i think a lot of alterhuman folks experience territorial instincts in ways that don’t always get talked about. especially if your identity includes predatory, wild, or socially protective species, such as canids, felines, dragons, etc. some of us might feel a deep need to claim space. not in a metaphorical way, but like. this is mine. this is my room, my den, my person, my pack. this is my corner of the internet. don’t touch it. don’t look at it too long. i’ll bite.
and it’s not always aggressive, it can be protective, affectionate. we make a space safe for the people we care about. we guard it. we watch.
for some of us it’s instinctual. for some it’s tied up in trauma, being displaced, growing up in unsafe environments, feeling like we never had a space that was truly ours. alterhumanity can make that ache sharper, more specific.
i guard things. food, objects, spaces, people. it’s not symbolic, it’s instinct. it’s like something clicks in my brain and suddenly whatever it is becomes mine. not in a selfish way, but in a protective, possessive, defensive kind of way. like: this is important. this is sacred. this is part of my territory. don’t touch it. don’t fuck with it. don’t even get too close unless you’re trusted.
sometimes it’s my room. sometimes it’s a person i love. sometimes it’s a hoodie i’ve worn every day for two weeks. sometimes it’s leftover food in the fridge that my brain has decided i’ll starve without. sometimes it’s not even rational, it’s instinctual. animal. primal.
it makes so much sense to me through the lens of psychological therianthropy, the creature in me doesn’t separate emotional connection from territorial instinct. if i love you, i’ll guard you. if something is mine, it’s not just an object, it’s part of my den. part of my hoard. part of myself.
and it’s also tangled up with my bpd [ suspected ], fear of abandonment, attachment issues, identity instability. my territory gives me shape. it tells me who i am. if someone crosses into it without permission, it doesn’t just feel like a boundary violation, it feels like a threat to my existence. it feels like my identity is bleeding. it feels like i’m going to lose something i can’t replace.
territoriality can be violent, but it can also be soft. i’ll sit by the door while you sleep. i’ll remember exactly how you take your tea. i’ll patch up your jacket and fold it so it smells like you again. i’ll bark at anything that looks at you wrong.
for me, being alterhuman means having instincts i can’t always explain, but i feel them in my bones. and territoriality is one of the loudest ones. it’s not always easy to live with, but it makes me who i am.
Why do folks have to spew out what physical nonhumanity means again. What happened. I thought we were all in the same page here. Physical nonhumans who are biologically nonhuman are valid, holotheres are valid, p-shifters are valid, p-nonhumans with delusions are valid... Yada yada yada.
If someone doesn't like it, block 'em! Don't try to water it down for anybody if you don't want to. You don't have to. You don't owe anybody an explanation. Take my paws. You do you. What others have to say in your life and your business and your identity, is their opinion and you can reject it. Simple as that!
the trees you grew up with have not forgotten you. their branches still whisper your name in the breeze and their roots remember the paths your feet once traced through their shade.
is there anything that tends to trigger your shifts to happen or are they random? and what does it feel like for you when you physically shift?
(feel free to not answer if these questions are too personal, I'm just curious to hear what your experiences are like 🩵)
Aaaa yay my first ask on this account!!
It seems like my shifts (if you mean my p-shifts) are mostly random! My first time shifting was actually when I was sitting at my desk on my laptop, and I felt the sensation. I don't remember exactly what I was doing, but it definitely was absolutely out of nowhere.
My shifts feel like a very squelchy feeling. Imagine the sensation of worms in your hand, now imagine that internally all in your torso. It felt like my organs were rearranging. There was no external sensation. All I knew was that I was definitely shifting, and right afterward, I felt solidly like a red ruffed lemur. Funnily enough, before this shift, I was feeling very spacy and dazed, like I wasn't exactly completely there, but after the shift happened, things seemed to "solidify". It was very uncomfortable during this shift.
The second shift I had very recently a couple of days ago with the wolf, I'm unsure what to categorize that as, but it felt very much like a physical shift. I could feel my eyes and spine/tail especially. My lower back, near my tailbone, seemed to make way for what felt to be a tail. I was in the dark, so I couldn't see anything, but I could feel it. I was trying to sleep, but no position was comfortable.
