First, a brief blurb about the in-fighting. OH, STOP IT! Now that that's out of the way, I'm going to proceed to my interview.
How do you, as a therianthrope, define therianthropy?
I doubt this will come as much of a surprise to you at this point, but the first thing I have to observe about the therianthropy movement is that it's a very controversial one. Simply trying to define it generates conflict within its community.
(Yes, I know that's not what the above fighting was about, but, it does still drive home my point.)
Therianthropy is most simply a modern Internet movement that follows an age-old, indeed ancient premise, that some of us as humans have the souls of other animals. The statement sounds simple enough, but it raises questions deeply routed in religion and personal beliefs: What is a soul? Do other animals have souls? Do souls even exist? Not all people agree, and many therians may prefer I phrase it a different way--perhaps using the word "spirit" instead of "soul," or defining it less as transmigration and more as purely from an identity perspective.
How do you feel about being a therian?
Therianthropy is a useful label to describe something I have already felt to be true prior to finding out that others felt the same way. It is strangely reassuring to learn that others have the same fascination with shape-shifting, the same identification with other animals, and the same quirks that I have grown up to assume as unique to me.
Do you feel invisible in society?
Less so than the following questions would appear to assume. But, rather than using therianthropy as a means of divorcing myself from humanity, as most of us therians tend to do, I see it as a way of relating to humans.
I am a wolf therian. Conveniently, wolves and humans have a lot in common, and the two evolved side-by-side. In the last few thousand years, this partnership may have degenerated in many places, but even then, the domestic dog descended from this alliance. And, humans are starting to repair the damage done to wild wolves, even as they continue to cause more. It's a strange paradox.
Interacting with humans not only as a human myself but also as a wolf in human form allows me to objectify certain social elements. In most social situations, humans subconsciously follow the same pack harmonics as wolves. By becoming consciously aware of these dynamics, I am better able to work with them, to resolve and prevent conflicts. As a physician working in an emergency department, this diplomacy skill comes very much in handy.
Wolves organize themselves into an alpha male, an alpha female, and a heirarchal rank in descending positions. People tend to do the same. Watch the next time you attend a convention, get summoned to jury duty, or get into any situation where you meet new people. One person will tend to assume a leadership position, and others will follow. Most conflicts tend to center around two people competing for the same rank, usually alpha or beta.
In short, most conflicts are emotional ones, not neccessarily ideological ones. People with diametrically opposed beliefs can be civil around each other. I know, because I've done it. Some of my best associates think I'm ultimately destined to go to Hell, but they're kind and civil, and we exchange gifts. Human social interaction, like wolves, is about knowing when to be an alpha and when to let someone else have the spot.
Are there social reasons for this invisibility? What prevents you from being seen?
Most of my invisibility is conscious and planned. I do not openly advertise my therianthropy in direct social situations. I acknowledge the irony, since I am admitting it openly here, on a forum accessable by people around the world. But, here, it is an accepted and understood norm. In society at large today, it is an unorthodox concept that would require explaining above and beyond, and I feel it is best left for those who have already gotten to know me.
What difficulties (if any) do you face by being invisible?
I face very few difficulties, because it's an easy secret to keep, with comparatively little risk involved--quite different from, hypothetically speaking of course, being an actual biological werewolf. Being a wolf therian will tend to make me quirky, but most physicians are already eccentric. Being self-employed, I'm allowed a lot more leeway than an employee who has to look busy when the boss walks by, just as long as I don't scare the patients--and they're not generally there with me to talk about me or my issues, anyway, so it has yet to come up. The nurses know that I have strange interests and that I've written an unpublished werewolf novel. I've shown them the
Freeborn teaser and talked about meeting the people working on the movie. Therianthropy is an added detail they don't need to know at this time.
What do you think makes someone a therian?
Ultimately, it is a matter of identity. A therianthrope is a person who identifies with one or more particular animal forms, and who mentally assumes certain aspects of that form, be it through lucid dreaming (or unintentionally in regular dreams), through meditations, or even just through simple visualization during regular day-to-day activities. I spend most of the time mentally in part-wolf form. I have conditioned myself to notice scents more. Some of us claim to have enhanced senses or other unusual abilities; I will refrain from doing so, as I have no means of proving it.
Most people, when I tell them I’m doing a project on therians, tend to look at me funny... but they are all very curious about the topic. What would you tell them about your therianthropy? (aka: what would you want people to know about you/what would people see if they could see you?)
Although it's a reinvention of something that probably dates back long before the dawn of history, therianthropy is a contemporary Internet movement. Most therians have made a shared decision to recommend to a newcomer or inquirer to review the information about us on the Internet. Granted, conflicting sources will make a review of the subject initially even more confusing. I would recommend Wikipedia's entry for "therianthropy" as a comparatively neutral starting point.
Anything else you want to tell me that you think might help me "reveal" therians to society?
The therianthropy movement is one of many closely related movements. The "otherkin" movement is similar but more generalized--it consists of people who identify with being non-human in essence, and may in part represent a reaction against the direction mainstream society appears to be taking the course of human evolution. We parallel the Wiccan religion and other forms of Paganism--a religion that is peaceful and focused on nature worship and elaborate forms of creative visualization, but unorthodox and intimidating to the lay public because of propaganda by its adversaries, erroneously associating it with cults and Satanism. (A disproportionate number of us, myself included, are in fact Wiccans.) Therianthropy also parallels other movements such as "vampyres"--people who identify with the mythical immortal race, or "furries," what could arguably be described as an art and lifestyle movement that centers around anthropomorphic animal character personas.
Any other important things that you think I should include in my project?
Buy my book? No, I'll resist such a shameless plug.
Rather, I'll point out that there is strong evidence that early nomadic hunters practiced mental shape-shifting techniques that may have been virtually identical to what we do today as therians, and it seems to have worked, as humans are still around today.
Note also in that I am resisting the common therian temptation to deny being human. My humanity is an inescapable biological fact. Rather, therianthropy is a way of reconnecting as a human with the rest of the animal kingdom. We exist as a reminder that humans are animals, and that the sense of seperation is an illusion. Some day, evolution, genetic engineering, and other technologies may make our descendants into something else, but humans are animals, and some of us still take pride in our heritage.
No hard feelings?
Aww she asked a few questions and got bashed. Leave her be. Im sure she didn't know. And this is in the non were related section.
no kidding
It is an internet movement and I said so, and Im interested to see you agree!