Post by Thylae on Mar 22, 2008 15:05:47 GMT -5
Okay, okay, it's not like I'm shifting every day, however, I do shift fairly often, maybe at least 5 times a year, or sometimes more (generally 1 every month or so on average). These shifts are generally triggered by either a feeling of "high energy" or happy/excitement. They also can be considered seasonal. I experience them very rarely in summer, if at all. Sometimes during the winter, and a the greatest amount around spring or fall. In fact, I experience the most shifts as the seasons change. (Sometimes I'll have three to four shifts in one day around the changing seasons.) Oddly enough (no I'm not making this up) they will happen in the general time period of a full moon. Now, not necessarily on the full moon, but either a few days before, or a few days after, if not on the day. However, they can occur at any time. I generally am the same animal during the shifts...a mystery animal. I feel kind of canine, kind of feline, and have a "reptillian" or "prehistoric" feeling (which I am very sorry, i cannot describe any further). I tend to have either stripes or spots (can't always recall which), a long, cat like tail, and a very dog-like, yet predatory feline personality. I often find myself lowering my head a lot, then picking it up, eyes move a lot, and I do the "dog play" movement of lowering my front, and swaying the back. I may want to "leap up" on objects, like a cat would. I will often find myself opening my jaws very wide, possibly when I feel threatened, and feel territorial, and afraid/angry any time I see eyes, even on a poster.
What makes me question the cause of these shifts is how it all started:
I was introduced to shifting in my early teens (about 13 years old, maybe). I had always felt myself not to be "human" in the normal sense (and yes, I later found myself to be a demonic), but at that time, I was in a state of denial. I was "normal", I didn't want anything to do with the "weird", and while I remained somewhat open still, I was probably the most skeptical I have ever been during my life.
Enter my friend who figured I might be a safe person to tell about shifting. At first I denied the possibility. I told her (in the nicest way I could) that it sounded crazy. However, at the next moment I was feeling phantom limbs, and felt the urge to get on all fours. Still having that bit of my brain at least semi-open, although hidden, I let myself get into this state. This did not in any way feel fake, or imaginary, so I let myself "shift". This first shift was mainly phantom.
Now I didn't shift for the longest period of time (although I tried, as it was an interesting feeling, and I had become more open). Then, maybe a year or so later, I started having shifts. They would occur randomly at first, I believe. However, as time went by, I would start to feel a shift "coming" either earlier in the day (they tend to occur more frequently at night, but as I said, can happen any time). I can't really describe the feeling, it's sort of "feral", yet "energetic" feeling. A sort of "build up" sometimes. Anyway, when it does finally happen, I will look up, and realize it's a full moon (if that's when it occurs), or the next day I will find that out. On the days or nights when it's not a full moon, it's hard to say what caused it. I believe that the energy of the full moon affects people in different ways, and shifting may be a personal result of the "energy" or whatever it is, from it.
Now, interestingly enough, shifts are not something that I can very easily intentionally do. What's more, they seem to happen pretty randomly, and as I said, generally into the same "mystery animal". They even seem to have gotten far more intense, less phantom, more toward mental. The most recent shift caused human speech to actually become "second nature".
My thoughts?
It could be totemic.
It could be cameo.
It could be a form of therianthropic shift.
My reasons?
For cameo and totemic, it could well be, since I was not shifting before my friend mentioned shifting. While it may be possible that a therian may hear about this before they shift, generally therians will experience shifts on their own before they find therianthropy. However, totemic may be a tad less likely that cameo for the reason that some that I have spoken with have said that when they shift into a totem, they will "feel" another spirit around them. I do not feel like anything is around me in the least. I just feel that I, myself, am there.
For therianthropy, that could also be, since I feel somewhat myself during these shifts, only a more "feral" me (although I'm well aware that sometimes totemic shifts and the like may feel this way after a while). I also seem to have this triggered by emotions at times, which seems to be a more therianthropic thing. Another point is that I share many of the same feelings/thoughts/even emotions that therians do. For example, I feel I relate better to animals than people. I feel more akin to them, I've even always behaved in certain animalistic ways (identifying everthing by smell, playful biting, and even jumping on my trampoline on all fours because it feels more natural, posessiveness of food, growling, the list goes on). All of these behaviors and feelings date long before my discovery of shifting.
