This letter was written in response to an individual asking about otherkin “shifting”.

Regarding sometimes feeling more like ones kintype then human, that is apparently common during ones awakening, I remember that during the peak of my own personal awakening during some of my late teens I would often times feel the entire dragon body of my kinform Korageth overlapping my human body, often for days at a time.

Even though I would walk upright and do everything normally, I would somehow feel or sense the invisible foot steps of Kora's front legs in front of my human form, and the presence of my wings alongside my hind legs and long tail dragging behind me as I walked around, it was simply indescribable having such a phantom form and feeling the odd sensations of it overlapping my physical form while sensing the simultaneous feeling of both bodies at once. (Sadly I guess I lost or aged out of that connection/ability over time, I can't seem to pull off a shift like that anymore..)

I had for many years in my past, growled and murred and would playfully shift my speech into a raspy draconic voice as well. Several times a day I would commonly on occasion have the need to stretch phantom wings which would randomly appear from my back shoulders. There have also been times in the past wherein I would have the irrational and insane desire to briefly walk on all fours, heh I'd save it for private but yeah I was a weird kid.. At other times I had slept curled upon my sheets or in similar fashions mimicking how I had probably slept in my past kin form.

I am assuming that most or all otherkin have periods in their awakenings in which the influence of their spiritual or psychological identity in some form or sense consumes their mind or spiritual body, at which times they may be more in tuned to their kintype in mind or spirit. Myself, I used to believe that I had the ability to call up my full phantom form alongside a pool of immense energy at will, I often would use that belief to do mental/aura shifts while exploring nearby wilderness so as to truly be free experiencing the surrounding nature.

The only downfall to those random shifts or types of spiritual perceptions is that at the end of the day we are still stuck in our human forms. No otherkin anywhere in modern time has ever successfully pulled off a physical transformation so what I have just described or what you may presently be experiencing are the known peaks and limits of otherkinity's influence over the physical form or reality. No matter what you try, in the end the body you are in is what you have to live with, we are all still confined to what we exist as today, so it remains necessary to work with a focus to better this life as a priority. Work to utilize your kintype as a point of pride, you have a unique understanding of spirit so use that knowledge with the goal that you will never stop improving the present and who you are now.

Keep working on improving your otherkin shifts or states of mind, embrace them, and accept them if you wish, its normal for most kin and frankly feels awesome most of the time. The key is just remembering not to get too caught up in it as some can tend to do. (including myself...) I guess shift in moderation, as good as it may hypothetically feel to be close to your kintype and flow with these sensations you still need to remember to balance your human and otherkin identities. Balance is always important, I see myself separate from most of my peers and spend a lot of time in nature and spiritual introspection but I still also acknowledge that I presently exist in a meritocracy and must work and coexist with said peers in day to day life if I want to succeed in this world or bring honor to my past.

When you are at home, in nature, or with close friends, feel free and at peace to embrace your kintype and shift freely, but when you are in life with a world of non-believers and the folk you will meet day to day remember that you are also part of that world and are responsible to do your best to live and succeed among them. We are here as humans for some reason, we don't exist as who we are today by accident, so do not avoid finding or pursuing your higher purpose or potential by dwelling too deeply on spiritual or psychological escapes or distractions, have a balance and moderation in all things.

~Jafira Dragon

Quote:
Approximate Question:

"I strongly believe that I may be otherkin but lack any awakening memories or flashbacks. I feel really strongly I am and it'd explain a lot but can I be otherkin without memories?"


Regarding your concerns of a lack of awakening, contrary to what some may say, it isn’t the end of the world or a lack of proof if flashbacks or memories haven’t popped up. Otherkinism in my personal view is a faith based concept, a spiritual or psychological perception of ones inner self. Not all otherkin are of the “reincarnated” variety and there are different interpretations as to what is going on spiritually or psychologically and in that way there are different degrees or spectrum of otherkin.

