Therian

## What is a therianthrope?

Firstly, what is a therianthrope? A therianthrope, or therian for short, is someone who non-physically identifies as an earthly animal. This animal can be either extinct or extant. A therianthropes experience is different for everyone in the community of alterhumans, But therianthropy is always mental no matter what, therianthropy is never physical. This means that therianthropes know they are physically (or biologically) a human. There are generally two types of therians but there can be subsets. The main two are Spiritual and psychological. First, let's talk about Psychological therianthropes.

## Kinds of therianthropes

What is a Psychological therianthrope? A psychological therianthrope is someone who experiences therianthropy through their mind. This can be caused by abnormal brain wiring, this can be caused by psychological trauma, or a combination of both subjects. A psychological therianthrope identifies this way because that's just how their mind is wired to be like. Psychological therianthropes can be caused by as follows: Imprinting on an animal or animals, Atypical Neurology, Puberty/Identity formation, A defense mechanism, Survival, how similar we are to such animals, or a mix of all these causes. And this leads us to Spiritual therianthropy.

What is Spiritual therianthropy? While therianthropy is not spiritual in itself (as it is an identity), some therianthropes identify as spiritual therianthropes because they believe they identify as an animalistic being on a spiritual level. Being a spiritual therianthrope does not in any way mean it is a religion. Meaning it doesn't interfere with religious or spiritual beliefs. An example would be “I'm a spiritual therianthrope but I'm also a christian.” Some of the causes of Spiritual therianthropy would be as followed: Multiple parts of self/soul, Misplaced soul(s), Dual soul(s), Links to nature in a spiritual way (such as mother nature), Reincarnation or past lives, a mix of these causes, or other spiritual causes. Another kind of cause can be Soul walk-ins, or walk-ins for short. A walk-in soul is a soul who chooses to be in another being's body rather than a newborn being. Some alterhumans believe that walk-ins can be permanent and others believe they are temporarily there.

## Is therianthropy a religion?

Now, you may be asking this question “is therianthropy a religion?” or something similar. The short answer would be No, it is in no way a religion. Therianthropy and religion are two vastly different things. Yes, therianthropy can be included into a religion or spiritual practice, but are every therianthrope that religion? Some religions reject the idea that animals have souls. Some therians who are religious, yet feel a strong connection to their animal identity, simply modify their beliefs to be less exclusive on the subject.

## What are urges and experiences of therianthropy?

What are some experiences as a therianthrope? Some common therianthropy experiences are Shifting, Urges, and Past lives. Firstly, what is Shifting? Shifting, for therianthropes, is the experiences where therianthropes feel more like their theriotype in a non physical way. Most shifts are temporarily there, but some are experienced constantly. The most common shift said by therianthropes is phantom shifting. Having shifts is not required to identify as a therian. Some therianthropes are a subtype of therianthrope called “contherians” or “contherianthropes.” This means that they cannot experience shifts. And a therianthrope does not need to experience every kind of shift to be a therianthrope. Some therianthropes only experience one kind of shift throughout their life while others can have more than one. Therianthropic shifts can be caused by stress, anger, excitement, happiness, and other strong emotions. When you are in a full shift you often think like an animal, which means thinking in emotion, not sentences. When you are partly shifted you think in half human half animal, and when you are barely shifted you are aware that you are human, but some thoughts are animal like. Shifts can be experienced by both Psychological and Spiritual therianthropes.

What are some Urges of a therianthrope? Some urges of therianthropes are mostly canidae urges. Not all therianthropes are canidae therianthropes, Any animal can be a theriotype. But such urges are as followed: Biting the air, snarling when angry or upset, Chewing on toys/things, Chasing people, Licking teeth, yipping, and it goes on. Other urges therianthropes have experienced are: Flicking tongue, Hissing, pawing at things, attraction to light, sniffing, sent tracking, echolocation, kneading, tip-toe walking, hopping, stealing shiny things, urges to run away, urges to be on all 4’s (quadrupedal), urges that humans can't physically do, and it goes on and on. These Urges can be experienced by both psychological and spiritual therianthropes.

