Shifting- The Process of Evolution
Mira here.
There are several different ways to become one with the sea spamming the internet, but one of the most reliable (and possibly the only) is shifting. It takes from weeks to several months, but if your heart is true, there is a 100% guarantee that it will work eventually. There are three main parts to shifting:
There are several different ways to become one with the sea spamming the internet, but one of the most reliable (and possibly the only) is shifting. It takes from weeks to several months, but if your heart is true, there is a 100% guarantee that it will work eventually. There are three main parts to shifting:
Fantasy Shifting
You can't do the Shifting process out of order, or it will not work and will possibly have terrible side effects. Just promise me you won't do that, okay?
Fantasy shifting is the first step. If has several sections to it, but these casual changes daily will eventually pile up and become habits. If you need more information on any of these, go to the Home page where there will options for more information.
Just one more thing! Before you go on, go to the Mermaid Sub-Species page on this website. When there comes a question or topic later on this page, you will have to refer to your choice of species.
Personality- Okay, before you shun me and delete this website from your memory forever, I'm not asking you to go from Regina George to Katniss Everdeen. Just casual changes that adapt you for the life of a mermaid- both on land and in sea. What do you think a mermaid acts like? What do you think your sub-species of mermaid would act like? Try Live Action Role-playing- or Larping (sounds weird, I know.) Just act a little more like you sub-species of mermaid every day, until your personality is more adapted for the drastic change in lifestyle.
Diet- This one should be easy, but if you are addicted to a certain food like cheeseburgers of candy, this might be a challenge. You need to change your diet to fit what you'll be eating in the waters. Like sushi? Great! That's seafood, and you're one step ahead of everyone else. Vegan-Queen? You might have to give up that vow. In fact, you will HAVE to. Just eating plants won't work for a mermaid, so you'll have to eat fish from time to time. The more you eat fish, the stronger you'll be, and the faster you'll be able to swim, with larger distances ahead. It just makes sense to eat fish because they will be one of your only sources of protein, and one of the most abundant. Start small, with eating chicken instead of beef. Once your used to that, switch to fish. Try finding out some edible and easily available water-native plants near you. Try those instead of that kiwi. Speaking of fruit, try to go for something that will be easily accessible from the waters, like pineapples for tropical mermaids. Get even more detailed information in the Diet section of MermaidsCorner.
Activities- A huge softball fan? Awesome! I'm guessing you play too, which might not be so awesome. Maybe instead of that you could try out for the Swim Team this year? It's just a suggestion for sports-loving people, but it helps move along the transition and makes you a stronger mermaid. It also makes you feel more at home in the water, and, once you get your tail, help you evade predators more swiftly than others.
Meditation- For those of you who don't know what meditation is, it is the action or practice of meditation. It's basically just relaxing. Let me lay out an outline for you:
1. Stretch lightly. don't try to hurt yourself.
2. Sit down on the floor or in a comfortable, roomy chair. Cross your legs Indian-style.
3. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, relaxing your muscles. My personal preference for doing this is to tense my body up, then slowly relax each part individually, going in order from your head all the way to your toes.
4. A lot of the time, you have the choice of what to picture in your mind, but I'm going to give a tiny shove in the right direction with some guidance. Think of a beach or the water. Picture it in your mind. Feel the water, the moon, the currents rushing up against you. Keep taking deep breaths, and just imagine this place, letting it take over you.
5. Stay in the trance for as long as you like. When you are ready, slowly pull yourself away. Then open your eyes. don't rush yourself- this is a relaxation process.
6. Stretch again to loosen your muscles, which may have stiffened. Repeat this at least weekly, but I recommend twice daily. I wake up at 5:00 AM, meditate, then get ready for the day. At night, I meditate and then go to sleep.
Sleeping Cycle- Since we just talked about meditation, let me just say that it is amazing for your sleeping schedule. I sleep soundly. But you need to too. Don't stay up late on your phone, at parties, or having sex anymore. The only time you should be staying up late is when you have to go (or sneak out) to a body of water to swim or try a spell. If that seems like too big of a commitment to this, than you aren't ready. Try meditating, and that's it, until you are ready to start shifting. You have to be 100% sure you are ready to give your lifetime to the call of the sea.
Knowledge Limit- That's a weird subtitle, or at least confusing. So let me explain. You really don't know much about mermaid biology, do you? Well you need to know about it. And also the basics of where you will be swimming, the predators there, and what you should be eating, what's poisonous, what has a lot of nutrients, water level and pressure, your limit for where you can go without imploding, where hot-spots for mermaid activities are, that general idea. There's so much to cover that I'm just going to put it under the Survival page.
Fantasy shifting is the first step. If has several sections to it, but these casual changes daily will eventually pile up and become habits. If you need more information on any of these, go to the Home page where there will options for more information.
