On Transmogrification

Below is a collection of responses from Mikal on questions regarding Transmogrification that were posted on the original forum. Compiled by Uthred. It’s quite a collection!  

You are entirely correct - it's virtually impossible to answer questions about transmogrification in words because it is outside the human agreement and largely outside the human experience, so it has the same conundrums as attempting to explain a cell phone to a Neanderthal. Not that I consider humans to be Neanderthals (well perhaps some of them), but the gap in understanding transmogrification really is that wide. With that understanding.….

Some who transmogrify have said they felt it as it occurred. Others have said they felt nothing at all. A third group reports that it occurred when they were asleep and they only knew it had happened when they got up the next morning, looked in the mirror and saw someone completely Other than how they recognize their physical form.

Those who say they felt it as it occurred appear to be those who have been consciously trying to "jump the shark" to use your words. In such cases, it is most likely to be a sensation of energetic movement, compared to a "whirlwind" inside the chest and head. Some say there is a feeling of intense heat as when having a fever, but not accompanied by any sense of illness. Some in this first group say they "passed out" during the process and when they awakened they were different - both in appearance and in how their "body" feels. A few even say they have NO body at all, other than an "energetic presence" which is acknowledged as "self."

Those who feel nothing at all usually report that their awareness of what has happened comes when someone tells them, "You look different today" or when they catch a quick glimpse of themselves in the mirror. Surprisingly, a few in this group (not all, but a significant amount) also say they have no reflection (another parallel to the vampyre mythos) until they learn to manipulate their energy in such a way as to project what amounts to a "physical" body. At that point, of course, it isn't really physical, but a projection of the essence of the authentic self. Sounds good, perhaps, but it can come with a lot of questions of the authentic self happens to be male, but the mortal source was female. As with most things, transmogrification requires some major getting-used-to and often requires a lengthy period of "time" apart from the mortal world altogether - during which "time" one learns to control, project and direct their energy if they want to go on interacting with the mortal world. However, with THAT said... most don't past a reasonable point. Because the other thing about transmogrification, aside from how it affects one's "standing" in the mortal world, is that it also profoundly affects how one *sees* and experiences the world, and, equally if not more important, how one experiences Oneself. I've spoken at length about how immortals are essentially omnipresent throughout the space-time continuum. This would include what humans think of as past, present, and future. Therefore, there are a lot of things that will draw and compel the attention - things that lie beyond the seeker's former "real life." For that reason, most who attain the immortal condition through transmogrification or transcendence will go through a relatively long period of "time" (which takes no "time" at all) to explore the vastness of the All, and might not return to their (previous) "mortal life" at all. I'm sure someone is certain to say that's a terrible thing - abandoning family, friends and so forth - but keep in mind that evolution doesn't always conform to our ideas of what might be right or wrong. It takes us beyond our comfort zones and in the direction of the NEXT evolution... and so it is always moving forward even when we might want it to stand still.

As for the third form of transmogrification, those who wake up and suddenly see themselves as Other than who they were when they went to bed... This is often the most difficult form of transition from mortal to immortal, because the shock can be so profound that it can cause the assemblage point to actually lock-down the way a camera aperture closes down in response to intense light. This type of "awakening" also tends to happen to those who aren't really prepared for it. Perhaps the seeker has researched it or even studied it, experimented with power plants or who knows what methodology, but while the intellectual brain/mind might be on board with it, unless the seeker has formed a strong connection with his Other, it has been known to happen that the Other initiates transmogrification (for a variety of possible reasons) before the mortal seeker has really come to terms with it being a union of self/Other rather than a linear progression of just the mortal self.

This is obviously an extremely limited explanation which can be expanded based on whatever questions you might have. Perhaps it gives some minor insight into what it is like.

That's more or less the entire point of transmogrification - it allows the seeker to become immortal without passing through Death. Even though transcension achieves the same end result, there is some argument amongst immortals as to whether transcension MIGHT have the side effect of robbing a certain amount of energy from the totality. There is no definitive proof one way or the other, but it is generally believed that transmogrification enables the seeker to take every
microgram of energy with him, including whatever memory or experience might be stored in the subatomic structure of the body itself.

