So tell us about your awakening. How did it happen? When did it happen? How did you come to realise your kin?

Yanno, to be honest ... I don't even remember it much anymore.

I know that I've always been interested in 'far-out' things. Since I was about 13 I've searched the internet for information, a clue that there was more to existence than this life and what we're made to believe. I remember there being some sort of click after a 'vision'. Then after that I stumbled upon online kin gathering places and had another click when I learned what otherkin were. After that it all lead to where I am now.

Still trying to build a life in this world that's not completely home and never will be ... and in the meanwhile babbling about things that are mostly behind me on forums. Wishing I had more time or resources to rediscover them

Okay, Nightwolf's Therian History 101 is farrr too long to type out. Be about two pages in length in paragraphs, so we'll go from when I first learned what otherkin was and my wolf's awakening instead

Last semester of Senior high school, 2004. Looking for a movie about werewolves. Done the same search a thousand plus times the few half times used my godmom's computer. Same words, nothing changed. Then got a new result. Wolf Kin's Den. People speaking of being real werewolves. Oddly drawn to the page, opened it up and saw pretty cool site that was absolutely dead. Having no computer of my own to use, and new to being online at all, I didn't stay at websites or sign up. This one signed up, did an intro, read through it, and checked back. 6 Months later, finally get a response from someone on the site. A nice kitty named Koto. A month after talking to her, meet Wolf-kin, both were nice and answered questions or just talked to me until one day after late night chat with wolf, went to school and sometime, was walking up stairs. Pondering as I walked, and suddenly stopped thinking of myself as like a wolf, or liking wolves, but I am a wolf thought slipped in. At that moment felt a sense of peace and dizzying blast of relief, as if finally found the answer. Always felt a whole in my heart and always questioned who else I was till that moment.

That would be when I awakened as wolf of course. Panther was years before and realized she'd been awakened all along, but I had suppressed her too much to where many abilities that blossomed early, were suddenly gone or at least lost with her. Tiger awakened 2 years after wolf, though she was questionable, but turns out person who said I reminded them of tiger was right.

4 years coming this June, My first mentor wolf would be gone from net about 2 years and managed to meet Koto irl and planning lots of stuff.

I don't have much to learn about my therian instincts so much as I have a lot to figure out for my more sociable instincts and being happy.

Anyway, that's all. Any questions feel free to ask as that was shortened version, and leaves some gaps, but basic whole picture is there.

what about your first shift?

As for me my story is pretty similar to zan's i've always been interested in the occult and as he said "far out" things..especially other wordly creatures...and i've always felt a strange affinty for the fae and have been attracted to media about them....the idea of otherkinism was not soo different to me as theoretically in hindu cosmology you can have been a fae or a demon or whatever in your past life and be incarnated as a human because theoretically humans have a better chance at enlightenment

anyway i have long suspected something deeper than a simple affinity for the fae and when i stumbled upon an otherkin website in 2003 it all made sense...and then i joined a forum (which shall not be named)..and here i am

Hmm, that's a tough one. First shift as panther was a dream shift I think. Was sleeping in a tree in the summer, and woke up slightly.

Watching little kids going by, but on hindsight remember seeing myself as panther lounging on a branch. It was me, but I was a panther. Could hear better, smell better, and at one point even thought could hear scritch of ants moving on the branch before me.

Then I went from being awake as panther, to being awake as girl when my mom called. I was awake and yet, felt like I had been in dream stage.

Wolf's first shift was astrally. When did voluntary astral experiment in florida and got myself tied to that stranger.

Tigers first shift was fully dream shift and in battle.

I'm still figuring out when a shift happens more consciously as it's possible if subtle, but hard to pinpoint. Might've been about two weeks ago, when had surge of instincts. Could smell stuff before I even encountered it and felt more like my therian instincts than human.

Again, as is often the case - I've always been interested in the occult and studied from a very young age. I was adopted when I was two and apparently when I first arrived, I was very quiet and withdrawn.

However, my mum has said that as soon as she met me, she inmediately sensed that I just 'knew everything'. I didn't need to be told what people were thinking - I already knew. I always knew the right thing to do, said the right things. I was apparently told by many different people throughout my childhood that I was wise beyond my years. My aura gives off 'old soul' to people who are able to feel auras and such people have said that this is unusual in someone so young in physical terms. I started looking for reasons and answers but didn't actually awken until meeting a paticular person who turned my life upside down/inside out. We are now so close - I can't image anything without him.... Anyway... yeah... We talked and he mentioned your other site, Rose. He had already worked out my true essence but obviously I had to find out for myself. So thank you so much for writing that - your words were the final trigger for my awakening. When I read that - I Knew it was right. I just made sense. Everything finally fitted. There was reason for often feeling lonely and as though I didn't fit...

As long as I came remember I have been incredibly empathic - sometimes to the extent that I can't distinguish between the emotions of another and my own. If someone is in pain - I feel it deeply. I now understood why. So... there why go.

I am still travelling and finding out about myself. I am of the belief that you never truely finish awaken - there is always more to learn, to see, to understand.

*Nods* I can relate to the old soul bit, it kinda comes with territory. Like thinking beyond what you should know. Most people who actually hear me think and get into deep heartfelt discussion(as I don't do it so often these days) always tell me I have an old soul or just the way I am. I know I'm still young in many ways, and I'm all right with that, but yeah, know what you mean.

And I'm glad your friend told you you had to find out for yourself what you are. That's one thing most kin forget to ingrain. Even if you feel it, can't tell another person what they are or aren't, as it's already a confusing process on it's own.

Before I awakened, I felt a hole not just in my heart, but my soul. As if in some ways I wasn't complete, I would learn things, meet people, but I never felt that whole filled, until I realized I was a multi therian. Well one at that time, but it was enough to bring me peace and fill that empty space.

And being kin, no matter how old you are, you will always learn about new things. Even i can teach older kin. Just taught one about appreciating simplicities. Like he did, but when saw the pics I took of nature at a gathering, he's like nightwolf took pics of the simple things and that's what the gathering is all about. Just being natural, going back to being simple, not all complex and stuff, or some such. Was nice.

But it's definitely nice to have friends along on the journey, and new faces.