Shape Shifting..

[Fairyelf]

I was wondering if anyone here had any neat info or know of any good and
interesting sites on Shape Shifting...

anything would be nice! thanks.

[Amadore]

Shape shifting allows people to take on the form of another creature. They can munipulate their bodies temporarily to look like something else. When you are in animal form though, you lose access to certain abilities (or so I hear.) Some people transform into an animal mentally, while others transform physically. The proper name for a shape shifter is a "theriomorph." Spiritual theriomorphs can see animal characteristics/traits in themselves, whether it's in their personality or actions. The most suitable time to "transform" into your animal is during a ritual or dance. Although the dances are not harmful, it is ebst to perform them inside some kind of circle. While dancing, changes may occur such as you suddenly have a more powerful sense of smell, or you suddenly have the urge to do something savage that you have never done before. You will feel like an animal, at heart. Best peice of advice; learn to control it.

I'm sorry if I can't help you anymore. I myself am not a theriomorph, and all the information that I know is purely from research. I have no experience with shape shifting or shapeshifters, but I'm sure that somebody else can help you out more than I have!

[Seren_]

I was wondering if anyone here had any neat info or know of any good and
interesting sites on Shape Shifting...

anything would be nice! thanks.

Depends on the context, really. There's a glamour, which is a more subtle change in appearance, but which is related to shapeshifting in general. In a more modern druidic-magic sense, shape-shifitng is sometimes termed a "fith-fath." Try googling that.

Stuff what I wrote a while ago:


A glamour is where you manage to change your appearance in a subtle way, by magical means. It's not about shapeshifting; a glamour is a more subtle transformation than that; changing your eye colour, making yourself look taller, shorter, less visible, more visible, more beautiful or attractive.

To a certain extent a glamour is more a psychological transformation than a magical one; it's like putting on makeup to accentuate your eyes, or give yourself a fuller mouth. Why do we want to change our appearance? Well, usually confidence is a key issue. Most of us want people to see us how we want to be seen, at our best or most attractive. Glamours can help us feel more confident and capable of handling a situation (like make up or nice clothes that make us feel good), but really it's just creating a facade under which we hide our insecurities. They can be fun to play with, but ultimately they don't hide the problems we try to mask.

With a glamour, you don't physically change your appearance, but you come to the complete knowledge that you are taller or more beautiful or whatever. That's the magical part, because knowledge is power with which you exercise your will (thinking back to Crowley's definition of magic). You visualise the way you want to look, and project this onto yourself - and obviously the less ambitious you are, the easier the changes will be. No one's going to accept that you've gained a foot in height...Also remember that it's easier to effect a glamour around people who don't know you, because they will more readily accept how you project yourself to be. To a certain extent, people do these things naturally all the time.

Doing a glamour

You can use props like make up, particular clothes, a nice ritual bath, or else stand before a mirror and look at yourself if you think it will help, as you make the glamour (I find it easier not to use a mirror, to be honest, because it's distracting - it's not you who's supposed to see differently, it's everyone else that's the point).

Breathe deeply, ground and centre, and begin raising energy. Feel the energy flowing around your body and visualising how you want to be; feel it making you taller, shorter, more green eyed than blue...whatever. Charge your aura with the energy, and feel the image take shape around you. Once the energy has been raised, take a while to just keep the image in your head. Ground and centre again.

Shapeshifting (Fith-fath)

In modern druidry (and some witchcraft traditions) there is a technique known as fith-fath (pronounced fee-fa or vee-fa). This is shapeshifting - not necessarily in a literal sense, but one that is handy during astral travel and ritual.

In astral travel you may find that you take on a particular form not like your own physical form. This may be an idealised version of yourself, and/or mythologically inspired, according to your own psychological make-up and imagination. You can consciously change your astral form into anything you want to; it's the astral, so reality is a relative term. The technique here is simple. Just imagine what you want to look like and transform yourself.

However...The point to consider here is that if you can do it, who else can? On the astral, everyone has a "true form". This can show, to a certain extent, a being's true nature; and in some cases you might meet with something that will want to conceal it's true nature or form. Nothing is as it seems, and so you should always check that what you see on the astral is a true image. One method is to simply draw a banishing pentagram of earth and project it at the entity, which will force it to take on its true form (because earth covers the material, which will force it to materialise...). Anything offended by this action is probably not worth the attention; and likewise, expect to take it graciously from other entities testing you out.

A fith-fath in the physical world is not a physical transformation from one form to another, but it can be a more "mystical" one. In ritual, using costumes can be a good way to add to the mystique of the experience. A High Priest, for example, might use deer skin to dress up like the Horned God for a particular Sabbat celebration in order to act out the mythological setting of the Sabbat.

In theory, the costume helps the High Priest's transformation into the god become more complete, for himself and for the others who are participating in ritual; those who are watching or taking part no longer see the man behind the costume, but the god. The fith-fath is the spirit of the transformation making itself known to all who look. Done well, this kind of thing can add a lot to a ritual celebration.

This is one take on it, anyway, I hope it helps.

[Amadore]

Wow, seren.. that was REALLY helpful! I've got to save that to print that out... thanks a lot for the helpful info! :)

[Seren_]

Wow, seren.. that was REALLY helpful! I've got to save that to print that out... thanks a lot for the helpful info! :)

:D Thanks for the new word. Never heard of a theriomorph before...

