Shapeshifters – Otherworldly Oracle

Astral Doubles: Doppelgangers, Flying Witches & Werewolves

admin — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 15:21:48 +0000

In ancient times, astral projection was a natural, spiritual phenomena. It also went hand-in-hand with shamanic journeying, witchcraft practices, and shapeshifting rituals. Here, we learn how the astral double left the body to warn others of oncoming danger, traverse the spiritual and otherworldly realms, and shift forms into other creatures. DISCLOSURE: I may earn a commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you information about the paranormal and paganism. What is Astral Projection? Before we dive deep into the topic of astral doubles, we first have to define the roots of this concept. For that we have to take a brief look at the idea of astral projection. If you’ve heard any of the terms out-of-body experience, astral travel or lucid dreaming, you’re on the right track. Out-of-body Experiences An out-of-body experience is the inexplicable feeling you’ve left your body and can look down at yourself from above. Usually there’s a sense of floating up out of one’s body or detachment of some kind. These are used to explain near-death experiences as well as drug-induced states and sometimes in our dream-time. Astral Travel What is astral projection or astral travel and how are these things different from an OBE (out-of-body experience)? Astral projection takes the OBE one step further – each of us have an astral body or “soul” that can separate from our physical body and travel. So it’s basically the same thing. These are old, primitive concepts. Many ancient cultures have talked about people having the ability to leave their bodies and travel. Ancient Pagan people from all over Europe have tales of this. Astral projection can be found in Hinduism, Buddhism and even Christianity. You just have to dig a bit to find it. The Concept of Multiple Souls The idea that we have an “astral” body seems bizarre but was a basic belief across the ancient world. If we look back to ancient forms of shamanism, the shaman had the ability to enter a trance-like state and travel to the other worlds. If we look at some of the oldest legends in pagan history in the Nordic and Germanic texts, there are references to people who have the ability of leaving their bodies. These people were said to fall asleep and travel great distances to delivermessages or perform deeds. Even in Christianity… Even in Christianity there is a concept of a person not only having a body and soul but having a body, spirit and soul. As a little girl, I remember my grandmother talking about this concept. She believed the soul was what made us who we are and the spirit was the part of us that was eternal. The part of us that left our bodies after death and traveled to Heaven or Hell (according to Christian beliefs). Looking at this theory now I can see the similarities in many cultures when it comes to seeing the human being as a multi-level, complex creature who may or may not have more than one soul or spirit. The Ka in Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, there was the belief the human being was composed of 9 bodies. One physical body and the rest spiritual or energetic in nature. The Ka was the part of the individual that could separate and travel to other places. We would call this the astral double today. Claude Lecouteux’s Work There are also those who believe we have more than one soul. That we can have multiple souls that have the ability to do different things. In Claude Lecouteax’s work Witches, Werewolves and Fairies: Shapeshifters and Astral Doubles in the Middle Ages, he presents striking evidence of this belief in not only ancient pagan people but also in modern day religions. The question is why would we have more than one soul? And if we have more than one soul, what can we do with them? Astral Doubles: Separation From the Body If the concept is correct, this means everyone has a soul or spirit or piece that separates from one’s body and travel elsewhere. This is often called an “astral double”. Methods of Astral Projection But how does an astral double separate from the body? Some say it’s an ability that everyone has, it’s just that most of us forget how to do so. Or that we do it in our sleep but forget by the time we wake up. Others say only certain people have this ability. Learning how to become lucid in a dream is one method. Meditation, trance-work, and psychotropics have also been used. In my experience, astral projection was during sleep and involuntary. Why do astral doubles separate from our bodies? Going back centuries, a person’s astral double left the body while the person was asleep or in a trance-like state to gather information for an upcoming battle, deliver an important message, torment a sleeping enemy, or to warn of impending death. In ancient times, the shaman’s astral double traveled to other realms in search of lost souls (soul-retrieval), to learn how to heal someone, and to learn about the hunt. Today, if you google astral projection, people claim to use this method during dream-time to “have a trippy experience” or have some sort of encounter with otherworldly beings. But this ritual of separating from one’s body has a much deeper reason. In old times, if a person couldn’t dream (and therefore astral project), they were considered unfortunate. Doppelgangers & Bad Omens A doppelganger is defined as a living person’s double. They have been featured in horror films and fictional novels. Stories say doppelgangers appear right before a person’s death. This dates back to the Middle Ages and crosses religious boundaries – between pagans and Christians. Often the doppelganger will appear to a loved one to warn of his/her impending death, and when the loved one looks into the matter he/she finds the person is in fact dead. […]

