Where did all the Healers go? | Otherkin General Discussion | Forums

Arethinn said:

You know, that's a good question. I wonder if it's a casualty of the sort of “oh get a grip, not everything in life has to be woo-woo all the time” opinion-shift that seems to have occurred in the parts of the otherkin community I observe

I'm not sure… could be, or maybe it's just the result of life… I know time and pain have hardened my heart to the point that I would find it very hard to consider myself a true Healer these days, as much as I might sometimes wish to act in that role.  Perhaps that indicates a need for self-healing…

(granted it can tend to sound a little like something out of an RPG)

I can certainly see the comparison, but I never really took it that way… perhaps because being raised Catholic, I was quite used to hear people talk about being Called to service in some capacity (ie, nuns and priests).  

, and/or the shift away from living/discussing magical lifestyles (in public, at least).

That could definitely be it.  At times the trend of not discussing anything magical in public really makes me wonder what we're even doing on lists together anymore.  If people want to stay so private, so hidden, why make the effort to connect with others like ourself at all?  They're certainly not leaving much public for newcomers to connect with.  If all of this had been so private, so hidden, so secretive back in 1999 when I first found the community, I really don't think I would have found enough to connect with to keep me here.

Then again, I'm sure some would say that's the point.

*shrugs* I don't know that anyone can really explain Callings… some people just seem to have them.  It's not unusual, or even restricted to the otherkin community – Catholic priests and nuns routinely refer to being called by God to their work.

What perturbs me is that there used to be *tons* of people in the otherkin community who did feel they had been called to be Healers… used to be you couldn't turn around without tripping over at least three.  Now?  You'd almost think they were never there in the first place, they've disappeared so completely.

Actually, come to think of it, seen many “Guardians” lately either?  They used to be the other big Calling in the community.

Any other callings you can think of?  I can only think of one other reasonably big one: bards.  We don't see as many of them either.  Did all of the people with callings just walk out of the community one day, or stop referring to themselves as having a calling, or what?