Thoughts on Shapeshifters and Reality

[kokopelle]

On MySpace somebody once wrote...

are there any who are known as shifters out there, those who also go by changlings, shape shifters, mind shifters astro shifters or were-somethings?

Somebody else wrote...

I haven't read all the previous postings so excuse me if this has already been said but what the original poster seems to be describing is Shamanism. A Shaman will enter altered states of consciousness, take on the attributes of animals and commune with the gods, often aided by mind bending drugs. They also fulfill the role of village or tribe witch doctor.

Nods in agreement. It is part of the shamanic reality to shift. What really happens is open to personal introspection and experience. I have "become" a wolf in my mind's eye when I was on a shamanic journey. I felt myself run through the forest. Did I change outwardly? I don’t know. I believe that I was at a “wolf” vibration during my journey. Those who can see such things might see my shift outwardly. However, this outward perception would exist outside the five sense. A camera would have just recorded me sitting there. There is MUCH to see outside the five senses. These things exist outside the “reality” of our senses.

Now… considering outside manifestations… I had an experience with shifting during a past drumming circle. I saw a man drop nearly 20 years from his age while watching his students revel in drumming. I saw it happen several times and there was another student who saw it also. There was another person standing in front of me. Is this too weird? Not really. Consider the saying, “They got so angry I didn’t recognize them”. There is shifting there. A person who fully engages a mindset can look like that mindset. People look (or try to) like a saint when they are caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

Lastly… Carlos Castaneda wrote about his experience of shifting into a crow and flying across the land. He experienced a "transformation" into crow. His body changed and he had wings, etc. His felt his journey was real and all he saw was real. Later he asked his teacher if it was real. "Could people see me as a crow?" he asked. I don’t know what the answer was. Perhaps people could. Perhaps they couldn’t. It would depend on their ability to see and the conviction (aka intention) that the shifter put into the experience. The most important thing is that Carlos believed he had shifted and that he had a very real experience.

Comments

[apocalypsegrrl.livejournal.com]

What are your thoughts then on 'otherkin'- people who don't believe they 'become' on any level, but have always been...whatever it is they believe they are (there seems to be heaps that fall into non-animal catergories).

[greensh.livejournal.com]

I have mixed and incomplete feelngs/thoughts about otherkin existence. My LJ friend shinaraz (http://shinaraz.livejournal.com/) has been teaching me about animal based otherkins. While I can embrace what she says, I cannot verify it in my own experience. I talk to animals, and even experience "in them" during shamanic moments, but these experiences do not match up with text-book otherkin definitions.

I have thoughts about the vampire otherkins. I'll post a blog on this soon. A previous article I wrote needs to be updated with comments on those who are truly energy vampires.

[valkyriur.livejournal.com]

I think you'll find a certain amount of overlap between the animal "otherkin" and Shamanism. (Most of them will get pretty darn irritated if you suggest that it is close to Shamanism).

Something interesting to note is that some Otherkin are practicing a kind of Shamanism (some recognize it, others do not). They consider their primary or default shift their Otherkin self, while any other shifts that may occur might be considered a shift to a totem.

The beliefs between "Otherkin" themselves vary quite a bit.

Although I don't consider myself "Otherkin" any more, I'm still involved in the community. :)

[greensh.livejournal.com]

I agree that there is an overlap. Speaking to animals and shapeshifting are common enough shamanic practices. These do overlap portions of the animal "otherkin".

Question... if being an otherkin is something a person is born into, how can a person unbecome an otherkin?

You had previously given me a succinct general definition of animal otherkin. Unfortunately I did not save it where I should have. Could you post it again?

[valkyriur.livejournal.com]

Question... if being an otherkin is something a person is born into, how can a person unbecome an otherkin?

I don't think you can cease to be an Otherkin, but you can cease to consider yourself a part of that community. For example, my default form (which I've found I snap back into under flight/fight circumstances) is still wolf. Shifting to other forms is possible and feel comfortable now.

You had previously given me a succinct general definition of animal otherkin. Unfortunately I did not save it where I should have. Could you post it again?

I'll see if I can try to find it. :) If you're talking about how the definition has changed, I pretty much have that one memorized, as I've had to type it out at least 5 times in the last month. ;) If it's something else and you can remember anything from it, I'll have an easier time finding it.

[greensh.livejournal.com]

Give me the general one (that you've memorized) as a starting point.

[valkyriur.livejournal.com]

Okay then. :)

The term Otherkin first began as referring to those who were either "fae-born or elf-born". This soon came to encompass those who believe their "souls are partially human or not at all human". This broadened to incorporate people who had past lives as something other than human and many others.

[greensh.livejournal.com]

That'll work... thank you! So it boils down to the soul. Is it reasonable to say that different types of otherkin (animal, fey, vampire) manifest this differently, even as those of the same type (ie animal) can have different reactions?

Does the being otherkin always boil down to being a past-life connection? It seems like people with walk-ins (aka possessions or channeling) can also experience otherkin sensations.

[valkyriur.livejournal.com]

That's where it gets a little sticky. If you ask the people who were around from when the term first came about, they're going to say something like "It's not my soul that isn't human. I'm just not human." But most will agree that it comes down to the soul not being human.

