You know, I'm really not going to get into this argument. I don't believe souls are different. It seems that most people with the essence belief think their souls are different from non-essences. That's fine because it's a belief. When it comes down to it we all have beliefs and not truths. So while your post seems to be baiting me to argue with you, I refuse to do so. If you want to try to provoke me it doesn't reflect badly on me. If you want to put words in my proverbial mouth that aren't there, that too does not reflect poorly on me. So if you'd like to provoke me into a fight, do it in PM. I will not take part in a petty exchange of words that haven't actually be said on this forum.

I am sorry?
I asked a simple question in order to better understand your point of view.
First you said that you and those like you did not think that essences existed, now you appear to have changed your mind about that point and I was simply trying to better understand the points you were making.
Is this not allowed here? I had thought that since people asked questions when they didn't understand things that that would be alright here?

Do I understand that I am not allowed to ask for clarification so that I can better understand your point of view?
I am afraid that I find that unfair.
I did not put words into your mouth, proverbial or otherwise. Nor am I talking about anything that has not happened on this forum, unless of course you are trying to say that in your post at the top of page 2 of the thread entitled 'Question about a Shadow Website' you did not say

You appeared to have changed your mind and I found that possibility fascinating. I was planning to ask you what had influenced you into changing your opinion, however I no longer want to know.

I find your reply to be belligerent and insulting.
I asked for no arguement, and made no accusations and so I fail to understand your problem.

That's putting words into my mouth and thus me not getting into a debate...again. I don't believe souls differ so that means I don't believe in kin essences as that belief is that they do differ. If the essence theory is correct, then we are all essences. If it isn't, then we are all plain old souls. By all I mean every species in existance. Because in my belief system there aren't different kinds of souls.

If it was just a question, that would be one thing. But the above quote insinuating that I only believe things that are identical to myself is what I mean about provoking a debate and an argument. My beliefs have already been debated and argued and it hasn't been great fun for me. So forgive me for wanting to avoid the same situation all over again.

WhisperInTheDark has a point Byakko all she did was ask for an explanation..and you did say that.
I even quoted it in another thread.

Zygo

Byakko, I originally came to this thread because you reported the post.

I am afraid that I must agree with Whisper and zygo.

The only thing Whisper did here was ask you for an explanation and start out by saying

, you then continued by doing what you said you were not going to do. Get into the argument.

I am really not going to become involved in this debate, so I probably won't check for further replies in it. I simply posted to say that I agree with Whisper and zygo and that perhaps you simply get offended to easily Byakko.

~Farshief

What complete rubbish, the quote is merely me paraphrasing what you said. All you had to do was simply say that you did not agree with the way I had put that and all this could have been avoided.
I wanted a simple answer to a simple question not an argument.
However I don't understand how you could say this

and then go on to say these two things in the same post.

To me this is you saying that you only believe in things that are the same as you.
If this is so you may want to look into why you seem to have an inability to conceive of even the possibility that anything might be different from you.
Even the stric-*test*-('") forms of science allow for different opinions, different forms of life. They understand that variety is the only way to ensure the survival of any species.
We are not all the same because science says we simply could not be. There have to be differences in order to ensure the survival of the species. Any species.
Without differences there can be no evolution. Without evolution there can be no survival.

If you're talking about biology, yes genetic variation and evolution is key. Biological survival has little to do with souls as those aren't part of biology or genetics.

These replies are exactly why I was hesitant to post my beliefs, even when asked.

Wow, seriously you need to stop asking questions Whisper, look at what you started now.

You could ask me what I think, that would be OK.

I believe that there are several different types of souls, essences or spirits whatever you want to call them.
The different groups, Otherkin, Non-Kin and the Essences all have different ones. With the essences being split into seperate sub-groups of their own. One for Vampires as they have very specific needs, one for those who have no natural form, one for the straight essences, (and by that I don't mean their sexual orientation, but their single essence type) and one for the multiples who would by definition have a very different essence to a single.
This is what makes the most sense to me. So this is what I believe.

P.S. I don't really think you started this, I was only joking. Honestly.

You were not hesitant Byakko you were aggressive, and you obviously reported my post which I take deep personal offense to.

Essences/spirits/souls all evolve, they learn and they grow. Even some humans believe that. Buddhists especially.
The solid form does not hold all the answers.

Darke I am fascinated by your thoughts on essences and souls.
I hope you do not mind, but I have many questions now.
Firstly, what differences do you see in Vampires and the rest of the essence groups?

Part of the problem with explaining the concept of Were's to anyone is that each person will have their own view of things.
I can explain what being a Were means to me and hope that that is OK. I'm sure it will be with all the other opinions you'll get.