I just focus on the reincarnation aspect due to an experience bias it's what I relate with personally. Another reason you may not have any memories is that they seem to be a sort of highlight reel of important emotional moments that may have imprinted on the spirit like a recording. I think I was mostly a wild animal so I mostly just had my death and one or two brief moments of interest. The most vivid possible memory I have was a dream in which I got ambushed and killed in my sleep. In the third and last repeat of said dream a humanoid wolf shouted “Koragus” or “Korageth” which I assume was my name (By that time I had already adopted the name Jafira both online and in personal friendships so stuck with it) If your possible past life was peaceful or mundane then it may be possible that nothing was imprinted like that, or it may take longer for something to come up. *shrugs* possibly nothing may come up, but just know that memories are not the end all be all of evidence.

To be honest, at least in regards to myself I worry that some may be over imagining the impact of memories. As said above I only had a few brief nightmares of getting killed and a quick flashback of flying over grass and a lake. I also had a few separate dreams in which I was an entirely different dragon of the opposite gender nesting with a family, so go figure on that one. (She became my Rashau character)

Point being, you can’t rely solely on dreams like that, some can be just that, dreams. In the end my major past life memory tally was three nightmares and a flashback of flying. Any of which could easily be whittled away rationally. The vast majority of my faith or perceptions that I was once a dragon tend to come from a sort of inner knowing or to get metaphysical, a spiritual instinct. I don’t want to say its entirely emotion based as that could be perceived as escapism or fantasy, but In many ways for myself at least, it is built partly upon emotion and just personal experiences.

For example, starting about the age of ten or so I had a sort of “dragon side” or imaginary other half that would kind of give me support. When I turned thirteen somebody told me that I was possessed and others said I wasn’t normal, so I tried to kill it alongside all interest in dragons. This lead to a strange depression in which I just drifted through life kind of dead inside. So a year later I went back to liking dragons. At the age of sixteen a friend and family member destroyed what few dragon things I had (mostly a sentimental necklace and a journal of thoughts and doodles) so I acted normal again but became depressed and drifty like before.

Around the age of seventeen/eighteen I discovered otherkin and that I wasn’t alone which pretty much rebooted my love of dragons and put it into overdrive, but since I had no real memories other then a vague death, I made large assumptions and made everything about myself up. A few years later my false reality imploded and I abandoned dragons and otherkin yet again. That also lead to a long depression until I started over from scratch, which pretty much lead me to the present. I constantly struggled with the subject of “am I a dragon?” all throughout my life.

As you may have noticed, every time in my past that I would try to ignore my odd connection to dragons I would go into a sort of depression as if an important part of my self was dead or being locked away. Whenever I would accept or “go with” the idea that I was a dragon or somehow connected to them, my mentality would seem to shift back to a positive or normal state. This sense of being whole when I accepted that I may have been a dragon felt to me personally to be equal or better evidence then the few possible past life memories that I may have had.

There is still a 50/50 chance that I am not dragonkin, because in the end, Its impossible to know for sure. I try to keep to an agnostic mindset, I believe in all my heart that I was a dragon, based on the questions it answers and how it effects me negatively when I deny or ignore the idea, but since its improvable, I could be wrong. Thus I say “may have been” or “I perceive that I was” so as to avoid any absolutes or fights. I tread a middle ground leaning towards “Yes”. Despite my agnosticism or mild uncertainty I choose to identify myself as otherkin because personally it doesn’t feel right or natural for me not to. Even if I wasn’t kin, I would only downgrade myself to a furry or scaly of some sort, dragons are simply too much a part of my inner self to ever abandon.

That middle ground is something that most younger kin seem not to consider much anymore it is always yes or no and that absolutism tends to lead to a polarization of extremes such as either being so skeptical as to abandon the belief or so open minded as to become delusional.

