Terminology and Believability

[Sir_Catherine]

Alright, I'm collecting a list of terms and 'subgroups' I've heard names and I'd like to hear which groups are considered 'valid/real' and which are more akin to Fluffy Bunnies and Mr. Darks.

Otherkin
Walk-Ins
Indigo Children
Starseed
Lightworker
Vampire (psychic and blood drinking, NOT the medical condition where the body needs the minerals in blood)

(Many of these come from the Mr. Dark Stories thread, others I've heard before as well as in that thread. I mean to offend no one; this is where I get to hear what all of you have to say, not preach my own views.)

Edit: More terms that I've come across, some in responses to this thread.

Soulbonds
Otakukin
therianthropy
thoughtforms  

[IH_Zero]

I won't go into most of them at the moment, but I will go into the Starseeds.

Now, from what I've gathered, they consider themselves to be half-"alien," correct? Alien, as in a living creature not of this planet.

Well, first off, this would assume that the alien creature would be genetically compatible with the human species. The chances of this happening are rather slim. The fact that many of these "Starseeds" claim to come from a variety of different alien species, just makes it all the more impossible.

And that's just dealing with the genetic makeup of the species. This is also assuming that, barring cases of IVF or somesuch, the alien species would be physically compatible to mate with the human species.

The chances of Starseeds being physically possible....are slim, to say the least.  

[MoonJeli]

If by the medical condition related to vampirism you mean porphyria, I don't think that's any more valid or real than other ideas regarding vampires.

The hypothesis that vampirism could actually be based on cases of people with porphyria was proposed by a biochemist, David Dolphin, in 1985. It's become a very popular theory (slowly but surely, and thank you CSI), but doesn't hold up scientifically. Drinking blood will not bring relief of symptoms to porphyria sufferers as the heme that those with porphyria lack would not survive digestion.

Some people attribute it to anemia as well, but drinking blood will not supply the body with the iron that it needs.

I often see the term "lightworker" used as a catch-all term for various of those sub-categories. Doreen Virtue wrote "the" texts on those subjects and she wrote about five different types of lightworkers, which are incarnate angels, re-incarnated sorcerers and wizards, starpeople, incarnate elementals and walk-ins.

http://www.hayhouse.com/details.php?id=86

There are many subsets involving advanced aliens who are teaching the human race, including Zetas, Pleiadeans, and religions like Raelianism. I'm not sure where such beliefs fall.  

[Aesi]

AngryRobotsInc.

I won't go into most of them at the moment, but I will go into the Starseeds.

Now, from what I've gathered, they consider themselves to be half-"alien," correct? Alien, as in a living creature not of this planet.

Well, first off, this would assume that the alien creature would be genetically compatible with the human species. The chances of this happening are rather slim. The fact that many of these "Starseeds" claim to come from a variety of different alien species, just makes it all the more impossible.

And that's just dealing with the genetic makeup of the species. This is also assuming that, barring cases of IVF or somesuch, the alien species would be physically compatible to mate with the human species.

The chances of Starseeds being physically possible....are slim, to say the least.

My first teacher thought she was a Starseed. She believed this because her birth records were missing. Slim odds, indeed. But it's like some reincarnation buffs. There was only one Cleopatra, but damned if there aren't a million of 'em now.  

[IH_Zero]

Aesi

My first teacher thought she was a Starseed. She believed this because her birth records were missing. Slim odds, indeed. But it's like some reincarnation buffs. There was only one Cleopatra, but damned if there aren't a million of 'em now.

There were several Cleopatras. The one most famous was Cleopatra the Seventh.  

[Aesi]

AngryRobotsInc.

Aesi

My first teacher thought she was a Starseed. She believed this because her birth records were missing. Slim odds, indeed. But it's like some reincarnation buffs. There was only one Cleopatra, but damned if there aren't a million of 'em now.

There were several Cleopatras. The one most famous was Cleopatra the Seventh.

I didn't mean it literally. sweatdrop There was only one Cleopatra who still entices the popular imagination. Only one of 'em is considered to be of any consequence to those who would be willing to so easily fall for the idea that they were once far, far greater.

Also, it seems to me that people who make such claims very rarely claim to have been a famous person of another sex. I wonder if this is a habit outside my former group of acquaintances?  

