| First things First. What exactly is Therianthropy? Well, I could give you a technical definition. Theriomorphic \'thir-e-o-'mor-fik\ adj (GK theriomorphos, fr. therion beast + morphe form - more at treacle): having an animal form. But that doesnt -really- get us anywhere, does it? The definition is correct. Having an animal form. But only partly correct, There's much more to the concept of Theriomorphic, Theriomorphs, and Therianthropy. Therianthropy really means, having a form of an animal and being able to transform into it. Such as the WereWolf we're all so familiar with. I really suggest checking out "what is therianthropy" on the WereWeb site, I dont think i can explain it better myself. So go, check it out, I'll merely outline some of the topics he discusses. Spiritual Therianthropy is a somewhat different concept than just Therianthropy by itself. While Therianthropy is referring to having an animal form in the physical sense, Spiritual Therianthropy is referring to it in the mental/spiritual sense. I know this all sounds quite ... fringe ... but that's probably because it is. While I have no problems finding hundreds, even thousands of fellow Theriomorphs online, It's obvious that most of the outside world does not know about Us. Most people would simply shrug it off as being some self destructive cult or mass-hysteria occurance. But I can assure you that our beliefs are very real, and that they are much older than most religions exsisting today. Autohypnosis allows us to induce a sort of Lucid Dreaming state. Autohypnosis is used widely in the Theriomorph community to shift mentally into their animal forms. It was used by the Native Americans and is still used today, sorry folks, we're not making this up. It's an easily learnable skill and is used ofcourse, in mainstream society as well these days. It's a relaxation/stress relieving technique. Associating with Animals. Some theriomorphs simply associate strongly with their Phenotypes (animal counterparts/animals that they relate strongly to mentally/spiritually) This is basically feeling, and acting out physically, some basic animal actions and associating strongly with your phenotype. Spirit Guides - Having spirit guides is a different type of Therianthropy. In that the animal is a seperate entity than the person. It acts as a source of wisdom and guidance, and even protection. Ofcourse some Theriomorphs might have spirit guides in addition to having a strong central phenotype. |