magick – Otherkin.com

Kin-Dar : Sensing Other(s)

Bazin — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 17:25:30 +0000

We pass each other in the lunchroom. Again he gives me that unnerving confused look, that one you make when you’re lost in thought but trying not to show it. Was it his look that was unnerving, or was that how I felt about him? Something always seemed off about him, other.

If you accept that otherkin is a spiritual matter it opens up a lot of interesting possibilities. The intersection of otherkin and magic and psychic phenomena. The simplest of these is probably Kin-dar. We stole and adapted the term from gay-dar, and mean a similar thing, but about spirit type, not sexuality.

If otherkin is a matter of soul, and people have the ability to perceive things behind the veil, then it reasons that those sensitive people out there might be able to tell when someone is otherkin.

Kin-dar is that individual experience of sensing that someone else is kin. It can range from hard to define “something is off” to more clear “he feels like sidhe.” I don’t see kin-dar mentioned a lot anymore, I think it’s part of the problem with how the community is going, which is another article for another time if I’m allowed to post it. When I was awakening it we talked about a lot, we shared stories and techniques and talked about it. Now we seem to ignore it as a lived reality for many of us.

“It makes no sense that you can sense people who aren’t like you.”

Wrong.

It makes sense that you would be able to sense more strongly someone who is the same or similar kin type as you. I wouldn’t say limited to that. For me it’s like a discordant note in a chord. Most people are a harmonious chord, but to me otherkin often have a note offkey. You’re expecting a D# but you hear an E, you’re expecting a human spirit but you find something else. You’re not necessarily picking up what they are, just that there is a discordance between body and spirit. Kin-dar isn’t based upon an ability to tell what someone is. It’s more picking up on something that lets you know something is off. Something is other.

When I was first awakening I had good kin-dar, but it was almost always vague. I knew someone was something, but I couldn’t tell a cat from a dragon from a dryad. I remember attending pagan events in my city, and picking out people. The hardest part was trying to find a way to bring it up with people. After years in the game I wish I had some advice. It’s hard because it’s an unusual conversation, what do you say? “So, do you ever feel like you’re not human?” “Don’t you hate it when people stand in your wings?” Also even if you’re right, that person might not know yet. They might not have awakened, or have never found out that otherkin are a thing. They might not know what to think about themselves. That’s a can of worms right there let me tell you.

I was clumsy, I thought I was smooth, but I wasn’t. I’d chat with people and try to turn the conversation to spirits of different types. Belief in fae and dragons as spiritual beings. Then I’d casually pull out my otherkin star necklace and idly play with it as we spoke. It didn’t always work, but a lot of time people got the hint and we could actually talk. Other times I’d have to admit what I am, to get them to open up. They were being as cautious as I was about telling people, and not being sure if they’re reading things right.

I don’t know how kin-dar works, or how differently it works for others. But I have enough experience to tell you it does work. Also I think it is somewhat of a skill and something that grows with exposure. 10-15 years ago I couldn’t tell an elf from a shark most of the time. Since then though I’ve been to a lot of otherkin events; big and small. I’ve encountered a lot of kin at pagan/magick/psychic conferences over the years, and I’ve started to get better at identifying them. I’d say the biggest factor here is being exposed to otherkin. Enough I can start to pick up things I might have missed before. It’s not that discordant note anymore, but knowing what that offkey is, to continue that analogy.

My starting advice is to think about yourself. What makes you kin? Not like “Oh my soul is tiger,” but how that expresses. What are the areas where your human life clash against your otherness? Talk to friends about where they have this clash. If possible observe them energetically at the same time. Over time you’ll start to get a sense of that “off” feeling, that “other” note about people.

If your city has an otherkin group that you’re not a part of, join it. If possible try to arrive early, and observe people as they come in. Most otherkin groups I know of meet in public places, parks, coffee shops, and the like. If you go before anyone arrives you can observe people and start to try to read them. By being early you don’t know initially who is kin and who isn’t, which is the test of kin-dar really. When someone walks by, try to sense them, are the other or not? Then observe them, are they just a random person, or are they joining the otherkin group?

I know with the shifts in the community that in person groups are less common. A lot of otherkin are more or less isolated from the community, so it might be hard to get the practice in.

If you can, go out, explore, join groups, and test yourself. With enough experience you might become confident enough in your abilities to try talking with people to see if you’re right.

Black Mirror Ritual

galgal — Tue, 15 Jan 2019 03:33:43 +0000

The following ritual is one that used to be fairly popular in the online otherkin community around the turn of the millenia. The basic idea is that the ritual is that it allows you to see your “kinself.” There are completely mundane psychological reasons as to why this ritual works, but if you believe in otherkin in a more spiritual sense you can also understand the process from that perspective.

The ritual itself is so simple it is barely worth calling a ritual in many ways.

Requirements:

Candles 4-5. Tealight candles are fine.
A mirror that you can move and position.
A room that you can completely control the lighting to make pitch black.
A cushion or chair to sit on.

