User:NeoFreak/sandbox/sandbox3

Okay, here it is... I know it's not formatted correctly yet. (I won't bother doing so if you all tell me it doesn't belong here.)
The people I've been working with and I have made every effort to remain unbiased, and to pick sources that are acknowledged within the community (there are no sources I know of that would be acknowledged by everyone). Of course, if you have doubts about one point or the other, it can all be discussed.
We also have the potential to translate this into 8 languages, again we won't do so if there is no chance of having this article accepted in here.
Thank you for your attention,
Kahoku 10:29, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

Otherkin are a group and/or subculture of people, primarily based online, who feel that some part of them in some way is not human. There are many explanations within the community as to how this is possible, some of them being spiritual, mental, social, or even genetic. There are many different types of kin- some identify with creatures or beings of mythology and legend, such as Elves, Faeries, Unicorns, Aliens [1], ect… while others associate themselves more with animals, plants or other forces/elements/concepts of nature/existence. The term ‘Otherkin’ can also be interchangeable with the term “other soul-ed” and perhaps the second term is the most appropriate, although it is used less often. Within the Otherkin community itself is many sub-groups, such as the vampiric and [therianthropic]] communities, although the communities themselves don’t always agree on this. Otherkin are not to be confused with Furries and Furry fandom.

Outside of their own subculture, otherkin beliefs are often met with controversy.[3]

EXPLANATION

Origins of otherness

There are many theories on this; listing them all would go beyond the scope of this article. Generally, there are several theories. ->Reincarnation is the most basic, and the most simple. Then there is ->Incarnation, which is where the individual believes they were incarnated or assigned to human form by a higher power as a learning experience, for a mission or objective, or even (though rare,) as punishment. Some kin even believe they put themselves here in order to learn what its like to be human. Some believe it was a mistake in the heavenly assembly line, while other people tend to believe that ->mythical creatures<- did walk this earth at one point, and their kinship is genetically inherited. The theories are numerous.

Awakening

Otherkin refer to awakening as the time period in which an individual comes to the realization that they are something ‘other’. It also refers to the period of time where a kin experiments with discovering their true forms, any memories that accompanies this form or state of being, and coping with such a realization. [9] Awakening can occur at any time in an individual’s life, but it most often seems to happen with adolescent and post-high school students. There are rarely any immediate signs that an awakening is impending, but it would seem that children who demonstrate a remarkable strength of ->imagination at an early age that seems to last through Junior High and High school usually experience a kin awakening. There are speculations as to why, one of the main reasons being children who are born with these miraculous imaginations are kin themselves. Not every child who is imaginative is kin, however, and not every individual kin is necessarily imaginative. Awakening in and of itself has been described as both a living hell and as having given the individual a great deal of peace and answering many of the person’s spiritual questions. Almost all kin are in agreement, however, that an Awakening is an intense period of spiritual growth, discovery, development, and pain, and should not be taken lightly by anybody. Awakenings are serious.

Phantom Limbs

Phantom limbs are a condition that is officially recognized by science. Wikipedia defines phantom limbs: “A phantom limb is the sensation that an amputated or missing limb is still attached to the body and is moving appropriately with other body parts (Mitchell 1871; Melzack 1992; Ramachadran & Hirstein 1998). Approximately 50 to 80% of amputees experience these phantom sensations in their amputated limb, and the majority of these people report that the sensations are painful. Other sensations include warmth, cold, itching, squeezing, and burning.” The scientific explanation for phantom limbs states that the cause of phantom sensations is the firing of electrical signals in the brain, and the consciousness: in layman’s terms, your brain got so used to the limb being there, when its gone, electrical signals from the brain continue to fire towards the limb- the brain doesn’t know that the limb isn’t there. The phantom limb phenomenon reported by otherkin can be explained by saying that the cause for the sensations occur in the spiritual body and manifest in the current consciousness. The theory goes on to say that your energy body always stays the same, regardless of the physical body you are in. Since body, mind and spirit are all so closely tied to one another, the energy of the spiritual body manifests as sensations in the body, which are perceived by the brain. The difference between spiritual phantom limbs and ‘clinical’ phantom limbs is that spiritual phantom limbs have had no physical substance in this incarnation. Phantom limbs are rarely visible, and they pass through object much like a fictional ghost does. These Phantom limbs are felt by the kin individual in question as an itching, burning, tingling, or tightening sensation, or even a sensation of movement, such as a tugging at the shoulders for wings or a tail moving for a wolf-kin. There are also circumstances where phantom limbs respond to solid physical objects, such as knocking things over or causing a person to get caught in a door. There are also instances where people and crowds unconsciously respond to a phantom limbs. Dragon kin are renowned for this: sometimes the sheer size of a dragon kin has been known to leave them with plenty of space in a crowd, and the unconscious flexing of wings has caused more the one person to fall as though physically struck. For an excellent illustration on otherkin phantom limbs, visit this ->Therithere comic<-.

True Form

Kin use this phrase simply in reference to what they believe their soul form is, or what they consider their “natural state” or energy body. It can be in reference to a form that they relate to the most, either one they had in a past life, one they will have when they depart from this one.