Just one more thing! Before you go on, go to the Mermaid Sub-Species page on this website. When there comes a question or topic later on this page, you will have to refer to your choice of species.
Personality- Okay, before you shun me and delete this website from your memory forever, I'm not asking you to go from Regina George to Katniss Everdeen. Just casual changes that adapt you for the life of a mermaid- both on land and in sea. What do you think a mermaid acts like? What do you think your sub-species of mermaid would act like? Try Live Action Role-playing- or Larping (sounds weird, I know.) Just act a little more like you sub-species of mermaid every day, until your personality is more adapted for the drastic change in lifestyle.
Diet- This one should be easy, but if you are addicted to a certain food like cheeseburgers of candy, this might be a challenge. You need to change your diet to fit what you'll be eating in the waters. Like sushi? Great! That's seafood, and you're one step ahead of everyone else. Vegan-Queen? You might have to give up that vow. In fact, you will HAVE to. Just eating plants won't work for a mermaid, so you'll have to eat fish from time to time. The more you eat fish, the stronger you'll be, and the faster you'll be able to swim, with larger distances ahead. It just makes sense to eat fish because they will be one of your only sources of protein, and one of the most abundant. Start small, with eating chicken instead of beef. Once your used to that, switch to fish. Try finding out some edible and easily available water-native plants near you. Try those instead of that kiwi. Speaking of fruit, try to go for something that will be easily accessible from the waters, like pineapples for tropical mermaids. Get even more detailed information in the Diet section of MermaidsCorner.
Activities- A huge softball fan? Awesome! I'm guessing you play too, which might not be so awesome. Maybe instead of that you could try out for the Swim Team this year? It's just a suggestion for sports-loving people, but it helps move along the transition and makes you a stronger mermaid. It also makes you feel more at home in the water, and, once you get your tail, help you evade predators more swiftly than others.
Meditation- For those of you who don't know what meditation is, it is the action or practice of meditation. It's basically just relaxing. Let me lay out an outline for you:
1. Stretch lightly. don't try to hurt yourself.
2. Sit down on the floor or in a comfortable, roomy chair. Cross your legs Indian-style.
3. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, relaxing your muscles. My personal preference for doing this is to tense my body up, then slowly relax each part individually, going in order from your head all the way to your toes.
4. A lot of the time, you have the choice of what to picture in your mind, but I'm going to give a tiny shove in the right direction with some guidance. Think of a beach or the water. Picture it in your mind. Feel the water, the moon, the currents rushing up against you. Keep taking deep breaths, and just imagine this place, letting it take over you.
5. Stay in the trance for as long as you like. When you are ready, slowly pull yourself away. Then open your eyes. don't rush yourself- this is a relaxation process.
6. Stretch again to loosen your muscles, which may have stiffened. Repeat this at least weekly, but I recommend twice daily. I wake up at 5:00 AM, meditate, then get ready for the day. At night, I meditate and then go to sleep.
Sleeping Cycle- Since we just talked about meditation, let me just say that it is amazing for your sleeping schedule. I sleep soundly. But you need to too. Don't stay up late on your phone, at parties, or having sex anymore. The only time you should be staying up late is when you have to go (or sneak out) to a body of water to swim or try a spell. If that seems like too big of a commitment to this, than you aren't ready. Try meditating, and that's it, until you are ready to start shifting. You have to be 100% sure you are ready to give your lifetime to the call of the sea.
Knowledge Limit- That's a weird subtitle, or at least confusing. So let me explain. You really don't know much about mermaid biology, do you? Well you need to know about it. And also the basics of where you will be swimming, the predators there, and what you should be eating, what's poisonous, what has a lot of nutrients, water level and pressure, your limit for where you can go without imploding, where hot-spots for mermaid activities are, that general idea. There's so much to cover that I'm just going to put it under the Survival page.
Mental Shifting
M-Shifting is the second step. We already know a little bit about this, but instead of adjusting your daily life this time, we are finding YOU. You need to focus on meditation, because it calms you. But this stage is about finding the mind of a mermaid.
Here's a warm-up on meditation for you guys, 'cause I'm awesome. ;-)
Warming Up
Breathing-
To begin meditation, it is extremely important that you have the correct breathing. Some people think you also need correct posture, but I think you should just be comfortable, but don't fall asleep! The breathing is fairly simple, however. Begin by breathing in through your nose, and out through your mouth. Then, begin counting as you breath.... As you breathe in, count to three. Hold your breath for three/four counts, and finally exhale for three/four counts. You shouldn't be gasping for air or holding your breath; this type of breathing is supposed to relax you. Remember, this breathing comes naturally to your body, so after a few times of counting your breaths you should be able to breathe like this on your own. This is the most basic beginning thing in meditation, but you should try and always do this before you meditate.