You become whatever you choose. Since the transmogrified individual doesn't exist in a physical body, but in a METAphysical body, it can appear/project as whatever you prefer. If you want to be 25 and female, it's largely a matter of learning to focus on that paradigm. Most times, a newly-transmogrified individual will initially appear as he did in life, though there are exceptions. It depends marginally on how you *see* yourself beyond your physical form. Once one becomes immortal, it's generally easy enough to learn to navigate and quickly becomes second nature unless the individual is extremely hung up on the idea of a PHYSICAL body. If that's the case, though, chances are they never would transmogrify in the first place (but it can happen).

This is one reason a lot of seekers choose a more or less solitary path and strive to "be unknown" (to borrow a Toltec term). While it is possible for a transmogrified individual to maintain certain human contacts (by essentially learning to project the expected bodily image to family/friends) it is a chore that tends to lose its allure quicker than you might think. In many ways, a truly evolved/transmogrified individual is as different from a human as a human is different from an ape. There are similarities and even certain connections (mostly emotional) but once you attain your totality, it becomes much more difficult (and at the same time much easier) to maintain a facade of a normal human life. Some do it for awhile, then quietly disappear, often using the excuse that they are moving to Outer Mongolia.

Immortals who choose to live a human-style life know the ins and outs of assuming an identity that is feasible. It might surprise you that "they" usually don't notice much at all. The authorities only care if your taxes are paid (assuming one is in the system at all) or that the photo on the driver's license more or less matches the mug shot if one happens to get arrested. For the most part, immortals are fairly savvy and tend to avoid entanglements with authority.

Again, whatever you choose. Keep in mind that the twin can be opposite gender today and same gender tomorrow, and is always what you NEED him/her to be, even if not always what you might WANT him/her to be. In most cases I've known, the transmogrified individual takes on the attributes of the Other for the simple reason that the Other is the representation of the perfected Self. Again, there are always exceptions.

You can do/be whatever you want if you successfully transmogrify. There are no limitations. If you choose to remain as "two," you are still actually One. If you wanted to maintain the illusion of separateness, you might split your awareness between the "two" but in the grand scheme of it all, you can't tickle yourself.

It might appear to them as if you literally vanished. In cases of total transmogrification, there is no body left behind. There are some who transcend (which does leave a body behind) and to any onlookers, it would appear they had died.

All things are possible.You used the words "flesh and blood," and I just want to be sure you know that a transmogrified individual is no longer flesh and blood at all. They are energy, under the direct guidance of Will. Put simply, you can project whatever "body" you want, so if you chose to stay in a relationship with a mortal, you certainly could. However, from the perspective of an energy body, you can more or less do whatever you want - though you will find that what you want now and what you will want post-transmogrification may have little bearing on one another.

Be careful not to put humanform expectations or beliefs onto what is essentially a non-human manifestation of yourself. Once you transmogrify, you evolve beyond the physical plane. Many choose to play in the fields of the mortal world and can do so without detection if that is their will. Also, to answer your question, there is no gap in time (at least not normally). When one transmogrifies, it is instantaneous - which is another reason I strongly encourage all seekers moving in that direction to create and maintain a foundation apart from the consensus. Otherwise, when you do transmogrify, you run the risk of finding yourself a stranger in a strange land, which generally doesn't end well. That new foundation is what I often refer to as "vampyreland," though it will answer to whatever name you give it.

You might be taking things too literally. In the case of vampyreland, I would define it as a world of spirit more than a world of flesh-and-blood, so it can be shared with whoever you might choose. It's a state of mind and a state of being that transcends the mundane dayshine world. Everyone creates their own vampyreland because everyone's state of mind is going to be slightly different. That's true in the dayshine world, too, but in a slightly different way. In the dayshine world, for example, most everyone in the western world is aware of the current POTUS, but not everyone lives in the same "reality" because they all have slightly different mindsets. Some see him as a demon incarnate and so their experience of him will be "skewed" to their existing mindset unless something drastic occurs to change that mindset. Others see him as some sort of righteous crusader, and so their experience of him will be "skewed" accordingly - no matter what he does or doesn't do, he will remain a "saint" in their eyes.

With regard to vampyreland, it's largely a matter of choosing the elements you want to include in your state of mind/being. Do you want that broken-down factory next to the polluted river in the middle of town to be just another broken down factory or do you choose to *SEE* it as a castle next to a clear and rushing river leading out to the distant sea? Of course... just attempting to put this into words runs the risk of diminishing what it actually IS, which is another reason I prefer to be more metaphysical as opposed to just "physical." Vampyreland is what you make it and how you choose to inhabit it. You don't have to "live in your own isolated dreamworld" unless that is your choice (and for some, it is).

