The Shadow Mastery There have been many instances where the animal has apeared through the human form, through out history. One of the best known is from Odens inner sect of warriors, the Berserkers! The warriors who were said to wear no armor, on animal hides, of the bear or the wolf. To go into battle, to feast upon the fallen, to destroy entire armies. Stories have been written about them from both there commrades, and from the fear of there enemies. They would charge into battle with the rage of the bear or the wolf, wearing no armor and having no weapons, They would not only win the battle, but it sent a very chilling message. They wern't to be messed with, and that they were not normal, by any means. It apeared that this was performed by entering into a state of rage, altering there own mental state. Using the imagery of the animal of there choice, ritual clothing of the animal helped with this process. Often times they would use pain to induce this, to cause the rage to burn brighter. It is unknown if they used actual aspects of the animals. The Native Americans had two forms of animal mastery. The first form of which will be known as "Skin Dancing". They would dance around a fire, with drum, in the skin of a animal of there choice. They would slowly vibrate and become the animal through there mind (The Microcosmic). The method they would use would be the following. The drum is faster then the heart, to speed up the rythm of the heart, he art, as well as to change the state of the mind. The ritualistic clothing that is used helps to get the mind into the state to perform a task like this. The Native Americas would draw upon the image and aspect of the animal, but generally not the spirit in general. They would draw upon the animal in a whole, the idea of the animal through the use of a totem. Through all of my magical practice, I have found what works for me. Through the many areas that I have traveled, the many things of which I have seen done and performed myself, I keep what works and discard everything else. This is the path of most magicians. Many people ask if it is possible to change the body phiscally. From everything I have performed, I understand it to be a possibility, but to take many steps to reach such level o f adepthood with the animal. The method of which I will explain uses a technique of it's own, a method of which was taught to be by Sobek, the Egyptian God of the Crocodile, the Deification of Crocodiles in whole. Through meditation, and magical journey, relations have been built with this entity. So the information and the formulae that has been put forth is from this e ntity, from my relations with him. My internal connection with Sobek is that of instictual nature, my Shadow is that of the Crocodile (Msh). In the Egyptian Tradition, there are many aspects to the self, far more then in almost any system. The Shadow is the most physical of these aspects, other then the physical body. The Shadow Body is the easest to be seen, felt, and used within magical practice. The Shadow Body represents the animal self within the tradition of the Ancient Egyptians. It is not to say that everyone has a phenotype that they are by shadow, but for those that do, this is there path and birth rite. You know who you are. You feel different, you see different from your eyes, from the eyes of your phenotype. There is nothing "Scientific" about it, as far as the normal understanding of science has at this time.
The area within your brain that controls your image, this is even different. Such as, when a patient with the "Phantom Limb" syndrome, this is much similar. Even though you may not have the nictitating membrane of the animal, your bran registers it, it shows up for your brain, as well as would other body parts. This is a common thing for people of whom are born like this. The brain is a more dense oregan, it is programmed from less dense material, from higher planes of existance. The less dense, the higher materia, creates the more dense, the lower materia. The first step in this process is using your animal self. You do not chose what you are, you do not chose your eye color. Certain things can be changed, this is one thing that cannot. This is your primal nature, your animalistic self. Attempt to change your Shadow Body can result in great damage to your Shadow, if not killing this aspect of yourself entirely. This use to be a curse, to kill or capture a Shadow. A Disney cartoon was made after this, but it was a real magical process that usually resulted in the death of the indivisual, and not just for once, but for all future lives. This is a important note to remember. When you enter into the altered state, you need to begin with clearing your mind. This will not go into detail about such basic techniques, this information is for those of the adept already. You want to be able to use, to access the different aspects of your animal self, all of the base senses. First you want to be able to do this indivisually, then you want to be able to do this beyond that level, to use all of