EDA: I really am my own worst editor...oh well.

[misschief]

i've been working on shapeshifting for about 10 years, and still don't have it down. it makes the other things people struggle with look like learning to tie your shoes.

edit: i forgot my point.. lol. i don't have any sites or anything, all that i know comes from family tradition, and i apologize, but i just can't give that info. out.

[Morgandria]

http://www.witchscauldron.net/cauldron/shapeshift.htm

[Faelon_Moon_Hawk]

not sure if this is exactly what you want, but here's something on different types of shifting

shifting (http://www.freewebs.com/moonscape/therianthropy/shift.html)

[edit] also, ted andrew's book Animal Speak has some information on shapeshifting in it that you might find useful.

[Fairyelf]

thanks to you all,
any info is truly helpful. so thanks! :fpraise:

[Grey]

Well theres modern therianthropy wich is a bit differrant in most cases than shapeshifting. Heres a good site on that:
http://www.otherwonders.com/swiftpaws/therian/old/essays.html
Unfortuneatly swiftpaw is no longer available for comment, still good stuff.

The other major shape shifting phenomina Im familiar is the Beserker of Norse tradition. Once well into their battle rage a beserker, with the help of some herbs, oils, and runes, would transform into a bear or occaisionally other animals. *not beserk comes from bear-sark, or bear shirt*.

Vampires are often depicted as having some shape shifting abilities, as are druids, wizards, sorcerors, and witches. Most of the time these were learned magical ablities, and occaisionally the person got so wrapped up in the new form that they rarely or never left it. Such as in the tales of Fafnir and sigjord.

Lycanthropes are also a form of shapeshifting, but information on them is so common that I assume youves seen piles of it. As to whats true, not being a werewolf I cant really say. I have my opinions of course but no basis of fact.

[SylverStar]

Awe shapeshifting...I knew there was something I needed to work on. As far as information. hmmm well Maybe start by finding an animal that you are in touch with, understand, and feel.

[Aleannah]

I don't know how helpful this is, but I have worked on being able to shape shift for quite some time now. I can do it in my mind, and have had a couple of instances where I was very close (I felt) to accomplishing it in the physical...however, I tried to keep my attempts at physically changing to the weekends, because I didn't want to have to explain why I had a finger that resembled a claw, or why I had feathers sticking out of my skin because the shift hadn't worn off yet...lol! :bug: BTW...this never actually happened, but I could foresee it as a possibility.

[misschief]

I don't know how helpful this is, but I have worked on being able to shape shift for quite some time now. I can do it in my mind, and have had a couple of instances where I was very close (I felt) to accomplishing it in the physical...however, I tried to keep my attempts at physically changing to the weekends, because I didn't want to have to explain why I had a finger that resembled a claw, or why I had feathers sticking out of my skin because the shift hadn't worn off yet...lol! :bug: BTW...this never actually happened, but I could foresee it as a possibility.:lol: i know what you mean.. i think that's partly why i can't do it. i'm afraid i'll get stuck or something even though i know better :lol:

[Fairyelf]

:lol: i know what you mean.. i think that's partly why i can't do it. i'm afraid i'll get stuck or something even though i know better :lol:
lol!
yea thats the scary part!!

[Morgandria]

You can't really "get stuck" in a different physical form. While a lot of the time it can feel like you are actually physically changing, what is happening is you are experiencing strong changes in the spiritual realm. And we all know that from time to time, when strong interactions between physical and spiritual realms occur, they can begin to overlap. So what feels like a physical change is usually just a change in your spiritual body, and because the realms are overlapping around you it can be confusing as to where it's actually happening.

Unfortunetely, physical shifting just defies physics. The energy required to cause a change, the rapid change in the genetic and cellular structure, not to mention differences in mass make it a highly unlikely occurence. So as much as physical shifting may appeal to many people's sensibilites, it's something I would think improbable.

-M.

[semi]

I agree with Morgandria about the physical aspects of shapeshifting. I don't think it can be done.

The way I and other people I know do it involves an altering of consciousness and of your aura. It's hard to explain because, for me, it's about a way of feeling and it's hard to describe that feeling. To put it simply, I still my mind and reshape my energy into the animal form. I have only been able to do this with animals who have bonded with me as a totem. So, I think you should look into your totem animals if you believe in that sort of thing. Then you can meditate on them and dance for them in a way that mimics the animals movements. You will form a closer bond with the animal. Eventually your physical work carries over into the nonphysical and you use your energy, your aura, to mimic the animal. Then you have shapeshifted.

With time you'll be able to do it reflexively, with no ritual, dance, etc. I know of a woman who was being sexually harassed ay work. She refexively altered her energy, shapeshifted, into jaguar. She then swatted the guy with her ethereal clawed paw while her physical body did not actually move. The guy immediately stopped talking, went pale white, and walked away, never bothering her again.

During ritual once, I watched a woman shapeshift. She generates power and energy by dancing. During this dance she moved in a certain odd way and all of a sudden she was a wolf. Still in human form but generating so much wolf energy that it was as though her human form was just an illusion over the wolf. Wolf is her primary totem animal and she can do amazing things with it.

And that is my rant on shapeshifting. I can tell you more if you'd like to know more. Good luck and enjoy it, it's fun.

[Fairyelf]

thats really innteresting

[Shadow Angel]

Im a shapeshifter.
Are there any more of us out there?