FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Vice Blog

WASHINGTON DC - HOUSE ECLIPSE

All right, you've read our

Guide to DC

, which is for humans who are people. But what if you're not a person? What if you're a Therian or some other form of Otherkin? If this applies to you,

House Eclipse

is your place for guidance and tutelage. We talked to Raven Sabo, one of House Eclipse's founders, about what, exactly, that even means.

Vice: What is a Therian, and what is an Otherkin?

Raven Sabo:

Ask four different people involved in Wicca, the occult, or the paranormal that question and you could easily get seven or eight answers. I will answer the second question first, as Therians are considered a type of Otherkin.

Advertisement

Otherkin can be defined as individuals who believe or have experiences leading them to consider themselves as having souls or natures that are different from the norm. There are several different subtypes of Otherkin, and there is some debate about how many subtypes there are. Some that are more commonly spoken of are Elves, who have different variations on the historical lore of the elves of different cultures. Certain people who have past life memories may feel more drawn to the label of the Norse Alfar or Light Elves, while others may have more memories and resonance of the Celtic Tuatha De Danaan.

Therians have a deep spiritual and intellectual connection to one or more animals. They may experience periods where their mental point of view changes to be closer to what they feel an animal would experience. This is called a mental shift. There are also other forms of Therian shifts, such as an Astral Shift, which is a form of Out of Body experience. In this experience a Therian will project out of their body in the form of an animal and be able to act as that animal while on what is referred to as the Astral plane, or what some people call the spirit world. This is very much associated with forms of shamanism, including much of Mircea Eliade's work on the subject. Other forms of shifts for Therians include Sense shifting, where the Therian's sense become closer to the animal's senses, such as improved night vision and sense of smell for example. All of the above is technically referred to in the Otherkin community as shapeshifting, though the possibility of whether one can physically become an animal to any degree is generally discounted or at least hotly debated.

Advertisement

There are several different subtypes of Otherkin that one may encounter besides the two I have named. Each type is made up of many unique individuals who all have different beliefs, experiences, religions, and views. I cannot possibly do a brief description of them here and do them justice or cover the viewpoints they all have. For some, being Otherkin is similar to choosing a Jungian archetype and molding oneself around that archetype. Others see it as a spiritual experience. Still others believe that they are remotely descended from those written about in legend either spiritually or physically. Types of Otherkin I have personally encountered include vampires, Therians, Elves, Dragons, Starborn, Walk-Ins, Angelkin or Nephilim, Infernal or Demonkin, Faeries and Elementals. I would ask that the reader not judge any of the above instantly but instead give us room to live our lives spiritually as we see fit, and to research the topic further if it should be of interest to them.

Wow. How did the House Eclipse come to be? How does your involvement in it effect your days and nights?

House Eclipse was originally founded by myself and several other people for several reasons. The first and strongest reason was at the time of founding in around 2001, the co-founders and myself had just finished dealing with an individual who was very unstable in the Otherkin community. He was very charismatic and had gathered a group of people together who were Otherkin and used their insecurity about their beliefs and experiences (as a large portion of non Otherkin automatically assume that Otherkin are delusional or mentally ill) and used it against us all. He positioned himself as a leader and required a number of us to obey him, give him money, and perform immoral acts on his behalf in return for a sense of belonging. If it sounds similar to a cult, it is because it is one.

Advertisement

Ransim, who is now Webmistress for the House, was a latecomer to the group and much more confident than most of the rest of us. She questioned the leader and talked to us separately about how our actions on the leader's behalf were irrational and the leader himself did not deserve our loyalty due to his lack of ethics. Those of us who left the group founded House Eclipse with several ideas.

First and foremost, we wanted a support group that would not judge each other as long as the members were functional members of society. That means that each of us must have a job, be in college, or somehow be self-sufficient. We believe that it is our duty to be members of society and work within it, whatever our privately held beliefs might be. Second, due to the abuses we had seen in a system led by a single person, and the similar issues we had seen in other groups led by a council, we would be strictly democratic, with all members voting on actions taken by the group. To vote, one had to attend meetings where issues were discussed and be involved in the group. In order to become a voting member, a new member had to be sponsored personally by a group member and attend meetings for a year before becoming a full member. However, any visitor or probationary member was always allowed to speak and share opinions at meetings without fear of reprisal so long as they were respectful and polite.