As for finding someone else post-transmogrification, don't forget that this is an energy body existing in a universe of energy. Finding me or anyone else would be a matter of intent, which tends to manifest instantaneously in such a universe. In the PHYSICAL world (as opposed to the metaphysical world) you would need to literally "find" me through conventional means. In the metaphysical world, you find another immortal by Intending to. The only problem would be if he or she didn't WANT to be found, in which case you would reach what amounts to an answering machine (cosmic, of course) that says, "I am off in the ether doing other things. Leave a message and I'll get back to you if or when I ever return."

With that said, here's the real thing you need to remember: "There is only one world, divided infinitely by perception." So the physical world and the metaphysical world are the SAME world, but will manifest depending on how you are perceiving them. In Toltec terminology, it's the position of the assemblage point (the lens through which you create/experience/view the world) that will determine your EXPERIENCE of the world.

You commented that "Something doesn't seem right --- the idea that everyone is isolated in their own dreamworld." If it doesn't seem right, it's because you are probably looking at "magic" through the eyes of "logic" rather than shifting the assemblage point to the position of "magic". There's nothing really wrong with that, except that it can be confounding and even emotionally/spiritually debilitating if one isn't aware of what's happening. Put another way, seekers can end up shooting themselves in the foot trying to *understand* something when they really need to just *experience* it and only THEN try to understand what they have experienced (which might or might not be possible). Some things will exist whether we believe in them or not - vampyreland being one of them.

Just one fun anecdote. Have you ever been driving down the road, more or less mentally idling, and you see a billboard that reads, "Inner Vampire Awesome Muse"? (No, of course you haven't.) What the sign "really" says is, "Inland Empire Auto Mall". But your mind interprets it entirely "other" than what the dayshine world's agreement says, and so you give a little smile and go on your way - but in some way, you've just experienced a brief and sideways glimpse of vampyreland: your ability to create and rearrange energy on an energetic level (the meta-physical world as opposed to the physical world, keeping firmly in mind that there is only one world, divided infinitely by perception). Just one small example, but one most here have probably experienced in one way or another. You *see* something that the dayshine world would say isn't "real" and so your AP quickly snaps you back to "reality"... because that is the habitual position of the AP because it has been programmed and conditioned to BE that way so as to remain in agreement with the larger consensus. Does this mean the sign didn't really say "Inner Vampire Awesome Muse"? Or does it mean that's what the sign says in your personal vampyreland? One world... divided infinitely by perception. Yes, I harp on that because it cannot be stressed strongly enough.

When I said "it doesn't end well" what I meant was that when you transmogrify, if you DON'T have that foundation of your own personal vampyreland (the ability to shift from the dayshine world to the night that never ends), you will be trying to apply dayshine "logic" to what can only be described as "magic" and it can be crazy- making for a very long time (keeping in mind that time is the first fundamental lie). I'm not sure why you would say "What kind of strange land is it, that it is so hostile?" It isn't vampyreland that is hostile. It is one's own mindset that can potentially be hostile. It's why I am forever saying, "Nothing is impossible." Or in other words, "Allow the impossible." If you transmogrify and find yourself in the energetic universe attempting to think/believe/act as a dayshine human... it isn't going to end well. That's why the seeker really must learn to alter perceptions and conclusions BEFORE transmogrification, rather than leaping off the abyss only to realize one doesn't know how to fly.

Crossing the final threshold is an anomaly unto itself. It is a process, yet also instantaneous when it actually happens. It may seem to take a lifetime, but in hindsight, you realize it was "there" all along, and inhabiting it is a matter of where one chooses to open his eyes, whether as the mortal self or the immortal twin/Other. Opening your eyes inside the twin occurs as a result of pushing the fabric of "reality" beyond its existing "limits" - redefining the Self. What happens to the physical body? Again, different for different folks. Some folks "shed" their body through the process of death in order to inhabit the twin. Others transmute their matter-body into the energy-body.

Immortality is just a word. What I refer to as "the immortal condition" is the first step in the next evolution - the foundation from which we continue to grow and evolve. It is not the end-all, but the beginning of the beginning.

