So I’ve struggled a bit with differentiating morphing from physical shifting, I’ve mentioned it before. They both seem to lead into each other in ways where it’d seem silly to differentiate the two… and yet differentiating seems necessary, because fully morphing for us leads to something different from what fully physical shifting would entail.
I also realized that despite experiencing a transformation morph, I’m not really hyped about it in the same sense I am about the physical shifting. Transformations are okay, but the pseudoclinical nature of calling them that, and lack of supernaturality or spirituality really gets to us. Like, for some aspects, such as the muscle repositioning that might occur during one, we’re aware that that can be psychological in origin, but it’s still just supernatural to us. You know how some witches are aware of the science surrounding witchcraft, but still practice it anyway? Its not because they’re “in denial” or whatnot, it’s simply because they sense there is something supernatural there. That’s how we feel about these things. A few experiences are transformations, but the rest? True supernatural experiences.
And two nights ago I finally figured out why we feel this way.
Morphing can lead into physical shifting in the same way mental shifting can (allegedly) lead to physical shifting, but morphing isn’t shifting outright. You know how when Blaze’s p-shifting guides were all the rage, people would say “mental shifting is the way to physical shifting”, like it was a progression? That’s not true, since many therians mental shift without once experiencing any physical effects, but if some do, that indicates that mental shifting helps encourage the animal side enough to come out. But we do it too, just with morphing instead of shifting. This implies that maybe the base is what is different, but the effects are still the same in select individuals.
It’s kind of a tricky topic to explain, but basically my thinking is:
In individuals with a therian base, mental shifting (allegedly) leads to physical shifting in some individuals.
In individuals with a vakalomorphic base, morphing may (allegedly) lead to physical shifting in some individuals.
An altered state of mind may lead to physical shifting in some individuals or alternatively, “human” shifting.
Some of the odd transformation-type phenomena we experienced that seem to be either morphic or shifter is a result of being on the cusp of either, aka a transitional state.
We’re just a vakalon and a shifter, then. I don’t see our transformations as psychological or “unreal” necessarily, and there are plenty of reasons why I’d see my transformations as being real
Here’s a graphic to explain what we’re thinking, and hopefully not confuse you further:
The human-animal midpoint is where you are currently; in us it’s the diode. In a therian, the cyan bar would be non-physical shifts such as mental shifting and phantom shifting, and as their midpoint moves towards animal or human they’d experience associated physical effects. Most will only experience human shifting -muscle cramps, tension, sensory and visual changes- but in those who could go farther they might actually start experiencing effects that seem beyond what most people would achieve, and more in line with their animal self. I theorize that the base (therianthropy, vakalon, etc.) has nothing to do with this, but simply allows for an altered state for a physical shift to happen.
I don’t think you need an altered state to reach a physical shift – I’ve met plenty of shifters who’ve said they fully shifted without one- but I do think it helps “weaker” shifters. And of course, if you’re the psychoanalyzing type you can speculate on the meaning of an altered state for shifters, but I’m not going to today lol.
I think this explains how we’re seeing morphing and how it bleeds into shifting. (I’m kinda hoping this helps someone somewhere make sense of their own shifts lmfao)
