Am I Otherkin (2015)

(By Jafira Dragon)

Am I Otherkin? :

An approximate Question that I once received consisted of: “My friend thinks I may be dragonkin and I've felt some phantom wings on occasion do you think I might be otherkin?”

Well, the thing with otherkinism is unlike being a furry or assuming an identity it is kind of something you grow into, you typically either are or are not (at varying degrees of course, subject to the personal experiences discovered during awakening or realization) but the point being, that being otherkin is not something that can be declared by a friend or psychic or whatever. It is something you tend to find out on your own over the years and as you grow. What the questioner experienced where phantom wings, which although experienced commonly by some otherkin can easily be manifested at will by anyone through concentration or imagination, they can easily be attributed to placebo and when experienced alone are not necessarily a definite sign or proof of a spiritual shift of sorts.

Bottom line, if you are indeed some form of otherkin you would probably already suspect it in one way or another. Albeit I cannot speak for everyone and I do not know the questioners individual age or circumstance. Personally I had suspicions of my own draconity/otherkinism beginning around the age of eight or nine. (partly triggered by receiving a dragon claw pendant) Early in my youth I had a pretty clear understanding that I wasn't normal spiritually/mentally/emotionally by the age of ten and pretty much knew for sure or at least in my heart by my mid teens that I was not the same spiritually/consciously as some of my peers. If say for example the questioner were in their mid twenties or so and just now questioning, it is possible they may be caught up in the moment and I would advise to be cautious or to approach the concept with personal introspection and patience. (though I advise that for pursuing the concept of otherkinism in general honestly.)

If however the questioner is younger, then hey, who am I to say one way or the other, but please do not give into to impulse or fantasy, as above research, be introspective and most of all know yourself. The main thing is that you need to really look into your personal past and into your heart, if you were a dragon or an otherkin of some sort the signs would likely be there in segments throughout your life. For myself, I had a few recurring dreams or memories of possibly having been a dragon, I had an unnatural attraction to anything reptilian, I was a bit animalistic when nobody was looking, I always had a natural affinity to metaphysics and the spiritual which was socially frowned upon, but was still an interest which I attributed to having knowledge in my heart that this world and life was but one of many. Strange personal traits occurring like that early in youth are uncommon and abnormal, but are a good sign that there is more to your spirit or life then your present mind may know. (Though be aware of possible psychological explanations, be always honest with yourself and seek the truth in all things)

My primary advice would be to explore the matter, if you think you may be an otherkin, what evidence do you have? What type of dragon where you? What did you look like? What where you like? Why do you believe these things? Meditate on it and question everything, don't rely solely on emotion or assumption and while exploring yourself, don't claim with certainty that you were one thing or another.

Ones spirituality is subjective and individualistic and it is always changing as new facts are discovered, for example don't say for absolute certainty that you were one form of dragon or critter without first determining some kind of personal evidence to back it up, otherwise you might later discover that you were really some other type, form, spirit, gender or possibly not even an otherkin at all, always be introspective and patient on this type of matter.

To be safe, I always say that I “perceive” that I “may” have been a black dragon for the very fact that in the end, I can't know for sure, otherkin is an improvable personal faith based belief. Everything is subjective and subject to later discoveries or knowledge as we all mature. I might find out later that I wasn't what I claimed to be in the past, so I try never to speak in absolutes. I might be otherkin, I feel strongly that I was based on my subjective experiences and I will personally identify as a dragon or otherkin, but in the end, who knows? It's always best to be rational and to play it safe.

In all things, keep an open mind and have balance in your opinions. In the yin-yang of whether you were or were not an otherkin you have the white side which says you were once a dragon and you have the black side which says you were not a dragon. I would try to stay always adrift in that center line until you have determined an answer with some certainty. Remember to have patience and balance in all things. Explore some of the communities online, be objective and rational, read what others experienced, see what your own heart and experiences say and then decide rationally for yourself whether or not you feel that you were perhaps truly a dragon or otherkin.