To Spirit Travel in the Shape of an Animal
To take on an animal's form during spirit flight or other out-of-body travel, take the bone (or other part) of the animal whose shape you wish to take. Tap the bone to the top of your head three times, to your heart three times, and to the bottom of your foot three times, saying: “By head, by heart, by foot. By three upon three upon three. I cloak myself in the shape of a(n) [animal's name] to go a-wandering." When you wish to return your spirit to its normal form, tap your foot, your heart, and your head (in the reverse order from which you started) with your finger, saying: “By foot, by heart, by hand. I remove this cloak. I am myself again."
Adaptation Notes: The original charm used as the foundation for this adaptations can be viewed here in its original Swedish, in the 1917 publication “Signerier och Besvärjelser: Svartkonst från Lappland". The original charm, titled “Att göra sig oslynlig", reads:
Att göra sig oslynlig
För att kunna göra sig osynlig förfar man på följande sätt: Man tager--köper--ett människoben en lördagsnatt mellan tolv och ett. Med en kniv skrapar man benet till mjöl. Därpå tager man mjölet och strör på huvudet och säger: "Härmig uti osynlig måtto som anden, som en gång haver varit förenad med detta ben och lämnar jag min själ i pant. Bonus Bister under Djävulens sigill i Guds Faderns, Sons och Helig Andes namn." När man åter vill bli synlig stampar man kniven i ett träd eller en husvägg.
English Translation:
To Make Oneself Invisible
To make oneself invisible, proceed as follows: Obtain—purchase—a human bone on a Saturday night between twelve and one o'clock. Scrape the bone into a powder with a knife. Then, sprinkle the powder over your head and say: "I make myself invisible, like the spirit who was once united with this bone; I pledge my soul as payment. Bonus Bister, under the Devil's seal, in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." When you wish to become visible again, stab the knife into a tree or the wall of a house.
This adaptation uses animal bones. Because I work with them so frequently, I have no desire to pulverize them into powder. Therefore, I have combined Jon Johansson's method with the use of the bone (or other remains) as one might use a wand for tapping, activating and directing spirit and power. If you do not wish to use animal bones in your working, you can further adapt this version of the charm by taking the dirt from the track of an animal you wish to use the shape of and sprinkling it about your head and shoulders, saying: "By head, by hoof, and everything between. I cloak myself in the shape of a beast to go a-wandering."
Sources:
Johansson, J., & Lindskoug, O. (1917). Lappmannen Jon Johanssons signerier och besvärjelser: Svartkonst från Lappland. Maiander.
