multiples and otherkin (x-posted)

[morgil-lomion.livejournal.com]

Well, I think this is my first official update in this community but I think most people are familiar with me. If not, I'll briefly introduce myself. I'm an outside walk-in to a system of several different people living inside one body/mind. I call myself an Angel of Death and believe myself to be over 700 years old [although I admit even I am skeptical to my own claims; I don't even take my own memories as absolute evidence of the truth of my claims e.g. I may be crazy :)].

That being said and all of this beingg taken into consideration, I find myself interested in the interactions between multiplicity(be it natural or disordered) and otherkinism(to coin a word).

It seems to me that there are many commonalities between the two phenomena and, while different in many ways, Kin seem to often share some traits with Multiples and vice versa. At the same time, the interactions and reactions between persons who consider themselves only to be one or the other are not always necessarily amiable. Some Kin think of Multiples as "crazies" and some Multiples seem to do the reverse; at very least there seems to be a good deal of skepticism as a subtext for their interactions with one another.

There also exist subtle differences in the language used between the two groups when it comes to terms and ideas that are at least superficially nearly identical.

Take the concept of a "walk-in", a term I use to describe myself to aid other people's understanding of me. Whereas Kin often use this term in a highly mystical and transendental fassion roughly similar to the old idea of someone either possesing or being possesed by a spirit(not necessarily evil although possesion certainly has that connotation culturally for many), Multiples tend to think of it as a common or a more internal experience where another person simply walks into the mind and takes up residence there.

Because of these observations, I am curious as to other people in both communities perspectives on each other and people's unique personal observations or general experiences with these ideas.

I find both groups of people and their interactions fascinating, largely of course because I consider myself both, and also because of the blurred line that marginally seperates people in both categories.

I look forward to the reactions and impressions of the people who respond, be they experienced in these interactions or completely uninformed of the paradigmatical juxtaposition these two groups usually fall into. Id est: Both the experienced and the newbie I'm sure will have interesting things to say.

Discussion in otherkin.

Comments

[pengke.livejournal.com]

I don't believe in walk-ins.

The idea of walk-ins is an attempt to explain subjective memories. It may be your personal belief that you have those memories because you came from somewhere else but there's no need to force that belief on other people. It's like trying to prove the existance of god when all you really want is the person to respect your belief in god.

Actually,

[devcandy.livejournal.com]

He says:

That's the way most all of us who would call ourselves Otherkin came to be here.

You say:

The idea of walk-ins is an attempt to explain subjective memories.

His statement is no more guilty of forcing his belief on you than your statement. In fact, his statement could easily be viewed as simply indicating what his belief about himself and others in his circumstance, or stating what he is, depending on your opinion. He is not making any statements as to what you are. Your statement, however, can easily be viewed as attempting to tell him what he is.

You are not asking for respect of your beliefs. What you are doing, is telling them specifically, not that you believe their beliefs are wrong, but that they are objectively wrong about themselves.

Please think this over: If you can make a statement which declares for someone what they are, why can they not make a statement, that declares for themselves, what they are?

Arashi

Re: Actually,

[morgil-lomion.livejournal.com]

I'd have to say, I think you're right. It doesn't really upset me though. If they want to try and force their opinions on me, they are perfectly welcome to try and I'll go ahead and try to listen without bias. They just shouldn't expect to make much of an impact in this particular area. ;)

I Pengke care about consistent logic though, I suppose they will definitely need to consider your last statement very carefully and examine themselves.

[morgil-lomion.livejournal.com]

What do you mean by subjective memories? I don't remember hearing that term before in this sort of context.

And I don't try to force that belief on other people. Often, I think of it as just me being a little insane or just having strange, unexplainable memories. No one need believe that they are real or even that I'm not insane. The only thing I really care about is that people know that I have them and that they hold a great deal of value to me, despite their seeming insanity.

And now that you say that you don't believe in walk-ins, I think most of what you said in your first responce now makes sense to me. Thanks.

[pengke.livejournal.com]

Subjective memories would be any memory that either obviously didn't happen to the body or you have no way of verifying it if physically happened. They are, as you said, unexplainable memories. Most of us feel that type of thing is much better off being left unexplained. Any theories you come up with are going to be impossible to prove anyway.

We understand why the whole alternate universes/astral traveling/reincarnation into the body ideology is appealing to people with these memories because it seems to give their memories validity. But really the walk-in thing is just the explanation they chose to believe. When you say that you're walk-in and a god of death, if people are going to believe you they will first have to believe in reincarnation, believe in gods in general, believe in the god of death specifically, believe you're being serious, ect. When you say this is my personal history blah blah blah and it's important to me whether it really happened or not, all they have to believe to accept that is that you're not deliberately making things up.