Theranthropy

[Master Vigil]

I thought I replied to this but I guess it didn't work or something like that. So here it is again...

From My experiences with therians, their souls are animal-like. See, although their souls are infact animal, they are not the same as the real animal's soul. If that makes any sense. Like for instance, my soul is half wolf, but when I first met a wolf its soul smelt nothing like mine. And I've met other people who claim to have animal spirits, but their spirits smell nothing like the real animal's spirit. Therefore, their souls are animal-like, not the exact replica of the animal's soul itself. I hope that made sense.

 

[Master Vigil]

I am also in no way negating the fact that their souls are animal, for they are. But not in the way some people think. Its not like I have half of a real wolf's soul, just half of my soul is wolf-like. Still a wolf mind you, just not the exact same as a real wolf's soul.

 

[Runt]

Half cat, half hawk, half human... no, wait, 1/3 cat, 1/3 hawk, 1/3 human? I don't know... I identify with the hawks much more than the cat, and dreams I have now have nothing to do with cats but hawks, so maybe you're right and I am part hawk-soul. The picture WAS drawn when I was in elementary school. Since then I feel I've REALLY changed (including personality wise... do you think it is possible to change soul wise?)

Or maybe I don't have an animal soul, but merely have spirit guides who are animal-souls?

Yet this doesn't ring true to me...it doesn't explain away ALL my dreams... including some with really ODD eyesight that I've always identified with a birds. Do you think it is possible to see through the eyes of a spirit guide?

Other?

 

[painted wolf]

perhaps you'll have to smell my soul sometime...

I had a friend who could sence souls... he didn't believe in werewolves... at least untill I started to shift while we were out in the woods one night... unfortunatly he freaked out and kept pulling me back as I shifted... he was convinced that I was going to turn into some sort of visious beast... and all I wanted to do was go for a run in the woods and sniff stuff...

It was a bit of a shame... I tried to warn him about what could happin so he wouldn't be scared, but it didn't work out that way... he never quite trusted me from then on... thought all my smiles were snarls and so on...

runt...
spirit guides can do many things... yes, they can let you see the world through their eyes... your soul is your soul... it is the essance of who you are and what you are... if you were a hawk you would know it... you cant ignore your soul....
I know, I tried... it made me very sick for a long time...

wa:-do

 

[Master Vigil]

Yes runt, you would know by now if your soul is animal. But I wouldn't doubt the spirit guide idea. Everyone really does have spirit guides, you just have to recognize them. And being that you have good eyesight, could mean you are seeing things through their eyes. It could be a way of getting you to understand that they are there. Just a thought.

 

[Hirohito18200]

I feel so left out...

Is there a way to figure out if you have an animal soul and what kind if you do? And don't say I would already know because I'm just starting to discover my spirituality. A self-test or something, if you will. Should I meditate? What should i do?

Thx

 

[painted wolf]

dont feel left out...

Therianthropy isn't an 'in' thing... its not a fad or a club or a game... There is no "test" to see if you are a therian or not...

as for animal spirit guides... meditation can help you there... Mine visit me in dreams and 'coincidences'...

wa:-do

 

[Runt]

Same here... if mine are really spirit guides, I run into them in dreams and occassionally see hawks during times of extreme significance for me... then again, I live in the desert, so that is kinda like saying I see pigeons at times of extreme significance for me... "No duh! They're there all the time!" Well... hawks are quite a bit rarer here than pigeons, but still...

 

[Master Vigil]

Yes, meditation will work. Instead of trying to meditate on the animal, meditate on yourself and if you get any feeling toward an animal, it may be there. And yes, no club (if there was high school would of been a whole lot lonelier)

 

[Master Vigil]

I meant a whole lot less lonely. Sorry, a bit tired I am.

 

[painted wolf]

I have to agree that it would have been a whole lot easier if I had known other shifters when I was younger... It was a tough thing to go through alone.

I often wondered if I wansn't simply crazy... at least now I know that if I am crazy I'm not alone. arty:

some helpful links on Theranthropy
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/1927/greenspiral/resource.html
http://danaslair.tripod.com/weres.html

wa:-do

 

[Master Vigil]

Another wonderful were site and online community I've found is...
http://www.were.net

It has a forum, and it hosts sites for users, and has alot of info on therians and weres. You all should check it out.

 

[Fra.Morelia]

Okay, not to ressurect a dead thread, but I have a question for you, Wolf... mind that this may sound insane... but I am good at that.
When you say shift, how do you mean it?
This is soething that has been going on since my early teens, about 14 years of it now.
The reason I say crazy is that what you described feels a little familiar to me, namely when I am in the woods at night and the moon is clear in the sky, it feels like my senses go on a hyper setting. I become almost painfully aware of everything little thing, up until the point when I can feel my teeth and my hair and swear the canines are beginning to grow. I don't have any violent urges, I merely want to let it out.
I have never fully rode it out and always got more than a little scared and shut it down. Now, I am not scared easily, by any means, but it felt like something else was rising inside. That scared me; as a trained Chaoist we usually try to stay in control unless lack of control is part of the ritual i.e. possession. I suppose this is similar, but the spontineity of it always alarms me. It just rears up without being asked.
One of my dearist friends is a Choctaw shaman, and she says I am a raven spirit(tho she may be speaking in terms of guide in which case i suppose the two are quite seperable), but it doesn't feel like any bird I have ever seen. I also trust her implicitly when it comes to her lore. She is a wise old woman.
The only real affinty I have for animals, is strangely enough, snakes. Most people see them as cruel predators, but I get along with them famously. I attribute that more to knack than anything, tho. The little buggers are loaded with personality once you realize they are all just natural stoics. Comes with being a snake.
Ah well, I have begun rambling. Thanks in advance for thereply, Wolf.

