Interesting speculation there, zuki san. I am very firmly of the belief; as, I expect, are all otherkin (or they should be!); that there is nothing particularly special about humans that sets them above other animals on any scale of 'worth'. Humans just happen to have a more adaptive intelligence and hands.
Spiritually speaking, I think it has to be an all or nothing situation: everything alive has some kind of soul/life essence, or nothing does. Therefore, if souls and the divine do exist, it's not too outrageous to wonder whether there is ever any 'mismatch' in birth. But, I would also expect the unborn soul to be quite malleable and adaptive to its form. Sure, there might be some quirks and 'habitation' issues, but I don't think the soul would be in the wrong body as such. People for all of history have had strong identification with animals, so if that is due to souls, it's been going on for a long time, and probably isn't some kind of mistake - although this comic was very amusing and illustrative ^.^
Very interesting theory about the soul/body mismatch leading to various atypical psychological issues (among which therianthropy itself could be considered). I started postulating a purely scientific, neurological argument to the case, and then realised that it didn't conflict with your theory at all! Which came first, the therianthropy or the other unusual behaviour patterns? Impossible to tell.
Another possibility to think on would be that these kinds of conditions often affect the creative, the imaginative, the spiritual. Artists, writers, musicians, psychics and magic users, all kinds of open minded and sensitive people. Perhaps the otherkin condition is something that allows us to catch a wider glimpse of our nature than afforded to 'normal' humans, maybe allowing us to perceive our own differences (soul or otherwise) or maybe just giving us a more balanced and inclusive perception of our place in the universe.
After all, to come back to my original hypothesis, life is life is life. We're all not so different, human from otherkin from animal, at the heart of things.
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Date: 2006-03-24 11:03 am (UTC)Spiritually speaking, I think it has to be an all or nothing situation: everything alive has some kind of soul/life essence, or nothing does. Therefore, if souls and the divine do exist, it's not too outrageous to wonder whether there is ever any 'mismatch' in birth. But, I would also expect the unborn soul to be quite malleable and adaptive to its form. Sure, there might be some quirks and 'habitation' issues, but I don't think the soul would be in the wrong body as such. People for all of history have had strong identification with animals, so if that is due to souls, it's been going on for a long time, and probably isn't some kind of mistake - although this comic was very amusing and illustrative ^.^
Very interesting theory about the soul/body mismatch leading to various atypical psychological issues (among which therianthropy itself could be considered). I started postulating a purely scientific, neurological argument to the case, and then realised that it didn't conflict with your theory at all! Which came first, the therianthropy or the other unusual behaviour patterns? Impossible to tell.
Another possibility to think on would be that these kinds of conditions often affect the creative, the imaginative, the spiritual. Artists, writers, musicians, psychics and magic users, all kinds of open minded and sensitive people. Perhaps the otherkin condition is something that allows us to catch a wider glimpse of our nature than afforded to 'normal' humans, maybe allowing us to perceive our own differences (soul or otherwise) or maybe just giving us a more balanced and inclusive perception of our place in the universe.
After all, to come back to my original hypothesis, life is life is life. We're all not so different, human from otherkin from animal, at the heart of things.