Therian Education

Animality -- A state of feeling/being animalistic or feeling like/being an animal.
 
Animalkin --  An individual that is, feels, and/or believes they are in part or whole (non-physically) one or more nonhuman animals on an integral and personal level.
 
Cladotherian -- Shorted word for a cladotherianthrope.
 
Cladotherianthrope -  A type of therianthrope where someone identifies as a larger group of animals as a whole (such as a genus or Family) rather than just as a specific species.
 
Cladotherianthropy  -- The state of being a cladotherian.
 
Contherian -- Shorted word for a contherianthrope.
 
Contherianthrope -- A contherian is a therian whose animal and human sides are intertwined and so does not experience shifts at all.
 
Contharianthropy -- The state of being a contherian.
 
Draconic -- An individual that is, feels, and/or believes they are in part or whole (non-physically) a dragon or dragon-like creature on an integral and personal level. Some draconics consider themselves otherkin while others do not for any number of reasons.
 
Draconity -- The state of being draconic.
 
Fictionkin -- An individual that is, feels, and/or believes they are in part or whole (non-physically) one or more person or species portrayed in modern media on an integral and personal level.
 
Furry - A furry is a self-identified fan of anthropomorphism or zoomorphism in media (such as books, movies, visual art, comics, etc).
 
Gathering -- when more than one otherkin meet-up for some amount of time. Traditionally often takes place at a park or nature area and often involves camping if it's to last for several days. Gathering is generally used for meet-ups welcome to otherkin as a whole (therians, draconics, etc).  
 
Howl - when more than one therian meets up for some amount of time. Traditionally often takes place at a park or nature area and often involves camping if it's to last for several days. The term howl is specific to the therian community and tend to be used when mostly therians are going to be attending.    
 
Kintype --  What an otherkin identifies as. An otherkin may identify as one or more creature/entity as their kintype though one is most common and the more kintypes, the rarer in the community.
 

Mythkin - Someone who identifies as a non human mythical animal spiritually are psychologically

Otherkin -- An individual that is, feels, and/or believes they are in part or whole (non-physically) one or more nonhuman creatures or beings on an integral and personal level. Not all people who identify as some kind of nonhuman want to be labeled as or consider themselves otherkin by term. This is also an umbrella term and includes everyone who identifies as nonhuman. 
 
Phytanthrope -- An individual that identifies as a plant on an integral and personal level.
 
Plantkin -- An individual that identifies as a plant on an integral and personal level.
 
Polykin - Someone who identifies as more than one nonhuman species on an integral and personal level. Polykin whose species are all Earthly animals are specifically called polytherians.
 
Polytherian -- Shorted word for a polytherianthrope.
 
Polytherianthrope -- A therian who identifies as more than one nonhuman Earthly animals on an integral and personal level.
 
Polymorph - An individual that is, feels, and/or believes they are in part or whole (non-physically) a shapeshifting entry that has no default form on an integral and personal level.
 
Shifting -- The act of feeling, sensing, and/or having experiences that one attributes to their non-human identity for a period of time. Not all who identify as nonhuman have shifts as some have constant feelings that they relate to identifying as nonhuman while others experiences neither feelings.
 
Some kinds of shifts include - 

• Astral Shifting is when someone has an out-of-body experience and travels to ‘another realm,’ ‘a spiritual plane,’ or whatnot. [Journey Shifting]

• Aura Shifting is when the ‘auric’ or ‘energy’ field around someone’s body changes to in some way to better reflect their species/kind.  

• Bilocation Shifting is when one’s perception of self leaves the human body and goes elsewhere very similar to an out-of-body-experience in the sense that it is basically a full body phantom shift that is outside of their physical body.  

• Cameo Shifting is when an individual experiences a shift of an animal or creature different than their identified species.

• Dream Shifting is, quite simply, when someone dreams of being their species/kind  that they identify as being.

• Mental Shifting is when someone has an altered state of consciousness in which they begin to think they are their species on some degree or level. This can range from only behavioral quirks to actually loosing the ability to comprehend language during the duration of the shift.     

• Phantom Shifting is when someone feels limbs (tails, wings, etc), characteristics (ears, fur, gills, feathers, etc.), or even a complete body of their species/kind overlaying their physical one. It is a phantom sensation of traits of their species/kind being there even when it is not.  

• Sensory Shifting is when the brain tries to perceive the senses in a way more fitting to one’s species causing them to feel their sense seem more sensitive or dull. For those whose species that have other senses that humans lack they might experience a false or ghost-like sense of having or should have such senses as well.

 
Species dysphoria -- The experience of dysphoria (discontent, discomfort, discontentment, restlessness, dissatisfaction, depression, and/or anxiety) associated with the feeling that one's body is of the wrong species. Not all therians, otherkin, phytanthrope, and/or similar experience this as a part of the nonhuman-identity but it is a fairly common experience.

 

Suntherian - Shorted word for Suntherianthrope

 

Suntherianthrope - An individual who feels half human and half of their theriotype and only experiences phantom shifts. This type of therian cannot experience mental shifts, semi-mental shifts, etc.
 
Therian -- Shorted word for a therianthrope.
 
Therianthrope -- An individual that is, feels, and/or believes they are in part or whole (non-physically) one or more nonhuman animals on an integral and personal level. This can be either Spiritual or Phychological. A FURRY IS NOT THE SAME AS A THERIAN!
 
Therianthropy -- The state of being a therianthrope.
 
Theriotype -- What a therian identifies as being  on a spiritual and personal level. A therian may identify as one or more animals as their theriotype though one is most common and the more theriotypes, the rarer in the community.
 
Vampirekin -- An individual that is, feels, and/or believes they are in part or whole (non-physically) a vampire on an integral and personal level. This is different than vampirism in that a vampirekin identifies their kintype being a vampire as opposed to someone who feels they need energy or blood to remain healthy.
 
Werewolfkin -- An individual that is, feels, and/or believes they are in part or whole (non-physically) a werewolf on an integral and personal level. This is different from being a wolf therian as a wolf therian has a theriotype of a wolf while a werewolfkin as a kintype of a werewolf. They identify as a fictional/mythological werewolves rather than with wolves. WEREWOLFKIN CANNOT PHYSICALLY SHIFT!!