Earlier I mentioned the only time I was actually scared at what I thought was a ghostly manifestation turned out to be a dying clock!
But there were two instances in the Summit mansion where I do believe I was attacked by some entity – whether a ghost or some kind of “sent” force. In both cases I was awakened to see a swirling mass of whitish light (“ectoplasm?”) rapidly moving towards me. In both instances there was an instinctive reaction on my part of throwing my right arm toward the entity and shouting “Be gone!” The entities seemed to implode and disappear. There had been a sensation of malevolence, and then it was gone.
Interestingly, if you asked Hollywood to produce a malevolent force, it would look just like what I saw those two times.
It was not part of any planned “banishing” or “cleansing.” It was purely instinctive, and I do believe that we all have natural defense mechanisms that can work at such an instinctive level. Why it may not always work is a different question.
At the same time, it is true that I practiced various techniques that are included in guides to Psychic Defense. We publish one such book, The Practical Guide to Psychic Self-Defense by Denning & Phillips. These techniques are primarily related to strengthening the aura as a psychic shield through visualization, controlled breathing, and self-confidence and are likewise part of standard magical training.
One primary technique of aura development is well described in The Middle Pillar by Israel Regardie, and if I am asked to recommend one single book on spiritual development, this is it. It is also a superb introduction to the practical applications of Kabbalah.
Psychic, or spiritual, health and well-being are much like physical health and well-being. A healthy physical body has a strong natural immune system, and likewise for a healthy psychic body. Yet, just as a healthy physical body can succumb to infection and injury, so can the psychic body.
The physical body benefits from exercise, good nourishment, and a positive environment. The same must be true of the psychic body (or “bodies”). Meditation, Prayer, Visualization, Ritual are all forms of psychic and spiritual exercise. And giving and receiving love, feeling joy, breathing well, experiencing happiness in work and recreation are all forms of nourishment for the spiritual self. Wiccans say that the gods are nourished by our love and laughter. Just as physical health can be improved through a “scientific” understanding leading to a conscious program, so can psychic and spiritual health be improved through understanding and a conscious program. In the case of the physical body, we now categorize most of these approaches under “Alternative Health;” in the case of the psychic and spiritual bodies there are new categories of “Alternative Christianity” as well as new appreciation for the traditional practices of Ceremonial Magick, Kabbalah, Tantra, Taoism, etc. It doesn’t matter whether we find them in the East or in the West, or in the North or the South for that matter, there are many valid paths to physical and spiritual well-being. The choice is yours to make.
What it all finally boils down to is the belief that anyone can consciously improve on what he or she was given at birth. Whether we call it Occultism or New Age, traditional practices of Yoga, Meditation, Martial Arts, or new practices of psycho-therapy, self-hypnosis, neuro-linguistic programming, aura conditioning, self-induced out-of-body experience and astral travel, the foundation concept is that evolution didn’t stop at some time in the past when the first human being showed up. The difference is that continued evolution in the human individual is subject to personal effort leading to ever increasing fields of awareness and the conscious exercise of spiritual power.
If I were a song writer, I would take these words:
For Tomorrow is a brighter day,
And the way to Tomorrow is Today.
and turn them into a song/mantra. What we do today shapes tomorrow, and it is within our power to make tomorrow a brighter day. That is what we are born to do.
I will return to this theme later, but I want to say something very basic and practical about Psychic Defense just because I’ve encountered so much nonsense over the years. Some people go to great extremes – or demand that you do so – in order to remove a psychic malevolence. In most cases, it is not necessary.
The best psychic cleansing, and psychic defense, is a good house cleaning! It’s as simple as that. A thorough and conscious cleaning of the environment removes psychic as well as physical debris. Just as physical filth is a breeding ground for physical bacteria so does it host psychic “bacteria.” Yes, there is such a thing as “psychic filth” corresponding to the physical, but conscious intent to cleanse removes that as well.
Certainly you can add special herbs or blessings to a pail of soapy water as part of the mind-set, but the intent of cleansing is really the active ingredient. The mind is a powerful tool that we neglect to our detriment. And lack of mental discipline – mind training – is a very sad comment on our culture and the source of much of the pain and suffering we experience.
Submission Guidelines
print
send to a friend