What are past lives of a therianthrope? Some therianthropes experience past lives as a part of their identity. Sometimes, these are called “Past-life therians” or “Past-life therianthropes.” A past-life therianthrope is a therianthrope who identifies as an earthly animal that is alive or extinct because of a past life. They believe that they were an animal in a past life and believe to still be a part of that animal in this life. If you have an animal past life and don't identify as that animal, then you are not a therianthrope. According to a therianthropes experience as a past-life therian, they state that “my identity as a gray wolf stems from the fact that I believe I was a gray wolf before I was born into this body into this life as a person and that the soul of the wolf whos body i inhabited still lies within this body i have now. From doing research, past-life therians seem to be the majority of therianthropes.” Past-life therianthropes are therianthropes you see that have “kin-memories” of their animal past-life. Some past-life therianthropes have little memories of their past-life and others have vivid memories of their past-lives. Most past-life therianthropes' memories contain their death. Some common memories are: Deaths, Running around with a pack/flock, fur pattern, their past-life name, and more. Some of the most common deaths of therianthrope's past-lives are: Ran over by a car/truck/other, hunted, trapped, Fur-farmed, drowning, and burning in a fire. Past-life Therianthropes usually experience their death because it was a very traumatic event for them and it usually passes down to their current life. Remember that not all therianthropes have past-lives. Therianthropic Past-lives are mostly experienced by only spiritual therianthropes.

## The theta delta

Is there a symbol for therianthropy? Yes! This symbol is called the theta delta. It consists of two greek letters “theta” and the greek letter “Delta.” The symbol was created by a member of the Werelist a while ago. It was intended to make a universal sign for therianthropes of all kinds. According to the therian guide, They state that “The Theta Delta is believed to have originated from an early incarnation of The Werelist, where it was decided on in a forum topic that revolved around the creation of such a symbol. The Theta Delta was created, Theta, being a T, used to represent the word "Therian" and Delta for a change, or shift. From human to animalistic beings.” The theta delta is a universal symbol for all therianthropes to recognize each other.

## Other

Therianthropy is ever changing so this Essay probably won't be relevant in the future. Some of this stuff may be reworded in a way that isn't correct now. Some more information, from the therian guide, is as follows: “There are many theories as to why therianthropy is experienced. Some believe their therianthropy to be caused through reincarnation or misplaced souls, while others attribute it to scientific or psychological reasons such as imprinting, an innate predisposition, abnormalities in neurological wiring, or any of a number of various other theories.”\

## Extra

A therian, or therianthrope, is an individual who identifies as a non-human animal on a non-biological, mental level. Therianthropy involves a deep and intrinsic identification to a specific animal species. There are two main categories of therianthropy: spiritual and psychological, but there can be sublabels. Regardless of the category, the experience is centered on the mental and identity aspects, not physical transformation.

	* A therian identifies as a specific non-human animal, feeling a profound connection to the characteristics, instincts, or essence of that animal. This animal can be extinct or extant.
2. Non-Biological Aspect:
	* Therianthropy is distinct from biological or physical changes. It is a mental and identity phenomenon, where individuals experience a strong sense of being, or having a part of them that is, an animal.
3. Spiritual Therianthropy:
	* Some therians attribute their identity to spiritual beliefs, feeling that their connection to an animal has a spiritual or metaphysical origin.
4. Psychological Therianthropy:
	* Others see their therianthropy as rooted in psychology, interpreting it as a deep psychological identification with an animal, perhaps as a result of brain wiring or personal experiences.
5. Mental Level Experience:
	* The experiences of therianthropy are always on a mental level. This may involve a strong sense of a non-human self, shifts in behavior, or a persistent connection to the chosen animal.

Example Usage: "As a therian, I've always felt a profound identification to wolves. It's not a physical transformation but a deep, mental identification with their instincts and way of being. For me, it's more of a psychological therianthropy, rooted in how I perceive and understand my own identity."

Note: Therianthropy is a diverse and individual experience, and individuals may use the term to describe a wide range of feelings and connections to non-human animals. The distinction between spiritual and psychological therianthropy helps capture the varied ways in which individuals understand and interpret their therian identity.

## Resources

https://www.therian-guide.com/index.php/1-home.html

https://www.wikihow.com/What-Is-a-Therian#:~:text=A%20therian%20identifies%20as%20a,life%20as%20a%20specific%20animal.

https://intraspectrum-chicago.com/therians-in-therapy-otherkin-identity-mental-health/

https://www.wattpad.com/story/73438866-therian-otherkin-education-and-advice

https://otherkindfaq.tumblr.com/post/169978911631/symbols-used-for-otherkin-and-other-parts-of