Available as a video on Youtube: https://youtu.be/_5shA5SeWnY
When we instruct newly awakened ,curious, or questioning individuals to do some introspection, they might not understand what that means or how to do this. It's basically self-questioning. This was once known as "soul-searching"in our community. Not all Therianthropes or Otherkin are spiritual,but this means looking within yourself for the answers.
Sometimes people get confused and they ask the wrong questions. Here's a couple examples.
What is often said,
"I want to get in touch with my therioside."
"How do I connect to my animal/theriotype?"
What they really mean is,
"I want to get in touch with my inner animal self."
"How do I connect with and learn more about myself?"
Therianthropy and Otherkinity are explorations of the self, identity, and what'shappening on the inside. We are examining, analysing, and studyingour own natures, personalities, and even unrealized spiritual orintellectual capacities. We actually have to accumulate knowledgeabout ourselves. This is not easy.
"A real sense of self is hard to nail down when we are so habituated to identifying ourselves in very external ways." This includes being influenced by relationships (friends, family), society, culture, school, work,where we were born/live, etc. "However, when you strip all that away, all those external formalities and identifiers, what's left?"
While we may research non-human species of animals as an aid to help us learn more about our own minds and souls (if you are spiritual), Therianthropy and Otherkinity are not about external entities or other independent creatures outside of us. Maybe you have always liked a species of animal or have developed a sense of familiarity with it as you've learned more about yourself. It's okay to incorporate that into or attribute that to Therianthropy, but we are complex and multi-faceted beings. A lot of other experiences should be taken into consideration as well. For some methods that might help you gather knowledge about yourself, see part two of the video "How to Determine if You are a Therian." These are good for identifying your inner animal self as well.
References
"Howto Determine if You are a Therian Pt 2"https://youtu.be/zn2LNtYechc
"6 Daily Practices forSelf-Exploration" by Lisa M. Hayes https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/6-daily-practices-for-self-exploration_us_59766bc2e4b01cf1c4bb72c2
"Self-Exploration: Getting to KnowThyself" by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. https://psychcentral.com/blog/self-exploration-getting-to-know-thyself/
"Introspection in Psychology: 87 Self-ReflectionQuestions Exercies & Worksheets"https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/introspection-self-reflection/
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Observations about Therian Life
Non-FictionThis is going to be more of a personal journal, but it will also include advice, information, and short, quick thoughts about the Therian experience in general.