If you are having emotions and feelings on the matter strong enough to cause you emotional pain or conflict, then in my honest opinion and from personal experiences you probably are an otherkin, in which case I would say go with it. You only live once and its best not to be miserable or questioning the whole time. If in the future you eventually determine that you were not kin, then no harm was caused by pursuing the faith or idea that you were. But if it feels natural and answers so much, then why resist it? Memories and awakenings are not the same for everyone, some come in spurts at different times in life, some don’t come at all. It is safe to believe that you are otherkin if it makes sense to your individual experiences, particularly if the emotions or instinct that you are is that strong.

I’d say accept it and see what may come or open up to you in time, but definitely maintain a sense of skepticism. The kin community is full of a variety of personalities and beliefs, many will say you need this experience or that sensation to be legit, but in in the end, its personal, be prepared to defend your feelings, but in all things be true to yourself. Likewise, don’t fall into assumptions, if you wrote a story in which a character was a dragon banished by the gods to earth, don’t fall into the idea of assuming you might have been that dragon. Try not to force or assume memories. If you want to look for them then go lay under a tree and relax in some grass, close your eyes and meditate to see if something might pop up, keep a balance of introspection, open minded, but not so much your brains fall out. Lastly, I’d say be in tune with your kintype or be dragon'y when it feels right and allow it to be just another part of your life, but don't allow it to control your life.

Of course, as a disclaimer I write only from my own experiences and being an otherkin is a subject that is personal to the individual and ones own understandings, it is something that only you can decide, good luck on your journey, take it slow with patience and balance in all things.

Am I Otherkin? :

Quote:
An approximate Question that I once received consisted of:

“My friend thinks I may be dragonkin and I've felt some phantom wings on occasion do you think I might be otherkin?”


Well, the thing with otherkinism is unlike being a furry or assuming an identity it is kind of something you grow into, you typically either are or are not (at varying degrees of course, subject to the personal experiences discovered during awakening or realization) but the point being, that being otherkin is not something that can be declared by a friend or psychic or whatever. It is something you tend to find out on your own over the years and as you grow. What the questioner experienced where phantom wings, which although experienced commonly by some otherkin can easily be manifested at will by anyone through concentration or imagination, they can easily be attributed to placebo and when experienced alone are not necessarily a definite sign or proof of a spiritual shift of sorts.

Bottom line, if you are indeed some form of otherkin you would probably already suspect it in one way or another. Albeit I cannot speak for everyone and I do not know the questioners individual age or circumstance. Personally I had suspicions of my own draconity/otherkinism beginning around the age of eight or nine. (partly triggered by receiving a dragon claw pendant) Early in my youth I had a pretty clear understanding that I wasn't normal spiritually/mentally/emotionally by the age of ten and pretty much knew for sure or at least in my heart by my mid teens that I was not the same spiritually/consciously as some of my peers.

If say for example the questioner were in their late teens, mid twenties or so and are only just now questioning, it is possible they may be caught up in the moment and I would advise to be cautious or to approach the concept with personal introspection and patience.

(Though I advise that mindset for pursuing the concept of otherkinism in general honestly.)

If however the questioner is younger, then hey, who am I to say one way or the other, but please do not give into to impulse or fantasy, as above research, be introspective and most of all know yourself. The main thing is that you need to really look into your personal past and into your heart, if you were a dragon or an otherkin of some sort the signs would likely be there in segments throughout your life. For myself, I had a few recurring dreams or memories of possibly having been a dragon, I had an unnatural attraction to anything reptilian, I was a bit animalistic when nobody was looking, I always had a natural affinity to metaphysics and the spiritual which was socially frowned upon, but was still an interest which I attributed to having knowledge in my heart that this world and life was but one of many. Strange personal traits occurring like that early in youth are uncommon and abnormal, but are a good sign that there is more to your spirit or life then your present mind may know. (Though be aware of possible psychological explanations, be always honest with yourself and seek the truth in all things)

My primary advice would be to explore the matter, if you think you may be an otherkin, what evidence do you have? What type of dragon where you? What did you look like? What where you like? Why do you believe these things? Meditate on it and question everything, don't rely solely on emotion or assumption and while exploring yourself, don't claim with certainty that you were one thing or another.