I'm not really suggesting that additional knowledge is necessary, but SOME knowledge is certainly necessary to transmogrify. That knowledge generally comes to the seeker through gnosis, or as an extension of knowledge gleaned through other sources. For example, you may read something in TOTI or one of the Castaneda books or something Krishnamurti said, and that may spark a deeper spiral of thinking, an actual evolution of your own thoughts. It is through that kind of knowledge that one MIGHT gain the ability to transmogrify. And yet, I've known some serious and advanced seekers who have taken in all of that esoteric knowledge but still cannot transmogrify. I have no doubt those seekers will achieve transcension, however.

Near as I can figure on all my fingers and toes, it is a quantum leap of sorts. Even if two seekers at the same point in their journey have the exact same knowledge and information, one might suddenly have that quantum leap of understanding, while the other - equally advanced in all ways - never does. It is not something that can be predicted, but it is precisely why unbending and ruthless attention must be given to the equation at all times. I don't mean a 24/7 application of thought toward the equation, but a 24/7 awareness of its intent, woven into the fabric of self and double. Here words fail. It is possible to focus on something even when doing other things. It is possible to dream the intent even if not in direct dreamings.

The quantum leap which instigates transmogrification is rare, but not at all impoissible. Allow the impossible. There is a lot to be said for that - an unwritten integer in the equation - Intent + Action = Manifestation. I have wondered if the reason some seekers fail to transmogrify (but embrace transcendence) is because they do not possess the ability to allow the impossible. They may very well believe in the IDEA of transmogrification, but they may also be running background programs which are telling them, "Sure, it's a great idea, but I'm not worthy and my genes are wrong and my hair isn't the right color and it's dark on Tuesday, so it ain't gonna happen to ME." Whatever the program, whether religious or social or just cultural, those belief systems not yet eradicated can and will plug up even the most determined assholes, particularly if one is not aware of the mental/spiritual constipation.

Ultimately, it really does appear to be a quantum leap which some can make and others never do. And there is no rhyme or reason to it that I can accurately determine. (And this is another reason this has been largely housed under the roof of "The Darker Teachings." Some things have no definitive answer, which makes them all the more intriguing, but also all the more frustrating, no?).

Most often, if you are not ready the opportunity of transmogrification will not present itself. Or if it does (rare, but it can happen) you might find yourself suddenly in an energy body which would have little correlation to what you THINK of as your physical body. It is very disorienting and requires the assistance of an advanced "master" to fish one down off the quantum ceiling should this occur. It isn't insurmountable, but it is inconvenient and can have lasting effects. As for transcendence when one isn't ready... very little to be done, except to BE as ready as possible through your practices. If the brute with the scythe comes knocking on your door before you are ready, he generally isn't interested in your explanations as to why you need more time. Bastardo. But this illustrates precisely why dissipation of awareness occurs (what some would say is being devoured by the "eagle.") If there isn't sufficient cohesion to make the leap from organic to inorganic, that's that. No mercy. No appeal. No second chances (except for those rare occasions when the ghost train is invoked).

When you actually transmogrify or transcend, it is more or less "normal" (if there is such a thing) for the two to become One - at least in the initial stages of the transition. As to whether the Other is a master... some are, some aren't. Most are probably more along the lines of adepts, but not necessarily evolved enough to handle the potential chaos of a transition taking place before the seeker was actually "ready" (if there is such a thing). As with most things, it's an individual assessment and will depend on the state of awareness at the time the transition occurs. If the transition comes as a result of some massive trauma (fatal accident, unexpected stroke, etc) it will most likely require the assistance of a more advanced individual to assist with the shock to both the organic consciousness and the energy body itself.

What the Other knows or doesn't know is rooted entirely in the Intent of the mortal source. While most serious seekers give the Other the agenda to be the gatherer of Knowledge and the teacher, there is nothing to guarantee that the mortal source would actually learn & absorb the lessons. The Other could gather all the Knowledge in the universe, but if the mortal self is playing video games and smoking pot and drinking beer, chances are the mortal source will not be "ready" and no Master in the multiverse will be able to navigate the transition. Using the same general paradigm, one of the biggest mistakes seekers make is coming to the conclusion that once they see evidence of their Other, the work is done and they can get back to having a good time. Because time isn't linear and creating the Other is an ongoing process, even if you see evidence of the Other today, that doesn't automatically mean she has been created Whole until sometime early next week. Or next month. Or in the next 20 years. There is no way to accurately determine the definitive moment when the Other would become a master within the creative process taking place within the mortal source. So while the Other isn't constrained by time, and even though time is the first fundamental lie, the mortal source is nonetheless governed by the dictates of that fundamental lie until such time as the Other actually DOES attain what you might refer to as mastery.

