Post by Jafira on Apr 30, 2012 4:53:32 GMT -5
This page is a beginners guide for otherkin, to be honest, I don't know what I was thinking when I made this, overall I just get a lot of newely awakened otherkin who tend to look up to me for advice, so I figured I would compile some subjects for starters, and what I know on to this page.
I am not an expert on any of this, it is just my opinion, my advice.
I would advise checking the FAQ's below first, as I consider them more clear and professionally made then what I have written here.
Overall I hope the combined data can help others in their awakening process and growth along their spiritual paths.
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Draconity and Otherkin FAQ's, A place to start:
Otherkin FAQ 1
Otherkin FAQ 2
Otherkin FAQ 3
Baxil's Draconity Faq.
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What is otherkinism:
Otherkinism is an obscure personal belief system in which a person perceives themselves to be connected spiritually in one way or another with a nonhuman form, a good deal of in depth information and resources on otherkin can be found at the site, www.otherkin.net.
For the purpose of these writings I will be focusing on Draconity, which is a term used to refer to the idea that one is dragonkin, or the concept of believing oneself to be connected spiritually with dragons in one form or another. Information on such can be found by reading Baxil's Draconity Faq. or by visiting the Dragon Resource Project.
From my own personal experiences over the past decade I can state that otherkinism is a personal belief system in which an individual believes or identifies with the perception that their soul, spirit or consciousness is something other then human, or that the individuals are, on a deep spiritual or emotional level connected in some way to a being other then human.
Those such as I, who claim to be otherkin, may tend to believe that their soul or spirit is trans-species in the same sense that some may believe that they were born into the wrong gender or time period, etcetera. There are many interpretations of what it means to be otherkin, and the idea is most often personal to the perceptions of the individual making the claim of being such. It is different for everybody.
One thing that I must mention, is that the claim of being another species is in a strictly spiritual sense, somebody like myself who may claim to be a dragon, is obviously not claiming to literally be a dragon in the physical sense, but rather, spiritual, emotional, or whatever the case may be. Most otherkin (I hope...) are not going to run around trying to jump off ceilings or nonsensical things like that, they simply identify on a spiritual, emotional or strong personal level with, (or as) the said creature of their affinity.
To some, an otherkin identity may be in the sense, that they simply identify emotionally with said form or have a strong spiritual connection to such, others perceptions of otherkinism may be based on reincarnation beliefs, or a belief that their nonhuman spirit is having a physical experience in the form of a human by some choice or cosmic mishap.
I myself, personally perceive myself as a dragon through act of spiritual reincarnation, I feel I exist as a reincarnated spirit experiencing life in a human incarnation. In as such, I believe my spirit to be alien to this world. Writings explaining how I feel this is possible are available here: (http://www.jafiradragon.com/Draconity1.htm)
In any case, I must reiterate that the reasoning or emphasis of how, or in what sense an individual may be otherkin is often determined by their perceptions and personal understandings of themselves and their own beliefs. There are of course general guidelines mentioned above in the aforementioned FAQ's, but overall, it appears that otherkinism is an individual experience.
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I have always been different:
Based off my decade of experience speaking with a variety of otherkin, as well as my own personal experience, a good deal of otherkin prior to experiencing an awakening to otherkinism tend to suspect that they are in some way not the same as their peers.
For example the idea of being more in tune with nature, more prone to spiritual or metaphysical experiences, immense amounts of physical energy, a feeling that ones mental rationalization tends to be different from others, as well as other differences such as sensations of phantom anatomy, or strong attractions or associations with forms similar to an unawakened individuals kintype. For example an unawakened dragon kin being infatuated with dragons and reptiles.
Some otherkin, in rare cases, tend to awaken to the idea that they are non human spirits at a young age, or are just somehow born knowing, compared to most whom awaken to the concept in their mid to late teens. These early awakened kin are often disadvantaged in that they have few others to relate to and may tend to be bullied or targeted in a negative fashion, due to their younger age or inability to adequately explain in logical terms what they are experiencing, this has the potential to put up mental blocks to the idea or concept of otherkinism and make potentially re-awakening harder in the future.
In either case, for those who suspected for some time that they may have not originally been human, or as well, for those who as discussed above may have been born knowing, or had “always known” but may be learning now for the first time that their beliefs have a name, or that others like them exist, I welcome you to the concept of otherkin.
I encourage you to keep an open mind, and always above all else, know yourselves, both on a spiritual and physical level. Strive not to get sucked into falsehoods, learn and study all angles and possibilities, even those which may attempt to discredit your perceptions, read up on the experiences of others and always question your own personal truths, take time to befriend others and network, share your experiences and know that you are no longer alone, there are others like us and we will look out for each other.