[MoonJeli]

I thought of another one... Soulbonds. That's really popular in anime and fanfic communities. It is a soul created by mental energy or belief, i.e. a fictional character (either one from an existing fictional world, like Legolas or Urkel, or one of the soulbonder's own creation) that has become "real" on the creator's mental plane or another dimension. May be a "split" where the originator person splits part of the soul off.

Some famous writers of the past have claimed their characters gained a life of their own and started directing the plot themselves, but names escape me at the minute. I'll try to remember.  

[IH_Zero]

MoonJeli

I thought of another one... Soulbonds. That's really popular in anime and fanfic communities. It is a soul created by mental energy or belief, i.e. a fictional character (either one from an existing fictional world, like Legolas or Urkel, or one of the soulbonder's own creation) that has become "real" on the creator's mental plane or another dimension. May be a "split" where the originator person splits part of the soul off.

Some famous writers of the past have claimed their characters gained a life of their own and started directing the plot themselves, but names escape me at the minute. I'll try to remember.

That reminds me of Otakukin. I've met a few myself (Otakukin, that is). Odd, odd bunch.  

[Starlock]

Question: how are you measuring validity? What standard of 'reality' are you using? Answering these is critical because depending on these criteria you'll get different answers.

Most of these I've never heard of, honestly, or know next to nothing about. The only two I'm more familiar with are otherkin and energy vampires. At the very least, the people who make such claims certainly believe their conditions are real. Others have no obligation to believe or disbelieve their claims and treat them as real. Regardless, I don't think you can generalize that all individuals making such claims are invalid. Case-by-case basis.

Having dealt with an energy vamp (though he did not self-identify as one, there's little doubt he was one) I put much more stock in that phenomena. Energy vamps basically just drain the vitality out of a group or feel a personal lack of energy if they do not spend time with people. Others will describe energy vamps as drama queens of sorts, but the one I encountered was depressive rather than maniac.

Otherkin just as a concept makes less sense to me at this time, but in spite of my personal skepticism I do not completely disregard the phenomena. I don't question that individuals have mystical experiences that lead them to believe they have some special connection to a non-human animal... moreso I question the conclusions they arrive at from such experiences. Again, case-by-case basis.  

[Sir_Catherine]

Simply opening up the terms for discussion. Mainly so I can get some definitions. I realize there will be multiple definitions proposed and multiple views of the 'validity' of each brought forth, and that is fine. I am looking foreward to reading a range of thoughts and ideas. Discussion amongst those more knowledgeable and/or opinonated on this matter than myself would be especialy great to read, but I'm making no demands.  

[TatteredAngel]

One thing I've been wondering about is whether therianthropy is like a flavor of otherkin or vice versa. Since therianthropy makes vaguer claims, is it a more palatable concept?

[Edited to fix my apparently craptastic English.]  

[MoonJeli]

TatteredAngel

One thing I've been wondering about is whether therianthropy is like a flavor of otherkin or vice versa. Since therianthropy makes vaguer claims, is it a more palatable concept?

Therianthropy is sometimes used interchangeably with Otherkin. I'm not sure what vaguer claims you mean? Otherkin means, simply, something-other-than-human, and it is a vague claim with a lot of variance in the community. "Theri" is the short term people use for themselves.

Therianthropy was simply another name people came up with for it, I think, when they didn't like Otherkin, which was considered sort of, well, fluffy. A lot of people who claim to be linked to non-mythic animal spirits (a cougar, mouse or deer for example) found Theri to be more palatable because Otherkin seemed more mythic-leaning (dragons, unicorns, gryphons, etc.). However, there are (lots and lots of) mythic Theris (some of the most outspoken, even the ones who came up with the term) and "mundane" Otherkin, too.

Even though "therianthropy" comes from the Greek therion (Θηριον), meaning "wild animal", there are even fairy Theris. Heh.

There are other subsets of the community too -- Were and Draconic coming to mind first. A lot of them don't like the term Otherkin, but I think it's just a terminology thing.