Process:

Set up the seat and the mirror in such a way that you can sit relaxed while looking directly at the mirror and you can see your own reflection.

Position the candles so they do not cast light directly on your face, or are directly visible in the mirror. They can be behind you or to the side. The point is you shouldn’t be able to see the candles, only the light, and your reflection should be indirectly lit.

Light the candles, turn off all lights in the room, block light from any doors/windows/electronics. The only light should be the candles.

Sit facing the mirror and look at your reflection. Spend a few moments looking at your face. Extinguish one of the candles, and look at your reflection for a while. Extinguish another candle, and look at your reflection. You want to keep the light on your face balanced as much as possible, so don’t extinguish all the candles from one side of your body, and leave the others burning. Alternate extinguishing candles to your left and right.

The goal here is to use the minimum amount of candles to still see your reflection. It doesn’t have to be a bright or clear reflection, but you should still be able to make out the shape of your face and eyes. Once you are to that point look at the mirror again.

This is the hardest part of the ritual. Look at your face, try to look into your eyes or look between them. The hard part is for this to work you have to blink as little as possible, and not move your eyes. You do not realize how much you blink or how much you slightly shift your eyes until you’re trying not to.

As you stare at your reflection your eyes will get tired, and you’ll notice that your vision begins to blur and darken from the outside toward where you are focusing. Every time you move your eyes or blink you “reset” this process a little, so it’s important to avoid that as much as possible.

If you manage to look at your reflection in this manner long enough all your vision will fade out, so instead of looking at a mirror and your dim reflection your field of vision will be blank and dark.

While not necessary, at this point it can be helpful to try to “project” your energy or essence into the mirror. Eventually this blank vision will give away to images, most commonly reported are different faces appearing in the mirror. Otherkin often describe seeing their face as it “should” be. So elves might see another face with elven features, a therianthrope’s reflection might shift into their theriotype, otherkin who don’t know what they are but have always felt other might see something that helps them understand what they are etc.

That is all there is to this ritual. When you’re done just blink, move your eyes, and normal vision will return. You can then turn on the lights and extinguish the candle.

Obviously one should take this ritual, and the result with a grain of salt. Nonetheless it can be interesting and useful to perform this ritual, perhaps to gain insight into who and what you might be.

The Invocation of the Seven-Pointed Star

Michelle Belanger — Fri, 12 Oct 2018 01:49:44 +0000

Introduction:

When I was asked to do the closing ritual at Kinvention North 2004, I put a great deal of thought into the undertaking. As most people know, I have my own Kheprian system, and while I have ties to the ‘kin, I am foremost involved with the vampyre subculture. Kheprian rituals have their own unique energy, and vampyre rituals are almost completely inappropriate in context with the Otherkin.

What I needed to do was design a ritual that was completely Otherkin in energy – and this would mean running ritual in a fashion that isn’t exactly normal for me. I’ve run both Wiccan and Pagan rituals very successfully, and so I knew this wasn’t beyond me as a ritualist. In general, writing a ritual in any tradition just requires the ritualist to tap into the unique energy that is the heart of that tradition. Each system has its own symbols, its own language, and its own archetypes. So to successfully design and run the KinNorth ritual, I had to essentially travel to the source of these in the mythic imagination and allow what I found there to flow through me.

To tap into this essence, I started with the symbol of the Otherkin: the Seven-Pointed Star. As I understand it, this symbol is recognized by the majority of the Otherkin, and it serves as an expression of Otherkin diversity. Because Otherkin by nature draw from a wide variety of races, traditions, and points of origin, the Star is one of the few common elements shared by all the Otherkin. As the archetypal common ground, the Star provided a point of entry into the vibration or “flow” of the ‘kin.

Prior to designing the ritual, I did some meditation with the Seven-Pointed Star. These were basically pathworkings where I approached the symbol of the Star as an archetype, and allowed it to speak to me. It soon became clear that there were several voices within the Star – one for each of its points. These were essentially Avatars of elements and races unique to the ‘kin.

To design this ritual, I let the Star Avatars speak to me. All Seven appeared in succession revealing their forms and sigils for invoking. They each told me their Names and the symbols of office they wished to be represented by. They told me what elements, colors, and concepts they are associated with (although several were associated with common elements, they were never as simple as one element and one concept – the avatars are multifaceted beings, each as diverse as the ‘kin they embody).

Some came forward and spoke right away. These had bold voices that were hard to mistake. A few were less direct with me, even hesitant in their contact. The last one to come forward was the hardest to understand, for s/he was most unlike my own nature and anything I had a context for. But it was contact with this one (called Illana) that convinced me beyond a doubt that I was dealing with essences both unique and outside of me, as s/he was totally alien to anything I previously had known.

The Avatars each have many shapes and many Names, and during our conversations, they frequently shifted from one face to another while still retaining their overall “feel.” I’ve come to associate such flux with the ‘kin, so it really didn’t come as a surprise when it was a fundamental part of the Avatars. The complexity and diversity of the Avatars was also in keeping with what I understand such avatars to be – which is essentially an embodiment of a higher emanation, a fragment of divinity that is more complete and closer to the Source than you or me.