Ones spirituality is subjective and individualistic and it is always changing as new facts are discovered, for example don't say for absolute certainty that you were one form of dragon or critter without first determining some kind of personal evidence to back it up, otherwise you might later discover that you were really some other type, form, spirit, gender or possibly not even an otherkin at all, always be introspective and patient on this type of matter.

To be safe, I always say that I “perceive” that I “may” have been a black dragon for the very fact that in the end, I can't know for sure, otherkin is an improvable personal faith based belief. Everything is subjective and subject to later discoveries or knowledge as we all mature. I might find out later that I wasn't what I claimed to be in the past, so I try never to speak in absolutes. I might be otherkin, I feel strongly that I was based on my subjective experiences and I will personally identify as a dragon or otherkin, but in the end, who knows? It's always best to be rational and to play it safe.

In all things, keep an open mind and have balance in your opinions. In the yin-yang of whether you were or were not an otherkin you have the white side which says you were once a dragon and you have the black side which says you were not a dragon. I would try to stay always adrift in that center line until you have determined an answer with some certainty. Remember to have patience and balance in all things. Explore some of the communities online, be objective and rational, read what others experienced, see what your own heart and experiences say and then decide rationally for yourself whether or not you feel that you were perhaps truly a dragon or otherkin.

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Please spread the word and go check it out! ^,=,^


Reborn at: http://dragon-realms.net

I am extremely upset by what I see on tumblr's Kinfessions page. The lack of self introspection and purveyance of assumption is sickening. I reiterate I am under no circumstance a role model for otherkin, but come on!

Case in point, a recent post along the lines of "I was Odin, I know this because I need all of everyone's attention" does not amount to a rational introspection of ones spirit or self. If Odin were here he'd spear this kid for making such deluded claims. You know nothing of this deity, what claim have you to his soul?

I am new to tumblr, but I really feel the need to contribute some self doubt and questioning when it comes to otherkinism. For myself being otherkin wasn't some trophy I waved around trying to seek awareness and support for.

When I awakened I wasn't making up my kin type to be more personalized or more relevant then my peers. I just was, otherwise if I made it up I would totally be a hydra, because they're my favorite dragons or I would become fictionkin Flammie because I love how she's a dragon ball of fluff! But its not a choice and I awoke a boring black dragon based off available evidence.
-- I'd love to be this dragon! #Flammie-Fluff

In the past I was terrified by my beliefs and I didn't know others even existed. I spent most of my life fighting against the sensations that I was dragon'ish. I knew it was an unnatural sense of self and I knew it was an oddity from a very young age. I kept it private and I constantly attacked the belief. Whenever I fully disavowed the idea I would become miserable like a part of me died, whenever I accepted it fully without question I'd ignore facts and life in favor of delusion.

I learned that a balance of self doubt is mandatory in otherkinism. For example: "I perceive I was a dragon. I cannot prove this, I base it off a faith in reincarnation, I cannot prove reincarnation. I am therefore Required to be agnostic. I love dragons and respectfully identify with them, but I must fully live this life and try my best to be a real person." This is the proper mannerism for an otherkin to have, not making bold claims or absolutes and no assumptions of truth or superiority.

Particularly to Fictionkin, Factkin, Galaxykin and Dietykin, I assert that you were niether a god, character or conscious awareness of a galaxy, what evidence do you have? You can't just turn sixteen, stumble on to the subject of otherkin, pick a persona and claim it truth! Self generated identity does not make one an otherkin, you earth that word through years of introspection, doubt and growth.

Otherkin is far more in depth and self critical then a personal identity you choose during puberty. Its something you figure out on your own and work through over tense years of ups and downs. It is a part of ones inner self, not a culture or way of life. If you lack evidence please just play it safe and be a furry.

The kin culture here lacks any critical analysis and allows for an embarrassing amount of delusion and assumption to blanket the real thing. To see who is really an otherkin, check back in four years and see who's still posting, don't base their validity on popularity, but on the value of their views and growth.