Words fail. They always have. They always will. It is hoped that these faltering words might trace around the edges of this paradoxical equation, but in the big picture, you will either *see* it or you won't. Yes, the Other is outside of time and is therefore a Master. At the same time, the Other is guided by the Intent of the mortal source. Somewhere in between those two statements lies an abyss of All Possibility.

Transmogrification is not an exact science. Sometimes the body appears to vanish. Other times a residual shell is left behind even though - technically - the inhabitant transmogrified as opposed to transcending. There are no precise and irrefutable answers, only observations. My observation is that usually the process of transmogrification is so all-consuming that it is LITERALLY all-consuming. It takes the energy of the organic body almost in the same way a rocket launches using vast amounts of fuel. When the energy is literally extracted from every cell, there is no organic body left behind.

And to address your comment, - "...the only thing that transfers from one to another is our consciousness/awareness"... Keep in mind that consciousness itself is energy. Transmogrification is a willful leap across the abyss. Such feats require extreme amounts of energy - including that accumulated through meditation, Dreaming, and so forth. The energy stored in the physical body is simply the final burst used to launch consciousness across that hungry abyss.

At the "quantum" level, the body doesn't lose energy with physical age, dis-ease or debilitation - at least not the kind of energy we are discussing in relation to transmogrification. I would also add that there is what might be called a mental "trigger" that is activated when one commits Absolutely to transmogrification. That trigger is such that as each energetic component of the body "ignites" the result is that each subsequent component increases the energy exponentially. 1,2,4,8,16... and
when multiplied by the volume of individual components, it becomes possible to perhaps vaguely comprehend the scope of the energy being released.

Quite often it has been observed that the initial stages of transmogrification involve breaking free of the mortal body - which would entail what is commonly called an "out of body experience." The difference is that the intent to transmogrify heightens and sharpens the experience because the ultimate intent of transmogrification is to make the escape from mortal form permanent - to cut the umbilical, if you prefer. For that reason, the initial sensations of an OBE would be considerably heightened and - undoubtedly - frightening, confusing, and probably even off-putting on many levels.

This is where the word "surrender" enters the dark equation - not only surrendering to the experie3nce itself but surrendering to your Other. I've written extensively about surrender, though I'm not at all sure words can capture what it really IS to surrender to such an experience as what you are describing. There is a moment when the mind makes peace with the outcome, no matter what that potential outcome might be. The breath leaves your body like a sigh. All fear vanishes. I can tell you what it feels like, but I can't necessarily tell you how to get from A to B - from fear/panic to acceptance.

I've observed that serious seekers often don't make it the first time. Rather like that famous line from "The Matrix." "Everybody falls the first time." If that is what happened - and only you would know with certainty - the next step is to try again, which will require a bit of negotiation with your Other (or, in some cases, it might be best viewed as a "flirtation" rather than a negotiation, though in my experience the two are largely the same thing.)

You mentioned that it's difficult to make the leap when you can't see the other side. Quite true. Which is why some refer to it as the ultimate "leap of faith." Not faith in some random deity, but confidence in yourself and your Other.

With regard to "force" - it is a function of intent but also a movement of will. Intent can be summoned and held in a perpetual state of being, whereas the will is elusive and cannot be summoned "at will" - and so the equation exists in a delicate sense of balance. You can intend your Other to propel you into transmogrification through whatever methods suit your fancy; but forcing those actions to go through the motion of actually occurring is where the will comes into play.

Often this will happen in a dream - whether lucid or not. You simply arrive at "That Moment" when it is simply time for time to end, and some force within you (the mortal source)
reaches out to him and is actually like a physical compulsion (accounting in part for the legend of vampyres being able to compel humans - except in this case it's the human who is compelling the Other). That force is often felt as a burst of energy from the vicinity of the heart or solar plexus, and felt by the mortal self almost like the old cliche of taking one's breath away. In actuality, the inward "gasp" that often accompanies this is the mortal self taking in the immortal essence. The compulsion extends outward, the Other breathes in like a gasp, followed instantaneously (or simultaneously) by the mortal self breathing in... the exchange of the breath of eternal life... which is of course an energy and a force unto itself.

