Subjects

 

Walking the Path of a Therian


Many individuals come across Therianthropy in one form or another and seem to think it is the coolest thing since sliced bread. They read up on all the jargon, take a few weretests and then post to a messageboard or chat.


" Hey all, guess what!I'm 13 years old and I've just found out 5 minutes ago that I'm a were!"


the next day they post;


" Oh yeah, now I've found out I'm a wolf!"


a few days later..


" I just discovered I had a new bond! i'm a panther too!"


A few days after that..


" I've discovered I've also got dragon in me!"


So now we have this 13 year old, prancing around telling everyone they are a wolf/panther/dragon and gleefully giving ignorant advice to other newcoming 13 year olds. Then an older individual steps in ( like say about 20+ years old ) and asks an intelligent question or two, or maybe an older were shows up and grills them a bit. It's like clockwork a week later..


" Oh, I've discovered I'm not a were or a dragon or a whatever.. I'm just a person. I don't belong here anymore. * sniffle* good bye cruel world! You all hate me now I'm not one of you."


Then there is the jaded elder senario where an older individual ( in the 16-19) and hangs around for a while. Enventually they get fed up with the above type senarios and slowly realize they might have been deluding themselves, so they up and claim that the whole of the werecommunity is a sham and a load of crap or whatever. They leave, jaded and hateful.


Okay, i'm going to fill you in on something. Therianthropy is a spirtuality. It's a specific spirituality and it's not for everyone. Just like not everyone is wiccan, christian, islamic, or jewish. It's not an easy path, but if you are the right person, it's one worth walking.


Therianthropy is not going to make you cool, give you superpowers, make you sexy or strong. It's not going to help you get revenge or make you popular. It's not about hollywood bullshit or macho RPG posturing. Its not about leaving humanity behind, and certainly not about killing people or whatever. Therianthropy is about self discovery, a deep connection to the animal that is your bond. It's about knowing how human you really are and letting the animal connection compliment your humanity. Therianthropy are both human and animal. Therianthropy is largely about awareness. Awareness of the self, fellow creatures, and your world. Not to say that we are all a bunch of tree hugging hippies or something, but rather Therianthropes are generally more aware of how their actions as humans affect the world. They also have a blessing ( or curse ) to see the world from an animal's point of view.


Some have a bit of a misconception that anger is a part of therianthropy. That weres must be angry to shift, " that's when the animal comes out". Therianthropy is not nessisarily about anger. A lot of newbies send me mail or post messages about ' I have so much anger and I can't control it so I shift all the time' or " I know I'm shifted when I'm angry because I get stronger, faster and my senses are enhansed." Hate to break it to ya kiddies, but this is a load of crap. There is a good and explainable reason why this happens. It's called adrenaline and it's very human and very natural. As is anger. Most animals are not angry things unless they are made that way by humans. They get angry if annoyed, but will usually try and leave rather than fight. If cornered, they will fight, but so will humans. People in their early teens are in a very difficult time in their lives. They are searching for identity and places to belong. They are going through a lot, biologically and its hard out there. But the bond, although it can show through in anger can also help to calm and balance. I think its evident to real therianthropes that the animal part of them shows up in all aspects of their lives, not just in anger and not just online.


Therianthropy is not a destination. It is a journey. An ongoing spiritual journey through life. Once you discover it, you begin, walking the path. No one can tell you how to walk it, because everyone has to do it in their own way and on their own time. You may discover someways down the road that this isn't the right one for you, and that's fine. This is a life long journey. One that will never really end, only one that will change and change again. Discovery of self is not an easy task. It takes work. No one can tell you who you are or what lies ahead. Therianthrope just have a bit of an edge with 2 pairs of eyes and 2 pairs of ears. A human one and an animal one.