The feeling lasted until the next day! I looked in the mirror to see if I had any physical changes, but I'm unsure if I saw anything unusual. I'm not sure what my body looked like beforehand, but I could genuinely feel this tail, and I could feel a change in my spine. It's gone away since then, but the shift wasn't as uncomfortable as the first one. I'm not exactly sure what triggered this, but right before lying down, I happened to look at the moon (which was not full by any means) and after a couple minutes, I started to feel my insides churn similarly to the first instance of me shifting, and then I felt my spine and tail rearrange. Nothing painful, only a little pain, but it was mostly uncomfortable.
Outside of these two instances, I don't p-shift very much! I usually experience phantom shifts, including full-body ones, mental shifts, aura shifts, among some others. Usually these are simply triggered by thinking of some of my -types, or just being in a situation where suddenly I feel like I have larger paws, have a long tail, or sharper teeth.
Thanks for the ask!! <333
January 13 ● Full Moon in Cancer (Wolf Moon) January 29 ● New Moon in Aquarius February 2 ● Imbolc February 12 ● Full Moon in Leo (Snow Moon) February 27 ● New Moon in Pisces March 14 ● Full Moon in Virgo (Worm Moon) March 15-April 7 ● Mercury Retrograde March 20 ● Ostara March 29 ● New Moon in Aries April 12 ● Full Moon in Libra (Pink Moon) April 27 ● New Moon in Taurus May 1 ● Beltane May 12 ● Full Moon in Scorpio (Flower Moon) May 26 ● New Moon in Gemini June 11 ● Full Moon in Sagittarius (Strawberry Moon) June 20 ● Litha June 25 ● New Moon in Cancer July 10 ● Full Moon in Capricorn (Buck Moon) July 18-August 11 ● Mercury Retrograde July 24 ● New Moon in Leo August 1 ● Lammas August 9 ● Full Moon in Aquarius (Corn Moon) August 23 ● New Moon in Leo September 7 ● Full Moon in Pisces (Harvest Moon) September 21 ● New Moon in Virgo September 22 ● Mabon October 6 ● Full Moon in Aries (Hunter's Moon) October 21 ● New Moon in Libra October 31 ● Samhain November 5 ● Full Moon in Taurus (Beaver Moon) November 9-November 29 ● Mercury in Retrograde November 20 ● New Moon in Scorpio December 4 ● Full Moon in Gemini (Cold Moon) December 19 ● New Moon in Sagittarius December 21 ● Yule
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Beltane is a fire festival celebrated on the night of April 30th into May 1st in the Northern Hemisphere, and around October 31st into November 1st in the Southern Hemisphere. It marks the midpoint between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, honoring fertility, passion, and the sacred union between the divine feminine and masculine. Traditionally, it signals the beginning of the light half of the year, a time of growth, abundance, warmth, and blooming life. Beltane celebrates freedom, love, lust, creativity, and the return of life to the natural world, bringing with it new, flourishing beginnings. May 1st is a day of joy and play. After a harsh winter, it becomes a celebration of renewal, of aliveness, and of nature’s wild rebirth.
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The name Beltane comes from Old Irish Beltene, meaning "bright fire" or "The fires of Bel". Some people link it to the Celtic god Belenus, a solar and healing deity, while others have drawn comparisons to Baal, a fertility god, though that idea is debated and not widely accepted.
Historically, Beltane was celebrated in Celtic regions, most notably Ireland and Scotland, as a pastoral festival. Bonfires were lit on hilltops, and cattle were driven between two of them to protect them from disease and ensure fertility. People would jump over the flames, not just for luck, but as a way to connect with sacred fire and invoke fertility, health, and courage for the coming summer season.
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Beltane is a liminal time, one of the two key points in the year (along with Samhain) when the veil between our world and the Otherworld grows thin. While Samhain leans into the realm of spirits and ancestors, Beltane belongs to the fae.
