SPIRIT        LODGE   LIBRARY Spiritual Development Page 65

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Shapeshifting, Melding & Imprinting
© 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 its 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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