Everything Under the Moon

Shape shifting to me is an advanced psychic and spiritual practice that witches engage in. Its also one that has always been historically associated with witches. This is one of the reasons that animals like black cats, rats, snakes, and bats have such high superstitions associated with them. It was often thought that these animals were witches transformed as they escape their bodies and travel to their sabbat or ritual workings.

This is a practice I have only done a few times and it was very strange. I was not just an animal but also a crystal once. Its an odd feeling when your spirit body transforms into something that is non human for the sake of spiritual work. The crystal experience was probably the most awkward experience I have had. The snake experience was less awkward but still strange.

Does any one else have any experience with shape shifting?

Not me! But that's very intriguing loona! It's amazing what we can do with our minds, and many people don't realise their full capabilities unless they have such a chance psychic manifestation

Please tell us something more about it! I'm going to add them in the Psychic Abilities thread. Thanks!

Seraphin wrote:Not me! But that's very intriguing loona! It's amazing what we can do with our minds, and many people don't realise their full capabilities unless they have such a chance psychic manifestation

Please tell us something more about it! I'm going to add them in the Psychic Abilities thread. Thanks!

Well it would help if I had a question or specific aspect of the practice that I can start from. Like are you looking for personal experiences, folklore stories, historical references, etc? The topic of shapeshifting like many magical and spiritual practices is very diverse,

I know my experience is going to be different than other peoples but that is ok.

I am actually interested on how do you do it and your personal experience.

As far as I am concerned, mostly it's used by totemists, shamans, seidhr sorcerers and classical western wizards, but historically it's all over the world.

The practice is also used by those who practice forms of Traditional Witchcraft. This is one of the historical lore practices that you find in both folklore as well as in the Witch Trials.

It is a shamanic practice as is much of Trad Witchcraft. It is not an easy practice or skill. Like most astral and spirit based work a lot of concentration and focus is required. The practice does involve having the spirit and mind leave the body.

I have only done this sort of ritual practice twice. Only one was a full fledged astral shape shift. The other was more of a mind merger. Still in both cases the shape of my astral body and spirit body was changed.

The trance work I did involves placing your mind and spirit into the animal form that you wish to take. By moving your mind from your body into the body and mind of an animal, plant, or crystal your spirit will vibrate and resonate with the item your mind was transferred into.

The process allows you to see and experience life as the being that you are working with. This practice will help you connect deeper with animal spirits as well as crystal and herb spirits.

I have heard of shape shifiting, never experienced it have always wanted to though. I am friends with a couple whose spirt guides, they are wolves, shift into their bodies often. I am very intrigued by this process. It is one thing over the years I have never really tried to do. Great experience loona, just curious how one could go into a crystal, that I have never heard of.

Lillady wrote:Great experience loona, just curious how one could go into a crystal, that I have never heard of.

Its a different type of shifting experience. The idea is that you can move your mind from your head into an object or other being. By doing this you meld your mind with the mind of the object you choose. In my case I choose to do a quartz crystal for one shift and a snake for the other.

The snake was more comfortable because they have what we would call a living breathing mind. They have brains and think. Quartz crystals not so much. It is possible to shift into them and align with them mentally and spiritually if you believe and understand that the mind is no located just in the brain, but is actually all over your body and out of your body.

Inside I met the spirit of the quartz crystal. When my mind melded with theirs and I became a part of the crystal I met a Dragon spirit. I don't necessarily believe that quartz crystals all have a dragon spirit inside them, or that all quartz crystals are going to be connected to Dragons, but this one was. In the images I was shown many different properties of quartz and the dragon was a wonderful teacher in that respect.

Sounds very interesting.
I have a dog guide, that comes to me during shamanic journeying, that encouraged me to shape shift into a large black wolf.

I realised afterwards this was done in Northern Europe a lot way back when.

Chalice wrote:Sounds very interesting.
I have a dog guide, that comes to me during shamanic journeying, that encouraged me to shape shift into a large black wolf.

I realised afterwards this was done in Northern Europe a lot way back when.

Indeed. Shapeshifting was done by a lot of different magical practices back in the day. Today its mostly associated with Shamanic paths. Which traditional witchcraft really is. I as a witch find that it really helps bring the relationship with animal guides to the next level as you become them and for the time you are shifted experience reality as they do.

I did a journey where I shape shifted into a deer to run along side my animal spirit, also a deer. I only did it once, but should do it again.

AnaisStar wrote:I did a journey where I shape shifted into a deer to run along side my animal spirit, also a deer. I only did it once, but should do it again.

I think its a very powerful experience. I haven't been able to do it for a while. My psychic senses have been dulled and I am hoping to reawaken and reopen my third eye and crown chakras as open as they were before. I'm glad I had those experiences. They showed me that there is much I can learn from them.

Is there something you really remember from that experience that has stuck with you since then?

loona wynd wrote:

AnaisStar wrote:I did a journey where I shape shifted into a deer to run along side my animal spirit, also a deer. I only did it once, but should do it again.

I think its a very powerful experience. I haven't been able to do it for a while. My psychic senses have been dulled and I am hoping to reawaken and reopen my third eye and crown chakras as open as they were before. I'm glad I had those experiences. They showed me that there is much I can learn from them.

Is there something you really remember from that experience that has stuck with you since then?

Nothing really stuck with me. I do keep seeing my spirit animal everywhere still. Even saw a deer today. I seem to see/catch them when no one else is around. I just stop and watch them. The stand and watch me, and we connect for a few minutes, then they go on their way.

I need to do it again (especially now with the CDs) and see if anything else comes up.

The book I am reading touches on using masks and trance work to take on animal spirits. It's something I would like to try.

Holdasown wrote:The book I am reading touches on using masks and trance work to take on animal spirits. It's something I would like to try.

I have a fox and an owl mask that I have made that I want to try and use in shamanic ritual to shapeshift. Masks have been a traditional tool of shamans and traditional witches for a very long time. The idea is the by putting on the guise of the animal you can also start to physically become like them in the real world making the astral shape shifting a lot easier.