"Is this a cult?" - A compassionate guide to therianthropy from a former skeptic.

(2023-10-22 2:00)FernFox Wrote:  It is an identity that someone chooses for themselves based on their experience and sharing the same thoughts/feelings as others in this community.

You can’t choose to be a therian, from what I have learned. (I am not trying to call you out, nor am I angry— I am simply seeking clarification)
Did you mean that when one is awakened, they may decide that they fit with the therian identity?
This is certainly what happened with my otherhearted experience, as I have been connected to my lynxtype for a while and only recently found the community. When I did, it simply clicked, and I knew this is what I am. This cloud be classified as a choice in the context that it’s a crazy awesome choice you never knew you always needed to make. (I may be ranting, I will shush now O_o)
Hoping you aren’t misinformed,

(2023-12-28 18:14)lovelyfloof Wrote:  

(2023-10-22 2:00)FernFox Wrote:  It is an identity that someone chooses for themselves based on their experience and sharing the same thoughts/feelings as others in this community.

You can’t choose to be a therian, from what I have learned. (I am not trying to call you out, nor am I angry— I am simply seeking clarification)
Did you mean that when one is awakened, they may decide that they fit with the therian identity?
This is certainly what happened with my otherhearted experience, as I have been connected to my lynxtype for a while and only recently found the community. When I did, it simply clicked, and I knew this is what I am. This cloud be classified as a choice in the context that it’s a crazy awesome choice you never knew you always needed to make. (I may be ranting, I will shush now O_o)
Hoping you aren’t misinformed,

Sorry it took a smidge for me to respond to this!

You can't choose to be a therian, but identifying as a therian is a label that one chooses to take. Some people who are therians may go their entire lives never using that identity label, either because they don't know about it or because they believe it doesn't fit them. And conversely, sometimes non-therians mistakenly choose to call themselves a therian because they feel it fits their experiences, but they may later on realize it's not accurate. And that's perfectly okay! I worded it as such because it may be easier for those who have never heard of therianthropy to grasp.

It's like how someone who likes games may or may not choose to identify themselves as a gamer, or how somebody who believes in a singular God/the bible may or may not decide that the label of Christianity fits them.

I probably could have worded that better, but hopefully the clarification helps! I will go in and adjust the wording when I have some time. Apologies for the confusion!

Ohhhh okay- gotcha :3 ty for clarifying lol

I take a bit to respond too qvq

hope this finds chu well <3

This is a great guide! I will happily refer anyone in need of some clarification to this.

Thank you for all your effort!

therianthropy isn't a "cult" the definition of a cult is a relatively small group of people having religious beliefs or practices regarded by others as strange or sinister. technically, therianthropy, depending on the person experiencing it, can be a coping mechanism, like some people are born a therian, while others can develop it from severe trauma or bad family life. personally, i was born with the therianthropy, but instead i had developed my c'link or copinglink.

Oh goodness, I wasn't expecting the renewed interest in this thread!

There are definitely some things I'd like to rewrite now that I'm more knowledgable about the community (and also less repressed), but unfortunately it's been so long that the option for me to edit this thread is long gone.

I still stand by a lot of these sentiments and hope that this is a helpful guide for those who are just finding out about therianthropy from a secondhand perspective, but I think I should have been less heavy on the "it's purely psychological" side of things.

Therianthropy does indeed have a spiritual aspect for some/many people -- not all of course -- but it's nothing close to a cult or any kind of damaging belief. On the contrary, the beliefs associated with therianthropy are usually very healthy and mundane. The concepts of souls/spirits, connection to nature, and reincarnation are widespread among all kinds of religious, spiritualities, and non-religions, and are even present in abrahamic religions like Christianity and Islam.

I think the main thing I wanted to point out in my thread, is that the modern concept of therianthropy is not analogous to the old werewolf/transformation rituals you'd find on late 90's - early 2000's internet. Nobody here is touting that you should eat poisonous plants and howl at the full moon to travel to the werewoof plane and 'become' a therian. Concepts and rituals like that are actively shunned in the therian community nowadays, and therefore parents shouldn't need to feel concerned about unhealthy or dangerous influences! Chances are, your loved one's experience with therianthropy is harmless, and expresisng it is likely even healthy for their wellbeing.

- Fern