Shifting: Looking into the Native American Side...

[RavenHarte]

My question was sparked by what Lady Blak said but comes from the other end. Can we be too dependant on our totem animals?

I wouldnt call myself a shapeshifter by any means, but I do respect my link to the raven and rook and often use those connections for guidance and reassurance. However because I beleive in both transmigration and reincarnation, part of me wonders if when I use "raven-like" tendencies I am not "reverting" back to behaviour that I have already transcended? Was I a raven or rook in a previous life, and having learned what I needed to from that life, by my using those "gifts" now, am actually holding myself back learning "how to cope" as a human.

I ask myself this because with respect to my beliefs about reincarnation, I can say that except for very specific cases, I dont advocate regression for my students. In my training we are taught we die the "second death", forgetting our past lives before incarnating to this one, for a reason. We arent meant to know what happened "then" because that knowledge may prohibit our growth in this lifetime. Of course we all get flashes and dreams, and usually these are signals from our core souls to say - whoops about to make an old mistake again, might want to rethink that; but in general we dont advocate people purposely regressing just to "see who they were" or to figure out a problem they are having now. Too often the knowledge they glean becames a crutch... so it makes me think about about my connection to my past "animal" selves as well.

So for shapeshifters, does your animal self ever come up to get you through something?

[Jezabel]

Yes, of course, mainly in times when I am feeling vunerable, angry, or upset.

[RavenHarte]

So Jez:

I am thinking that for you, and all the other shapeshifters on board, that once you realized you had an animal that you then had to figure out for yourself some kind of partnership with it. Kind of train yourself into having control of it rather than being at the whim of it?? Would that be true??

I ask because I would imagine that one who has control over that part of themselves probably gains much in this life from that partnership by being able to experience life using that ability. But for those who dont choose control, or who havent mastered it yet, might allowing themselves to revert back to "animal" as a "defense mechanism" actually be hindering their ability to learn how to cope effectively with life as a human?

I dont know your feelings about reincarnation/transmigration so this may not apply at all, but since you know your animal comes out at times where it can be most help, have you ever had a time in your life where you felt you used it as "a crutch" where looking back you see by using it you didnt effectively gain human tools to be able to deal with that situation in future?

[Jezabel]

[Jezabel]

[RavenHarte]

I think that is definately a possibility yes. We probably have lost a part of our humanity by not being as close to the earth and wildlife as we once were, part of the whole "circle of life". That may be why pagan religions and tribalism are making a resurgance. Good thought to ponder for sure.[/b]

[Jezabel]

[Jezabel]

I think or atleast I hope, this covers all the bases...

Other Shifters:

Information has been relatively sparse in other shifters on the net and lack of a decent selection on the topics in the area bookstores around where I live, so here is a vein attempt to offer you all information about our other shifters in cultures and myth.
The Windigo, I honestly thought was just a fancy name White Wolf Publishing used for their Werewolf: The Apocalypse role-playing game. However, after doing some research, the Windigo is a true creature of myth from the northern Native American tribes and adopted by many of the present day French-Canadians. Windigo or its plural –Windigowak, “tend to take the (natural) form of either a wraithlike being, a 2-3 meter tall skeleton of ice, or an emaciated 2-3 meter tall, hairy, slightly felid-looking-inthe-face critter with _very_ large fangs and claws. They can also go dim, and can (and very often, do) take their original human forms, the sole thing giving them away in the latter guise being the eyes (which tend to glow red). Windigowak have hearts of ice, visible in the ice- skeleton form, and voices that can be alternately soft as a whisper or loud as a tornado. Oh...and they tend to dine on anything they can catch, due to an eternal hunger...including the occasional meal of "long pig", if any of you know what I'm getting at...
There are variants on this--at least one myth claims that windigowak also have animal-like feet, while another states they have but one toe.
Other common names are Kokodjo and Atcen (pronounced AT-shen); the myth was all over, even if the names were different (In fact, the really proper name is _witiko_: it means something to the effect of "He who lives alone". I make no claims on knowing anishinabeg, so if I'm wrong, please correct me on the translation).”
“The best book of windigo myths I have seen is a book called _Windigo Psychosis_ (a psychology text that explored "windigo psychosis", which is much like the medical definition of lycanthropy). It lists all the major stories...quite a good book if you can find it. If not, any book on Ojibwa mythology should have a few of the original windigo stories in it. (You could also try Cree, Lakota, or any other northern tribe; it's pretty universal.)” http://www.swampfox.demon.co.uk/utlah/C ... mbfaq.html
My great grandmother really did not mention the Windigo to me as a child, the Windigo is mainly a legend of Ojibwa, who up until the time of reservations that forced rival tribes to live together, were enemies of the Lakota, but the legends over time did spread to the other northern tribes. It is my belief that the Windigo is more of a spiritual or astral being; I do not really believe a physical existence of a Windigo is entirely possible, though I could be wrong. It is possible it could have in ancient times.
Many cultures have beliefs in cat like shifters, the jaguars in Brazil, the tigers in India and most of the continent of Asia, the hyenas and leopards in Africa, etc.
“Domestic and wild cats represent magic, mystery, and independence. In Scandinavian lore, the domestic cat was associated with the Goddess of fertility, Freyja. In the Hindu tradition Shasthi, the Goddess of childbirth, is depicted riding a upon a domestic cat. And the Egyptian Goddess Bast (or Bastet), patron of cats, was most often presented in Werecat form. The Egyptians worshipped the cat perhaps more than almost any other culture. The cat was thought to be sacred to the goddess Isis, thus when Isis and her husband, the sun god Osiris, had a daughter the cat- goddess Bastet (Bast or Pasht) emerged. Originally
Bastet was lion-headed, like the goddesses Tefnut of Heliopolis and Sekhmet of Memphis with whom she is often confused. Although it was in her later cat-headed form that Bastet became so immensely popular, she never ceased to be worshipped as a lion-headed deity. Bastet personified the life-giving warmth of the sun which encouraged the growth of vegetation. Because of this as well as being associated with Isis (as Mother Nature) Bastet was often worshipped as a fertility goddess. Tefnut, the lion-headed goddess of the
Old Kingdom who was known as the "Ethiopian Cat" personified the cruel, searing heat of the equatorial sun, perhaps because the cat is seen as cruel in many cultures. No one can doubt the cats ferocity, and the Egyptians coveted that as well. Thus Sekhmet, "the Great Cat", which was twin sister to Bastet, "the Little Cat" was very a ferocious and warlike goddess that emitted flames against the enemies of the gods, for her aspect was the fierce destructive heat of the desert sun. When people wanted a fierce goddess to
protect them they called on Sekhmet; and when in need of gentler and more personal help, they turned to Bastet. A text referring to the solar goddess runs: "Kindly is she as Bast, terrible is she as Sekhmet." The Egyptian Trinity was known by the composite name of Sekhmet-Bast-Ra.
The lion was a symbol for the sun-God Mithra. The Egyptians believed the lion presided over the annual floods of the Nile. Early Christians believed it to be the earthly opponent of the eagle. The midieval alchemists associated th lion with the fixed element of sulphur, and a young lion was often the symbol of the rising sun and all that is implied by it.
In the Scandinavian and Norse traditions, the lynx was sacred to the Goddess Freyja, and her chariot was sometimes depicted as being drawn by a lynx. The Greeks believed the lynx could see through solid objects. In fact, it was names for Lynceus, a mythological character who could also do this. In 1603 Italian scholars formed the Academy of Lynxes, dedicated to the search for truth and the fight against superstition. Galileo was a member, and its symbol was that of a lynx tearing Cerberus with its claws.The implication was that knowledge would end darkness and suffering. The panther has been associated with Jesus. In the *Abodazara* (early Jewish commentaries on the scriptures), it is listed as a surname for
the family of Joseph. It tells how a man was healed "in the name of Jesus ben Panther". The panther was also associated with the Greek God of wine, Dionysus. One story tells how Dionysus was nursed by panthers, and he is sometimes depicted riding a chariot drawn by them. To the Natives of North and South America, the jaguar - especially in the form of a black panther - was endowed with great magic and power. It was seen as a symbol for mastery over all dimensions.To the Tucano Indians of the Amazon, the
roar of the jaguar was the roar of thunder. The black panther was seen as To the Arawak, becoming the man-jaguar was the ultimate shapeshifting ritual. The Olmecs created monuments to the jaguar, and the Aztecs and Mayans spoke and taught about the power in becoming half-human, half- jaguar. Even in Egyptian rituals, a panther tail was worn about the waist or knotted about the neck to help protect and
strengthen. It was used in a process called "passage through the skin" - their own version of shapeshifting to engender themselves with the panther's power.
In Central Asia there arose a belief that the snow leopard does not eat the flesh of its victims, but sucks their blood. This belief probably stemmed from the puncture marks left when the snow leopard suffocates its prey. Another story is that of Milarepa, Tibet's poet-saint, who was stranded for six months in the Great Cave of Conquering Demons. When his followers went to find him, they found he had been transformed into a snow leopard.
In Korea, the tiger is the king of beasts. In the Hindu tradition, the tiger is sacred to Kali, the Goddess of creation and dissolution, sexuality and death. In Greece it was connected to Dionysus, God of wine. In China, the tiger is both a symbol of darkness and the new moon, as well as brightness and the full moon. There are five mystic tigers in Chinese lore. The red tiger is a symbol of the south, summer, and fire. The black tiger is a symbol of the north, winter, and water. The blue tiger is a symbol of the east, spring, and vegetation. The white tiger is a symbol of the west, autumn, and all metals. The yellow tiger is supreme among all five; it is the ruler of Earth and all energies upon it.” http://www.swampfox.demon.co.uk/utlah/C ... mbfaq.html
“And a recent book edited by Shaionti Bose et.al, and published by Penguin Books under the title “Weretiger” presents accounts of personal experiences involving were-tigers gathered from all over the Indian sub-continent. Better documented were-tiger beliefs are found in Southeast Asia, principally in Thailand, Malaysia, Bali and Indonesia, though not in the Philippines where there are no tigers.
In Myanmar indications of the historical existence of a were-tiger cult are very strong. While Bamar Buddhism does not countenance the worship of tigers, and images of tigers are in general found only at the base of the Monday Planetary Post on the eastern cardinal point of the pagoda platform in association with worship of the Buddha by Nat animistic spirits, the same cannot be said of Shan Buddhism.
Representations of tigers are found on pagoda premises in areas heavily populated by Shans such as Mohnyin and Mogaung in the Kachin State who even trace their legendary origins to a were-tiger progenitor. Shan sub-groups such as the Kadu who call themselves “Shan-ni” (Red Shans) or “Shan-galay” (Little Shans) have in particular been associated in the public mind with the cult of the were-tiger.
A similar reputation attaches to the Taman, a tribe occupying Tamanthi and its surrounding area in Homalin Township, Khanti District, Sagaing Division. The Taman have been described as a closed, endogamous community, members of which are reputed to be able to transform themselves into tigers at will.
The existence of these were-tiger beliefs received official cognizance by British colonial administrators during the first half of the 20th Century when they recorded such beliefs regarding the Taman, the Kadu and the Wa in government publications such as the Burma Gazetteer for the Upper Chindwin District, the Upper Burma Gazetteer, the Katha Settlement Report and the Ethnographical Survey of India.
The Myanmar version of the were-tiger transformation (with variations as to minor details) is as follows: At dusk of a full-moon or new-moon day a WT-human or were-tiger-human (a were-tiger in its human form) goes into the jungle accompanied by a human assistant. A clearing with a huge tree growing in it is selected and the helper shins up the tree until he is safely out or reach of a tiger on the ground. The WT-human then takes off all his clothes and piles them at the foot of the tree, after which he recites the requisite spells and incantations, somersaults backwards and turns into a tiger.”
“It would appear that now, at the beginning of the 21st Century, the time is ripe for us to review the current status of the were-tiger cult in Myanmar, to take stock of our information regarding the cult and identify the gaps in our knowledge (such as the distribution of were-tiger beliefs among the major different Myanmar ethnic groups, the present situation of the Taman and Kadu who have been traditionally associated with the cult of the were-tiger, the effect of forest degradation and habitat loss and the impact of urbanization and the modern world on their were-tiger convictions etc.) that need to be filled in to enable us to make a definitive statement on were-tiger beliefs in present-day Myanmar.” http://www.myanmar.com/gov/perspec/2004/3-2004/wer.htm
The Chatti was a tribe from Germany that was one of Rome’s toughest adversaries. The Chatti seem to have many similarities with the Berserkers, yet I would almost venture to say that the Chatti were perhaps more ruthless. They worshiped the god Tiwaz ( Note* Take a look at the Elder Futhark runes), also known as the Norse god, Tyr.
“Chatti means "to break down by violence; to make afraid or terrify." The ancestors of this German tribe, before migrating, lived mostly in Asia Minor, and were called the Assyrian Chatti.”
“The name "Chatti" or "Hatti," as it sometimes reads, in Hebrew means "to break down by violence or confusion; to abolish, make afraid, scare, or terrify." Chatti is a derivative of the Hebrew word for "Hittite" - mentioned numerous times in the Bible. The Canaanite Hittites - a fierce people who continually clashed with the Israelites in biblical accounts - were known by this name. They were descendants of Ham - those of a darker colored skin.

