abandoned therianation sim
werehouse entrance
the sim the very outdated werehouse avatars are located, with information on therianthropy. note cards transcribed below under readmore.
i do not really have any strong opinion on these notecards as they're literally from 2006 and many things have evolved since, they are here for archival purposes.
"What is Therianthropy?"
2006-10-24 04:46:04 note card
Therianthropy- An Overview
Therianthropy, in itself, is very broad and unexplainable. It's core definition is Beast (Gr. Therios) Human (Gr Anthropos). According to Webster's Dictionary, Therianthropy is 1. the state of being part animal and part human. As we, therianthropes, grow as a culture and community, so do our definitions and personal interpretations of "therianthropy". Unfortunately, this "growing" is causing much confusion and ignorance to be spread throughout the general therianthropic community.
Therianthropic itself refers to being part animal and part human. While this connotes "Physical" it is not the case with those that call themselves "Therianthropes". Spiritual and Physchological therianthropy are by far the the most common types for those that do consider themselves part animal. Spiritual therianthropy simply means the soul or spirit of the person is not totally human. The spirit could be wholly animal (and they are human in body), or said person has both a human and animal spirit. This could also refer to those that have animal spirit guides, but that is not considered therianthropy because the animal counterpart is not really a part of the person, in body, mind or spirit. Therianthropy is about accepting the truth about oneself, the animal within, and the human nature and body as well.
Psychological therianthropy is somewhat harder to explain. It has many of the same attributes as Spiritual therianthropy, leading many to believe they are one in the same (which could very well be true). But for this essay's sake, they are not the same, and we will try to make it less confusing as possible. Psychological therianthropy is much more scientific in it's thinking. To some, therianthropy is nothing more than aberrant neurobiology or neurochemistry. They sometimes experience mental charateristics if not the entire mindset, of an animal. This may occur in "shifts", whereas the person almost totally acts like an animal mentally and physically in their movements. Contherianthropes (Non-shifters) are included in this subset, and are both human and animal as one within the mind.
Regardless of how a therianthrope (therian for short) experiences their therianthropy, we all agree that there is something at work, be it spiritual or physical. People from around the globe, in different cultures, times and societies have reported this experience. In their own words, they have written of similiar takes on therianthropy. While therianthropy itself may be intangable and unprovable, the therianthropic experience is a very real phenomena.
Well, let me get back to the original point of this essay. This is being written to help clarify the confusion that is therianthropy. Now that you understand the basics (At least for this essay) we can get to the deeper side of Spiritual Therianthropy. Because we are discussing things of a /spiritual/ nature, many times you'll just have to nod and take my word for it. Spiritual therianthropy will never be the same from "therian" to "therian". It is unique for us all, ergo propter hoc, much confusion has been spread.
There are no rules governing what therianthropy is, and what it should be. This isn't a club with set criteria or guidelines. Spiritual therianthropy is something deeply rooted within those that believe in it and it /is/ different for everyone (I cannot stress that enough). And while just anyone can /claim/ to be a therianthrope, who are they really kidding? Many people say they are werecreatures, for all kinds of reasons, but if they /are/ lying, the only people they are hurting are themselves. So for this next part of the essay, I will go over what Spiritual Therianthropy is and what it isn't (for the most part anyway, your mileage may vary).
Spiritual Therianthropy is neither a gift nor a curse. We take the good with the bad. Unlike the furry community, we are /always/ the animal within, computer on or off. Sometimes our personal therianthropy can make life difficult, however, because your life is difficult does NOT mean you're a therianthrope.
It is a part of our innermost being, not an overnight fad, or something we do because it's "Trendy". It's not easily discovered for most therianthropes, and it's certainly not an excuse to exclude yourself from humanity. Many new therianthropes these days don't have the inner connection with the animal, they simply wish not to be a part of their "oppressors" aka, humanity. If this is how you feel about your therianthropy, it doesn't mean you're /not/ a therianthrope, it means you need to do some serious soul searching.
