Shapeshifting is generally something that occurs in fantasy novels, however it’s well known and studied in shamanic cultures. It is an integral part of the cosmography and worldview of many indigenous peoples around the world. While writers of fantasy novels use it as a literary device, they may not always be aware how these relationships truly function. It turns out, there are rules.
Shapeshifting is a behavior that some spirit guides are able to do. In the Johanna Kincaid mystery series, one of them, a mountain lion, is a stalking Johanna in the very first scene of Book One: A Convergence of Crows. The Shapeshifter appears sporadically throughout the book, revealing her own point of view and cosmology. She is presenting herself as a Teacher in the intricate and precise worldview of the shamanic landscape.
I am fortunate to have received these teachings myself and make every effort to describe these more-than-human encounters with respect for my teachers and the spiritual wisdom inherent in those landscapes. Like I said, there are rules. These teachers are as exacting as they are compassionate.
It’s not easy to balance the utter realness of a shamanic journey and the landscapes of non-ordinary reality with a mystery reader’s attraction to fictional puzzles, clues, and suspenseful plots. I have woven something fantastical into the storyline. While the specific events of these narratives are imaginal in nature, the events are drawn from the headline news so they are familiar to readers.
However, the other-worldly, mystical occurrences actually do happen. Therein lies the craft of writing well. To be sure, the blending of the supernatural with the all-too-human acts of greed, murder, and evil is a juggling act. So I am truly grateful to all my teachers, both human and more-than-human who have guided me. My endeavor is to show this intersection between mystery narrative and unseen forces that influence us, whether we know it, or not.
While I am discussing the shamanic landscape, I should mention the elemental forces. As it was explained to me, they were never sentient beings nor would they care to be. They function in accordance with a physics we are incapable of understanding. One thing you should know, you don’t have to have a body to be “conscious.” I will leave it at that. You will learn the rest when they show up as “personas” in the books.
The Shapeshifter is not restricted to functioning in the elemental world. They have three landscapes to choose from and can walk from one into the next, at will. Sometimes they travel in the same form and other times, well, they change. The three worlds are conveniently called: Underworld, Middleworld, and Skyworld. In addition to those mystical terrains they can be in multiple places at once. If that weren’t fantastical enough, a Shapeshifter can manipulate the terrains of time, form and gender.
In many ways, the Mountain Lion is a primary character who leaves clues on her own. Sometimes these clues are meant for her student, Johanna. Other times, the clues are strictly meant for the reader. Enjoy finding them.
There have been times when I thought a scene was quite right. The Mountain Lion has shown up, or sent a friend, to let me know it was not. She isn’t above inciting rebellion and mutiny amongst the imaginal characters when I have taken too much authority. Just to let you know how truly real she is and how much she wanted to be a part of the books I write, she showed up when I began writing A Convergence of Crows a few years ago. She left her footprint by my car, at the campsite up in the mountains of Pennsylvania.
When the sun came up, there was a single print in the mud. Not a series of prints, not one and then another, as would be necessary if a creature was passing through. More than a few observers had a problem with the appearance of that single print.
I knew then, I had to write her in.
- Anneka :)