https://forums.therian-guide.com/Thread-Is-this-a-cult-A-compassionate-guide-to-therianthropy-from-a-former-skeptic

^^^^
This is a FANTASTIC faq-type guide for any human who might need information about therianthropy, and i want to be sure that any youngster coming out to their loved ones or friends share this with them, as it will help them to understand.

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

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.

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

Thank you for all your effort!

People can spread misinformation on the app, but as a young pup, I use it a lot to find friends. In my opinion, it depends on what type of conversation it is. T1kT0k oversimplifies it a little, yes, but it's not too harmful.

This is so in-depth, and I get the bullying for the gear as a young pup myself, But I just ignore it when I get made fun of for having a tail on for example. It's not that hard for me to ignore negativity towards me being a Therian, to be honest. But as I was saying, this is an in-depth post for younger therians like me! Thank you for making this <3 /p

Ohhhh okay- gotcha :3 ty for clarifying lol

I take a bit to respond too qvq

hope this finds chu well <3

(2024-04-24 14:20)AvisTheDutchie Wrote:  I would assume once you turn 16 this rule no longer applies and you are able to discuss freely?

Assuming the other person is 16 as well, of course.

Otherwise it is not allowed to bait people into breaking the rule by being older yourself.

(2024-04-26 22:19)KoCaF_on_Pawrs Wrote:  1. I feel like a lot of the things that happened to make this rule a thing went against the rules. (1.4, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.15, 2.18) and im sure some others, which is a problem in itself I think. While many of those are minute issues and can be broken easily and by accident, it becomes an issue when it happens repeatedly. (Not trying to mini-mod, simply stating). I don't really have anywhere to go with this, just wanted to point it out.

As you can see, the staff are fairly forgiving when there are reasonable explanations why people do what they do.

(2024-04-26 22:19)KoCaF_on_Pawrs Wrote:  2.Could pups talk about if their parents/friends got a new partner and just like leave it at that?

I struggle to envision a circumstance where this would come up and be like distinct from a platonic relationship or otherwise.

I'd say if you mention something where it's impossible to tell that the relationship you're talking about is not platonic, it's okay. So... you can't talk about your parents kissing, but you can talk about them living together or not.

LP,
Dusty

I do think this is one of the biggest stumbling blocks in the Therian and Otherkin Community is the disastrously over-reliance on labels and people end up getting confused; thinking that they need a label or they are not this or that rather than contemplating their own thoughts and sensations.

The same can be said for experiences too, there is this implied notion that if you do not experience this or that then therefore you are not a therian or otherkin which again creates an atmosphere where people either lie about their experiences just so they can be part of the community or they just shut down because they feel that because they didn't experience what someone else told them they must experience in order to be therian that they are therefore NOT therian or even otherkin.

Labels are useful in limited applications but are generally not definitions in and of themselves of something.

Okay, two things.

1. I feel like a lot of the things that happened to make this rule a thing went against the rules. (1.4, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.15, 2.18) and im sure some others, which is a problem in itself I think. While many of those are minute issues and can be broken easily and by accident, it becomes an issue when it happens repeatedly. (Not trying to mini-mod, simply stating). I don't really have anywhere to go with this, just wanted to point it out.


2.Could pups talk about if their parents/friends got a new partner and just like leave it at that?