Therianthropy is also not the simple love or desire to be an animal. Many humans have fantasized about being an animal at one time in their lives. Many children "Play pretend" and be wolves or lions, or even dogs and cats. And the gods know that many other humans turn animalistic while practicing acts of a sexual nature. Now please keep in mind that most therians do indeed wish to be animals, this is a part of our nature AS therianthropes. The desire alone, however, will not make you a therianthrope. If you simply have the desire to be an animal, you might find areas such as Furry Sims or "role playing" areas to be highly enjoyable.
What are the typical animals for therianthropes? Well, unfortunately, there seem to be a high number of confused individuals, who simply assume they are "wolf" (The most popular base species) or sometimes another large predator. In order to be a therianthrope, you Do NOT choose your wereside. You just /are/ who you are. The high numbers of "Tough Predatory" types would make it seem that many are indeed choosing their animalistic species. Remember, when you lie about your therianthropy, you're only hurting yourself. You don't need to be a glorious hunter as a therian. You can be anything from a Bear, to a bat, to a wolf, housecat, spider, kangaroo, lemming… /anything/. Polytherians are those that have more than one animal species for their therian nature. This means they could have (for example) a complete canine mindset, and complete feline mindset or they could have a "spirit" that has taken the form of a hybrid creature (for example, a wolfcat).
If you've been cruising around the therianthropic community, you'll also note a high amount of "Mythical" entities such as dragons, gryphons and unicorns. Again, it's none of my business to say what is, and what is not truly "therian". Mythical therians exist as far as I'm concerned. Many Mythicals and polytherians have a hard time expressing to others what they are, so they use the "term" that fits them the closest. For example, a "Gryphon" were could be one that feels a calling towards both feline and avian. A dragon could be any mix of large animal + winged animal, or larger reptiles. Just because a were calls them self "Gryphon" or "Dragon" doesn't necessarily mean they are truly that species, but that is how they can best portray themselves to others. This however does not mean to imply that those people that /do/ consider themselves mythical weres are confused, or a simple mixture of animals.
As an additional note, Mythical therians are not necessarily Otherkin. The term "Otherkin" is far too broad, and rejected by many therians who have strove to keep a bit of quality control over the community for better understanding and education. The otherkin community has a severe problem with posers, children, and wannabes. Many therians wish to exclude themselves from this community or group. But it has been noted that the general experience as explained by Otherkin varies from Therianthropy. For example, I have noticed over the years that therian dragons do not describe themselves as having lived a life outside of their current human existance. Otherkin dragons on the other hand usually recall a life far different from their human life, with their own distinct name, personality, family, friends, species et cetera.
I mentioned spirit guides earlier, and I think I should mention them again. Spirit guides, also animal guides, totem animals, are indeed spirit animals that "guide" us through life. I need to make it clear that the therian nature and spirit guide animals are NOT one in the same. Many non-therians have spirit guides, and they should not be confused for the same thing. You can choose your spirit guide, as in call upon the qualities and traits of certain animals. Your therian side is not something you choose or "figure out" based on characteristics or "traits" found in totem guide references. For example, because you are courageous does not mean you're a Lion. Because you consider yourself to be a good leader doesn't mean you're a wolf.
Let me get back to some of the other misguided points about therianthropy. Therianthropes are human. By very definition of the word, every therianthrope is part human, whether body, mind, or spirit. One of the biggest misconceptions about the therian community are from those that either believe they are better than humans, those that believe we are not true humans, and those that believe they have superhuman traits/characteristics. In this case, people assume they are not human or their normal human "traits" are typically more animalistic than a "normal human". I cannot tell you how many times I've seen therians talk about their super hearing ability because they can "Hear things others can't, " or because they can hear dog whistles. The truth be known that many people not just therians can hear well beyond the "typical human range" of hearing (Especially younger people who are more prone to letting their imagination run away with them.). Good hearing does not make you a therian, and good hearing doesn't come from being a therian. This goes for any and all characteristics. If you have good hearing, eyesight, etc, it's not a "therian" thing, it's just a "you" thing.