Exercise One-
When I first started out in meditation, I found this method very helpful to keeping my mind on task and visualizing. Basically, you just go through the alphabet in your head. However, instead of just saying each letter in your mind, you have close your eyes and write out each letter in your mind. See the letter, say it out loud, almost feel your hand writing the letter. Feel each letter, and then let it go completely. You should spend about five seconds on each letter. Remember to not let your mind wander, and to not slip out of the moment (which is easy to do if you're tired!). Try and see each letter in a place between your eyes and your mind, if that makes sense.
Exercise Two-
This next one is all about clearing your mind... and sitting up straight does help with this. Sit somewhere comfortable, close your eyes, and completely clear your mind. I know, this might sound very hard, but with practice it comes easier. Just think of absolutely... nothing. Don't think at all. It helps to begin with imagining yourself putting all of your thoughts and feeling and urges to move into a box and sliding it under a bed somewhere. Once you begin meditating, if you encounter a thought then the best way to get of it is to actually let it come into your mind... and then let it drift out, like the water and a piece of driftwood. Acknowledge the thought, but let it leave your mind with peace. Simply trying to shove everything out of your mind won't work at all, things will just keep popping in. Finally, remember to focus on the nothingness, don't focus on focusing on nothingness, and not on keeping things out of your mind. Let the clarity of nothingness just wash over your mind. Don't worry, I know its hard, but no one expects you to be perfect.
Now, after you've practiced these warm ups, and you feel physically ready to begin, you may. This should take a while to master all this meditation, but this is key to shifting.
This is as far as I can take you on this step. I'm sorry, and I really wish I could guide you more on this step, but you have to find the mermaid within you alone. This is an amazing part of shifting, and experience you need and will never forget. Only the strongest and most willing can make it through this step, even if it takes years. This is what makes the mermaid race so strong.
Here's a warm-up on meditation for you guys, 'cause I'm awesome. ;-)
Warming Up
Breathing-
To begin meditation, it is extremely important that you have the correct breathing. Some people think you also need correct posture, but I think you should just be comfortable, but don't fall asleep! The breathing is fairly simple, however. Begin by breathing in through your nose, and out through your mouth. Then, begin counting as you breath.... As you breathe in, count to three. Hold your breath for three/four counts, and finally exhale for three/four counts. You shouldn't be gasping for air or holding your breath; this type of breathing is supposed to relax you. Remember, this breathing comes naturally to your body, so after a few times of counting your breaths you should be able to breathe like this on your own. This is the most basic beginning thing in meditation, but you should try and always do this before you meditate.
Exercise One-
When I first started out in meditation, I found this method very helpful to keeping my mind on task and visualizing. Basically, you just go through the alphabet in your head. However, instead of just saying each letter in your mind, you have close your eyes and write out each letter in your mind. See the letter, say it out loud, almost feel your hand writing the letter. Feel each letter, and then let it go completely. You should spend about five seconds on each letter. Remember to not let your mind wander, and to not slip out of the moment (which is easy to do if you're tired!). Try and see each letter in a place between your eyes and your mind, if that makes sense.
Exercise Two-
This next one is all about clearing your mind... and sitting up straight does help with this. Sit somewhere comfortable, close your eyes, and completely clear your mind. I know, this might sound very hard, but with practice it comes easier. Just think of absolutely... nothing. Don't think at all. It helps to begin with imagining yourself putting all of your thoughts and feeling and urges to move into a box and sliding it under a bed somewhere. Once you begin meditating, if you encounter a thought then the best way to get of it is to actually let it come into your mind... and then let it drift out, like the water and a piece of driftwood. Acknowledge the thought, but let it leave your mind with peace. Simply trying to shove everything out of your mind won't work at all, things will just keep popping in. Finally, remember to focus on the nothingness, don't focus on focusing on nothingness, and not on keeping things out of your mind. Let the clarity of nothingness just wash over your mind. Don't worry, I know its hard, but no one expects you to be perfect.
Now, after you've practiced these warm ups, and you feel physically ready to begin, you may. This should take a while to master all this meditation, but this is key to shifting.
This is as far as I can take you on this step. I'm sorry, and I really wish I could guide you more on this step, but you have to find the mermaid within you alone. This is an amazing part of shifting, and experience you need and will never forget. Only the strongest and most willing can make it through this step, even if it takes years. This is what makes the mermaid race so strong.
Physical Shifting
Due to the pull of the mystical ocean, many of my mermaid friend have been lost to the pull of the sea, going full mermaid. It is saddening to me, but also I am relieved because I will be joining them soon. This is what is known and commonly accepted to those of us who haven't shifted yet.
