Spiritual
Therianthropy
Spiritual Therianthropy is the belief that a human can have an
animal nature. Totem animals are one form this belief takes, and the
belief in were-creatures - werewolves in Europe, werejaguars in South
America, weresharks in Polynesia as historical examples - is another common
form. It isn't a religion, it isn't some role-playing game, it isn't the
newest "new age" thing; it's just that some of us feel closer in nature
to an animal species than we do to the human one we were born to.
KatmanDu summed it up well:
To me, being a were is having a strong animal nature - mannerisms, mindset, social habits, and so forth - usually of a particular animal, and usually *in place of* a more traditional human nature. It's not voluntary, and it's filtered through our human upbringing, but it's still there. Many weres
visualize themselves internally as their were animal, or some anthromorphic form, and are uncomfortable with people who don't think of themselves as animals.
other therianthropy sources:
head to my home page.