The Therian, In Fact and Form Gorlocke 11-15-2005 The following is an essay on therianthropy, written by and in the complete

opinion and theory of one man, based upon constant research and much thought into the condition (therianthropy). Much of this essay is a broad definition of the known factual attributes and characteristics of known therians, as well as subjective insights brought upon by research. This should not be considered a manual or handbook of any kind; merely it should be read and considered as a general perspective upon the subject of therianthropy. No one is to be held responsible for that which is within this essay, aside from the writer himself. Any reproduction of this essay without permission is copyright infringement, and can be punishable by law. All questions comments and otherwise are entirely welcome at the email address located at the end of this essay, or at http://www.gorlocke.com. Now, on to the essay...

Defining Therianthropy Therianthrope, as derived from the Greek words therion and anthrpos, means quite literally "beast-man". In scholarly use, therianthropy has been widely used in defining a human who shares animal traits, though over time the definition has been added to in reference to spiritual connections to an inner animal, or towards one who carries the soul of an animal, in one form or another. Other theories presented relate the phenomena to less spiritual means, gearing the definition towards a psychological state of being. Under either definitive meaning, therianthropy is not considered a chosen path or religious choice. The therian condition is such from birth, often awakened to later in life. Therianthropy is often confused or cross-referenced with animal totems, a more Shamanic take on animal spirits. Animal totems and animal spirit guides are, by definition, not a typical trait of therianthropy. The therianthrope does not generally communicate with their animal side, nor do they perceive such animal side as being external from them. The animal side of a therianthrope is not chosen, nor is it entirely separate from them. Where as a practitioner working with animal totems or spirits may be able to allow a spirit to enter them, this is by choice, and able to change according to circumstance. A therian is not given a choice in any matter, but instead awakens to traits and their nature over time. Once a therian awakens or comes to knowledge of their animal form, they cannot change or expel that side of them, although the therianthrope can suppress their animal nature, either through conscious effort or ignorance of the nature itself. The particular animal nature of the therianthrope has been called phenotype, though more recently this term has been being replaced by the more accurate

term theriotype. Theriotypes range from all sorts of animals, from feline or canine to aquatic or amphibious, and even insect or arachnid. Mythical or mystical creatures have also been known of, though these types fall under a different definition, termed as Otherkin. Some instances of a therian having multiple theriotypes have also been found, the generic name for such being polywere. A polywere, in most cases, will hold a connection to a few different animal natures simultaneously. Shifting is the term used for when a therian's animal nature becomes prevalent over their human side. The shifts so far identified range from mental or spiritual to astral or what has been called phantom shifts. These shifts tend to occur commonly through raised emotions or stress, where the animal side essentially takes over, or in some cases merely surfaces. In the midst of a shift, a therian will potentially gain a heightening of senses, and an inevitable physical reaction to this increase. There have not been, however, any proven cases of the ability to physically shift into a theriotype, and most considerations of such a theory leave it to be quite improbable. Physical traits, which have been noted, are the change of eye color, physical demeanor or posture, and heightened physical senses (sight, taste, touch, smell, and hearing). The mental/spiritual shift, being the most well known, occurs on an internal level where the mindset of the therian turns towards the nature of their theriotype, sometimes as far as the therian losing full control to that nature. The typical causes of a shift of this type are moods, strong or raging emotions, and intense physical or mental stress. Loss of control occurs usually when the rage of emotions reaches an extreme, or when the stress becomes strong enough to overwhelm the therian. Phantom shifting is much like the phenomena of phantom limbs, in relation to the amputee. In this shift, a therian will feel or sense parts of their theriotype which are not there, ranging from limbs and ears to tails and even wings. Although in such cases the therian will often find they have control over these phantom parts, the phantom parts themselves serve no practical purpose, other than in a sense bringing the therian closer to their theriotype for a period of time. This sort of shift has been known to occur simultaneously with a mental/spiritual shift as well. Other forms of shifting which have been noted among the therian community are astral, dream, and lucid dream. These shifts differ greatly from the above mentioned in many ways, but still deserve mention as therian traits. In these shifts, though in the midst of a dream or meditative state, the shift occurs without effort or conscious reasoning. Difficulty comes in relation to defining these shifts, as they are also easily confused with other phenomena, unrelated to therianthropy by any specific means. Contherianism, a term coined by Joshua Lion Templin in 1997, derived from the

Latin Contas, meaning unchanging, is defined as being a therian in constant or continual shift. The contherianthrope does not shift, as mentioned above, but is instead in a continual shift, or mixed perception between the 'human' and theriotype natures. Though subtle changes in perception may be apparent, the theriotype is an integral part of the contherianthrope's normal interaction in every day life, and will never fully subside.

These considerable traits of therianthropy all leave many questions as to why and how. Unfortunately, research has not come far enough to determine such things. The mystery behind the origin of the condition is, at this time, nearly unsolvable, and the reason for being could come from any number of different factors. To try and solve these riddles, we would need much more intense research, and funding. Unfortunately, funding for such a vague concept is not so easily found, nor are the resources, which would be necessary. Perhaps some time in the future, things will change, but up until then, my guesses are as good as yours. Over time the concept of therianthropy has become more and more frequent, and the community has grown and evolved to an extent of understanding and communicating which has, indeed, aided much of the research into the condition itself. Throughout the years, we have come to an understanding and ability to learn from each other which will hopefully continue to grow. As more and more therians awaken to their nature, and are able to find help in others who share that nature, we slowly work our way towards one day finding larger clues and answers to the puzzle which is our condition. It is this writer's sincere hope that therianthropy has not yet reached it's peak, and will continue to surface and grow as time goes on. To those of you who have read this, I can only hope it helped in some way. Remember always, we only fail when we stop trying.

Gorlocke - Lee P. Cannon - 2005 - Alister533@msn.com