For some that is the moment of transmogrification. For others, fear will kick in and stop the process before it can complete, but either way it gives a deeper understanding of the process at work. The will becomes the force - both literally and figuratively.

There is very little difference between transcendence and transmogrification - for those who actually succeed in their bid for transcendence. Many do, some don't. Same can be said for transmogrification, though I would have to say that fewer succeed at transmogrification than at transcendence. Reason being - transcendence is the path of least resistance where mortal life & programming are concerned, so it might be said that transcendence is simply easier because it doesn't require quite as much of a shift of one's mindset as transmogrification.

However, the real question is whether or not you want to deprive yourself of what might be called "the rest of your life." Even if there is some discomfort (or even a lot) you are still learning. The essence inside the egg is still gestating, growing, expanding. If that process is cut short unnaturally, it can have serious consequences with regard to moving seamlessly into your Other through transcension. I will acknowledge that there are times when perhaps the physical pain of life becomes too much, and I hold no judgment for those who might opt out. HOWEVER, it's important to know the difference between actual PHYSICAL pain and what amounts to emotional/mental pain generated through environmental or even physical circumstances. Most of the time, what seekers discover is that they might be in pain amounting to a level 5 or 6 if they are honest, but the mental drain and anguish can cause them to BELIEVE that pain is a level 10 or even beyond. This is where the seeker MUST be diligent in sorting the two and, when finished with that task, taking on the task of eliminating the mental/emotional pain so that the ACTUAL pain level will feel much lessened.

This is not something that occurs overnight. Just as the Other is not sung into being in a day, neither are issues as major as you are describing remedied in a single day. Therefore, I would advise to focus on diminishing one dark thought per day. For example, if the suffering you are experiencing causes you to think, for example, "My life is worth nothing if I can't do the things I want to do"... use your stalking skills to amend that thought to, perhaps, "Even if I can't do the things I want to do right now, my life still has value when viewed through the lens of what I CAN do." By slowly (and persistently) changing your mindset (which is almost always determined in cases of physical illness by the internal dialog) you slowly (but persistently) regain control over your mind/body/spirit.

No such control will ever be 100%. If it were, everybody would transmogrify right now to inhabit the energy body, which is without physical pain entirely. As long as you (all of you) are still in organic human form, there will be ups and downs with regard to physical health, stamina, well-being. This doesn't make you weak. It only makes you human... until such time as you aren't.

Transmogrification is a tricky prick. Though it seldom occurs without some measure of awareness/preparation, it can happen spontaneously under certain conditions - none of which can be accurately categorized or predicted. Put simply - it can happen to a pious monk who has prepared for decades, or it can happen to a junkie who just happens to hit the right "frequency". The monk will usually make the transition seamlessly, or with minimal difficulty, while the junkie will flounder like a fish out of water until, eventually he lands in the land of the sentient dead where he is embraced by "eternal peace" (which isn't all it's cracked up to be), but to the junkie it is the "salvation" he has been searching for all his life - to become No-thing and No-One, without identity, without responsibility, without a care in all the worlds.

Obviously there aren't a large percentage of junkies who actually transmogrify. Most immortals who fall into the land of the sentient dead are actually those who thought they could take shortcuts, those who are forever asking, "How long is this gonna take, and is there any way to speed up the process so I can do it in 5 minutes instead of 50 years?" Sure. There are occasional shortcuts. But there are inevitable consequences, too.
This is perhaps a good opportunity to look at the role of Will in the dark equation. When your Will finally moves - and there is no way to predict when or even if this will ever occur - is when transmogrification will happen in an instant. The Other doesn't always hesitate because she isn't ready or even because they might sense that you aren't ready. They hesitate because the Will has not been activated. I truly wish there was an easy way to command the Will into action, but there is none that I have encountered. A lot of new age woo-woo goo-roos talk about "summoning the will" but that is a fallacy. Will is an active, moving, mysterious force. It comes when you least expect it, and often when you most need it, but at the same time it is elusive and unpredictable. Anyone who tells you otherwise has no direct experience with the will. I would add that the Will does indeed play a major role. It is also questionable as to which aspect of the self will experience the movement of Will that signals transmogrification - whether the will of the Other or the will of the mortal self. It can go either way.

