Written by N. Noctis, HP, Therian Temple.
Posted by Magus Fenrir Therion, Therian Temple.
“How do I know if I’m a therian?”
I hear this question being asked online all the time, and in my assisting with Magus Fenrir’s administrative duties at the Therian SocialNet site “WereSpace”, I have seen several threads of users (usually young-17 to 25 or so) asking the community if they can help on this issue.
Here is one user’s post (I will omit their name to protect their identity, as WereSpace is a non-public site):
“How do I know if I’m a therian? This is a major question, because I am a furry and a true believer, but…I don’t know if I’m a therian. So, how did you find out? Maybe I can learn from how you guys found out, and I hope I can,…“
Here is Magus Fenrir’s initial reply:
“The key word is: Introspection.
Contrary to what you may heard, being Therian does not mean you have some fantastical ability to grow claws or fangs, etc, but that your Personality itself is just like that of a certain Animal species.
It needn’t be anything “spiritual” either, even though some do choose that path.“
I do feel that this person’s situation is somewhat common, especially with so many young people online who may not have any reliable resources for information on Therianthropy/Therianism.
They are bombarded with so much conflicting information that they feel the need to ask an entire group of people directly about such a personal issue. It’s almost like going online and asking “What does Euphoria feel like?”: It’s such a personal experience that the Asker is bound to get myriad different responses, each one being true to the person giving it, and no one could prove or disprove the other’s claims.
Many people new to the idea of or, at least, the terminology of Therianism have some preconceived notion that they must be “awakened” by some other Therian, that they must commune with an animal “spirit”, or that there exists an empirical method for proving who is or isn’t “truly” Therian.
Some may have seen movies or read books which lead them to incorrect ideas about Therianism, and some may just be looking for a social circle, and possibly find friends within the Therian community, leading them to believe that if they get along with Therians-well, maybe they are one themselves.
There are many, many misleading websites out there regarding the topic of Therianthropy, in fact, these are the Majority. Many will tell the young (and sometimes impressionable) online readership that Therianthropy is an inherently “spiritual” concept, that Therians have “other inhabitants of the body” or “split personalities” (a mental disorder having nothing to do with therianism), or that Therians are at “war” with ‘Vampires”, and all sorts of other falsehoods labeled as truth.
In most cases, these sites require that the reader believe in some Supernatural concept before they can be a “True Therian”. However, in reality, Therianism is just as Natural as anything can be.
To suggest that one must believe in “spirits” to Understand one’s own personality is akin to saying that one must worship a certain “God” to be fulfilled in life. It’s not only a false statement, it’s also discriminatory.
This idea robs the individual of his own merits of intelligence, giving all credit instead to some unseen / undefined incorporeal being, and supposes that the “unbeliever” is somehow lower in stature than the “spiritually enlightened” one.
While we in the Therian Temple indeed practice a form of “Magic”, there is no belief in the Supernatural required. As it says in the Therian Bible as well as on our site we define magic as: “Any manifestation of one’s Will in the world through the use of otherwise unclassifiable and/or non-traditional methods.”
Most of Our rituals are a type of decompression for the individual, and others are to simply pay the Due Respect to Nature. We do not “call up” any “demons” or “wolf ghosts”, nor do we have any plans to in the future.
We are part of the whole of Nature, not separate from it, thus, there is no need to “summon” anyone.
Our system belief is based on the idea that Therianthropy is a very personal experience for the Individual, as deeply ingrained in one’s self as our own thoughts and emotions, and that “Magic” comes from the applied understanding and self-control of said individuals, not some external force or being.
If someone else was in control, why would we need self-control?
In short, the simple answer to “How do I know if I’m a therian?” is:
“Don’t ask me, ask yourself“.