My race is Cat Elf. This means that my people are a group whose essences could take one of two forms. My mother/guide/guardian/teacher/mentor identifies herself with the Elf side of our natures. I identify with the Cat side.
I am a Were.
To me that means that I am a Were essence living inside a human body. I do not call it a human host because to me that means that there is a human in here giving me somewhere to stay, playing host to my essence, and that isn't the case. There is just me. Without me the body is empty, just a shell. Without my essence to animate the body, make organs function and eat and drink, this body would die.
Were essences come in various types, shapes and sizes. My particular type is Black cat, which could be Panther or Jaguar as they are names used to identify the same creature depending upon where you live, but which I identify as Cougar as I was originally from Canada in my first life.
I am this Were essence whatever my outer covering looks like, and in each life I can be whatever I choose. Unlike some essences who choose to be several different creatures in their incarnations I stick with one of three bodies to exist in, I choose either large wild cat, small domestic moggie or human. These are the three forms that I am most comfortable taking and living as, so even though I technically could be anything I haven't found a reason to be anything else yet.
For me my essence formed almost with the Universe, and existed for millenia before taking solid form. I was a large black cat before I was anything else, and moved into human relatively recently compared to some.
I enjoy being in a human body, though it has it's drawbacks, it has it's joys and delights too. I enjoy being in a cat body too, though domestic moggie does bring with it some challenges I do not enjoy so much.
Therians are a new invention I have very little knowledge of. I do not understand their viewpoint of this life, and mostly from the views I have read they appear to consider Weres to be vulgar savages without any refinements or sophistication. To them we are the poor uneducated relations, and as you can plainly see some Weres feel resentment toward that opinion.
It isn't personal and it isn't a war, it's just a shame that it has to come to this. Many Therians feel they are superior and look down on Weres, many Weres feel Therians are simply stuck up and pity them for their narrow views. Most Therians hate to be compared to Weres and most Weres hate to be compared to Therians too. I don't think the two will ever come to an understanding as neither side will give on any point, both being stubborn and wilful.

My goodness that's almost my life story, I hope it's of some help.

Thanks Zygo, the glove comparison really helped a lot

Hello Darkness I agree with you it is rather an odd phenomenon when people argue and become rude or elitist over a name, that to be honest, no one has really defined well at all yet.
The definition of both words does vary but therian varies so much it is ridiculous. Were being the older one does at least mean it is a much more accepted term than Therian.
If you say you're a Were (insert animal) everyone goes oh yes, you're bonkers is it the full moon tonight and they have a pretty good idea what you mean
But if you say you are a therian they all say, A what

Wild

I don't understand why we have to be one or the other.
I don't feel like either description really suits me.
I hate Spider Therian, Spider-Kin and Arachna-Kin, and Were-Spider sounds just as stupid.
I do feel a bit more comfortable saying I have a Spider essence, or that my essence is Spider based, but not much.
I often feel pressured to find a name for what I am. After all it's almost always what people ask first, so I am made to feel like there should be a better way to describe me, but I haven't found it yet.

Yes it seems like first you get to be Otherkin, and then that's not specific enough so you have to be narrowed down a bit further.
It's like some kind of manic family tree that you have no control over. It's not good enough for them that you call yourself Dragon, you have to be Draconic, because that's much more 'right'. Then you have to identify yourself as Dragon-Kin because there is a chance that if you just say you are a dragon that you might think you actually have, right now, scales, a tail, and wings. Sitting very uncomfortably in a chair in your bedroom, (because after all Dragons don't easily fit in chairs made for humans), typing with your enormous claws, and breathing fire to warm the coffee you can't drink without a straw!
It amazes me completely that I can say to these people that I am a Dragon, and this is what they think I mean.???
This is what they imagine I believe I look like, and they get to call me unrealistic and ungrounded?
That is ridiculous!

Just because I would rather say I'm a Dragon than to over complicate my entire life with their pointless descriptions, and disclaimers.
Honestly if I spend my entire life pointing out the obvious, (that right now I am in a human body) then I am going to waste a lot of my time becuase of them, and there's no-one in the world worth doing that for!

Obs.

Don't explain yourself, don't call yourself something you don't believe in just because others want you to.
You don't have to do that. At least not here.
I think that's why some people find it so hard to fit in here, because they come here spouting the assimilationist *Bunnies* they've learnt elsewhere and we don't all jump for joy because they've suddenly appeared to save us all and give us purpose.
They hate that we don't need them and we don't want to be saved.

If you want to call yourself one of Ziggy Stardust's spiders from Mars you can. It's no-one else's business but your own.

Shade.