It is said that on the eve of Beltane, the Fair Folk wander freely, drawn to laughter, music, and offerings left with care. In many old traditions, people avoided disturbing fairy mounds or sacred groves during this time, choosing instead to leave gifts like milk, honey, or sweet bread beneath hawthorn trees. These offerings were meant to honor the fae, invite blessings, and protect against mischief.
Wearing a crown of bluebells on Beltane Eve is said to help one see the faeries, as bluebells are sacred to them. A ring of blooming bluebells is also believed to be a favorite gathering spot for garden faeries.
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Few trees are more sacred to Beltane than the hawthorn. Often called the “fairy tree” in Irish and Scottish folklore, it is said to guard the entrances to the Otherworld. Blooming right around May 1st, its soft white-pink blossoms carry the energy of protection, love, and the unseen.
In Celtic tradition, hawthorn trees were deeply respected as portals to the realm of the fae. During Beltane, it was common to tie ribbons or small offerings to the branches while making heartfelt wishes, not demands, but gentle hopes whispered like prayers. Damaging or cutting a hawthorn tree, especially during this sacred time, was believed to bring terrible luck or stir the wrath of the Fair Folk.
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Fire is the central symbol of Beltane. The festival’s original name literally refers to Bel’s fires, honoring the sun and invoking purification and fertility.
Traditionally, two large bonfires were lit at Beltane, and people, along with their animals, would walk, dance, or even leap between them for blessings, healing, and protection. In some regions, ashes from the sacred fire were scattered over fields to encourage fertility. Couples, especially newlyweds, often passed hand-in-hand through the smoke as a symbol of unity and renewal.
The fire wasn’t just a ritual, it was a living spirit. Lighting it the old way, through friction rather than matches or lighters, was seen as a sacred act, calling upon the raw elemental force of nature itself.
Even today, many Beltane celebrations honor this ancient custom through bonfires, candle magic, and fire rituals. You don’t need a blaze on a hilltop, even a single flame, lit with intention, can carry the sacred spark of Beltane into your home and heart. :D
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The maypole is one of the most central symbols of modern Beltane celebrations. Though it has roots in English May Day traditions, it’s been beautifully woven into Beltane for its rich symbolism of life, fertility, and union.
The tall, phallic pole rising from the earth represents the God, masculine energy, vitality, and the spark of creation. The colorful ribbons and flowers spiraling around it, often held by dancers weaving in circles, represent the Goddess, the womb, fertility, and abundant life. Together, they form a sacred spiral: a dance of harmony between the masculine and feminine, of earth and sky, movement and stillness.
As dancers move around the maypole, their steps create a living mandala, a spell in motion, tied with laughter and bright ribbons.
The dance itself is a celebration of harmony between forces, of weaving ourselves back into the rhythm of the land.
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Beltane is also a favored time for handfasting, a traditional pagan betrothal or wedding ritual where a couple’s hands are bound together with ribbons, cords, or braided threads to symbolize their union. In ancient times, a handfasting ceremony could last for a year and a day, after which the couple had the choice to stay together or part ways. Today, many modern pagans choose Beltane as a powerful and romantic time to make such commitments, drawn to the fertile energy of the season. Handfastings are often held outdoors, in nature, near fire, under blooming trees, or surrounded by loved ones in sacred space. The vows exchanged during these rituals can be traditional or deeply personal, as the magic of the ceremony lies in the heart connection and the intention to walk beside each other, bound by love and commitment.
