I am an animal-person, a Barbary lion who grew up human. This is a core facet of my being. This is my self-identity; it influences me more deeply and more widely than my own sex and race. This is a matter of species, and all the instincts and behaviors and physical dysphoria and methods of perception that go with it. You can't separate me from felinity.
If you're new to animality, read the introduction - I wrote it just for you. If you don't know an African or Asiatic lion from a Barbary lion, read the Barbary page, at least the first few sentences that sum up the differences.
What you'll find on this page are essays and ramblings on being a feline-human, including the physical consequences of such dissonance. For more about my spirituality, including mythology and magic, check the soul section.
- Still Not Human - A reminder to myself and a comparison of now-and-a-while-ago. Written December 18, 2013.
- Cat As Gender - A thorough explanation on how being a Barbary lioness manifests as not-female gender. Written May 11, 2011.
- The Trouble With Cat - Musing on dysmorphia and the difficulties in being a solitary animal in a social human world. Written May 10, 2011.
- Territoriality, Humans, and Anger - Scattered thoughts on being territorial, animal, and angry within human society. Written June 28, 2010.
- Traffic Is A Herd - Musing on the parallels between how drivers and cops interact and how herd animals and lone predators interact. Written October 2nd, 2009.
- The Animal I Am - A short history on the development and discovery of my own animal identity, and why I consider myself a Barbary lion. Written September 25th, 2009.
- Cats and Monkeys - A brief realization of how cats and monkeys differ in social patience. Written September 15, 2009.
- My Magic Is Different - A (re)affirmation of self, distinct from others. Written September 13, 2009.
- An Introduction to Animality - As the title indicates, an explanation of animality (also called therianthropy) for the unfamiliar. Written January 1st, 2009.
- A Profound Disconnect - Discussing the dysphoria between Colorado and West Virginia, as well as cat-self and human-body while outside in the mountains. Written September 9th, 2008.
- Bigger Predators - Working through the powerful instinctual reaction to people I perceive as bigger predators. Written August 19, 2008.
- What Is Cat? - A brief musing on the nature of felinity. Written August 13th, 2008.