Reflections on Otherkin

[Redalgo]

Well, someone ought to take a crack at this so here I go!

Otherkin form an individualistic, egalitarian, tolerant, open-minded religious community wherein adherents are brought together online by the sanctity they assign to anthrozoomorphic identities. This distinguishes them from furries in that adherents are searching for answers to spiritual questions rather than either assuming alter-egos or knowingly pretending to be creatures they are not as a recreational hobby. A lot of furries express feelings of being less than entirely human, however, which raises some interesting questions about the overlap between these two groups. There also happens to be a remarkable number of Otherkin who present with non-traditional genders and/or orientations, have histories of suffering physical and/or psychological abuse, personality disorders, depression, forms of autism, etc. Little research has been conducted as of yet by social scientists to better understand human attraction to non-human identities.

Regardless, for the typical Otherkin an awakening occurs in which one discovers their alienation from the species into which they were born. A fixation often follows that involves efforts to validate their feeling of being "other" and to assign background stories, aesthetic qualities, and other defining characteristics to their newly discovered or created identity. New Age spirituality is received differently from one community to the next, with the colloquial term of "fluff" used by some adherents to describe convictions that are believed to lack substance and plausibility. Belief systems vary, may overlap with other religions, and in many cases become unique to an individual. Diverging paths of personal reflection lead to rich webs of supernatural views (e.g. entrapment in a foreign body, reincarnation, memories of an earlier life, existence of magic, out-of-body experiences) or a gradual unease - feeling as though one has partook in wishful thinking.

The communities in which adherents gather themselves become hubs for personal expression and pooling knowledge. Elders in any such group tend to have less introspect and fewer points of spiritual inquiry left to explore than relatively recent arrivals, though the former may linger to assist the latter and continue to socialize. In time the most experienced Otherkin depart, leaving all the others to rehash subjects that were extensively discussed and considered in the past. In lieu of a hierarchy to keep the faithful organized it falls upon those who administer and moderate a site or chatroom to encourage Otherkin to regularly interact with each other. That cycle of arrivals and departures makes me wonder whether the faithful come looking for insights about what they truly are but deep down are actually yearning for acceptance, belonging, nurturance, greater self-esteem, or means of coping with disillusionment with their lives.

Though a quaint lot so far as many outside observers are concerned, our convictions are typically benign and unknown to most people.

[Tysha]

If I had a 'like' button, I would totally use it.

I think you've summed it up very well :)

[Lithianblackdragon420]

Well well, I could not have said it better myself, this is all very true indeed, and an intriguing sight for the curious and the ones new to these particular cases and experiences. Your explanations within the encoded topic is very adverse and oft times, hard to depict and distinguish, yet, for those of us who have been within this particular circle for many, many years within our "current" selves, i very much second the notion of providing help, understanding and balance to those new and "less" experienced. The world needs to open itself up to something that has always been and always will be, and rid itself of the illusion that the general populace of society and the economical insights throw upon our heads of the type of world we live in, and to the how's and why's of the truth in existence versus the illusions cast upon each and every one of our senses that should otherwise, be entirely open and natural to us all, no matter the species, and no matter whom we may be.