I'm not therian/otherkin, but I have been reading these forums to try to learn about therian, and people keep referring to shifting. I'm just wondering what exactly shifting is.
I'm a low level therian who hasn't been in long, but I will explain what I think I know.
There are two types of shifting, mental and physical. With a mental shift, you open up a source of power, that of your animal type. With a physical shift, you actually start exhibiting physical changes, like walking on all fours, having trouble picking stuff up, etc.
If I'm correct, therians only have mental shifts. I have had mental(at least, I think they were classified as mental) shifts before, and they are a combination of amazing and weird. My animal is a wolf, so I feel an energy come up from within me, I am more awake and alert, I have urges to growl and howl, my breathing changes, I urge for hunks of meat, my ears physically move without my control, my nose and mouth feel different. The crazy thing? Sometimes I can't shift, no matter how hard I try, but it can come on totally random while out in town.
Again, I'm new into this, but that is my knowledge and experience.