This is the hardest and requires the most practice, but when you are ready it will happen. I suppose the most difficult part is calling out your mer-form, seeing yourself as one with the water. Before you even begin this Shift, you need to have EVERYTHING else down to a T. Otherwise it either won't work, will end horribly, or take several years, which will make your mermaid spirit whither.
The first step is to become comfortable from head to toe, relaxed and content. *Do not wear pants or confining clothing, because it will stop your tail and rip the cloth.* If you aren't comfortable without clothes, wear a very large shirt. The best reported results are when people use candles scented like the ocean and music that reminds you of mermaids. Try songs by Celtic Woman, especially Beyond the Sea, and Florence and the Machine. But my personal favorite is Let Go by Frou Frou. I don't know why but I just like the feel of that song. It reminds me of water.
Focus on the energy from the tips of your toes to the tallest hair on your head. Feel it coursing throughout your body. See your fluke forming, looking to your desire. At this point you will most likely and should feel pain in your feet, toes, and ankles. Keep accepting the pain as your tail forms, as it becomes physically tangible, physically real. Imagine your true mermaid self forming and pulling away from your mortal frame, becoming, alive, real. DO NOT RUSH THIS STEP!!!
KissingMidnight, on of the most famous Shifters ever, also did this. Quote:
"I focused on the sun going down, and I imagined the daytime as me, the light part of me that's mundane, logical. And then I imagined the night as the ocean and mermaids, magick and things not seen as understood. As the sun was setting, I finally shifted into my true mermaid form. It felt weird at first, but at the same time it felt like stretching a sore muscle. So it was a little painful but the good type of pain."
Here is what happens after that:
1. The legs join together and may or may not elongate. Spine elongates into a tail and the feet become your fluke. Any and all additional fins will develop out of skin tissue and fat.
2. The skin may possibly begin to change depending on the person, and a smooth dolphin-like skin will cover the tail. Then the scales will develop over that, colored as you wish in the appropriate area. *From appendix down*
3. Gills will possibly form depending on person, and lungs become similar to a dolphins', AKA being able to hold your breath for long periods of time.
4. Webbed hands will appear, and possible fins. Depends on person.
5. All distinct changes on the head and neck form and the personality of a mermaid sets in. (Instinct, behavior, etc.)
From then on the call of the sea will be heard, and you are on your own to go to your people. See you there.
This is the hardest and requires the most practice, but when you are ready it will happen. I suppose the most difficult part is calling out your mer-form, seeing yourself as one with the water. Before you even begin this Shift, you need to have EVERYTHING else down to a T. Otherwise it either won't work, will end horribly, or take several years, which will make your mermaid spirit whither.
The first step is to become comfortable from head to toe, relaxed and content. *Do not wear pants or confining clothing, because it will stop your tail and rip the cloth.* If you aren't comfortable without clothes, wear a very large shirt. The best reported results are when people use candles scented like the ocean and music that reminds you of mermaids. Try songs by Celtic Woman, especially Beyond the Sea, and Florence and the Machine. But my personal favorite is Let Go by Frou Frou. I don't know why but I just like the feel of that song. It reminds me of water.
Focus on the energy from the tips of your toes to the tallest hair on your head. Feel it coursing throughout your body. See your fluke forming, looking to your desire. At this point you will most likely and should feel pain in your feet, toes, and ankles. Keep accepting the pain as your tail forms, as it becomes physically tangible, physically real. Imagine your true mermaid self forming and pulling away from your mortal frame, becoming, alive, real. DO NOT RUSH THIS STEP!!!
KissingMidnight, on of the most famous Shifters ever, also did this. Quote:
"I focused on the sun going down, and I imagined the daytime as me, the light part of me that's mundane, logical. And then I imagined the night as the ocean and mermaids, magick and things not seen as understood. As the sun was setting, I finally shifted into my true mermaid form. It felt weird at first, but at the same time it felt like stretching a sore muscle. So it was a little painful but the good type of pain."
Here is what happens after that:
1. The legs join together and may or may not elongate. Spine elongates into a tail and the feet become your fluke. Any and all additional fins will develop out of skin tissue and fat.
2. The skin may possibly begin to change depending on the person, and a smooth dolphin-like skin will cover the tail. Then the scales will develop over that, colored as you wish in the appropriate area. *From appendix down*
3. Gills will possibly form depending on person, and lungs become similar to a dolphins', AKA being able to hold your breath for long periods of time.
4. Webbed hands will appear, and possible fins. Depends on person.
5. All distinct changes on the head and neck form and the personality of a mermaid sets in. (Instinct, behavior, etc.)
From then on the call of the sea will be heard, and you are on your own to go to your people. See you there.