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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2010 15:34:47 GMT
I've been doing some self-searching lately, and I think I've discovered that I'm not just a ringtail. I think I also have a wolf soul buried in me, but its proving stubborn to let me fully understand it. In my opinion its because the ringtail is dominant, and sharply contradicts standard wolf traits. I think I need some advice. I think I have two animal souls, but could this just be a case of Multiple- or Mirror-form? While I know for a fact I am predominantly ringtail, I don't think the wolf is nonexistant. I can feel her and the differences between the two are pretty shocking to feel.
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Werecat
- Otherkin - Anthropomorph
Feline
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Post by Werecat on Nov 12, 2010 20:04:04 GMT
Hey Nova,
Sounds like you're a chimera. That's certainly not uncommon. Conflict and duality are also to be expected, as the ringtail and the wolf are occupying the same space, but are reflections or parts of different experiences, emotions, feelings, and thoughts. I would suggest the next time you meditate, mentally or physically draw out your totem---who receives priority or dominance? Which animal is linked to which function? Which one feels more comfortable, which feels more adversarial---if at all. You can also try mirror meditation by staring into a mirror and meditating, and then seeing what animal form is superimposed over your image.
I recommended this book to Solaria, but it might also help you: The Once Unknown Familiar: Shamanic Paths to Unleash Your Animal Powers by Timothy Roderick. What makes it helpful, is, it has worksheets and exercises inside that helps one focus their differing power-animals to form their own totem.
You can get it pretty cheap on Amazon.com---around $4.00 if you buy it used.
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House of Chimeras
- Otherkin - Multiple System
Various Beasts
The Liberians and Historians
Posts: 1,309
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Post by House of Chimeras on Nov 12, 2010 21:00:38 GMT
I don’t know what ‘Multiple- or Mirror-form’ is, but for what its worth your statement rather much reminds me of how I was a little over a year go. I would have said the same thing about my wolf theriotype versus my shark theriotype. Even though now they’ve have leveled out and found a balance of opposites between their natures, they used to be highly conflicted.
I might also like to recommend the book Werecat mentioned. The experiences might be helpful and figuring things out and how they stand. Even though the book is not directly about theriotypes and whatnot the exercises can be easily used for all sorts of animal identity and connections.
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Werecat
- Otherkin - Anthropomorph
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Post by Werecat on Nov 14, 2010 4:15:52 GMT
I don’t know what ‘Multiple- or Mirror-form’ is, but for what its worth your statement rather much reminds me of how I was a little over a year go. I would have said the same thing about my wolf theriotype versus my shark theriotype. Even though now they’ve have leveled out and found a balance of opposites between their natures, they used to be highly conflicted. The multiple form is simply using more than one animal current for your own personal cosmology, or having multiple animals in your being either as separate consciousnesses, or representations of your thoughts, feeling, fears, loves, etc.. While my totem is now exclusively made of up different big and small felines, my former one was ranked by (lowest) bat, fox, wolf, cougar, tiger, bear (highest), as those were the power-animals I used in my pathworking; with a lynx and a chipmunk serving as my animal spirit guides at different times. The Mirror-form is meditating in front of a mirror, and discovering what animal form/s appear either in place of your reflection, or superimposed on it. Some great art work that reflects (no pun intended) this on paper, is the shamanistic works of Susan Seddon Boulet. In some forms of divination and self-exploration, magicians use mirrors to see the truth hidden behind the veil, determine who they were in a past life, as summoning window, etc.. It's a lot like the old "Blood Mary" legend, or even a Dumb Supper, but keyed to one's internal being, and the meditation is about the inner animal-self rather than the external. (Unless of course, there's an extrenal animal current flowing into you.) I believe Phil Hine has a good section about using mirrors in his book, Condensed Chaos: An Introduction to Chaos Magic.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2010 16:51:32 GMT
WerecatA chimera? I'm not familiar with that term. But that book you reccommended looks pretty interesting. I'll see if I can get it. As for the meditation, I hope to have time enough tonight to do some. @earth Listener How did you balance out the wolf and shark as in a personal sense?