I remembered an author that Soulbonders (usually young writers of fanfic, fantasy stories or anime-style roleplay) refer to often -- Robert E. Howard, author of the Conan books. Now, Howard didn't claim that Conan was real, but he felt something set Conan apart from other characters, as evidenced in various letters. This one was written Dec. 14, 1933 to Clark Ashton Smith:

Robert E. Howard

I'm rather of the opinion myself that widespread myths and legends are based in some fact, though the fact may be distorted out of all recognition in the telling. While I don't go so far as to believe that stories are inspired by actually existent spirits or powers (though I am rather opposed to flatly denying anything) I have sometimes wondered if it were possible that unrecognized forces of the past or present -- or even the future -- work through the thoughts and actions of living men. This occurred to me when I was writing the first stories of the Conan series especially. I know that for months I had been absolutely barren of ideas, completely unable to work on anything sellable. Then the man Conan seemed suddenly to grow up in my mind without much labour on my part and immediately a stream of stories flowed off my pen -- or rather off my type-writer -- almost without effort on my part. I did not seem to be creating, but rather relating events that had occurred. Episode crowded on episode so fast that I could scarcely keep up with them. For weeks I did nothing but write of the adventures of Conan. The character took complete possession of my mind and crowded out everything else in the way of story-writing. When I deliberately tried to write something else, I couldn't do it. I do not attempt to explain this by esoteric or occult means, but the facts remain. I still write of Conan more powerfully and with more understanding than any of my other characters. But the time will probably come when I will suddenly find myself unable to write convincingly of him at all. That has happened in the past with nearly all my rather numerous characters; suddenly I would find myself out of contact with the conception, as if the man himself had been standing at my shoulder directing my efforts, and had suddenly turned and gone away, leaving me to search for another character.

Edith Wharton is another oft quoted author regarding what "kids these days" are calling Soulbonding.

Edith Wharton

What I mean to try for is the observation of that strange moment when the vaguely adumbrated characters whose adventures one is preparing to record are suddenly there, themselves, in the flesh, in possession of one, and in command of one's voice and hand. It is there that the central mystery lies, and perhaps it is as impossible to fix in words as that other mystery of what happens in the brain at the precise moment when one falls over the edge of consciousness into sleep.

Many authors report talking with or being controlled in their writing, to some extent, by their characters. The phenomenon of a Soulbonding community (and the name itself), along with nurturing said "beings" outside of writing (as a sort of "imaginary friend" for post-adolescents, or as a spirit guide, voice-in-the-head, etc.) seems to be very new (very much post-Otherkin and walk-ins).  

[Darin Rosewood]

By the definitions I make use of, "Therians" are people who claim to have an animal soul or some such. Otherkin are people who claim to be either descended from a metaphysical creature (fae, dragons, etc.), or have been one in a past life. While I believe that Otherkin/Therians are theoretically possible, it's likely that the majority of them are fluffs, considering that they're all something "cool" like dragons, wolves, tigers, etc., but no mention of beetles, garden snakes, or more "ordinary" stuff.  

[TheDisreputableDog]

MoonJeli

Many authors report talking with or being controlled in their writing, to some extent, by their characters.

I've definitely heard this from a lot of people. "The characters write themselves," "I had planned the story out but the characters had different ideas," and so forth. I can totally understand this idea, especially if the person has been working with the same characters for a long time. However, as to the characters literally taking on a life of their own, I'm not sure. If the energy it takes to complete a novel indicates anything, maybe some kind of thoughtform situation? I know next-to-nothing about thoughtforms though, so that's just a shot in the dark.

TatteredAngle

One thing I've been wondering about is whether therianthropy is like a flavor of otherkin or vice versa. Since therianthropy makes vaguer claims, is it a more palatable concept?

The way it's been explained to me previously, it has to do with the number of souls involved. An Otherkin would have only one soul, that of the non-human they felt themselves to be, while a therian would have a human soul and at least one other animal soul. Replace soul with spirit, essence, etc--basically, an Otherkin is only human in body, while a therian has both human and animal spirits. But as is the case with so many of these communities, definitions vary.  

[jaden kendam]

TheDisreputableDog

MoonJeli

Many authors report talking with or being controlled in their writing, to some extent, by their characters.

I've definitely heard this from a lot of people. "The characters write themselves," "I had planned the story out but the characters had different ideas," and so forth. I can totally understand this idea, especially if the person has been working with the same characters for a long time. However, as to the characters literally taking on a life of their own, I'm not sure. If the energy it takes to complete a novel indicates anything, maybe some kind of thoughtform situation? I know next-to-nothing about thoughtforms though, so that's just a shot in the dark.

.

Who is to say that these writers were not "automatic writers"? Meaning that a spirit did not either tell them what to write or write it using the writers hands. I have done automatic writing, although taking my word for it may not be your idea of proof. Although, some people say they are, when watched, they say spirit is not giving them an idea or they spend a long time meditating on what "spirit" wants them to write. I guess you would just have to see it, and make you own idea about the "inspiration" behind everything.