The Magic of Shapeshifting
by Rosalyn Greene
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Book Summary Information
Author: Rosalyn GreeneEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-01-01
ISBN: 1578631718
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: RedWheel / Weiser
Book Reviews of The Magic of Shapeshifting
Book Review: Speaking as a therianthrope....
Summary: 1 Stars
As someone who has been conscious of being a therianthrope (what the author terms a "shifter") for over a decade, and been exhibiting characteristics most of my life, I decided to finally review it after having read it four times over the past five years.
Needless to say, I'm less impressed each time.
One of my biggest complaints is that the author (or three authors, writing under one name, according to one rumor) accepts anything about historical shapeshifters as totally true. She asserts that because of this, "shifters: (including physical shifters) have existed for millenia, well known to the populace but only recently suppressed. She relies particularly on questionable sources such as Montague Summers, and she takes no critical eye to any of her material.
Her magic is a mixture of spiritism/Theosophy and a smattering of Asian concepts of energy work, and assumes that the subjective biases of these systems are universal. This creates a rather dogmatic approach. And she doesn't cite any sources for the practical aspects of her work, which could have been strengthened by showing that other people have gotten similar results, though not necessarily using the techniques she utilizes for the same end. I was left wondering where she got her inspirations for the more hands-on material, and from what sources she learned to acquire the building blocks for her magical work.
My biggest annoyance about this work are all the huge assumptions and pigeonholes she applies to therianthropes in general, many of which are inaccurate. She uses no sources other than anecdotal information from other, often unidentified, people that we're supposed to expect are telling the truth--despite the fact that even in the late 1990s when the book was probably being compiled, there was already at least some information on therianthropy available online (more on that in a minute). Given the gullibility of the author in accepting whatever Mr. Summers wrote without question, I have to wonder how much critical consideration went into whatever her informants told her, or if she ever questioned her own experiences to any degree. If she did ever look at the possibility that not everything in this book was literally true, she doesn't show any evidence of having done so.
Some of the inaccuracies are blindingly obvious when viewed by anyone with more than a passing involvement in the therian community. One example is her assertion that most therians go through a "phase" as a fox shifter before "maturing" into another species; that all therians have totem animals that are the same species as their therioside; a bunch of terms she claims are "common" among therians, when in actuality I've never heard most of them anywhere except from her book; that therians have an aversion to turquoise; and her overemphasis on the existence of organized therian "packs". Going on this book alone could lead people to some really wrong assumptions about therians.
Additionally, she seems to have some weird ideas about physical animals. This includes strange esoteric "facts", such as the idea that black animals attract evil spirits, or that the color of an animal's fur or eyes determines its magical prowess and even personality. Last I checked, this didn't hold true for humans, and I haven't found in my decade-plus experience with animal magic that it does for nonhuman animals, either. She also has some blatant biological mistakes in there, such as the "fact" that foxes have retractable claws (they don't).
There are a few good parts amid the dross. I found her descriptions of some of the features of mental shifting to be accurate to my own experience. And there are some exercises in there that could actually be useful for gaining control of one's ability to shift, or to improve one's relationship with the part of the self that is the therioside. Her methods for raising levels of "shifting energy" are simple psychological triggers that can be used by anyone in a ritual setting to help achieve the proper altered state of consciousness for invocation (of another entity or a part of the self). It's nothing new, though it could be useful.
The author comes across as someone in the furry community who has a serious grudge against the therian community. She holds up the furry community as the best place for a "shifter" to go find other "shifters", while her very scant opinions on the (online) therian community is that it's full of cultists and other unsavory people. (There's nothing wrong with furries, of course, but even many members of that community will quickly tell you that "furry" and "therian" are not the same thing, though there are some furs who are also therians--but they're a minority.) Her "facts" about fox therians closely mirrors furries, in which there are a LOT of fox fursonas (though it's common for people to create new fursonas as they get more involved in the community). She also emphasizes costuming (fursuits) in the book quite a bit as an aid for getting in touch with the animal, and even gives a diagram for the leg extensions used in quadsuits, or quadrepedal fursuits.
In short, this reads like a furry who has a personal vendetta against the therian community. Granted, not everybody gets along with everybody else in the community-but welcome to life. There's nothing that says a therian can't be a part of the furry fandom, but when a book on therianthropy (which it pretty obviously is despite the use of the word "shifter") quite conspicuously eliminates almost any reference to the therian community except for a couple of sharp-toothed remarks, this strongly suggests personal rather than professional issues.
If you read this book, keep a shaker of salt very handy. There are some magical/psychological techniques that some therianthropes may find useful for becoming more comfortable with shifting and gaining better internal balance. However, the bulk of the book is essentially poorly-researched drek based mainly on personal bias and conjecture.
Summary of The Magic of Shapeshifting
SHAPESHIFTERS are people with animal medicine, people who can connect with and use their animal powers. Those with access to this magical power can shift mentally, astrally, or even physically into their power animal or totem. Rosalyn Greene's ability to shift, both mentally and astrally, combined with her extensive study of the secret shapeshifting folklore, has resulted in this fascinating examination of all aspects and forms of shifting. This unique book helps you realize your potential for being a shapeshifter, giving detailed explanations about how the various forms of shifting occur. She shows you how to distinguish powerful visions, anxiety attacks, and imagination from real shifting, as well as how to recognize the warning signs of an imminent shift. Since there can be dangers and risks on both the mundane and psychic levels when you pursue the path of a shifter, many of the potential dangers associated with specific practices are carefully outlined. Shapeshifting is a spiritual journey, a very tough one, but very rewarding, linking us with both the fundamental power of animals and with the higher self. It has a purpose and reality far beyond simply using shifter abilities for earthly benefits; it can lead us through the unseen veil that separates us from our Selves.Occult Books
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