Therianthropy in practice VS Imitation

Q: (from a lovely wolf-spirited seeker this morning)

“How does it all work, and how is it different from what we see every day?”

A: Therianthropy comes from long-standing shamanic and tribal traditions based on animal worship and balance with our human and animal natures, with a special attention to natural conservation.How it differs from what you see every day is that most people who project themselves as therians are young, inexperienced, and often times just want attention.

The community is scattered, for sure, because not many want to put in the work to build something to help all of us function better within this subculture/spirituality.

There is so much more to wolf culture that most don’t even see or care to admit.

It’s a way of life, a spirituality, and a personal path. It needs to be treated with sincerity both on the parts of insiders and outsiders to this path.

(See some examples below regarding traditional practices and modern ones.)

Which looks more respectful and authentic to you?

Learning about nature, respecting it.

Respecting culture and indigenous rituals, learning about moon cycles, versus dressing up for attention and parties, contacting local news or TV shows.

The Call of the Wild: Understanding your inner wolf’s needs

Pay attention to your inner Wolf’s instincts and desires.

When you feel the need to hunt, it’s not because you are mindlessly predatory or angry.

Your life is lacking something essential. It doesn’t have to be food, it can be anything.

Something you need for survival (physically, mentally, emotionally) that you aren’t receiving. When your Wolf longs to howl, that is a multitude of signs. You could be trying to call others like you because you long for a pack or at the very least company.

You could me in mourning, etc. The howl is a call that means so much to wolves, that it’s hard to pinpoint much about it except that it is looking for something or perhaps marking a time in its life when things are changing for better or worse.

The full moon’s energy could also be very high that day and naturally wolves howl at the full moon.

When your Wolf is in “nesting phase”, well this normally happens for one of many reasons:

1) Either you are getting ready to welcome a cub into the world and the instinct to nest is extremely high (I experienced that with my son).

2) Your Wolf can smell disease or death or sense negative energy that needs to be cleansed of your den.

3) Your Wolf is preparing for Winter because a den needs to be clean of anything decaying to prevent disease because it’s worse in the winter if they get sick

4) You also need to be prepared to stay in for a long periods of time and this could be your Wolf’s way of telling you that it’s going to be a harsh winter because wolves can sense changing climate better than we can. This can also happen at other times during the year as well if a wolf senses adverse weather.

5) If we look at this from a spiritual aspect it can also mean that your Wolf wants you to have time to reflect internally, or to remind you that you need to recast your sacred spaces because something outside is a threat to you.

Grooming yourself excessively or more than normal is always a good thing. It represents positive energy, vitality, and that you’re giving yourself care. It could also mean your Wolf is searching for a mate. That’s always possible.

When your Wolf gets irritable and wants to run in the wild, DO NOT IGNORE THIS INSTINCT! Your Wolf feels caged. This is an instinct that’s dangerous to ignore because we must keep a balance. If our Wolves feel trapped, they WILL break out. It’s usually forceful and harsh, if it goes on too long.

You must always give a Wolf what it needs, or it will take it. Emotions and propriety mean nothing when you’re in survival mode. This can be something you lack physically, mentally, or emotionally and the deficit is killing some part of you.

Your Wolf will go into self-preservation, which is its strongest instinct.

~ Serenity O’Faoladh