big Big Disclaimer: These are my own definitions, and my own understanding of other folks' definitions. If you have any information that I missed, edits you would suggest, or corrections to what I have said, please do not hesitate to let me know!
If you agree with this post, I'd love a reblog, but don't feel pressured to use these same definitions that I do. I'm just like, a little tired of people (Antis? Sealions?) asking the same questions over and over.
In his post, I'm going to address two types of terms: actually_______ and _______kin; within these groups I will address actuallydivine, actuallyangelic, actuallydemonic, and actuallydeific/actuallydeified --- as well as divinekin, angelkin, demonkin, and deitykin/godkin.
This is a really long post, by the way. It’s sort of an essay and it’s like, over 2k words. There’s a pretty tongue-in-cheek tl;dr at the end, but you can probably absorb most of the information by skimming it.
ACTUALLY__________ :
Usually, if someone uses actually_______, rather than ______kin, they are probably purposefully distancing themself from the general 'kin narrative. I think this can sometimes be misinterpreted as a (literally) “holier-than-thou” attitude, but in my experience, it is almost always deeper than that.
Actuallydivine, as a tag, was started by a person (who I will not tag unless they would like me to) who had delusions* of being a deity due to their mental illness. The tag mimics other tags intended to form community between folks with the same/similar mental illnesses, such as a.ctuallya.utistic or a.ctuallyps.ychotic (censored to avoid cluttering these tags). It is not appropriative of these tags, because the origins are the same.
*The DSM V defines “delusions” as follows: “[F]ixed beliefs that are not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. Their content may include a variety of themes (e.g. persecutory, referential, somatic, religious, grandiose)”
Note that this definition differs from the DSM IV definition, “A false belief based on incorrect inference about external reality that is firmly sustained despite what almost everyone else believes and despite what constitutes incontrovertible and obvious proof or evidence to the contrary,” which bases “external reality” on the popular belief.
Initially, the tag was intended to be used exclusively by deities, and not by otherkin. The creator initially requested that posts not be tagged with both actuallydivine and divinekin, or other forms of cross-posting. The fact that it’s been taken over by otherkin has irritated several of the non-’kin folks who use the tag, especially those who have been using the tag for a long time.
Actuallydivine has also branched out somewhat to include religious beliefs that involve self-deification -- that is to say, those who believe that they are gods for personal religious reasons. This is where I fall, as well as most of the actuallydivine folks I’ve had extended conversations with. These religious beliefs are, understandably, quite intimate and individual, but are often characterized by meditation, self-worship and autodevotional acts, and forming community (if not organized, then at least supportive) with other actuallydivine folks, even if the specifics of their religious beliefs differ wildly.
Actuallyangelic is a newer tag which is a subset of actuallydivine. It is characterized as a mental delusion or religious belief that one is, predictably, an angel. Most often, this refers to angels and angelology within Abrahamic religions (ARs). However, this can also refer to angels from Non-Abrahamic religions (Non-ARs), or even angels that do not originate from religious faiths at all. “Abrahamic” is a bit of an umbrella term, used for religions which originate or identify with the figure Abraham. The most common Abrahamic religions are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, although there are others. You can read more here (Wikipedia link).
It may be appropriate here to define “angel,” given that it’s a fairly fluid word, despite its fixed cultural image. Here, angel is presumed to mean a spiritual or celestial being, who is partially or fully immortal, who acts as an attendant, servant, messenger, agent, or envoy to a deity or concept. “Angel” as a word originates from the Greek “angelos,” meaning messenger.
Actuallydemonic, as might be expected, is similar to the above, used by those with mental delusions or religious beliefs that they are a demon. This can also appear in an Abrahamic sense, usually as the “opposite” of an angel, as an unpleasant or evil spirit, or the servant of an “evil” or devilish deity (namely Satan). However, just as angels, demons can have beliefs stemming from Non-ARs as well.
A demon, in this case, is defined as a baneful or chaotic spiritual servant to a (similarly baneful or chaotic) deity or concept, much like an angel. Also like angels, the word “demon” originates from the Greek “daemon,” meaning a supernatural being either personifying a concept, or occupying a divine space between gods and mortals.
Finally, actuallydeific, or actuallydeified, is a very new label, reaching back toward the roots of the actuallydivine tag. It is a subset of actuallydivine, encompassing the specific mental delusion or religious belief that one is a deity. It was created, perhaps in protest or perhaps in abdication, of the influx of actuallyangelic folks and angelkin in the actuallydivine tag. This is where I stand, specifically, and I mainly interact with other deities.
__________KIN:
The definition of “otherkin” varies based on who you ask -- their communities, their age, their politics, and their particular kintypes. For the sake of my post, I will use the simplest and most common definition I have run into: “One who identifies as partially or entirely nonhuman.” This leaves a lot of room for interpretation, and can be used to convey almost any related belief -- psychological, religious or spiritual, family lore, and even very straightforward literal beliefs. One may believe they were a dog in a past life, that they have generations-old fae heritage, or that they are an alien who was put in the place of a human child in infancy, and all of these could count as “otherkin.”
As such, one who is divinekin may have countless reasons for believing so. Many divinekin believe that they have either died and been reincarnated as a mortal, or that they were sent to earth for a particular reason. Using the given definition, those who classify as actuallydivine may also classify as divinekin. However, there is a sizeable movement to distance the two, as many people in the actuallydivine community do not resonate with the general image or narrative associated with the divinekin community.
Angelkin are, in my experience, one of the more popular divine kintypes. These are folks who identify, either partially or entirely, as angels -- again, most commonly Abrahamic, but many from Non-ARs as well. This can range from anyone who fully believes that they are the Archangel Gabriel incarnate, to those who are kin with a fictional angelic character from media, to those with whom an angelic aesthetic simply resonates deeply.
