John Michael Greer: How to Spot a Werewolf

I was scanning John Michael Greer’s book Monsters: An investigator’s Guide to Magical Beings – a book on real monsters like vampires, ghosts, fairies and of course, werewolves – when I came across Greer’s guide for finding shapeshifters. I thought some of you werewolf fans, or werewolf hunters, may be interested in what he had to say.

The Signs that Point to a Case of Actual Shapeshifting Are These:

  • One or more animals are sighted behaving in ways out of character for the species in question, or in an area in which that species is definitely known to be extinct.
  • The area of the sighting is one in which magical shapeshifting traditions are known or very strongly suspected to have survived.
  • The type, behavior, and activities of the animal in question correspond closely to these specific traditions.
  • The animal is seen to act in ways that suggest very high intelligence, unusual physical abilities (such as the ability to keep pace with a car driving at highway speeds), and/or interest in things (such as money or other valuables) that animals of that species normally neglect.
  • If the animal is struck with a non-metallic object, this has no apparent effect on it.
  • Other psychological, criminological, and medical explanations have been effectively ruled out.

Ok, so… all of Greer’s signs are pretty much common sense stuff, nothing too spectacular there. But if you’re seriously into paranormal investigation then you may want to pick up Greer’s book for more on werewolves and other creatures. But be warned, while he does believe in all of these beasties, his views on them are nothing like that of movies or books. Personally, I am not a fan of this book or books like it. It’s simply full of opinions, not facts (although his folklore is excellent). But here’s the book info if you think it’s something you may enjoy:

Of course that monster hiding under your bed when you were little didn’t really exist. Faeries and dragons, vampires and werewolves, angels and demons, even the boogeyman—all are simply figments of our imagination, right? After all, their existence has not yet been scientifically proven.

But there is one giant problem with such an easy dismissal of these creepy creatures—people keep encountering them!

Combining folklore, Western magical philosophy, and actual field experience, Monsters: An Investigator’s Guide to Magical Beings is required reading for both active and armchair monster hunters. Between these covers you’ll find a chilling collection of fiendish facts and folklore, including:

• The five different kinds of ghosts
• Magical origins of the werewolf legends
• The hidden connections between faery lore and UFOs
• Where dragons are found today
• How to investigate a monster sighting
• Natural and ritual magic techniques for dealing with hostile monsters

Join ceremonial magician John Michael Greer for a harrowing journey into the reality of the impossible. This book is your guide to the strange, spooky, and sometimes sinister world of the creatures who lurk in the shadowy realms outside the reality we take for granted.

– Moonlight

By moonlight

One of the writers for werewolves.com, as well as vampires.com.

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