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Planets: Venus
Season: Midpoint between spring and summer
Element: Fire
Time of the Day: Noon
Tarot Cards: The Strength, The Lovers, The Sun, Three of Cups
Colors: Green, Red, Pink, Yellow, Purple, White, Sky Blue, All Pastel Colors
Herbs: Mint, Rosemary, Thyme, Ivy, Nettle, Sage, Basil, Juniper, Clover, Mugwort
Fruits: Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Bananas, Lemon, Cherries
Vegetables: Cucumbers, Carrots, Garlic, Lettuce, New Potatoes
Crystals: Emerald, Bloodstone, Rose Quartz, Carnelian, Red Jasper, Green Aventurine, Moonstone, Fire Agate
Runes: Kenaz, Wunjo, Ingwaz
Trees: Hawthorn, Elder, Willow, Birch
Goddesses: Artemis, Diana, Brigid, Aphrodite, Flora, Gaia, Hera, Astarte, Venus, Juno, Freyja, Epona, Bastet
Gods: Pan, Cernunnos, Belenus, Dionysus, The Green Man, Bacchus, Priapus, Faunus, Eros, Ra
Dragons: Sairys, Fafnir
Flowers: Lilac, Bluebells, Daisy, Lilies, Foxglove, Lily of the Valley, Marigold, Tulips, Violets, Primrose, Peony, Poppy, Honeysuckle
Animals: Frogs, Swans, Cows, Deer, Squirrels, Sheep, Ducks, Cats, Bees, Rabbits, Swallows, Leopards, Lynx, Hares
Magical Powers: Love, Sex, Fertility, Protection, Cleansing, Transformation
Symbols: Maypole, Ribbons, Phallus, Bonfire, Flowers, Faeries, Sex, Floral Crowns, Frogs, Celtic Knots
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🌸 Make flower-shaped biscuits
🌸 Do candle magick
🌸 Find a local hawthorn tree and make a wish to the faeries
🌸 Wear flowers in your clothes, hair, or as bracelets
🌸 Leave offerings for faeries, as this is the season when they’re most present, you can leave them honey, milk, or biscuits
🌸 Go out for a walk in nature and feel the arrival of summer
🌸 Make a fire in the yard and dance around it (only in safe circumstances, of course); if you don’t have resources, you can light candles in your room (again, be careful)
🌸 Eat anything with oats, as it’s associated with Beltane, such as oatmeal, oatcakes, or other oat-based foods
🌸 Do a tarot or rune reading in the morning of Beltane
🌸 Take care of the trees in your yard or nearby by watering them
🌸 Honor all deities associated with fertility
🌸 Practice faerie magick
🌸 On the morning of Beltane, open your windows or door to warmly welcome the energy of the sabbat.
🌸 Make a Beltane magick jar
🌸 Water your flowers
🌸 Listen to music and dance :D
🌸 Celebrate life, fertility, love, and union
🌸 Take care of your garden, plant seeds, clean dried leaves, and prepare for summer
🌸 Make special Beltane treats
🌸 Casting your circles with oats around this time of year is also a good idea, as oats are a traditional Beltane grain for good luck
🌸 Have a picnic with your loved ones, or organize a gathering with food and grilling
🌸 Honor your ancestors
🌸 Place decorations in your garden
🌸 Plant a tree with any intention you want and take care of it
🌸 Draw runes and specific symbols on paper and burn them
🌸 Do self-love activities
🌸 Practice sex or love magick
🌸 Look for hawthorns in your area and honor them with water and offerings for faeries
🌸 Make a maypole
🌸 Collect flowers
🌸 On the morning of May 1st, wash your face with May Dew or natural spring water
🌸 Connect with the fire element
🌸 Read about the fair folk
🌸 Have a bonfire with your loved ones
🌸 Place ribbons or colored thread in trees with intentions for each, you can use color magick to attract what you need in your life right now (pink for love,
🌸 Meditate
🌸 Make flower crowns and wreaths
🌸 Perform spells for fertility, purification, and love
🌸 As this is a day of love, if you are of an appropriate age, comfortable, being sexually active is part of the celebration
🌸 Buy seeds and plant them in your garden, welcoming the growth of new life
🌸 Create a Beltane altar
🌸 If you don't have a maypole you can dance around your favorite tree <3
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Oats in all forms (oatmeal, oat cookies, oat bread, oatcakes, bannock), strawberries, blueberries, honey, whipped cream with oats, strawberry biscuits, oat and honey bread, blackberry pie, lavender cake, cheese (including Swiss), seasonal potato dishes, fresh fruit salads, tomato and cucumber salads, dairy or plant-based milks, vanilla-flavoured foods, ice cream, grilled food, BBQ, spicy dishes to honor the fire element, May Day wine, white wine, regular wine (with a strawberry placed at the bottom of the glass if you wish), tarts with cheese, mayonnaise.