the senses at once, with your normal mind, your logical mind. The next step is to use the glyph for the animal, this is a glyph of your choice, it is only to be visualized. It is to be seen not only with the three basic forms of mesurement, but beyond this. You are to become one with the glyph, one with your animal self, your Shadow Self. What this process does is give you a trigger to shift with. Also, the glyph is a pictographic representation of the animal self, the shadow self, all that you have come to learn of it, what it is, how to use it, every possible thing. When you allow the glyph to pulse, the shrink to nothing, then to come back, this allows the glyph to move to the Shadow Body, to become one with it. The Shadow Body has the ability to record information onto it, this is through the use of the glyph (Hiroglyphic). This cannot be removed, the glyph does become part of you. Every time it is used, it will flash all of what it is within the glyph, within your mind. As stated, it is important that this phase be perfected. The information that is placed into the glyph is a perfect print of your Shadow Body, of your animal self, of everything it is capable of. This is Shadow Mastery. From the state of Shadow Mastery, a Word must be created. This is to take this to the next step of mentally shifting. There are many reasons why you would want to do this. The human mind can only handle so much at any given time, such as weather. The human body can only handle so much, but generally animals can handle far more. Such as tempature, or even battle, the animal can percieve things more, to a different way of things. The information doesn't have to translate through the human mind, it only has to come straight through, and be used. Just as when your hand enters into fire, it pulls back instantly, without thinking about it. Not to mention the gains with strength, endurance, etc. Many very good reasons that the animal mind, in some instances may be a better idea then the human mind. Through the use of drumming, dancing, and chanting of the chosen Word, this is how the mind will be altered. The image of the animal should be pulled upon when doing so, held onto. Through time this will
become only a simple word to be uttered, and the mind changes, the logical mind gone, the shadow mind comes forth. There is one level above this even, to bring the form of the shadow outward. However, there are great downfalls to this. The Shadow Body that will ingulf the physical body isn't physical, it isn't that dense. The Shadow Body will come around the physical body, to give you the form of the animal, but it wont protect you. It simple allows you to change the form. No mass is added, or removed, only the shadow body taking over the physical body. This wont happen within the light, it will sear the shadow body and damage it. When using the shadow body you must be careful. For example, using the shadow body to pull upon my nictitating membrane, called "The Shadow Membrane", it cannot ever be destroyed, but it can cause great pain if hit by the light of the sun. They perform the use of Crocodile used it for, a third eyelid, only completely black. However, it is only the Shadow Membrane, from the Shadow Body, manifested to apear onto the eyes of the shadow. This happens from the Shadow Body ingulfing the flesh, like a elastic type of feel. This is something that will happen over time, no matter what. This gives more of a membrane for the metaphysical and the physical, allowing the animal to have more control and to do more then what would normally work. Over time, the shape will change, becoming more and more like that of the true animal form. Depending on your mental image you hold of the animal, it may be a perfect change the first time, but this isn't true for the majority of people. There are other types of shapeshifters, from other aspects of which I have learned. However, this is what I was taught by Sobek. Anything else was learned from a different method.
1. The Glyph of my use is the Archaic Egyptian Hierioglyphic for the Crocodile, which is in the shape of a laying crocodile. This is the image I hold and use, that is placed onto my Shadow Body. 2. The Word that I use is msh, the Archaic Egyptian word for Crocodile. 3. I have personally used the Shadow Membrane, and have gained Shadow Mastery. I can attest to these, they are from personal experience. 4. It must be noted that the Shadow Mastery is permanent, for all lives, for all times. It holds all of what your Shadow Body is. This works only if you are of the Animal type. It holds all things, all aspects, for all incarnations. It would result in death to attempt to change this. Death for all lives, for all incarnations. This should never be attempted. This can be pulled from through any life, any incarnation. Shadow Mastery is gained when the Shadow Mastery goes onto the Shadow Body, also called the Shadow Glyph, the propper name for this would be Shadow Mastery. This is the mastery to the high level, nothing is higher then this within the Shadow Magick.
