SarahAnneLawless - 4 201 300 11 19

On Shapeshifting
April 15, 2010
Shapeshifting is oft discussed, little practiced, and much

misunderstood. But what is shapeshifting outside of fiction and
fantasy in both ancient and modern magical practice? To start,
shapeshifting is not the literal physical transformation of a human
into animal form as this is not realistically possible as much as some
believe and wish it to be true.
203
Some psychoactive plants can convince a person they are an
animal, or more commonly make them behave like an animal, just
as a masked and costumed shaman may imitate an animal’s every
movement and sound in ritual, but still the person or shaman’s form
does not physically change. Instead, shapeshifting as a magical
practice involves either a part of the magician’s soul transforming
into a spirit animal (known in the Germanic tongue as the fetch) and
leaving the body to journey vast distances in both our realm and the
otherworlds, or, another method is for the magician’s soul to leave
their body and “ride” a living animal or external spirit animal or
familiar in this or the otherworld. In the latter instance “riding” being
a metaphor for possession as in spirit riding within Haitian Vodou
204
where the Lwa possess a person and speak and act through
controlling their body. “Riding” is also found in European folklore in
stories of witch’s using unsuspecting people as “horses” and riding
them ragged – not as in the witch’s are literally changing people into
horses, but rather possessing them and using their body instead of
the witch’s own like in the Scottish tale “The Blacksmith’s Wife of
Yarrowfoot“.
There are also many tales in both European and Native American
lore of souls of dead relatives appearing to their loved ones as
animals and in this too, spirit possession fits. In lore found in tales
and mythology across cultures there are also instances of animals
taking on human form to commune with us and I myself have met a
wolf possessing a man – it was quite an uncanny experience to say
the least!
205
It is traditional for witches and also fairy doctors or medicine men
and women to shapeshift into or “ride” liminal animals which have
longstanding otherworld associations such as toads and frogs, deer,
hares, cats, water birds, birds, and bats – animals of the moon, the
night, and which dwell in-between elements of earth, water, or air. In
order to shapeshift the magician must first possess the ability to
separate their soul from their body. To do this their body and soul
must first be in harmony. To attain this harmony one must be able to
function in and understand the difference between both the real
world and the otherworld as well as truly knowing themselves.
Differing methods can be found throughout continents, cultures,
mythology, and folklore – from the skinwalkers of the Navajo, the
witch-hares of Celtic lands, and the animal-costumed spirit dancers
of the Coast Salish to the werewolf and shapeshifting myths found
in Greek and Norse mythologies. In some cultures psychoactive
plants are consumed as a part of the ritual, in others the drum is the
vehicle through which the spirit of the magician can leave the body
and transform into an animal, and yet in others animal pelts or other
body parts are worn by the magician wishing to transform.
“The shamanic costume tends to give the shaman a new, magical

body in animal form. The three chief types are that of the bird, the
reindeer (or stag), and the bear – but especially the bird.”
~ Mircea Eliade, Shamanism
In the Irish tale “Forbhais Droma Dámhgháire” from the Book of

Lismore, the druid Mogh Roith calls for his speckled bird mask
adorned with billowing wings, the hide from a hornless bull, and his
druidic gear and being wrapped in the bull hide wearing his mask he
206
[his spirit] flies up into the sky using an enchanted fire as a conduit
and transforms into a bird gaining the power of flight in order to
magically defeat Cormac Mac Airt’s army. Also from Celtic lore,
seventeenth century Scottish witch Isobel Gowdie gave instructions
and spoken charms for shapeshifting into specific animals during
her voluntary trial. Her and other witches from around the same time
period admitted they did not physically transform and the only
outward change of appearance was of wearing the pelt of an animal
or a mask – but they were not asked about spirit possession in
these trials. The incantations Isobel Gowdie provided are as
follows–
To change into a wild hare:
I sall gae intil a haire,

Wi’ sorrow and sych and meikle care;
And I sall gae in the Devillis name,
Ay quhill I com hom againe.
To change into a cat:
I sall gae intil a catt,

Wi’ sorrow and sych and a black shat;
And I shall gae in the Devillis name,
To change into a crow:
I sall gae intil a craw,

Wi’ sory and sych and a black thraw;
207
And I shall gae in the Devillis name,
To change back:
Haire, Haire, [catt, craw, etc] God send thee caire [back],
I am in a hairis likness just now,
Bot I sall be in a womanis likenes evin now.
208
The Dangers of Shapeshifting
The dangers of the magical practice include not being able to return
to your body due to forgetting you are human, forgetting which
realm you belong to, or journeying too far to return resulting in coma
or the death of your physical body and also to be captured or stolen
as a spirit in the otherworld resulting in the same consequences or
209
to be hunted, injured, or killed while “riding” an live animal in this
world. Many of us have heard the tales of witches stealing milk from
cows by shapeshifting into hares or witches who when injured or
killed as a hare or other animal either turned into a human or were
found in their home with the same injury as the animal as in the true
tale of “The Witch Hare” collected from Mr. and Mrs. Hall by W.B.
Yeats. This is not a case of “die in your dreams, die in real life”, but
rather if your soul is injured, captured, or destroyed so is your body.
Precautions the Shapeshifting Magician May Take
1. Set a firm time limit before shifting so no matter what happens or

where you are you are pulled back into your body.
2. Use a red witch’s cord and tie it to yourself and also to your spirit
so when you wish to return you can follow the cord back from
the spirit realm to your unconscious body. This method uses
sympathetic magic as in what you do ‘magically’ in the physical
world is reflected in the spiritual realm.
3. Have a safe word or an incantation like Isobel Gowdie’s that

when spoken or thought acts as a triggering device to pull your
spirit back into your body.
4. Carry magical protection charms on your body so you cannot be

harmed or your spirit stolen while travelling in the otherworld.
Magical charms and tools also exist in the spirit world when
properly made and consecrated.
210
5. Have a spotter, especially when starting out and practicing and
give them a time limit so they can try to rouse you so you are
aware of your body and are pulled back to it more easily. A
bucket of cold water splashing on one’s face tends to work pretty
well…
211

SarahAnneLawless - 4 201 300 11 19

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

SarahAnneLawless - 4 201 300 11 19

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

SarahAnneLawless - 4 201 300 11 19

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

On Shapeshifting

April 15, 2010

Shapeshifting is oft discussed, little practiced, and much

“The shamanic costume tends to give the shaman a new, magical

~ Mircea Eliade, Shamanism

In the Irish tale “Forbhais Droma Dámhgháire” from the Book of

To change into a wild hare:

I sall gae intil a haire,

To change into a cat:

I sall gae intil a catt,

To change into a crow:

I sall gae intil a craw,

Precautions the Shapeshifting Magician May Take

1. Set a firm time limit before shifting so no matter what happens or

3. Have a safe word or an incantation like Isobel Gowdie’s that

4. Carry magical protection charms on your body so you cannot be

You might also like