Recently a prominent Japanese publisher contracted with Llewellyn to publish a Japanese language edition of The Llewellyn Complete Book of Psychic Empowerment: A Compendium of Tools and Techniques for Growth and Transformation, co-authored by Dr. Joe Slate and myself. In addition, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, Bulgarian, French, and Dutch publishers have it under consideration.

I believe this is an important recognition of a historic shift for all of us. I wrote the following as a new foreword to the Japanese edition, but the message is universal:

"Humanity is evolving beyond that barriers of language and nationality, and cultures are merging toward a new global civilization that finds within the techniques of psychic awareness and empowerment a universality of mind and spirit."

It was not long ago that we all suffered two World Wars, based on Political Division; before that were imperial wars built upon economic greed; and still within recent memory have been wars of religious conflict. There were times when many seriously believed that people were forever divided by race, color, religion, ideology, culture, and even tribal origin, and that the spiritual practices of each could not—and perhaps even that they should not—be shared.

Today more of us recognize and honor the great diversity of people—the richness of personality and universality of consciousness— and trust individual intuition and instinct to choose those tools and techniques of psychic empowerment and spiritual attainment best suited for each person.

And, perhaps as never before, psychic and "true" spiritual development has become a prominent personal choice and activity of a substantial and growing number of people, independent of any religious affiliation. "Spirituality" is no longer defined by being an initiated member of any organized religion, be it Judaism, Christianity, Mormonism, Islam, Buddhism, or any other sectarian institutions. One can practice forms of Buddhist meditation without being a Buddhist, can practice various forms of yoga without becoming a Hindu, can practice various forms of ritual without joining a magickal lodge or a Wiccan coven, study Kabbalah without being a Jew, etc.

Also, psychic and spiritual phenomenon are being openly and scientifically explored beyond the antiquated statistical methodology of the last century, both in academic settings and by individuals and informal groups following scientific procedures and contributing to our understanding of how things work and how they benefit us.

We understand that we are more than just a biological entity—that mind is more than brain, that mind and spirit are dimensions of the soul, and that the soul is immortal and part of a greater Divine reality. And that, as members of Humanity, we have responsibilities to one another greater than the limitations of nationality, culture, color, gender, religion, or ideology. We are on the edge of becoming global citizens. We are "one," and the more we understand our being and essence, the greater our individual opportunities for growth, for living in peace and prosperity, and fulfilling our spiritual destiny. Perhaps nothing is more instrumental in bring this about than our own study and practice of psychic technologies and transformative procedures. That is what Psychic Empowerment is all about.

For the sake of further explanation of this global culture and the power psychic empowerment brings to each person, allowing them to become more than they are, below is the foreword that is included in the Japanese version of The Llewellyn Complete Book of Psychic Empowerment.

While the more than 31 practices and dozens of procedures described in this book are universal and truly reflect the emerging global culture, it is to be noted that the Japanese people have a long heritage of spiritual and psychic interests even preceding the coming of Onmyodo in the 6th century. In particular I refer to practices of divination and meditation, the magick of place and direction, and those that involve the arousal of the body's own physical and spiritual energies and their inner movement for the development of psychic powers and personal growth.

In modern times, we see the cultural popularization of magical arts and paranormal powers in the art of anime and manga, games like "Final Fantasy," fiction and films such as Teito Monogatari by Hiroshi Aramata, and Onmyoji.

Whether originating in India (Yoga and Tantra); China (the Yi King and Taoism); Japan (with the synthesis of Yin & Yang into martial arts, energy healing & practical life arts); Europe (Western Magick, Geomancy, the Tarot, Runes, & Kabbalah); America (Spiritualism, Channeling, modern Hypnosis & the new Science of the Paranormal); Africa (the Spirits of Place & natural forces, and divination with the natural elements of Earth, Air, Water & Fire); or from the indigenous cultures of the three native Americas, Australia, and Pacifica (native Shamanism particularly of the Maya & Inca cultures, the Huna of Hawaii, the deep synthesis of mind & spirit in the Aboriginals)—the practices of Psychic Empowerment today are both Universal and Global.

The twenty-first century has brought both the good and the bad: for the tremendous advances of technology versus the dangers of mass weapons; the abuse of Nature versus emerging Green movements; for the Greed in national and international Finance and Politics; for the wonderful World Wide Web, through which we communicate and exchange information; for the Empowerment of people are given via the personal computer, smart phones, and tablets; for the recovery and re-discovery of ancient Herbal Medicines and Energy Healing techniques; for the renewed practice of invocating the deific forces of gods and goddesses and the understanding of feminine sexual powers . . . we now have the potential to again perceive and apply the roles of honor, honesty, true justice, and balance in social, economic, and political life.

It is ultimately the choice of each person through the exercise of the democratic vote, the acceptance of personal and global responsibilities, the empowering potential of quality education, the discussion of problems and solutions via social media, and the realization that we are today a global civilization and a global culture of diversity rather than imposed uniformity, a wealth of arts and unrestrained creativity, of inner spiritual realization, and so much more.

We are on the leading edge of the New Age—a potentially Golden Age—but the die has not been cast. There are hazards and challenges.

Our New Age is one of a vast expansion of consciousness and extended awareness, but it is through the practices and exercises of Psychic Empowerment that our personal growth and advancement can bring balance to societal feuds and religious terrorism. The role of the exercises and techniques in this book is to grow your soul and to give you the wisdom that becomes shared throughout the cosmic field of universal consciousness and thus restore sanity to those who find glory in conflict and the flames of destruction.

The arts and techniques of divination shared in this book can be used to solve problems and to explore mysteries, but at the same time every successful application empowers the psyche and develops the mind. The development of psychic powers and skills integrates the conscious mind with the sub-conscious, and the practices of symbolic interpretation in Dream Analysis, the Tarot, