Is there some kind of rule that means every trend online must somehow lead to the Harry Potter fandom?
Apparently so, as the new trend for ‘reality shifting’ exemplifies, which has hit TikTok as a way to attend Hogwarts and become Draco Malfoy’s girlfriend.
But although we may sneer, reality shifting is allegedly a meditative technique that lets you mentally experience alternative lives, whether that’s marrying a blonde-haired wizard or becoming an MI5 spy.
Reality shifting, according to those who do it, is a way to move your consciousness from your current reality (CR) to your desired reality (DR).
Some believe it’s essentially lucid dreaming, while others think that it’s genuinely possible to shift into another reality through this.
There are a number of methods to use to shift reality, but two of the most prominent ones seem to be the Alice in Wonderland method, the raven method, and the rope method.
You start each one with a ‘script’ of your DR, so your mind knows where to go when you leave your CR. You can choose which you go to, but there are also a number of shifting scripts available online based on franchises like Harry Potter and Marvel.
The rope method starts with you laying in bed, imagining your body is shrouded in an energy. You then visualise your desired reality until the energy feels stronger, before imagining your consciousness leaving your body like a rope, with you climbing to the DR.
The Alice in Wonderland method involves meditating, then laying on your back and imagining sitting against a tree, before Draco (or whoever is the main character of your DR) runs past you. You’re supposed to visualise them chasing you before you find a key to your DR.
The raven method is one of the most common techniques. You lay on your front like a starfish, counting to 100, staying still, and visualising what you’ll do on your first day in your new reality. Allegedly, you should ‘wake up’ in your DR.
Yes, it does sound very much like lucid dreaming – which I have experienced and can confirm is mostly terrifying – but if it works it works. So I decided to try it for myself.
Sorry to Draco Malfoy, but I have no desire to live my life married to a disgraced wizard, so my DR should be something different. I do, however, dream of being a little baby kitten with no responsibilities, and feel I can channel my energy more strongly into being fed, cuddled, and spoilt by a loving owner.
I laid down in the recommended starfish position, after selecting a video of happy cat sounds (apparently subliminals are useful for helping you visualise).
I then counted to 100, picturing myself with glossy fur, playing with a ball of wool and laying in the sun.
Reader, I did not shift into this reality. I’m still a human, with bills to pay and meals to cook to sustain myself.
I did ‘wake up’ after the count and five minutes had passed, so perhaps I drifted off for that few extra moments. Unfortunately it did not bring me into my DR, though.
While I absolutely see the merit in imagining a different world (have you seen *everything*?), it doesn’t appear to be attainable on-demand.
The worst that can happen if you give it a go is you feel quite relaxed but don’t shift, and the best case scenario is you end up married to the fictional character of your dreams, so you might as well give it a go.
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