So, why do therianthropes exist? Do we have a greater purpose in life? Well no one can answer these questions. We all control our destiny. I don't believe therians in general are here for a specific goal, but I do believe we, as individuals, are here, as theriathropes or not, for some reason. Maybe we are here to help save a dying planet. Maybe we're here because our souls were animals that died traumatically, which followed us to our next life. Maybe at some point our spirits decided they wanted to be something we're not in body. Maybe our spirits were infused with an animal at some point. Maybe we were supposed to be born as animals but ended us as humans… No one can guess why therianthropes exist. Each of us can try to understand why we as individuals are here. But please bear in mind, that we are here, together. We all feel the same inner animal. It doesn't matter /why/ we are here, as much as it matters that we ARE here.
It is important for anyone that is exploring therianthropy to discover the truth about themselves, no matter how ugly, no matter how you feel about it. Therianthropy is a part of who we really are inside, not what we want to be.
To thine own self be true.
--Jakkal Dingo What Therianthropy Isn't? 2006-10-24 05:11:40 note card
What Therianthropy Isn't.
As mentioned in the Therianthropy overview, there are many misconceptions about therianthropy. There are many people claiming to be therians that don't have a firm grasp on what therianthropy actually is. There are many people claiming to be therians who haven't done any kind of soul searching, or introspection. Many are role players or people who just want to choose an animalistic lifestyle.
This information note is here to dispel some of the common misconceptions we see about Therianthropy.
Therianthropy is not a choice. We do not choose anything about our therianthropy. Many state that therianthropy chooses us. We do not choose the animal within. We do not decide what we want to be. We do not wish to be a certain animal.
Therianthropy is not based on animal stereotypes. You are not a wolf therian because you think you're a good leader, or because you're loyal, sociable and strong. Wolves are pathetic hunters. They're scared of humans, and they're extremely shy. You are not a lion therian because you're courageous. You're not a raccoon therian because you like shiney things.
Therianthropy is not a religion. Religions are about beliefs outside of the self. Therianthropy is about the truth of our inner nature. We don't worship anything. We simple believe that, somehow, someway, we are part animal.
Therianthropy is not about abandoning one's humanity. On the contrary, Therianthropy is about embracing both the human and animal nature.
Therianthropy is not Animal Spirituality. Therianthropy is a KIND of animal spirituality. Just because one believes in some kind of spirituality related to animals does not necessarily make them a therianthrope.
Therianthropy is not lifestyling an animal. A lifestyle is a conscious choice that someone makes about how they live their life. Therianthropes do not go out of their way to appear animalistic, or act more like animals. Therianthropes are simply aware of their animal nature. This may or may not show on the outside at all.
The moon has no affect on therianthropes in general. Studies have been inconclusive about it's affect on people. There is no link between therianthropy and the phase of the moon. It's just a pretty rock in the sky, forever falling to the Earth.
Therianthropy is not elitist. Many people are disgusted by the nature of therianthropy and how it excludes others. The fact is that therianthropy is not a club that anyone can join, but it's not elite. Therianthropy is a state of being, and far too many people claim therianthropy without understanding or knowing what it is. Wanting to be a therian does not necesarily make you one. Deep introspection and soul searching will guide you to the truth.
Therianthropy and Furries are two completely separate things. While many therians are furries, furries are not necessarily therians. Anyone can freely join the Furry communities and take on a 'fursona' of their choosing. Therians, on the other hand, don't choose what they are, they can't simply become a therian from declaring themselves one or taking part in the therian community. They don't become therians because they're fans of animals.
Therianthropes are normal humans. Therianthropes are not special. They do not have any special powers or abilities. They do not have any special attributes. What makes someone special is WHO they are, which therianthropy is a part of. Therianthropy itself does not make us any different from any other person on this world.