Now, I believe that this could be that I was not open enough at the time to understand and accept therianthropy to shift, and perhaps this had opened me up to shifting and therianthropy. On the contrary, an argument for totemic or cameo shifting, I may have been opened up to totems, or other spirits entering my body through this.
As you can see, I've been trying to sort though the possibility of mental therianthropy for a while, and the reason I brought this up was to get some help, at least, the best people can do. I believe these shifts ARE legitimate, but I know no one can tell me what I am/if I'm a therian or not. However, they can bring up some good points, or good questions I can ask myself. Even some good meditations on the subject. Either way, they can also offer suggestions to what animal it may be that I appear to be shifting into.
-Sekkada
What makes me question the cause of these shifts is how it all started:
I was introduced to shifting in my early teens (about 13 years old, maybe). I had always felt myself not to be "human" in the normal sense (and yes, I later found myself to be a demonic), but at that time, I was in a state of denial. I was "normal", I didn't want anything to do with the "weird", and while I remained somewhat open still, I was probably the most skeptical I have ever been during my life.
Enter my friend who figured I might be a safe person to tell about shifting. At first I denied the possibility. I told her (in the nicest way I could) that it sounded crazy. However, at the next moment I was feeling phantom limbs, and felt the urge to get on all fours. Still having that bit of my brain at least semi-open, although hidden, I let myself get into this state. This did not in any way feel fake, or imaginary, so I let myself "shift". This first shift was mainly phantom.
Now I didn't shift for the longest period of time (although I tried, as it was an interesting feeling, and I had become more open). Then, maybe a year or so later, I started having shifts. They would occur randomly at first, I believe. However, as time went by, I would start to feel a shift "coming" either earlier in the day (they tend to occur more frequently at night, but as I said, can happen any time). I can't really describe the feeling, it's sort of "feral", yet "energetic" feeling. A sort of "build up" sometimes. Anyway, when it does finally happen, I will look up, and realize it's a full moon (if that's when it occurs), or the next day I will find that out. On the days or nights when it's not a full moon, it's hard to say what caused it. I believe that the energy of the full moon affects people in different ways, and shifting may be a personal result of the "energy" or whatever it is, from it.
Now, interestingly enough, shifts are not something that I can very easily intentionally do. What's more, they seem to happen pretty randomly, and as I said, generally into the same "mystery animal". They even seem to have gotten far more intense, less phantom, more toward mental. The most recent shift caused human speech to actually become "second nature".
My thoughts?
It could be totemic.
It could be cameo.
It could be a form of therianthropic shift.
My reasons?
For cameo and totemic, it could well be, since I was not shifting before my friend mentioned shifting. While it may be possible that a therian may hear about this before they shift, generally therians will experience shifts on their own before they find therianthropy. However, totemic may be a tad less likely that cameo for the reason that some that I have spoken with have said that when they shift into a totem, they will "feel" another spirit around them. I do not feel like anything is around me in the least. I just feel that I, myself, am there.
For therianthropy, that could also be, since I feel somewhat myself during these shifts, only a more "feral" me (although I'm well aware that sometimes totemic shifts and the like may feel this way after a while). I also seem to have this triggered by emotions at times, which seems to be a more therianthropic thing. Another point is that I share many of the same feelings/thoughts/even emotions that therians do. For example, I feel I relate better to animals than people. I feel more akin to them, I've even always behaved in certain animalistic ways (identifying everthing by smell, playful biting, and even jumping on my trampoline on all fours because it feels more natural, posessiveness of food, growling, the list goes on). All of these behaviors and feelings date long before my discovery of shifting.
Now, I believe that this could be that I was not open enough at the time to understand and accept therianthropy to shift, and perhaps this had opened me up to shifting and therianthropy. On the contrary, an argument for totemic or cameo shifting, I may have been opened up to totems, or other spirits entering my body through this.
As you can see, I've been trying to sort though the possibility of mental therianthropy for a while, and the reason I brought this up was to get some help, at least, the best people can do. I believe these shifts ARE legitimate, but I know no one can tell me what I am/if I'm a therian or not. However, they can bring up some good points, or good questions I can ask myself. Even some good meditations on the subject. Either way, they can also offer suggestions to what animal it may be that I appear to be shifting into.
-Sekkada