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House of Chimeras
- Otherkin - Multiple System
Various Beasts
The Liberians and Historians
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Post by House of Chimeras on Nov 15, 2010 18:21:31 GMT
I don’t know what ‘Multiple- or Mirror-form’ is, but for what its worth your statement rather much reminds me of how I was a little over a year go. I would have said the same thing about my wolf theriotype versus my shark theriotype. Even though now they’ve have leveled out and found a balance of opposites between their natures, they used to be highly conflicted. Are you talking about a multiple system? As in more than one actual apparent person inside one body. If so, then I already understand that because I’m one of a system of 4. If your not, I think I’ve read and used things similar. As for ‘mirror-form” - I’ve done that before, I’ve just never heard it worded with that term. Usually when I do that I see only seawolf me (no physical human body), and then my headmates behind me. WerecatA chimera? I'm not familiar with that term. But that book you reccommended looks pretty interesting. I'll see if I can get it. As for the meditation, I hope to have time enough tonight to do some. Even though the question is directed at Werecat, I guess I’ll give my two-cents. A chimera was originally a mythological beast of Greek mythology composed of the parts of multiple animals of a lion, a goat, and a snake. When used in terms of therianthropy and otherkin its usually used to mean either someone with multiple types at once or that they are in combination with one another, or that someone has certain types which are very different from one another. For instance, given those kind of definitions, I am a kind of chimera (wolf and shark, plus they often take on a hybrid form between them) and all of my headmates are also chimeras because there forms are also appear to be made-up of different animals and beings. @earth Listener How did you balance out the wolf and shark as in a personal sense? They naturally balanced themselves out over time. I also did various guided mediations in which I saw myself change from one to the other smoothing doing various things attributed to the natural behavior or either, as well as had guided mediations in which I watched by two theriotypes interact peacefully, comfortable with each others presence. - Earth Listener (seawolf)
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2010 16:27:24 GMT
@earth Listener So in a therian sense, chimera's are mixes of the animals? Cuz if that's the case, I'm not quite a chimera. the wolf and ringtail are definately separate entities.
I think I've figured it out! Its not that I AM a wolf, but its a sort of spiritual guardian. I am a ringtail with the wolf as a guide. Not exactly a daemon, but similar. Thanks for the advice all!
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House of Chimeras
- Otherkin - Multiple System
Various Beasts
The Liberians and Historians
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Post by House of Chimeras on Nov 16, 2010 17:12:46 GMT
That’s my been general understanding one way or another about what a ‘chimera‘ is, but then again I’ve heard it used in slightly different ways.
Its great that you think you’ve figured it out. Hope you continue to figure things out about everything.
- Earth Listener (seawolf)
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Werecat
- Otherkin - Anthropomorph
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Post by Werecat on Jan 11, 2011 21:27:49 GMT
Sorry this reply was late in response, but I had forgotten about all topics I was discussing before my harddrive crashed. Are you talking about a multiple system? As in more than one actual apparent person inside one body. If so, then I already understand that because I’m one of a system of 4. Specifically in my prior thread above, I was more leaning towards creating a totem based on individual power animals if one is linked to more than one, and using them as transformative templates into a Therian aspect---either individually and one at a time, or together as a the mythological chimera was depicted. However, in a broad sense, if one has the belief and capacity, sure, once could potentially house more than one entity/person inside them at the same time like a spiritual/psychic storage battery. I’m not very well versed on the speculative aspect of absorbing humans, but there is precedent for housing more than one animal within. Some of the western AmerInd tribes delve into this with their skinwalking; whereas they “store” for example, the raven, coyote, otter, and owl inside them to use at different times or for different functions. So in a therian sense, chimera's are mixes of the animals? Yes. You are mixing different animals into one singular entity. However, it’s not a narrow term, and the definition stops there. A Therian chimera will always encompass more than one animal and have a polythetic core, but this multiple animal pattern is not limited to conventional vectors. Please let me explain. In this sense, a chimera is more used in the biological sense, which simply means the aforementioned two or more different sources are viably affecting a greater whole. For example, if you are Therian who can physically transform into a hybrid form with the lower body of a shark, the upper body of a ringtail, and a human face, then yes, you’re a physical chimera. That directly harkens back to classic mythology. But on a spiritual or intangible level outside of physical being, if you tap into a shark and a ringtail current, and use both of them to form your new mental/astral/or psychic Therian self, then you’re also a chimera, just in a different format. Does that make sense?
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