SHAPESHIFTING

By: Shyan Chapman 08/20/04

Shape shifting comes from various Celtic, Shamanistic and Native American Cultures. It is a belief that one can become one with Mother Nature and all her creatures. They practice this as a meditative technique induced by their songs, dancing, and psychedelic drugs, which enhance the spirit of hunting, healing, warfare, story telling and teachings of old ways. They mimic Mother Nature’s heartbeat through their drums and chant with the sounds of animals. It is said that many Shamans have the energy/power to turn themselves into an animal.

"Learn what it means to be human, then know the animal."

~Stephen "Wolfcharm" Gabree, werewolf and shaman.

Ever hear the expression, “To hunt like a wolf, one must first become a wolf.” Living in the wilderness the Native American will mimic and live like their totem animal. A totem animal is a spirit guide that is of an animal that has the same characteristic as the person. To Shamans all people are guarded and protected by a totem animal, which joins them at the time of their birth. But as far as Witches and Pagans they chose their totem animal later on in life.

There are really two types of Shape shifting, one is like an out of body experience, a change in ones spiritual form and the other is more like a change in ones physical form.

Only through white man’s misunderstanding or ignorance is Native American Shape shifting thought of as something evil and having to do with Werewolves or other un-godly creatures.

Another theory about Shape shifters is that it is just another name for Windigo. A Windigo is an animal spirit that can do physical things…something like a ghost of an animal that acts like a poltergeist. Again, this is another Native American belief. Treat all of Mother Nature’s creatures with respect or else you will get a visit by the Windigo. Again White man just believe Windigo to be a pissed off Native American running around in a deer hide doing things to scare him away and out of his woods.