Today I'm going to write about something that really gets on my nerves. Its something that all too frequently betrays the rampant ignorance and intellectual laziness that runs through the otherkin and therianthrope circles. It does truly amaze me how so many people who claim to be a certain type of nonhuman animal (or other sort of being) appear to be completely oblivious, or otherwise have very little idea how said animal thinks and behaves. Simple example would be those so-called "wolf therians" who claim to have urges to howl at the full moon, etc. I've also noticed this cute and fluffy little habit of projecting highly unreasonable and very anthropomorphized expectations on the animal, which only seems to indicate, to me, not only a high amount of ignorance on the part of the person making the claim, but the strong likelihood that their claims are little more than mental masturbation and flights of fancy. A person should already have an idea of the animal and its behavior before making these strong claims (and they are indeed strong--though it seems to be a common fad on the internet to make them quite casually, and encourage it). If pretending to be an anthropomorphized animal is your thing, then go join the furry community, where plenty of opportunities abound for the cultivation of such a hobby (yes, I do acknowledge that there is some subculture overlap here, this is not going to be the post discussing it however).
Okay, I realize I might be sounding like an asshole here to some people (correction: I AM an asshole, but I at least try to be reasonable on occasion), but my point is that coming to the conclusion that you are a therianthrope or an otherkin of any species or variety requires far more in-depth "soul-searching" and homework than simple meditation or reading articles and forums on the internet. A series of feel-good dreams and meditations where you see yourself prancing around as some glamorous animal doesn't make you one. Image and feel alone doesn't always make you what you think you are--the brain is a very complex and cunning device capable of a fair amount of trickery, especially if there is enough emotion and want behind the scenes. And hey, even if you do turn out to be something, say, therianthropic, would you always want your genetic animal-kin (or any animals in general really) to recognize you as such? Furthermore, are the glamorous good ole' days of frolicking in the woods and howling under the full moon (yeah, right) something you really want to go back to? Now maybe I've grown a touch too, ah, domesticated here, but I personally rather enjoy my central heating and air conditioning, and food that doesn't kick or bite back.
Allow me to present the following example, something taken from my own explorations in canine consciousness and spirituality. Back in the spring of 2007 I had the opportunity to visit WolfPark in Indiana to attend one of their three-day behavior intensive seminars, which included getting up close and personal with some of the canine residents there, including some of the wolves. These confrontations, although a truly amazing experience, helped me understand even more fully how fortunate I am to be interacting with them in the human flesh and towards animals that did not (and very likely could not) "sense" (in the subtle sense, that is) that I was one of them. We probably do not know enough about animal psychology and biology to assume that they all possess "subtle senses"--and anyone who automatically does so is anthropomorphizing by projecting their human expectations on the animal in the hopes that they will have a mystical experience. Already animal behaviorists are making discoveries that are showing that some animal's so-called "psychic abilities" are actually the result of the animal utilizing their more temporal senses, which are far more powerful than we once considered them to be.
Here is another spin I could put on it. I would not even want the wolves and other canines to know what I am "on the inside". If they did, I never would have been able to, for example, get up close to the white-phase red fox in residence there. Why? Because he probably would have fled in terror from me, or possibly attacked me in self-defense. Instead, I was allowed the opportunity to get an up-close encounter with an otherwise wild animal habituated to humans, and even pet him. It was great, and I have being human to thank for that. With the wolves it would've been even worse. Being chased to exhaustion, mauled, and being forced to piss on myself isn't precisely my idea of a good time. I would be seen as a strange canine in their territory, and not only that, but one that didn't look or smell right, either. It would have been a stressful situation for everyone involved. Now granted, with wolves that were born wild and not hand-raised by humans it would still be stressful granted, but in this case there is a higher possibility of retreat. Species, behavior and environment--all need to be taken into account.
I don't think it's impossible though for animals to possess psychic abilities, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go around looking for such a thing. Sometimes I think I might have had experiences of my own where an animal sensed something about me that deviated from the human pattern--but it was hardly the deep and meaningful and otherwise glamorous thing that the ill-informed fluffies make it out to be (in fact, I was lucky to get out of some of those situations without a trip to the hospital or stitches being involved, though I'm willing to entertain common human error into the equation as well). People have said that perhaps it is my "inhumanity" that allows me to work so well with animals. While I won't discount that entirely, I would like to point out that I have been working closely with animals off and on ever since I was a kid, and have always had an obsession with animals and animal behavior. Though yet, its the fact that I'm neurologically atypical that also helps me relate to certain animals, helps me see things on their level. Not anything mystical really, but rather just another way I utilize my brain. When working with or around animals, thinking with such newage (rhymes with 'sewage') claptrap can easily get you mauled or killed. Occam's Razor needs to be handy at all times, let alone common sense and a willingness to back up one's claims with real knowledge and information. True knowledge like this cannot be attained on any website, forum, blog or messageboard. It cannot be taught in any tiny little classroom behind a newage bookstore. It requires a willingness to truly look deep within oneself with complete and ruthless honesty, and a willingness to tear oneself away from the softly glowing computer screen outside and into the natural world and the urban jungles, where both human and nonhuman animals constantly interact with one another. Information flows in places other than the internet, and your best filter and "browser" for such information sits right between your ears, as long as you use it properly.