As I had originally planned to only invoke the Avatars like Watchtowers at the Quarters, I asked the directions they were associated with — and in a few cases, the answer came as a surprise. The traditional Pagan directions are abandoned in favor of what the Avatars themselves declared. The least traditional of any of them, of course, was Illana, who seems to embody the most “other” element of all of them.

The Avatars had their own idea of how the ritual should proceed, and they didn’t hesitate in telling me so. As I had already agreed to serve as a channel in this and not impose my own expectations or traditions upon it, I let them speak freely. The resulting rite gives a great deal of time to the Avatars of the Star, and I have been assured that they will fill in the blanks when the time comes. During our interactions, they had made a number of other statements, which mysterious at first, later proved to be true – so I’ve definitely learned to trust them.

The whole experience has been fascinating for me, as I don’t usually go talking to so-called “higher powers.” For my own rituals, I draw everything from my Self, and Kheprian rituals also draw only upon the Selves of those involved. But this is not a Kheprian rite I am running, and the ‘kin do not function by Kheprian rules. My role in this is purely as an intermediary and mouthpiece. I’m fairly certain that the things I tapped into were already there, and I’ve done my best to be a clear channel for them, allowing the information to come through with as little distortion as possible.

What I see before me is a very powerful rite — one that I think will be profoundly inspiring for those who participate in it. As we are dealing with Avatars and giving them each a chance to speak, the real outcome and message of the ritual is an unknown and can only be experienced. I’ve built the framework, but the Avatars themselves will tell us what needs to be known. They’ve been very interesting to work with, and I look forward to future interactions with their energy.

Finally, because I know there will be a widespread interest in it, I am making this ritual available to the general community. Others who wish to experiment with contacting these Avatars are encouraged to do so. I am very curious about how they might manifest to other people and how harnessing their energy might serve to help and empower the community of Otherkin.

[Site admin note: While not explicitly explained here there were seven other ritual participants of the appropriate kin types for the avatars. They embodied the avatars for the ritual, and spoke when it was their turn]

The Gathering:

First, I want you all to join hands and gather energy. Each of you draw from the essence of what you are, where you come from, all of the elements and forces that feed your soul.

Now, as a group, cycle, refine, and combine these. Weave these varying energies into something that is greater than the sum of its parts. As you refine it, focus it here, in the center of our circle.

What we are building now is a Between-space, a place of crossing-over. You can envision it as a temple, or simply a glowing, sacred sphere. It is in this Space that I will invoke the Seven-Pointed Star.

As we work with the Star of the Otherkin, I shall serve as intermediary.

I am Seth, Setem-Ansi, Sem-Asa. These are my Names. I am a Walker-Between, and in this rite, I shall be both Priest and Shaman, serving as the intermediary between you and the Avatars that we Call.

In this space we will have communion with beings greater than ourselves. I will not call them gods, for I do not recognize gods as most people understand them. We are all emanations of Divinity, and therefore all beings are gods in their own right.

And yet there is a hierarchy of emanation, and some beings are closer to the Source than others. Avatars such as these I shall call among us today. Now:

The Calls:

To the West, I Call thee, Fenecai, Lord of Fire: dragon and phoenix, who burns and renews.

To the East, I Call thee, Neride Eyooli, Lady of Waters: healer and seer who flows with the tides.

To the North, I Call thee: Sephiriel Storm-Singer: quick-witted angel whose sword is the Word.

To the South, I Call thee: Gwidorian of the Wilding: Earthshaker, therian and animal lord.

Above, I Call thee: Elerian, of the Shining Host: guardian of magick, beauty, and song.

Below, I Call thee: Hss’tah Feliss: soft-footed huntress and priestess of night.

And Within, I Call thee: Illana of the Dreaming: shaper of worlds and Awakener of souls.

West and East,

North and South,

Above, Below, Within.

I Call you here before me:

Stand with us now

as our Guardians and our Guides.

The Time of Changes:

Now my friends: The world is changing and we stand at the crux of it. We have longed for an Awakening, and now it rises around us like a tide. But as the veils slip away, our true nature is revealed. There is a crossroads here, and we must soon make a choice.

We can stay in the shadows and hope to hide, or we can raise our voices and show the world our souls.

By revealing ourselves, we take a great risk, but understanding and acceptance also lie along that route.

We can choose the path of caution and remain hidden among humanity. But even in hiding, our safety is not guaranteed.

This is our quandary: caution or risk? And if we risk revelation, do we have the strength and wisdom to succeed?

Guardians of the Races; Watchtowers, Avatars all!

We call on your power and wisdom to guide us in this time of change.

Invocations:

Fenecai:

Lord of the Sweeping Flame; Mighty-Winged One:

Ye who stand on the right hand of Destruction,

Tearing apart worlds so creation begins.