So, you want to become something other than human? Well, first I should point out; this is NOT a physical change, it is a SPIRITUAL change. It may LEAD to an alteration of your physical body, but this is more in the nature of a side-effect. The real change is in your Soul. And this is how it happens:
In all cases, there are two constant factors:
The object taken into your soul is an application of magic's perceptual nature, which I mentioned earler. The caterpillar, for instance, is not an insect larva, but a symbol; from a maggot, an insect will hatch; from a caterpillar, a butterfly; from a seed, a plant will grow. All these are mere symbols, or, more accurately, ANALOGIES; they are all living things that will grow and change into something new and different. THAT is what is important, not the outward shape of the seed. The seed then needs to grow. To do this, it obviously needs nourishment, which it gains from complete individuals of it's own kind; Either close proximity to those beings from time to time, or actually letting one of them enter your soul, like possession, only without giving them control. This has two effects; it nourishes the seeds, and it adjusts your mind to make your soul a more acceptable environment; a vampire spirit, for example, living in your mind makes it inevitable, through a kind of mental 'diffusion', that you will absorb some of it's nature, making your soul more like that of a vampire than it would otherwise be. This is why you need other beings of the kind you are trying to become. Without them, the seed cannot grow. But what IS the seed?
Well, a soul is a soul, but that doesn't mean they are all alike; a mammal is a mammal, but you can probably think of many differences between a squirrel and an elephant, and so it is with souls. Every person's spirit is unique to them, and that includes Astral beings. The "seed" is a tiny part of the spirit that you are becoming like. It grows and infuses itself with your own spirit, giving you limited access to that spirit's power, knowledge and skill, because it is still a PART of that spirit, and by making it part of your own, you create a link between the two of you.
Now, you may have noticed that these methods lead to something of a 'chicken and egg' situation; if you need a supernatural beings presence to become that supernatural being, how did they come into existance in the first place? The answer involves some complex ideas, so I will continue through HERE...
If, on the other hand, you wish to learn my views on this type of spiritual alteration, go through HERE