 

[Lightkeeper]

Okay, not to ressurect a dead thread, but I have a question for you, Wolf... mind that this may sound insane... but I am good at that.
When you say shift, how do you mean it?
This is soething that has been going on since my early teens, about 14 years of it now.
The reason I say crazy is that what you described feels a little familiar to me, namely when I am in the woods at night and the moon is clear in the sky, it feels like my senses go on a hyper setting. I become almost painfully aware of everything little thing, up until the point when I can feel my teeth and my hair and swear the canines are beginning to grow. I don't have any violent urges, I merely want to let it out.
I have never fully rode it out and always got more than a little scared and shut it down. Now, I am not scared easily, by any means, but it felt like something else was rising inside. That scared me; as a trained Chaoist we usually try to stay in control unless lack of control is part of the ritual i.e. possession. I suppose this is similar, but the spontineity of it always alarms me. It just rears up without being asked.
One of my dearist friends is a Choctaw shaman, and she says I am a raven spirit(tho she may be speaking in terms of guide in which case i suppose the two are quite seperable), but it doesn't feel like any bird I have ever seen. I also trust her implicitly when it comes to her lore. She is a wise old woman.
The only real affinty I have for animals, is strangely enough, snakes. Most people see them as cruel predators, but I get along with them famously. I attribute that more to knack than anything, tho. The little buggers are loaded with personality once you realize they are all just natural stoics. Comes with being a snake.
Ah well, I have begun rambling. Thanks in advance for thereply, Wolf.

I was thinking you could be in heightened awareness at night in the woods. I know I would be. The snake in mythology is a symbol of wisdom.

 

[Lightkeeper]

I have always loved wolves. My grandfather used to raise foxes and I loved them also.

 

[Fra.Morelia]

Yes, there is of course the heightened senses. I am mainl trying to find out in what capacity she means 'shifting'
think great ritual gain could probably be made using thispsychological aspact. Psychosomatically you might even tighten or shift yor features unconsciously and effect a subtly disturbingly visage. I would like to incorporate it (hooray Chaoism!) into my workings. It sounds, at the vry least an interesting thig to explore.. :roll:

 

[Master Vigil]

There are different ways a therian shifts... The most common is the mental shift. This is pretty self explanatory, but can be different for each therian. Your mind almost becomes the animal, this could be what you felt "inside" of you. There is also an astral shift, in which people who can see auras and such can actually see you as your animal. You can grow phantom limbs, such as feeling your teeth grow when no one else notices. (But they are very real to you). There is also the spiritual shift that I go through. And since the spirit, mind and body are so connected, one affects the other. Therefore, when I have a spiritual shift, it makes me think like a wolf, and then I start acting like one. But it always begins with the spirit with me. Being that my spirit is half wolf. There is more, much more but this is what I know most about. I hope it helped a little.

 

[Master Vigil]

The heightened senses is normally the first sign of therianthropy. But its more than that, its a feeling deep down in which you can't explain in words but understand completely. When I turned into a spirit wolf, my senses were so alive!! I could see, smell, taste, hear, and feel EVERTYHING!!!! It was the most amazing and scary thing that has ever happened to me.

 

[painted wolf]

hello Fra.Morelia,

when I talk about shifting I mean in my case becoming a wolf in mind if not fully in body. I'm always a bit 'wolfish' but when I shift it becomes magnified. Shifting is many different things to different therians.

I have felt the wind in my fur, my ears following sounds and smells both good and bad everywhere ect cet.

I have spent my eavenings covering over dog scent marks because it was MY park damnit.

I am definatly more predatory, not nessisarily dangerous, more 'playful' than anything.

Unfortunatly I havent been able to go 'all the way' either, someone or something always pulls me back. Usually I'm with friends when it starts to happin, not wanting to freak any more of them out I have to keep myself under some control.

I have to disagree with Master Vigil on the heigtened sences being the first sign of thieranthropy... too many people clutch at supposed 'heightened sences' as a sign that they really are a werewolf/werewhatever, when they are still really within the normal human range of sences. I have (at least with non-verbal) very acute hearing, but I don't think that is because I'm therian. (however for some reason some of the time I cant make out half of what people say to me, only grabbing a few words out of the sentances. This sadly is the cause of more than a little frustration on the part of my fience.)

anyway, I hope some of this rambling helps you.. if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

wa:do

 

[Fra.Morelia]

Hrm, yes I think heightened senses in the woods is a rather normal thing at night. The animal in the core of our brains is going into survival mode, and needs the boost.
The strange internal feeling is what gets me. Really wierds me out because it is quite beyond words.