How to know / Identity / Elven Princess Syndrome

There is no way of telling for sure if someone is otherkin. Generally, Anyone that runs around with latex ears on and bellowing out they’re ->Arwen aren’t serious. There have been cases of this – the community members call this type of people “Fluff Bunnies". For people who come onto legit communities saying they are ->Legolas, or ->Lestat, or any other fictional characters, or who claim they were a ‘dragon prince’ or a ‘great vampire slayer’, fighting the powers of darkness, or healing the world, [10] the term of “Elven Princess Syndrome” [11] has become popular, and in the case of the latter, they usually aren’t taken very seriously within the community. There is also a certain danger of individuals wrapping their whole life around their "otherkin-ness" ("Identity-kin"). [6]

A medical point of view

According to diagnosis criteria put forth by mental health professionals, the belief that one is an animal or can be turned into an animal is termed ->clinical lycanthropy<- [4], a delusion of varying severity and significance. However, there are differences between lycanthropy and the behavior of Otherkin [5].

Especially in the case of Vampires, there are many physical diseases that can be mistaken for vampirism [12], such as Diabetes, Chrohn's Disease, and Anaemia.

HISTORY

The otherkin community grew out of the ->elven ->online community<- of the early-to-mid-1990s, with the earliest recorded use of the term otherkin appearing in early 1996. [2]

LIFESTYLE

Overall lifestyle

In most cases, it's impossible to tell if someone is Otherkin or not, since they are leading a totally normal life. [7] "Coming out", however, can lead to social problems similar to those ->homosexuals or ->transgenders experience when first talking about their feelings. [14]

Otherkin and Cults

->Cults often demand absolute, unquestioning belief in and loyalty to a cause from their members. Not only that, but they also often demand a forfeiture of freedoms, money, belongings, etc. for the sake of membership. Practically all serious Otherkin communities officially condemn cultlike activity from any group claiming to be affiliated with Otherkin [13].

Otherkin and Furries

There are sites that lay claim to the furry lifestyle being but just one of the broad spectrum of Otherkin. While the two communities do have some things in common, serious Otherkin tend to shy away and even attempt to distance themselves from the furry genre. Among the Otherkin communities, putting on costumes to represent your True Form, (which furries are well known for, as well as their ’conventions’) is seen as a cruel and shallow misrepresentation of the true beauty of their souls. It would be like a vampire kin putting in plastic, cereal box fangs and going around with a bad ->Bela Lugosi<- accent.

Otaku-kin

->Otaku kin are those individuals who claim to have past lives as major characters from realities derived from Japanese Manga, and who claim their spiritual selves are manga-esque. Many communities, however, do not recognize Otaku as legitimate kinship.

Otherkin and Religion

In terms of religion, otherkin come from everywhere. They can be Christian, Jewish, Mormon, Muslim, Pagan, Jehovah’s Witness or any other religious belief system. Kin come from many different cultural backgrounds and from many different countries. The belief to be Otherkin is not mutually exclusive of ones religion. However, the Pagan religion seems to go along very well with being Otherkin. [8]

REFERENCES

Periodicals

"The Elven Star", Circle News Network, Summer 1986. - A 1986 Circle News Network article citing the Silver Elves, and the older group, the Elf Queen's Daughters "Elven Like Me", Village Voice, 14 February 2001. - Village Voice article

Books

Polson, Willow (2003). The Veil's Edge: Exploring the Boundaries of Magic. Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-2352-2. - One of Willow Polson's books has a chapter on otherkin.

Lupa (2007). A Field Guide to Otherkin. Sold via http://www.thegreenwolf.com/afgto.html

NOTES

1. ^ Mamatas, Nick (February 20 2001). "Elven Like Me". The Village Voice, New York 46 (7): 35.
2. ^ Polson, Willow (2003). The Veil's Edge: Exploring the Boundaries of Magic. Citadel Press, 95. ISBN 0-8065-2352-2.
3. ^ Nonsense in America: The Lure of the Irrational. Wooster.edu. Retrieved on 19 October 2005.
4. ^ Garlipp, P; Godecke-Koch T, Dietrich DE, Haltenhof H. (Jan 2004). "Lycanthropy--psychopathological and psychodynamical aspects". Acta Psychiatr Scand 109 (1): 19-22.
5. ^ http://www.rendingtheveil.com/article.php?article=75 - Article on Theriantropy
6. ^ http://www.otherkin.net/articles/identitykin.html - Identity-Kin
7. ^ http://www.otherkin.net/articles/fieldGuide1.html - A Day in the Life of Otherkin, by Lupa
8. ^ http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a ... s&id=11030 - Pagans and Otherkin
9. ^ http://www.otherkin.net/articles/amI.html - On Awakening
10. ^ http://www.otherkin.net/articles/patterns.html - Pitfalls
11. ^ http://www.otherkin.net/articles/royalty.html - The Elven Princess Syndrome
12. ^ http://otherkinalliance.org/joomla/inde ... &Itemid=31 - Diseases Commonly Mistaken for Vampirism
13. ^ http://otherkinalliance.org/joomla/inde ... &Itemid=31 - Cults and Otherkin
14. ^ http://otherkinalliance.org/joomla/inde ... &Itemid=31 - Common Reactions to "Coming out"

EXTERNAL LINKS

Information

What Are Otherkin? (link taken from current Wikipedia article)
What does it mean to be a Therian? (link taken from current Wikipedia article)
Being Other: An Essay on Dysmorphia and Incarnation (link taken from current Wikipedia article)
http://www.otherkin.net - Resource and community page.

http://www.kondor.de/shaman/otherkin.html (German article)
http://www.kondor.de/shaman/faq.html ("Ich bin ein Drache" - dragon FAQ, German)
http://reverend_kim.tripod.com/Otherkin/Other.html (English article: "What the heck is an Otherkin?")
http://www.realmscape.org/otherkin_RPKIN.htm - RP'Kin: The Most Elaborate of Them All

Communities

http://www.otherkin.com - Probably the best known Otherkin community.
http://www.otherkinalliance.org – A rather large community with a German subsection