It was John Locke that said a child is merely a clean slate that the world had to mold. We are born with freedom and the ability to learn in our heart. It is the rest of society that makes us afraid, makes us weak, and makes us ignorant.
This is the case for humans. For souls, on the other hand, it is a different story. Souls are created with a pre-determined identity. For some, it is a simple human life, beautiful in its simplicity. To bring in a metaphor: it is a drop of rain compared to a waterfall, both a wonder in their own way. But what of those whose souls do not fit the outer image?
It is strange to think that perhaps there are people out there that are more than human, whose soul extends farther than that of just humanity. There is a word for it, of course. Otherkin. This is a subculture of those who call themselves vampires, therians, dragons, fey, and more. Fairytales? Maybe, but that does not stop them from believing. Not all of them think their state of being is derived from their soul, this is true, but a large number of them do.
What is it about the soul that allows us to view it from different perspectives and search within it so deeply that we end up believing that we are not entirely human?
I once heard it referenced that the soul is represented by the fire element, because it burns within us passionately. Perhaps this is what enables us to see ourselves as an otherkin. The key to determining if one is an otherkin is to soul search. This, to me, is much like searching a dark room with a single flashlight. We must examine each section at a time until, eureka! We have triggered some strange thing within ourselves and that part of our soul is awakened.
Much like a match erupting into fire, as it were.
It’s a miraculous event, for those strong enough to endure it. Which makes me wonder—are the members of the otherkin subculture different because they are more courageous than the average human, or because they refuse to view themselves as anything less than what they will learn they are? This type of soul searching can last years, even a full decade or more. It seems to me that they are the dedicated ones. They refuse to be simple; they refuse to be the raindrop when they’re perfectly capable of becoming a waterfall.
In a sense, John Locke was right. Children are a clean slate and society determines the ones that will have the strong enough will to set their soul aflame.