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Hedge Witch: How to Become the Likeness of the Snake (Powder & Ritual)

admin — Tue, 09 Apr 2019 18:12:05 +0000

Snake crawls on the earth, rubbing its belly over soil, plant, and stone. It is a creature of the underworld and a guardian of mother earth, as well as healing and regeneration. When our souls leave our bodies to journey the astral realm, they often take on the form of snake. This happens spontaneously during sleep and dreamtime, but you can learn how to become the likeness of the snake for trancework, spells and rituals. Shapeshifting is a skill many hedge witches seek to learn and can master with time, study and practice. Here’s our method of shapeshifting into the likeness of the snake. Snake Magic & Medicine What are some reasons the hedge witch would shift into the likeness of the snake? Besides being able to easily transition to the astral realm, here are some examples of magic and medicine of the snake: regeneration, transformation, healing, wisdom from the gods, connection to Yggdrasil / the World Tree, seduction, kundalini. Craft the Snake Powder First, the hedge witch will craft a snake powder to wear on person while performing the shapeshifting ritual. You may substitute herbs for others, but make sure they are plants with a direct link to snakes or serpents, otherwise the ritual won’t be as effective. With any shapeshifting ritual, the witch or shaman always holds or wears a piece of that creature to create a physical and spiritual link to that animal. For example – when shifting into the deer, shamans wore headdresses with antlers. To become the likeness of an animal, one must be the animal. Snake Powder Ingredients: Snake skin (collected personally is best) Dried apple skin: what’s the first plant you think of when someone mentions a serpent? Many of us think of the serpent in the Garden of Eden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which is often depicted as an apple tree. Black snakeroot: the name should be a dead giveaway. Snakes hide in the roots. Horsetail (aka Bottle brush): historically used for calling snakes Hibiscus (substitute for any ground cover plant or bush in which you’ve seen snakes use as a hiding place or home) Mortar and pestle (or herb grinder) Small glass vessel (a necklace vial is perfect!) Snake Powder Instructions: Add a pinch of all ingredients to a mortar and pestle or grinder. Began grinding all the ingredients together in a clockwise fashion until it becomes a powder. This takes some time and effort so be patient. While grinding the powder, visualize the world from the eyes of a snake. Visualize what the snake can do for you magically. Keep your intention for shapeshifting in mind. Once the powder is ready, add it to the small glass vessel and seal it. How to Become the Likeness of the Snake You have your powder in the glass vessel in hand or on your person. Enter your alpha state of mind (be it through breathing technique, meditation, etc.) Shamanic drumming music is helpful but not required. It’s also helpful to have a photo of a snake or a live video on replay in front of you, if you have a hard time visualizing. (Though, if you’re attempting a shapeshifting ritual, you should have visualization technique down pat.) Think of yourself as the snake. See yourself in nature. It can be a forest, the desert, a meadow. Visualize yourself sleeping on the ground. Then see your soul leaving your body through your mouth in the form of a snake. You are the snake. You’ve left your human body behind. Feel what it’s like to have the earth rub against your belly. Feel the cold blood pumping through your slender, flexible body. The scales covering your body are your protection in the other realm. Chant/repeat the following throughout your shapeshifting ritual: Scale of skinBody of earthI am snakeI am serpent Allow yourself time to explore your surroundings as the snake, as well as get used to the feeling of being a snake. To return to your body, reverse the ritual. Picture your snake body returning to your physical body and re-entering through the mouth. Slowly come back to reality and be sure to ground your energy once complete by eating a piece of bread, drinking tea, or with a grounding technique. To Be Clear…You’re Still You! This shapeshifting ritual is for hedge witches who want to learn how to shapeshift and specifically want to work with the magic and medicine of the snake. You’re not inviting a spirit outside of yourself to enter your body, you’re projecting your own astral body into the astral realm in the likeness of the snake. So when the snake returns to your body, it is actually still you. I recommend practicing this ritual a few times to get a feel for your snake likeness before attempting full magical workings in snake form.

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Old Tales of Shapeshifting Witches in Britain and the U.S.

