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SPIRIT
LODGE
LIBRARY
Guides
& Spirit Helpers
Page
22
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(Main
Links of the site are right at the bottom of the page)
The 29 pages in this Guides & Spirit Helpers section are
linked below:
Shapeshifting,
Melding, Imprinting
By CinnamonMoon
Merging with spiritual
entities and energies is a process of unification that spans
many different categories or levels of experience. There are
benefits and enlightenments to be gained along the way and there
are precautions to consider too. I want to address the precautions
first so you have a fundamental understanding of what takes
place.
Precautions:
1) Health
2) Energy distortions and imbalances
3) Mental capacity distortions
4) Returning to a balanced state of being
5) Residual effects that cling
6) Separation
These come to mind initially and
I may have others pop up as I go here. I'm taking this information
off the top of my head right now. Basically when you work in
this capacity you are changing your own cellular structure from
a spiritual perspective. It's initially a sensory perception
but can spill over into the physical sense as well. Therefore,
health issues can result as you alter your energy field. Energy
distortions and imbalances due to deeper transformations can
happen if you are not fully understanding the process.
Upon return, if a balanced state
is not achieved there can be distortion to your mental, emotional,
or physical capacities as well as your own spiritual nature.
Mood swings are common, as are feelings of pure disorientation
and a disjointed thought process ensues. These residual effects
and potentially others will be an issue you need to be aware
of as the experiences can be unsought and *just happen* at times.
(More on this in a moment.) Finally the act of separation can
be difficult and even painful physically if one does not know
what they are doing.
In a sense this process is like
any other, it requires understanding of the focus and intent
that is at play. Defining terms is going to be my definition
in the hopes that I can present differences that take place
and why they are happening as they do. For this reason I'll
define Shapeshifting, Melding, and Imprinting.
Imprinting happens when a
Totem entity comes to you and merges with you in a unification
of spirits. This is a show of acceptance but it can come about
in very graphic ways. It can be an impacting that is anything
from gentle to forceful and sudden. Often that will take you
by surprise. What is happening is that you are not only accepting
the entity as your Ally, but it is accepting you as its Ally
too. A partnership happens. If you are prepared in advance it's
a simple process for the entity initiates it and *imprints*
you with its Medicine, energy signature, and gives you permission
to use that and call upon it at any time. This usually takes
place, using a Totem or Guide as an example, once a relationship
has established itself. It can happen like a gentle breeze passing
through you or as intense as a pounce from an animal that would
knock you off your feet.
Melding is a sensory merging
of energy exchange, and you feel the entity merge with you but
it is a temporary state that allows you to become enlightened
as to it's nature. This is usually the initiator to shapeshifting
if it is to go further. It gives you a feel for the entity or
essence of the energy form you are working with so that you
see things through its perspective and have an understanding
of that. It can be temporary and brief or extensive if your
work takes you in that direction.
Shapeshifting happens on
many different levels: mental, emotional, sensory, and physical.
There are many stories that abound of the shaman/ess that can
take physical form of their Power Animal or some other creature
and move about in that form. They will appear to others in this
way and the folklore and myths of cultures worldwide are rife
with these tales. As the shift happens you literally feel your
body changing form, extremities and bone structure are felt
to shift proportion and design. If there are others present
they may see this superimposed over your physical form or they
may witness the full transformation.
When a shapeshifting experience happens
during a journey it is part of that journey. You should (provided
you feel comfortable with it) go with that experience and learn
from what the Teacher that is shifting you is trying to impart.
If it is something you want to experience your focus on a form
and its essence on a spiritual level is important. There it's
like focusing in on a location you want to go to but here it
becomes the sensory input of a cellular and physical change.
Now you can remain at that level and experience the *body* or
you can expand that experience to move (swim, walk, run, fly)
within the body. In this case you would hunger as the creature
hungers, hunt, fight, survive, or encounter experiences as the
creature would. You do this for that purpose.
More advanced work through alliance
with a given entity and shapeshifting experiences with it is
the focus of the shaman who is schooled to travel and work in
this form. That given entity is the Teacher. We shapeshift our
perceptions all the time when we look at things through the
perspectives of the Seven Sacred Directions. We shapeshift our
perceptions in the physical sense when we are making decisions
and choices about a path of action and that path of action brings
about a change in our environment. In this capacity it is merely
opening to that experience and embracing it to effect change.
Spiritually shapeshifting can be
in the journey state or in the total shift merging into the
physical state to produce a projection of it. We are all interconnected
through the Creator or Source Energy that vibrates through the
Web of Life. As we journey we can be taken or guided to different
places and often people choose to travel in likeness to their
Guide rather than ride on its back or try to keep up on foot,
or merge with it for the experience. Our Guide will usually
indicate when this should take place and it will help us achieve
that state of being; or we can request it as part of our lesson
and experience it that way.
The experienced shaman is going to
know how to do this, hence they can be selective of the form
they choose and initiate it themselves. The state in which this
takes place requires a deep level of trance be initiated. The
physical body is at risk only in being disturbed and a shaman/ess
is going to have an attendant or make sure they are located
physically in a place where the unattended body will not be
discovered to prevent it being harmed while taking on another
form. In essence there are two ways this happens. The physical
transformation and through bi-location.
Bi-location is when the spirit temporarily
leaves the physical body and manifests another physical body
or inhabits another body physically (such as that of an animal).
Spiritually it is when the Inner Spirit is projecting an image
it wants to take from the physical body and yet retaining a
connection to it. This is often called the body double or an
apparition or *sending*.
Separation needs to be a focused
effort and complete before returning to the physical reality
for safety sake. If it is incomplete then the state of being
you produce is incomplete in comparison and the risks I mentioned
earlier are often the result.
These are just some basics and I'm
going to recommend some reading material for you now that should
help you with techniques and greater understanding. I learned
from my Guides and it was a progressive process customized for
me. (No jiggling necessary.)
I suggest this be your approach,
but if you feel inclined to read more on the subject do take
a look at these books:
Shapeshifting: Shamanic Techniques for Global and Personal
Transformation; by John Perkins; ISBN: 0-89281-663-5
The Art & Practice of Astral Projection; by Ophiel;
ISBN: 0-87728-246-3
Astral Projection: The Out-of-Body Experience; by Denning
& Phillips; ISBN: 0-87542-181-4
I suggest the astral projection reading as it is part of that
experience and the two do go hand in hand.
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Libraries
are on this row
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INDEX
Page 3
(Main Section, Medicine Wheel, Native Languages &
Nations, Symbology)
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INDEX
Page 5
(Sacred Feminine & Masculine, Stones & Minerals)
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©
Copyright: Cinnamon Moon & River WildFire Moon (Founders.)
2000-date
All rights reserved.
Site
constructed by Dragonfly
Dezignz 1998-date
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