We met every few months in several locations for a long time before our schedules conflicted too much to continue. At that point, we mostly moved over to being an online information clearinghouse. We stay in contact through email, instant messenger and occasional in person outings to places like the Maryland Reinissance Festival.

Advertisement

What do you do for money?

Professionally I have worked security before for six years at a nightclub in Washington DC. However I got very tired of dealing with people under the influence of alcohol and illegal drugs. When the club closed due to the DC government wanting to build parking lots for the new baseball stadium, I decided to study medicine instead with the goal of understanding more about my condition. I have no interest in becoming a doctor so I went into emergency medicine instead, and attained my certification as an EMT-Basic. I am planning on working my way to being a paramedic in the long run, but currently I have just finished my certification as a phlebotomist. This amuses quite a few of my friends who know of my nature, but I do not mix work and my own needs. It would be foolish to do so, as the blood I handle is potentially infected with lovely diseases such as hepatitis, HIV or syphilis, and the chemicals used to preserve blood samples are quite toxic.

Can you explain the name that you go by on the House Eclipse board?

That is a rather complicated joke. There is a group on the internet of psychic vampires (who feed on spiritual, ki, or prana energy) who had a tendency to plagiarize various different groups or even Dungeons and Dragons books. Specifically they took symbols from the book "The Drow of the Underdark" from the Forgotten Realms setting and some words from the glossary as well and claimed to have invented them. House Eclipse reported this to the publishing company as soon as we found out. From the list of words that was plagiarized, I saw two of them, Orthae (sacred or blessed in service to the divine) and Velve (blade, dagger or sword) and combined them to form OrthaeVelve. To me, this represents my belief in the Pagan goddess I revere and my acting in her service, while still thumbing my nose at a group who did not have the creativity to invent their own words and the disrespect to plagiarize another's work.

Advertisement

How have your services with House Eclipse benefited others?

I feel that we have influenced the lives of our members for the better by providing them with non-judgmental support while still insisting that they maintain the basic functions of living in society. I would like to hope that the information we provide helps others avoid having to deal with the less stable and functional individuals as well.

House Eclipse members are also encouraged to do volunteer work of various sorts. I do at least two hours a week of volunteer work as a way of spiritually paying back the universe for the blood I take from my donors. This immediately aids the community, makes people feel better about themselves, and encourages us to stay grounded in everyday life as well as practicing spirituality.

Do you ever question if what you're doing is logical?

That is a difficult question. As stated above, I feel the House is a very positive influence. However, I think any rational and intelligent person who is Otherkin or even an occultist will occasionally wonder about the sanity and rationality of their involvement with what most would consider a fringe element.

There are plenty of nights where I lie awake wondering if I am delusional or suffering from an undiagnosed psychiatric illness. I have sought such counseling before, and it was inconclusive in regards to a cause for my condition. I was told that whatever the origin of my needs, they are strong enough to have a measurable and observable effect on my body biologically and could not simply be medicated away. Still, there are nights where I wonder if I am just delusional and whether I belong in a straightjacket in an asylum. The conclusion I usually come to is that whatever else I may be, I am helping people with my volunteer work and contributing positively with my art and crafts, and will aid people more once I achieve my goal of being a paramedic. Whatever else happens in my life will be balanced by my desire to help others as long as I continue to follow an ethical and honorable path in life and treat others with respect and compassion.

Advertisement

Why DC? Is it because the geography there is known to have mystical effects?

I am not certain what mystical effects you are referring to. Every place has its legends and hauntings or paranormal lore. Washington DC has the history of being designed by the Freemasons, but I honestly know very little about that.

How do you battle opposition to the services you provide?

To be honest, mostly we ignore it. People who harass us or send rude messages generally want attention because they feel they have something to prove, or are so insecure about their beliefs that they have to loudly announce them. Most such individuals are comical to me, and in many ways I pity them. In truly severe cases of harassment or overt threat, House Eclipse's policy is to report such to local law enforcement. This has only once been necessary however and I hold out hope that that will be the only time it will ever be needed.

If you were granted a wish to be a real vampire or a real werewolf, which would you choose?

Neither. I am content with who and what I am, and have no wish to change those.

KELLY McCLURE