An Apocalyptic Interpretation of Otherkin
Numerous eschatological thinkers (including myself) have of late been reevaluating certain statements made by recent academics and philosophers about the 'change in consciousness' which seems to be presently occurring. Jung, I believe in An Answer to Job, makes a point that not only are the archetypes self-willed and able to act outside of the human psyche, but they are also capable of possessing and overshadowing human psyches (such as the case of Aleister Crowley and certain other excessive visionaries).
It may be important at this point to have a working definition of archetypes. Archetypes, in the Jungian perspective (as opposed to the Platonic, Neoplatonic, and Kabbalistic interpretations), can be seen as both spirits and unconscious psychic complexes at one and the same time, and both are equally accurate envisionings. Whether we choose to accept the rest of Jungian thought or not, we can quite readily find that this concept of the archetypes jives well with most forms of occult thought. While Jung uses the term 'archetype' quite differently than many occult systems and philosophies (at least the ones who have borrowed anything from Platonism), the concept he places behind the word is a fine description of demons, angels, gods, and totem spirits. These are beings which can be experienced both within and without our own minds, but which are clearly self-willed and quite powerful in their own ways.
Many of these archetypes or spirits are making a comeback in a big way. Even Jung observed this phenomenon beginning to build up in the early-to-mid-20th century. Repression, as both Jung and Freud observed, probably had a major role to play in this process. When we repress the psychic elements of a spirit or god, we also repress the physical elements of it, or at least we choose to ignore its physical manifestations. Often this has been accomplished by choosing explanation over meaning. That is, instead of trying to figure out both the how and the why of something, we explore only the how and assume that there is no why at all. With no why in play, the psychic or 'consciousness' aspect of the phenomenon gets pushed back into the cthonic or extraterrestrial aspects of unconsciousness where they will remain outside of our psychic atmosphere, or buried far below the surface. Likewise, we begin to actively repress any experiences and memories which point to these psychic elements, such as the quite common material actions of the spirits.
Daniel Pinchbeck (in 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl) describes the alien abduction phenomenon in these terms, as well. The aliens are not actually from outer space, but from the subterranean reaches of both the astral plane and our own minds. In other words, they are the unimaginatively technological Gnomes of Earth (or demons of Ahriman?) reasserting themselves in a manner which is mechanistic to the point of surreality.
It is my belief that the Otherkin phenomenon can be explained as a similar, though often far less disturbing, manifestation of psycho-spiritual forces long held back by materialism and dualistic 'monotheisms' getting a bit fed up with humanity's Will to Ignorance (Nietzche) and dramatically reasserting themselves in the human psyche. I won't go into the material manifestations which have been accompanying such shamanic ones, though the information is readily available if we but look around us. The crux of my own argument is that people who call themselves Otherkin (and that term refers to the humans, not the spiritual forces acting upon or through them) are in fact the unwitting channel through which the psychic aspects of these forces are working to make themselves known. In some cases, the so-afflicted human personality will believe that he or she must be crazy for suddenly experiencing the world as an animal or mythical being. Others embrace it fervently, transforming it into a new brand of religion in which one merely has to have faith in one's own uniqueness. A rare few are able to maintain the intellectual capacity necessary to examine what's happening to them without jumping to extreme conclusions.
It may be argued that the Otherkin phenomenon is actually a form of delusional behavior brought on by the desire to be 'more than human'. After a fashion, I would have to agree. I'm sure that many people in the Otherkin community have fallen into just such a delusion and are no longer conduits for psycho-spiritual forces making their way back into human consciousness, but have been damaged by the sometimes forceful nature of the process and fallen into what we might well call 'possession'. The most important factor to remember when examining the possibility of delusive behavior in Otherkin is that humans, by their very natures, desire personal mythology. From time immemorial, humans have sought ways of more fully interacting with the spirits and energized archetypes with whom they interacted. Often, this is done by self-mythologizing or, in other words, living out a personalized version of the mythology of an archetype. Jung suggested (also in An Answer to Job) that this is a natural process in the lives of most people. He went on to suggest that it forms the foundation of the almost universal (culturally, not individually) belief in fate or destiny; as we live in a manner congruent with the chosen archetype (god, goddess, spirit), not only do our psychic lives change in accordance but so too do our material lives through the efforts of these spirits and gods. I cannot overstress the importance of this factor in the psycho-spiritual study of Otherkin.
Up until a couple of days ago, I was one of the skeptics who believe that the Otherkin phenomenon was mostly founded on delusion. I mostly kept this opinion to myself, or expressed it only to people whose feelings would not be hurt by it. Now, however, I'm not so sure. The more I think about it, the more sense it makes to me as a psycho-spiritual mechanism. I do believe that, like any dramatic psycho-spiritual event, it has the tendency of driving the weak-minded into states of living fantasy, but those strong enough to examine its action within their own lives from multiple angles will likely be able to pull away many layers of introspective self-knowledge as well as, potentially, knowledge of the mythological fate of the rest of the world.
