THERIANTHROPY, TERMS OVERLOAD

 

CON-THERIANTHROPY: Those Therians who remain in a state of constant 'shift' rather than fluctuating as 'shifting' Therians do.

POLYWERE: A therian containing more than one animal connection to their inner self.

CLADO-THERIANTHROPY: A term for therians who do not 'identify' with a single defined species, but rather the entire range.

 

The important thing to remember about labels and terms is that they are nothing more than a tool to help explanations about ourselves be more easilly understood. To avoid complications, those in the 'communites' try to keep each term or lable meaning singular and set in stone as much as possable. Before getting too carried away with your own lables, try to be sure the people you're discussing with understand the same idea behind the lable as you do. In the end, the best idea is to try to avoid using lables as much as possable.

The core concept of therianthropy is very simply defined. Along the way many new and old terms have been dug up, re-created, or added in a wasted effort to make the concept of therianthropy more widly accepted. Many terms such as the three listed above have been used to further segregate and seperate certain aspects of the whole concept. Still other terms are in the works in an effort to make therianthropy sound "more scientific" or to describe further differences in the core ideal.

Ask yourself what's next. A term for therians with wolf types who only dreamshift once every three years? A term for feline therians only? A term for therians with black hair and blue eyes? You see how rediculous and confusing it becomes.

There is no feasable reason aside from the typical 'I'm more special than you' outlook to use most of these terms. Why does it matter if a therian shifts anymore or not? Why does it matter how many animals you have inside? That doesn't make you anymore special than someone who only has a single animal, so why bother with the term at all? Many people would love to not admit it, but it's a plain fact. The terms are not needed. Many times a hapless therian comes to discover that if only they hadn't had so much useless bullshit to wade through while they were struggling to come to terms with themselves, they'd have reached ballance and insite all that much quicker. Some poor therians never will reach this point, simply because they are so stuck on the terms overload that is increasing every day. Still others become frustrated to the point of no longer refering themselves as 'therianthropes' because the lables they happen to fit are suddenly thrown up in the air to debate their very relevance. When all this time it could have been avoided if the term had simply never come to be.

Finally, the first and easiest reason to understand, for the eradication of these and other pointless terms - explanation and understanding. What looks simpler to you:

1. "Hi, my name is soandso and I'm a con-therian polywere... oh you don't know what that is? *Proceed with lengthy confusing explanation of con-therian and polywere and the reasoning behind using the terms*"

2. "Hi, my name is soandso. Oh, you asked me about my animals. Well I'm a wolf/leopard." If the person then questions further, you explain about your shifting, or lack of it.

Now you see, isn't #2 a lot better to the average ignorant person? It also leads more of itself to conversation, as you can then perhaps start an indepth discusion on shifting, instead of battering the person with more information than they needed, or were perhaps not interested in. People do not care (or they shouldn't) wether or not you shift, for example. Shifting itself has absolutely NO bearings on what makes therianthropy to begin with, so why glorify it with a term. As for polywereism, if being one animal is no more real or special than being 2 or 3, why glorify it with a term. It's just as easy (perhaps easier to understand in fact) to say your animals (I'm a wolf, leopard for example), than to say 'polywere'. You're not more special for using it, so don't. Claudotherianthropy is nothing but trouble. Not only is it a further segregation and effort to be 'more special than you', but it leaves the user wide open to attack they could have avoided by simplifying things. There is such a thing as giving out too much information at a time and this is one of those times. Rather than claiming "I'm a reptile cladotherian", you could just as easily have claimed "I'm a werereptile" or just "Reptile". There is absoltuely NO reason therianthropy has to be species specific and anyone who tries to tell you otherwise should be taken with truck-loads of salt. However, you will find it amazing the difference in reaction you will recieve from simply omiting the term itself. Why should you feel the need to shout out that you identify with a whole species instead of one animal? You're no more special than someone who identifies with one animal, or 2 or 3, so why glorify it with a term. If people express interest, then the ball is firmly in your court, and you can in fact chose wether you feel comfortable in discussing your 'species identity' or saying you would rather not elaborate at that time.

Think about what you're describing before assigning a label to yourself. if you don't 'fit' into any single term, it's not important. What is important is that you understand yourself and remember to use your own brain power and logic to avoid falling into the endless string of terms trap.

Therianthropy is really not a difficult concept to understand, but it becomes so when it's crowded and obscured by an overload of terms. Therians are all therians due to the plain and simple definition of animal connection to the soul/inner self. There is no reason beyond self gratification and justification that the concept needs any further terms than 'therianthropy' itself. You should not feel the need to justify yourself to anyone but yourself. If you have taken the time and effort to understand and come to terms with who you are as an indidivual and discovered your inner self for who and what it is, you should be justified to yourself already, without needing to claim it to the world in any way, shape or form. ESPECIALLY through useless terms that do nothing but confuse people, who are in the very same position you once were. Remember that you were new once too, and just as confused. Remember why.

We don't need more terms adding to the confusion already present in the communities. What we need instead is to clear up the existing terms being used so friviously. The 'make more terms and deifnitions!' trend is a dangerous one. Don't overuse terms. Explore yourself, think about who you are and what you experience for yourself, then think about what the terms mean so you can use them if there's a need to quickly sum up a discussion, description or explanation. it doesn't matter if you have no set term to fit you, in fact it's best if you don't use them at all. or at the very least narrow it down to the basic, simpler terms.

Of course it's foolish to expect the terms to just vanish, but do realise they are not needed and don't be afraid to disguard them when looking for yourself and the truth. Don't be blinded like so many others have become. Simplicity is the key to understanding.

Remember that a term is not who you are. Trying to mold yourself to fit any of these or any other terms that may arrise in the future will not help you, and will in the end hinder your own self exploration. Being, experiencing or learning about therianthropy (and any other 'inner self' concept) isn't about finding or fitting itno lables and terms, nor is it about creating new and special ones to suit you. it's about discovering who you are and coming to a ballanced understanding.

 

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