Most Otherkin do believe in past lives, but many do not. A good part of them do not believe that it is the past life that makes them Otherkin. What makes them Otherkin is what they are, not what they were. Walk-ins and multiples have found their place in the Otherkin community, as well.

[greensh.livejournal.com]

I have the sense that the vampire otherkins (more) often claim non-human heritages. I also wonder about the vampire otherkin modality as a whole.

Is the non-human a common (enough) position for animal otherkins? If so, were they switched at birth or had non-human parents? What are the accepted explanations?

[valkyriur.livejournal.com]

From what I've seen, the vampires are the big ones that claim non-human. The elves and the fae are a another large part.

For the animal Otherkin, it often comes as a "my soul isn't human". Past lives are one of the more accepted ones. You'll also see some that say they are Otherkin through their totems and guides. I've heard that some people feel like they were just placed in the wrong body.

This comic strip actually does a pretty good job of summing up all the different theories. This one sums up the confusion associated with it. ;)

[greensh.livejournal.com]

Thank you Shinaraz, you're a wealth of knowledge. The comic was very educational on the attitudes and beliefs people have.

It seems that otherkin identification is a very large umbrella. There are lots of variations. The comic presented the lighter side. I suspect there is a very dark side as well. And then again, how is that different from any other aspect of life?

[valkyriur.livejournal.com]

Otherkin has become a pretty large umbrella. In a way it's good because it brings more people together; at the same time, it's bad because it means that it makes it a lot harder for those who are unfamiliar to relate.

[greensh.livejournal.com]

I looked over the comic and some connecting websites. It strikes me that there is a chasm of sorts between those who say "I am a griffin/dragon/wolf/elf" and those who say "I am a vampire/demon/dark creature X". If this is the case, I have to give the guys of Haven of Kindred Spirits credit for outreach to other families of otherkin.

The comic did have one strip featuring a vampire. He was saying (paraphrasing here) "you cannot call me good or bad, we all have elements of each in us". This is congruent with the non-Hollywood version of Satanism, and I wonder if the vampire otherkin is "forced" to follow this path because there is a anathema to the overall model of vampire otherkin. Those who follow the lighter path of otherkin may feel discomfort with their darker cousins.

What anathema? Here is one from my personal experience. A responder to one of my blogs said that her SO was an energy vampire. He consumed energy in public places to sustain his body/psyche. Personally I am uncomfortable with this. I wouldn't tell her SO to stop. I tend to be libertarian in many ways. That said, I would very much NOT like to be at one of the places from which he is feeding. As an aside, there are the realities that some people wish to be fed on, and these people frequent distinct places. It could be argued that people who attend Christian church have their human souls "fed upon" as they are subservient to a more powerful being. Anyway, interesting stuff to ponder.

In conclusion, it seems like the vampire (and other dark) otherkin are the relatives in the closet of the otherkin community.

[valkyriur.livejournal.com]

He was saying (paraphrasing here) "you cannot call me good or bad, we all have elements of each in us".

This I heartily agree with this. However, you can call an action itself good or bad. Even then it is up to interpretation. I don't agree with the feeding in public places; one might think though that if the energy is just left there, it must have been wanted to be used that way. It's a curious thing.

[greensh.livejournal.com]

She said that her SO had to feed somewhere. If it wasn't going to be her, it was going to be strangers in a crowded place (like a bar, club, etc.). AND, she said that her SO did not feed on her.

More stuff to think about.

[valkyriur.livejournal.com]

Not really. Consider the saying, “They got so angry I didn’t recognize them”. There is shifting there.

Everybody shifts to a certain extent, even if they don't see it themselves. We shift into work mode when we go to our jobs. We shift into respectful mode if we're going with a friend to their ceremonies or to our own. Sometimes it gets so confusing, and you almost start wondering which one is the real you. They all are. I think, the goal is to try to get all these shifts to become a total person.

Later he asked his teacher if it was real. "Could people see me as a crow?" he asked.

This reminds me somewhat of "Wolf's Rain" (the anime). Some people insist that the wolves actually 'shift' into human forms in the anime when it's pretty obvious that they don't. Their power of suggestion is just so strong that they are able to make people think they see a human.

The most important thing is that Carlos believed he had shifted and that he had a very real experience.

Indeed.

[greensh.livejournal.com]

For some reason the sentence, "heir power of suggestion is just so strong that they are able to make people think they see a human", makes me think of sociopaths. Hmmmm... are we all sociopathic to some degree???

[valkyriur.livejournal.com]

Sociopathic:
Function: adjective:
of, relating to, or characterized by asocial or antisocial behavior or exhibiting antisocial personality disorder

Is that what you meant when you said "sociopathic".

I think we all are to a certain extent. As we grow up, we're normally taught to ignore certain things or pay more attention to them depending on our upbringing.

[greensh.livejournal.com]

I guess. If you're helpful to society, or at least neutral, you're labeled as flexible or adaptable. A person of all seasons. If you're a danger to society, you're labeled a sociopath.

The original thought came to mind due to criminal commentary comments made about sociopaths - how they blended in to seem human even as they committed "inhuman" acts. With that said, I am not equating sociopaths to anything other than sociopaths.