Shifting
I know every where you go you get this same information on shifting but I thought I would share this much, for those of you who havent seen it a thousand times. After you read through all of this or skip over it if you must, I have a short passage at the bottom.
Information from Shifters.org
-Astral shifting-
You astrally leave your body and become that of another form, either by shifting the appearance of the spirit, or entering the body of another being on this plane.
-Attribute Shifting-
Essentially, this is a mixture of
the Mental, Physical, and Aural Shift, in varying degree (That is to say that One or Two could overshadow the other(s), or the repressed one(s) appear to be nonexistent). Unlike the types of shifts (being separate) noted above, this type of shift can give you attributes of _any_ animal/spirit guide (not necessarily that of the wereside, or your personal spirit guide). These 'attributes' can be in the form of a physical (for example: "Strength"), aural ("senses") or mental ("cognitive abilities").
-Aural Shifting-
The aura (if you can see them) takes on the shape of the animal/wereside. I've also heard that with the AS, the person can take on some characteristics of that animal, mentally, but not a total mental shift.
-Bilocation Shifting-
In this shift, the "spirit body" of the were in question leaves the "physical form" and reforms itself outside of the human body. The "new form" the spirit takes is a physical form (as opposed to the Relocation Shift)
The shifter can be both awake or completely oblivious to what is occurring during this shift
-Dream Shift-
This is sometimes the most common form of shifting, at least, for those that can remember their dreams. This is exactly how it sounds, shifting while dreaming. It could be any of the mentioned forms of shifting here, the most common being the Physical Shift.
-Mental Shift-
A condition known to affect "weres" (even if said humans don't know about their awareness) when one species within their own spirit or soul is dominant over any other. In most cases weres are generally in their human mindset. The actual shift occurs when the mindset changes from human to animal (e.g. Wolf) or Vice Versa. A mental shift can also occur with a physical shift, whereas you change in mind or soul, as well as in body.
-Personality Shift-
This is one of the more recently developed terms I've seen used on the newsgroup. From what I can tell of this, the personality will shift into one resembling a certain animal's personality. I think, however, that it is referring to a shift into the habits/personality of a species but retaining the human mindset. (E.G. a wolf would want to remain in a pack setting, a lemming would jump off a cliff, etc.).
-Phantom Shift-
This is a very 'popular' type of shift among Weres today. This shift is often mistake for a Partial PS, or a prelude to a PS. In this shift, the were feels fur, pawlike hands, tails, movable ears, etc. The Non-shift term for this phenomena is "Phantom Limbs." The actual "shift" is feeling the body changing to that of the wereside, but not on a truly physical level
-Physical Shift-
This shift alone, for those who believe, is a goal for the majority of "Weres" want to experience. This is indeed going from form A to form B with the body as the artistic media. A shift in body, many weres feel with the PS, they can become what they truly are on the inside, now reflecting on the outside.
-Relocation Shifting-
In this shift, the "spirit body" of the were in question leaves the "physical form" and reforms itself outside of the human body. The relocation shift either produces a ghostlike body, or one that cannot be sensed by others. (Sometimes confused with the Bilocation Shift)
-Shadow Shift-
This type of shifting should not be confused with the PS. This is a term to be used for the type of shift that occurs when only the appearance shifts. This usually takes place when there is little available light, a sort of mass hallucination if you will, but whatever the case, the object being focused upon, appears to be something else. Unlike the PS, this type of shifting is "looks only," you wouldn't gain any extra senses, or characteristics from this... it is, in fact, very similar to just putting on a fursuit (but without the suit).
-ShapeStealers-
Also known as 'Skinwalkers' and 'FleshDancers,' this is a type of shifting feared the world over. They can manifest themselves in a variety of ways. They can just merely take on the form of another entity. Some claim that the shapestealer must kill the person, animal, etc. they wish to take the form of. This could also include Walk-Ins, whereas, they leap into the body of the one they wish to steal, essentially taking it over, and may or may not kick out the 'original.' (That particular method however is also in many references describing the 'astral shift').
-Spirit Shift-
Definition taken from various accounts on AHWw, #Pshift, and the Pshift Mailing list. This type of shift has several meanings attached. I will not split them up at this point in time. Here goes:
A spirit shift takes place when Spirit Guides are present. The actually shift is either: A. the guide leaves and another takes its place, B. Your soul "merges" with the spirit guide, C. The spirit guide changes it own species/looks.
A spirit shift is also the merging of the two (or more) "sides" of a were's spiritual body. For example, if a separatist were is a human and a wolf, the merging into an "anthro-wolf" form would be a spirit shift.
Barakus Leviathan
So How Do You Know?
Now all this is wonderful information, but how does one know if they are experiencing a shift? In my personal experience it could hit you just as an urge to bound about on all fours, to howl at the moon, to give your wings a bit of a stretch, to climb a tree, what ever it is you feel in these urges that you just can't escape. Another experience of mine, I will call "The Call of The Wild." This is where I just feel I need to get out into the woods, but for others it might be the open plains, the mountains, or a need to swim, you know... it just feels natural to you, you might not even be feeling the urge when you feel "The Call of The Wild" it could just seem the place where you belong. Their are physical signs as well, eyes changing color, to me sometimes it feels as if my lower canines are growing larger, now I dont know that they truly are changing but it does feel that way, I also feel as if a physical shift is going on inside me, its a calming feeling, and most of the time I just want to lay there until my form changes... it never comes, but I close my eyes and feel as if I truly am in the form of a draconcat, I feel my paws, my tail, my shaggy fur, even though they arent there physically. All this stuff comes from the inside, dont let anyone tell you what you are or aren't, only you know what you truly feel and what is really inside of you.
Take a moment to sign the guest book,
just to let me know what you think
Contact me at, OliverNightCat@hotmail.com