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Hello again! :) I had another question if you don’t mind!
Is it true that our hair color matches fur? Like dark hair = dark fur? Light hair = light fur?
Thanks!!
hello, it's not a problem at all!
I'm not 100% on hair color matching fur color, but it would make sense. I've heard it depends on your DNA, since if you're a shifter with unique pigment genetics (dragon shifters for example. I've heard that they come in all sorts of colors and aren't limited to "natural" colors) your fur/scales/feathers etc would match whatever's been passed down to you through genetics/DNA.
No, I'm not human and I never have been. I've always been a werewolf. Yes I may appear human but I'm not. It's just my human form, I'm a wolf under all of this flesh and bone.
Im a werewolf in every single way
When looking around your yard or local biome for wild plants to harvest for your craft, there are several important things to keep in mind:
1 - Prepare for your trip ahead of time. Have some idea ahead of time where you're going, what the terrain and weather will be like, and what plants you want to look for and harvest. Make sure you wear appropriate clothing and footwear, and bring containers, supplies for labeling, and a travel-size resource for plant identification. (Pro-tip: Paper lunch bags are excellent receptacles for harvested plants.)
2 - Look for patches of plants well away from roadways and places which might be contaminated by chemical runoff or pesticides. When possible, select a large patch where your harvest won't wipe out the presence of the plant. (The exception to this is if you are removing invasive plants or weeding a prepared garden as part of your harvesting.)
3 - Make sure you properly identify plants before you harvest them, using a field guide for local plants or an identification app like Plantnet. This helps you avoid potentially harmful lookalikes. (And it couldn't hurt to look up what harmful plants exist in the area where you'll be looking.) Do not harvest endangered plants or plants growing on private property or in national parks. When in doubt, leave it alone.
4 - Take a modest amount of plant material for your stores, no more than you reasonably need, while disturbing the surrounding area as little as possible. Clearly label the container with the species and date of harvest. (Again, I'm recommending those paper lunch bags.) As an added courtesy, you can bring a bottle of water and hydrate the remaining plants to encourage regrowth.
5 - Clean and dry your plant material when you get home, if necessary. Just give them a quick rinse and gentle pat-dry with a clean kitchen towel before placing the plants into your preferred drying device. One simple solution is to cut the flaps off of wide, shallow cardboard shipping boxes and lay out the plant material in a flat layer so that most of it is touching the cardboard. (As opposed to leaving it in a big heap.) Label the sections or the side of the tray and leave your plants to dry.
6 - If you're not using an oven or a dehydrator, allow plant material to dry for at LEAST two or three weeks before breaking it up for storage in airtight jars or freezer bags. Make sure the plants are dry and brittle all the way through to avoid rot and mold in your storage containers and spoilage of the contents. Label and date the containers and store at room temperature out of direct sunlight. (If you discover mold or a bad smell in any of your containers, discard the contents and either throw away the container or sterilize it for reuse - this generally only works for glass jars.)
7 - Check back periodically! Give your wild plant patches time to regrow and you can then make additional small harvests on future visits. Also, look for different plants to emerge as the seasons change.
Familiarizing yourself with your local biome allows you to connect with the land where you live (and encourages you to care about it in the process). Also, it can garner you components for your workings for the cost of a few bags and an afternoon stroll.
But wait! What if your local wild weeds don't have magical correspondences? Not to worry - there's an exercise for that.
Good luck and Happy Witching! 🌿
Does anyone here believe that their animal self isn’t just themselves?.. am I the only one who believes that my wolf isn’t only me but that of an entity?
I’m always told, “your animal is only you” like… no?? It’s really not just me. I refer to my inner wolf as a female as it’s what I have felt over the years from MY own experience.
I know I’m not the only one who believes this. No, it’s not DID or any mental illness. It’s not a defense mechanism either. Sigh.
If anyone knows of any users who have this experience, let me know! 😅
✨ she has the spirit of a crow ✨🌿 nonhuman | psychic witch | empath | 25 | 🏳️🌈 | 🇺🇸🌲 crow, buck & wolf spirit guides
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