Similarly, demonkin identify as fully or partially demonic -- that is to say, as one who fits the above definition of a demon.
godkin, or deitykin, are people who identify as deities. They may be full incarnations of these gods, or “shards” -- small pieces of the full deity inhabiting, possessing, or being possessed by a mortal body. It is notable that shards are likely far more common than full incarnations, as a human body There are many different kinds of deities, and not all deitykin identify as gods that you might recognize. While some deitykin identify as gods which are mentioned in surviving mythology found on earth, others are deities whose myths have all been lost to time, who were worshiped remotely or unofficially, who were not recorded, or who were never even worshiped on earth to begin with.
MISCONCEPTIONS:
Angels, demons, and deities are the only types of divine beings.
Nope. A real definition of who “counts” as divine would be impossible. This varies culturally as well as personally. Many considered their royalty to be partially divine, or sanctioned by the gods. Prophets and oracles, and other channels/vessels of the gods, are sometimes considered divine, and sometimes not. Some people consider all Fae to be divine, some consider no Fae to be divine, and some believe that the Fae have their own structures of religion and government. Whether one is “divine,” actuallydivine, or divinekin, is up to them.
All divinekin want worship.
Nah. Many divinekin are pretty uncomfortable with the concept of being worshiped here. Some do want worship, yeah, but nobody is required to do that. Yeah, it’s pretty unhealthy to ask for worship of others, and most divine folks will agree. If you see a post that says “WORSHIP ME,” there are a few things it might be. It may be a vent post, not intended at anybody, but expressing a feeling related to divinity on somebody’s personal blog. It may be a troll pretending to be divine. And, potentially, you may have found a person who is genuinely asking for worship. In any case, it’s best not to interact with the post at all. And, hey, some folks like to perform devotional acts for their friends. That’s for them to discuss together as consenting individuals, and you don’t need to be a part of it.
Divinekin are going to hell.
Probably not. Some of them, maybe! It really depends on your religious beliefs. If you thing that anybody not of your religious belief is going to hell, then sure, you’re probably well within your rights to include divinekin in there. But that’s on you, not them.
Divinekin are hubristic / divinekin insult my religious beliefs.
Again, this is more dependent on your religious beliefs than on theirs. If divinekin thought that they were going to be punished for hubris, they wouldn’t be expressing themselves in that way. The thing is, gods aren’t usually punished by other gods in the same way that mortals are. Their religious beliefs are as valid as your own.
Divinekin think they are immortal, or better than others.
Yet again, some, yeah, but not all. Most divinekin, like otherkin, are aware of the limitations of the body they’re in. The belief that one is literally immortal is often associated with mental illness, by the way, and even if a person thinks they’re literally, physically immortal, is it really your business to tell them otherwise? Unless you are their doctor, no. It’s not.
Divinekin sometimes think they’re better than others. If that upsets you, you don’t have to engage with them. It will make both of you feel bad. A lot of divinekin also struggle with some serious self-worth issues. Again, unless you are their doctor or their friend, it’s probably not your business to deal with.
All divinekin are a particular way (young, white, trans, mentally ill, unmedicated, uneducated, unstable, bullies, etc.
Verifiably incorrect. Looking through the tags immediately yields sets of selfies from divine POC. You will find posts from divine beings over 20 (such as this one!), even over 30, 40 years -- remember that around 40% of tumblr users are under 25. You will see the blogs of divine folks who are trans and cis, of all kinds of genders, including cultural third genders, intersex... the list goes on.
The point is that we’re a varied group. Many divine folks on tumblr are seeing or seeking psychiatrists, taking medication or in the process of receiving prescriptions, or don’t feel the need to seek out this kind of support. My therapist knows about my religious beliefs and agrees that they’re a non-issue. If they were contributing to self-harm in some way, she and I would both want to change that. But the fact is, they don’t.
There’s this common misunderstanding that all divinekin are cruel. This is perpetuated by personal stories ( “I had a friend who was divinekin and they wanted me to worship them, and when I didn’t they [blackmailed me/self harmed/abused me/accused me of abuse/etc].” ) which, while these are often at least partially true, and very very unfortunate, and worthy of sympathy, they’re passed around as a scare tactic in order to demonize (haha) people’s mental illnesses, spiritual beliefs, or personal identities. Most of the divinekin I know would definitely not participate in this kind of abuse. Have I met some divinekin who would? Absolutely. But I’ve also met plenty of abusers who weren’t divinekin. The two don’t seem to correlate significantly.
At the end of the day, whether somebody is any particular way is not your business unless it’s directly and actively harming you -- at which point it is not your responsibility to change that person, but to keep yourself safe. If you have negative experiences with a person who is divinekin, you have every right to get away from that person, but you don’t have a right to say that every divinekin is bad because of your experience with that person. And that person has a right to retain their personal beliefs, but they do not have a right to continue abusing you or others because of them.
TL;DR for divine folks: You’re great! Learn the difference between actuallydivine and divinekin, learn about your origins, pay attention to each others’ boundaries and needs, and be good to each other!
TL;DR for non-divine folks, sealions, trolls, anti-kin, or anyone made uncomfortable by divinekin and actuallydivine folks in general: The block button exists. Other religious beliefs from yours exist. People in communities probably know more about the communities than people outside of them, and individuals probably know more about themselves than you know about them.
Hello everybody, I’m a deity of maternity and creation and I am just looking to speak with other divines. I will always accept any human that wishes to talk as well : ). You can send me a message or interact with this post and I will come into contact with you.
