Astral Shift (ALS): occurs when the astral body separates from the physical body, travels to the astral plane and shifts to the form of a nonhuman animal. This is considered an out-of-body experience (OBE). This is a spiritual related shift that requires the belief in the existence of souls or a form of consciousness called an astral body. This is related to astral projection or could occur during astral projection, and the idea of astral travel is ancient and occurs in multiple cultures.
Astral Shifting can occur during sleep, with the aid of spiritual trance, meditation, or induced through hypnotic means such as self-hypnosis. Not all astral shifts will be related to Therianthropy. Some people may practice this ability for other purposes such as Shamanic work and spiritual healing.
Astral Shifting was being discussed on AHWW in 1994/1995 or sooner, but it's a less common shift that is not mentioned as often as shifts like mental and phantom.
References
Shifting Types, Therian Wiki - http://therian.wikia.com/wiki/Shift_(Therianthropic)
"Shifting and Awareness Terms" were.net archive circa 2001(accessed May 25, 2018) https://web.archive.org/web/20010118174900/http://www.were.net:80/~pinky/wereterms.html
Shifters.org Encyclopedia (2006 web archive) - http://web.archive.org/web/20060901112859/http://www.therianthropy.org/SO/encyclopedia.htm
"Returning, with werecard" Alt.Horror.Werewolves - https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.horror.werewolves/S5F48mtcmVE/KdsA_CFi-DsJ
Astral Projection
Benjamin Radford, "Astral Projection: Just a Mind Trip" March 18, 2013 http://www.livescience.com/27978-astral-projection.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astral_projection
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The Types of Therian Shifts
Non-FictionThis book goes in depth into describing and explaining Therianthropic Shifts including the history of the shifts and references for each.