Yet there was another people, with much lighter skin, who were also known by this name, Chatti or Hatti. The Assyrians! Historians recognize that there were two distinct peoples which went by the name of Chatti, or Hittite, as it reads in the Bible.

James Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible, written in 1899, refers to the northern "kings of the Hittites" mentioned in 1.KIN 10:29, and then comments, "besides the northern Hittites, other Hittites, or 'sons of Heth,' are mentioned in the Old Testament as inhabiting the south of Palestine." (vol II, article "Hittites"). These sons of Heth are the Canaanite Hittites of the line of Ham (see GEN 10:15). Abraham asked these people for a burial place for Sarah in Genesis 23.

But what about these northern Hittites? Hastings refers to 1.KIN 10:29 where Solomon obtained war forces through trade with the "kings of the Hittites." But these are not the same sons of Heth mentioned in Genesis 23. Notice the explanation for 1.KIN 10:29 in Lange's Commentary: "The Hittites are not the same as those named in 1.KIN 9:20, but were an independent tribe, probably in the neighborhood of Syria [biblical Assyria was just north of Syria], as 2.KIN 7:6 mentions them as in alliance with the Syrians." (vol.3, p.123 of 1.Kings).

Dr. Herman Hoeh adds further insight about this verse in 1.Kings: "The Assyrian Hessians were called 'kings of the Hittites' because the Canaanite Hittites, driven out by Joshua, migrated into Asia Minor where the Assyrians dwelt." (Plain Truth, Jan. 1969, "Germany in Prophecy!").

It was the Assyrians who labeled many of their own people in the western part of their empire as Hittites, or Chatti, as the Hebrew reads. Hastings confirms this: "The Assyrians... caused the name of 'Hittite' in the Assyrian period to be applied to all the nations west of the Euphrates." He went on to say that Hittite proper names "can be traced far to the westward in Asia Minor."

Virtually all historical authorities recognize that there were two different peoples that took on the name Hittite, or Chatti. The Encyclopedia Britannica acknowledges this phenomenon: "The identification of the northern and southern Hittites, however, presents certain difficulties not yet fully explained; and it seems that we must assume Heth to have been the name of both a country... and of a tribal population not confined to that country." (11th ed., vol. 13, article "Hittites"). How clear! There was a nation of people, known as Hittites, sons of Heth, who were great warriors. But there was also a tribal population which acquired this name because they too were a fierce people who sacred and terrified other nations, which is what Hittite means. These were known as the Assyrian Hittites.

Concerning the Canaanite Hittites, Dr. Hoeh suggests that after Alexander the Great conquered Asia, they too migrated northwest into Europe, "and then, across the Atlantic to North America where the colonists rediscovered them as the Chatti Indians of the Central Plains."

But the Assyrian Chatti remained in central Europe, as the Encyclopedia Britannica and any student of German history will plainly confirm. The Britannica describes the "Chatti" as "an ancient German tribe" which "frequently came into conflict with the Romans during the early years of the first century" (vol. 6, article "Chatti"). Certainly these German Chatti, whom the Roman historian Tacitus also wrote about, could not be of the sons of Heth, for they were a dark-skinned people. The German Chatti were of the sons of Asshur, a fair-skinned people. And it is from this early tribe that the more modern German tribe, called the Hessians, received their name.

Notice again what the Encyclopedia Britannica says: "The earliest known inhabitants of the country [Germany] were the Chatti, who lived here during the first century A.D. 'Alike both in race language,' says Walther Schultze, 'the Chatti and the Hessi are identical'" (vol. 13, article, "Hesse"). Furthermore, the Old High German spelling of Hesse was Hatti!

Dr. Hoeh writes in the above-mentioned Plain Truth article, "The land of the Hatti was the western part of the Assyrian Empire... The ancient kings of Assyria called themselves Khatti-sars - meaning the 'Kaisers of Hatti,' or 'Kings of Hatti.' The chief people of Hatti regarded themselves as Assyrians... The ancient capital of the land of Hatti was popularly known among the Romans as 'Ninus Vetus - the old Nineveh.'"

For those honestly seeking the truth concerning the origin of the German people, PROOF IS ABUNDANT! In fact, concerning some of the early Hittite monuments, Hastings says, "The Hittites seem to have had a special fancy for combining parts of different animals into strangely composite and sometimes grotesque forms." (Dictionary of the Bible, vol. II, article "Hittites"). He then went on to say that they were responsible for bringing the TWO-HEADED EAGLE into Europe, which has long been a symbol of the German Empire!