admin — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 15:59:53 +0000

The classic werewolf story isn’t just for the big screen. And the idea of shapeshifting isn’t exclusive to the Werewolf. Legends of shapeshifters can be found on every continent, namely in Europe and North America. If we look back in time and trace the roots of these legends, they all fall back to one idea…shapeshifters were witches in another powerful and terrifying form. Hedge witches today would do good to learn as much as they can about shapeshifting witches of the past. British Isles: Shapeshifting Witches & Hares In the British Isles, there’s much lore revolving around witches and animals. It’s long been thought witches had “familiars“, which were essentially spirits that took on animal forms like cats, dogs, goats, birds, toads, rodents, insects, and hares. They aided the witch’s magic but also inspired the witch’s shifting rituals. In Scotland, witches often shapeshifted into the hare. The accused Scottish witch Isobel Gowdie admitted openly in court to her shapeshifting abilities: her animal of choice was the hare. Her shifting incantations are as follows: To take the likeness of a hare: I shall go into a hare,With sorrow and sych and meickle care;And I shall go in the Devil’s name,Ay while I come home again. To shift back: Hare, hare, God send thee care.I am in a hare’s likeness now,But I shall be in a woman’s likeness even now. Why Shapeshift into a Hare? Before the church’s rise in Europe, the people believed in many pagan gods, some of which were associated with the hare. Witches were associated with hares because of old pagan beliefs and traditions that thrived even after Christianity’s rise. Eostre, a Germanic goddess of Spring, was closely linked to the hare. Legend says when a hunter shot the hare, he would go to retrieve his catch and find the hare was actually a woman. Different stories say shapeshifting witches spoke simple words to transform, while other stories claim witches drank powerful potions made from a hare’s bones. Werewolves: Witches in Wolf Skin? Werewolves were a prevalent monster in European countries in Medieval times. They were particularly feared in Germany, Bavaria, Austria, France, and Northern European countries. Anyone could be accused of being a werewolf, which went hand-in-hand with being a shapeshifting witch or black magician. The accusers said these werewolves acquired their powers from a contract with the devil. Some believed werewolves were made by the bite of a werewolf; moreover, all explanations pointed at witchcraft as the cause. The Werewolf Witch Trials These accusations of lycanthropy and witchcraft led to the Werewolf Witch Trials in the Dark Ages. In Estonia, a dozen people were accused, tortured, and forcefully confessed to killing others while in werewolf form. They claimed they had to wear a wolf-skin to become a werewolf. Other werewolves were tried during the Witch Trials, one in particular known as Hans the Werewolf. Hans was gifted his wolf skin and shifting powers from a man dressed in black. The court saw this “man dressed in black” as the Devil and charged Hans with witchcraft, as well. The Benandanti Interestingly, a group of benevolent shapeshifting witches called the Benandanti claimed they were given the ability to shapeshift by God himself. These men transformed into werewolves and went to Hell to take back stolen livestock or crops the Devil had stolen from the people. Witchcraft, Shamanism Or Hunting Rituals? Shapeshifting has long been a ritual practice in multiple cultures’ forms of shamanism. Villages had a resident shaman or wise person who visited the spirit world in shifted form to attain knowledge for hunting, healing, or defensive purposes. Shapeshifting Hunting Rituals If we look at ancient cave paintings, we find images of people dressed as animals reflecting primitive practices of ritual shapeshifting. To wear the likeness of an animal aids the person in acquiring knowledge about the animal. If you become the animal, you’ll find the animal. Fur pelts, horns, antlers, bones, feathers, teeth, etc. were worn to “blend in” with the hunted creature too. The ancient Celts wore the antlers of the deer on the hunt. Was the idea of shapeshifting witches a continuation of these primal pagan practices? Scholar Emma Wilby explores these theories at length in her book The Visions of Isobel Gowdie. Skinwalkers: Shapeshifting Witches in the U.S. The Navajo tribe warns us of the skinwalker – shapeshifting witches who become coyotes to carry our their evil bidding. One girl’s bone-chilling story tells of a skinwalker that came to her front door and proceeded to climb onto her roof. It knocked on the roof and all down the walls. Other eyewitness accounts tell of skinwalkers running beside their cars at high speeds, or jumping in front of their cars and causing accidents. One man claims skinwalkers followed him home then walked around the perimeter of his property playing a strange, unidentifiable instrument. What are Skinwalkers? Skinwalkers are dark shapeshifting witches that use their power to frighten, harm, and steal from people they don’t like (usually other Native Americans but sometimes non-natives). When a skinwalker is shot, they turn back into their original form (similar to the legends of werewolves and shapeshifting witches in Europe). The lore of the skinwalkers is prominent in the Southern United States, from the Carolinas west to Arizona. The skinwalkers take the shape of other animals too, including different kinds of birds, bears, etc. Appalachian Booger Dog Other stories of shapeshifting witches are told by old-timers in the Appalachian Mountains. Witches had the ability to shift form into rabbits and dogs. One spooky story in the Appalachians is the “Booger Dog”, which was a paranormal creature that looked like a dog but could never be caught. It gave off a foul smell and many people believed it was a ghost or a shapeshifting witch. Is it possible the shapeshifting witches from Europe made their way to North America and continue their traditions here?