There is no definitive way that could be quantified, but the apprentices I have worked with have what amounts to a moment of internal surrender (and there it is again) wherein things become completely clear and the Way forward is seen. At that point, the literal point of no return has been reached and transmogrification proceeds with or without one's conscious permission - which was given way back in the dim times when one first gave their Other free rein to do what must be done, "no matter what."

The Other often takes an amorphous form which might explain why you sometimes have difficulty envisioning her as a fully extant being. Often the amorphous form enables the Other to navigate the Dreaming and astral realms most efficiently, as well as connecting directly through gnosis.
If a seeker has diligently done the work, they will not "just be poof, gone." Once something is internalized and Realized, nothing can take that away. As we've discussed here before, if you were to achieve total awareness & permanent gnosis with your Other, but had the misfortune to develop amnesia or dementia tomorrow, what you have already accomplished can't be taken away. It has already become a part of the living hologram. Under those circumstances, one of two things could happen. 1) You would transcend at the moment of mortal death rather than transmogrify; or 2) You would still transmogrify based on the actions of your Other. The Other isn't prone to amnesia or dementia, which is yet one more reason it is designed by default to be both within and without. To be absurdly simplistic for a moment, the Other is your spare set of keys in case you get locked out of yourself through illness, old age, or trauma. It can open the door even if you are unable, and for anyone who has TRULY "done the work," it will. In that case, what occurs is actually a half-step between transmogrification and transcension. Because the Other works in the movement of energy, it might not deem it necessary to reabsorb the entire physical body, leaving behind the mortal shell, but wholly taking the essence/identity/awareness of the mortal self into itself prior to physical death.

While transmogrification is the most mysterious & "thorough" method of attaining the immortal condition - only because it takes with it ALL the energy of the mortal self, including those aspects which comprised the organic form - it isn't always the most preferred, particularly by some who would be considered enlightened monks or shamans or other similarly enlightened spirits. Reason being - many choose to live a complete and whole mortal life, up to and including the experience of "crossing over with awareness." They may choose to live to an uncomfortable old age so as to gain as much wisdom and insights into the universe as possible, doing so with the total understanding that the essence of who they are is not the vessel in which the essence walks around on Earth. As the old saying goes, "You are not your body." For those who attain a much higher state of awareness and choose to remain among the living until their body can no longer sustain them, it is often observed by the immortals that they essentially step out of the meat suit and into the Other instantly, and with absolute awareness of precisely what has occurred (unlike those who transmogrify either by accident or prematurely).

So to clarify those rare few who have attained awareness aren't simply poof-gone even if the will never rises. As the old saying goes, there are many pathways to the bardo. Some are difficult to explain and even more difficult to comprehend because the concept itself has been programmed out of human beings in general. This is precisely why it is considered "forbidden knowledge" by the church, and considered insanity by the laws of man. You aren't "meant" to know these things, and that is no accident. It is how the powerful retain their power.

Masterful compilation! I got about halfway through before I had to stop and take a break because my mind was whirling. I hadn't realized how much Mikal had posted specifically in answer to "what is transmogrification" over the years. Re-reading it, I kept getting little "pings" from gnosis resonating with phrases like "When one approaches light speed, one appears to be standing still" in reference to what Mikal said a couple of times about how t-mogging is both a process and instantaneous. Goldmine. All of it! Thank you so much Snow Wolf!!

It is an absolute goldmine, so many different scenarios and possibilities for t/mog. Where else can you find such a comprehensive expose on the subject. Again, thanks to Uthred for compiling it.
The only thing that is missing is the story of the guy who did it in 5 years but I’m sure it is saved somewhere in Uthred’s PDF docs.

I have that 5 years story of "Mark" I think the pseudonym was. I'll try to fish it out of my files soon but if Uthred beats me to it that's cool too. I'll send it along when I find it and you can either plop it in this topic or start a new one. That story in itself I went back to over and over and over because it was just so powerful and meaningful to me. And yes, thanks very much to Uthred, too, for piecing this compilation together for this thread!

I've read this section so many times and it never ceases to amaze me too.
The story of Mark is in "An Archive of Relevant Posts" under the title "Remember what I will do to you (Tale of Power)".

This is a great collection. I needed this refresher. It's interesting how different transmogrification can be for people.

Worth reading again.