There can be no doubt that one of the earliest German tribes, known as the Chatti, descended from the Assyrian Chatti who resided in Asia Minor.” http://www.originofnations.org/germany/ ... ermany.htm
“ Moreover a custom, practiced indeed in other nations of Germany, yet very rarely and confined only to particulars more daring than the rest, prevails amongst the Chatti by universal consent. As soon as they arrive to maturity of years, they let their hair and beards continue to grow, nor till they have slain an enemy do they ever lay aside this form of countenance by vow sacred to velour. Over the blood and spoil of a foe they make bare their face. They allege, that they have now acquitted themselves of the debt and duty contracted by their birth, and rendered themselves worthy of their country, worthy of their parents. Upon the spiritless, cowardly and unwarlike, such deformity of visage still remains. All the most brave likewise wear an iron ring (a mark of great dishonor this in that nation) and retain it as a chain; till by killing an enemy they become released.
Many of the Chatti delight always to bear this terrible aspect; and, when grown white through age, become awful and conspicuous by such marks, both to the enemy and their own countrymen. By them in all engagements the first assault is made: of them the front of the battle is always composed, as men who in their looks are singular and tremendous. For even during peace they abate nothing in the grimness and horror of their countenance. They have no house to inhabit, no land to cultivate, nor any domestic charge or care. With whomsoever they come to sojourn, by him they are maintained; always very prodigal of the substance of others, always despising what is their own, till the feebleness of old age overtakes them, and renders them unequal to the efforts of such rigid bravery.” http://www.unrv.com/tacitus/tacitus-germania-8.php
The Chatti are the same people as the Catti from Ireland and Scotland, who “Adored Cats so much, and held them in such high-esteem that it was close to worship or actually was.
They painted their faces to look just like Cats and adorned themselves to look like Cats.
They felt that cat's minds were in a higher state and that one could peek into
THE FAERY DIMENSION (Or the OTHERWORLD) By gazeing into a Cat's eyes. The Cat's beautiful eyes , being a gateway to THE FAERY REALMS!” http://www.geocities.com/flowerfey/cat_people_page.html
Another interesting fact I stumbled upon by accident by doing research is that the story of the beast of Gevaudan actually has some validity to it, “La Bête du Gévaudan was a real wolf-like monster that prowled the Auvergne and South Dordogne areas of France during the years 1764 to 1767, killing about 100 people, often in bizarre circumstances. Every effort to stop her failed and she became nationally infamous. The King - Louis XV - took a personal interest, partly because she caused unrest in an area of tension and potential revolution. Many explanations - mutant, prehistoric beast etc. - were put forward at the time and during the two centuries since but none has ever been generally accepted. The important firm fact is that sufficient evidence remains to prove La Bête really did exist and was not just a myth. Among all the popular monster mysteries she was unique - she left behind one hundred bodies proving herself real and guilty beyond doubt.”
“Grim facts and bloodless human body parts prove her existence, even if the more lurid tales are suspect. One indisputable fact is that La Bête did succeed, aided by bad weather and econmic problems with the cloth industry, in dragging the region down to a state of poverty and famine. Women and children were too terrified to tend their sheep and cattle out on the lonely pastures and the men were constantly called away from field work to hunt La Bête. The resulting neglect was sufficient to tip the scales of such a fragile economy into a decline.”
“The importance of La Bête in French history is virtually unknown outside France. Like BSE, they couldn't get rid so each blamed everybody else. There is no lack of conspiracy theories, especially relating to the King's anti-Jesuit policies, which peaked in 1761, two to three years before she appeared. Certainly people exploited her for political purposes but equally certainly there was a real dreadful entity conveniently there to exploit. La Bête's total effect on history was, perhaps, beneficial. If she took only 100 potentially revolting peasant’s children’s lives but stopped war between Huguenots and Jesuits, later saving from la Guillotine the aristos who were recognized as having helped starving peasants fight her, she leaves a moral credit balance.” http://members.lycos.co.uk/BrockisD/
I must admit, I found that article on Gevaudan interesting. I honestly thought it was just some children’s story myth (guess I was wrong), and I blame largely my lack of knowledge of the majority of European cultures as I preferred to study (aside from Native American) the Asian, South American, and northern European cultures in high school. It is definitely apparent that myths, legends, as well as real therians and vampyres have existed in some form or another in every culture on the Earth in some form or another. They ranged in cultures from being despised and feared to being worshipped and loved. One could argue that the widespread belief of therians and vampyres is perhaps one of the few things that all the world cultures to some degree, can agree on.

[The Madame X]

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