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Werewolves and Shapeshifters: The Occult Truth

admin — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 14:20:16 +0000

Werewolves and Shapeshifters: What’s the Truth? We’ve been watching werewolf horror movies for years. We see men rip their clothes, morph into beasts, and howl at the full moon over and over again. American Werewolf in London, American Werewolf in Paris, Underworld, The Howling—what do all of these classic movies have in common? They don’t tell us the real history behind werewolves. They don’t tell us where the concept of the werewolf actually originates. The same thing applies to shapeshifters – they’re featured in TV shows like True Blood but no one reveals the origins of the shapeshifter. Now is the time to learn the occult (hidden) truth behind werewolves and shapeshifters. Their history may shock you. Ancient Shamans: The Original Shapeshifters To fully understand the origins of shapeshifting, we have to look at our indigenous hunter/gatherer ancestors. Dating back thousands of years to the time before agriculture, there were men and women called shamans who were consulted by their tribes to answer questions about disease, war, and nourishment. Shamans were wise people and worked with herbs and animals to attain outcomes for their people. They were spiritual leaders who crossed the barrier between the physical world and the spiritual. They were the original shapeshifters. A Shaman’s Shapeshifting Abilities One of a shaman’s supernatural abilities was shapeshifting. Shamans wore the hide, fur, bones, teeth, or feathers of a certain animal in order to shift forms. Sometimes this was done as a means to locate the animal for hunting purposes. It was sort of a way to “get into the mind” of the animal being hunted (for instance deer or buffalo). Other reasons for shapeshifting were spiritual—to take on the form of the wolf was to become like the wolf. Powerful. Fast. One could easily slip in and out of the spiritual realms untouched and unfettered. Images of shapeshifting shamans are painted on ancient cave walls in America and Europe—the images of men “dressed” as animals or men running with animals. The Werewolf Witch Trials If we take a look at the many trials and tribulations of a Medieval Europe, we would find some rather interesting information about werewolves coming out of the North. During a time when the Church was fighting hard to convert and control all of the people of the continent, individuals were accused of witchcraft, tried and executed. Not only were people accused of witchcraft, but some were accused of being werewolves! Yes, alongside the accused witches were individuals who were accused of being werewolves and shapeshifters. Hans the Werewolf In Estonia, there is a fairly infamous account of a man now known as Hans the Werewolf. Hans was a man who lived in Estonia in the fifteenth century and who was accused of acquiring his werewolf abilities from the Devil. Hans was said to have confessed to meeting a “man in black” and thereafter turning into a werewolf. Because of this account, the people also said Hans was a witch and that only witches had the ability to turn into different animals. Hans the Werewolf was found guilty of witchcraft and killed. This happened often in the Northern countries of Europe at that time. Hans was not the first man accused of being a werewolf and a witch and he would not be the last. The Benandanti The Benandanti were an interesting group of men accused of shapeshifting in the sixteenth century. The Northern Italian men claimed to turn into wolves at night, travel to Hell, and fight off bad witches to ensure a good crop for their village. Because they claimed they were given shapeshifting abilities by God, they were found not guilty of witchcraft. These guys were the good werewolves. Unfortunately, the superstition and fear of wolves was so rampant in Europe, that in some countries people went on wolf hunts to kill the nearby wolves. As proof of this, in England today there are no wolves. They were all culled because of the superstition of werewolves throughout the Dark Ages and Early Modern Period. Witches Were Shapeshifters At the same time as the werewolf trials, the infamous Witch Trials were in full effect across Europe. Men, women, and children all accused of consorting with the Devil and conspiring against the Church. And thus, they were tried, tortured, and killed. Some witches were accused of diabolical deeds – shapeshifting included. Isobel Gowdie, a Scottish woman accused of witchcraft, readily confessed to shapeshifting into a hare. Scholar Emma Wilby relates the witch’s ability to shapeshift dates back to ancient shamanism. Was Isobel Gowdie a woman who knew the old ways and admitted them to a people who would try to execute her. An Irish Witch Shifter A story taken from WB Yeats’s Fairy Folklore books told the tale of a priest catching a witch in shifted form. He was walking down the road one night and heard someone behind him. After quickly hiding, he surmised anyone on the road at that time of night must’ve been up to no good. He watched a pair of fat, engorged legs walk down the road, dripping milk. Somehow he caught the pair of legs and it was revealed that it was a witch in another form. People at that time thought witches would shift forms in order to steal milk and other items from their victims. DISCLOSURE: I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. Your purchase helps support my work in bringing you information about the paranormal and paganism. American Shapeshifting Witches One thing is clear—Isobel wasn’t the only shapeshifting witch. In the seventeenth through twentieth centuries, people believed in witches, werewolves and shapeshifters in the United States. Witches lived high in the mountains because it was an easy place for them to hide from society and perform their magical deeds. Folklore of the Ozarks and Appalachians tell of witches who took the form of rabbits. Men hunted and shot rabbits that they’d track down only to find a naked woman with a […]

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