It may be important at this point to have a working definition of archetypes. Archetypes, in the Jungian perspective (as opposed to the Platonic, Neoplatonic, and Kabbalistic interpretations), can be seen as both spirits and unconscious psychic complexes at one and the same time, and both are equally accurate envisionings. Whether we choose to accept the rest of Jungian thought or not, we can quite readily find that this concept of the archetypes jives well with most forms of occult thought. While Jung uses the term 'archetype' quite differently than many occult systems and philosophies (at least the ones who have borrowed anything from Platonism), the concept he places behind the word is a fine description of demons, angels, gods, and totem spirits. These are beings which can be experienced both within and without our own minds, but which are clearly self-willed and quite powerful in their own ways.
Many of these archetypes or spirits are making a comeback in a big way. Even Jung observed this phenomenon beginning to build up in the early-to-mid-20th century. Repression, as both Jung and Freud observed, probably had a major role to play in this process. When we repress the psychic elements of a spirit or god, we also repress the physical elements of it, or at least we choose to ignore its physical manifestations. Often this has been accomplished by choosing explanation over meaning. That is, instead of trying to figure out both the how and the why of something, we explore only the how and assume that there is no why at all. With no why in play, the psychic or 'consciousness' aspect of the phenomenon gets pushed back into the cthonic or extraterrestrial aspects of unconsciousness where they will remain outside of our psychic atmosphere, or buried far below the surface. Likewise, we begin to actively repress any experiences and memories which point to these psychic elements, such as the quite common material actions of the spirits.
Daniel Pinchbeck (in 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl) describes the alien abduction phenomenon in these terms, as well. The aliens are not actually from outer space, but from the subterranean reaches of both the astral plane and our own minds. In other words, they are the unimaginatively technological Gnomes of Earth (or demons of Ahriman?) reasserting themselves in a manner which is mechanistic to the point of surreality.
It is my belief that the Otherkin phenomenon can be explained as a similar, though often far less disturbing, manifestation of psycho-spiritual forces long held back by materialism and dualistic 'monotheisms' getting a bit fed up with humanity's Will to Ignorance (Nietzche) and dramatically reasserting themselves in the human psyche. I won't go into the material manifestations which have been accompanying such shamanic ones, though the information is readily available if we but look around us. The crux of my own argument is that people who call themselves Otherkin (and that term refers to the humans, not the spiritual forces acting upon or through them) are in fact the unwitting channel through which the psychic aspects of these forces are working to make themselves known. In some cases, the so-afflicted human personality will believe that he or she must be crazy for suddenly experiencing the world as an animal or mythical being. Others embrace it fervently, transforming it into a new brand of religion in which one merely has to have faith in one's own uniqueness. A rare few are able to maintain the intellectual capacity necessary to examine what's happening to them without jumping to extreme conclusions.
It may be argued that the Otherkin phenomenon is actually a form of delusional behavior brought on by the desire to be 'more than human'. After a fashion, I would have to agree. I'm sure that many people in the Otherkin community have fallen into just such a delusion and are no longer conduits for psycho-spiritual forces making their way back into human consciousness, but have been damaged by the sometimes forceful nature of the process and fallen into what we might well call 'possession'. The most important factor to remember when examining the possibility of delusive behavior in Otherkin is that humans, by their very natures, desire personal mythology. From time immemorial, humans have sought ways of more fully interacting with the spirits and energized archetypes with whom they interacted. Often, this is done by self-mythologizing or, in other words, living out a personalized version of the mythology of an archetype. Jung suggested (also in An Answer to Job) that this is a natural process in the lives of most people. He went on to suggest that it forms the foundation of the almost universal (culturally, not individually) belief in fate or destiny; as we live in a manner congruent with the chosen archetype (god, goddess, spirit), not only do our psychic lives change in accordance but so too do our material lives through the efforts of these spirits and gods. I cannot overstress the importance of this factor in the psycho-spiritual study of Otherkin.
Up until a couple of days ago, I was one of the skeptics who believe that the Otherkin phenomenon was mostly founded on delusion. I mostly kept this opinion to myself, or expressed it only to people whose feelings would not be hurt by it. Now, however, I'm not so sure. The more I think about it, the more sense it makes to me as a psycho-spiritual mechanism. I do believe that, like any dramatic psycho-spiritual event, it has the tendency of driving the weak-minded into states of living fantasy, but those strong enough to examine its action within their own lives from multiple angles will likely be able to pull away many layers of introspective self-knowledge as well as, potentially, knowledge of the mythological fate of the rest of the world.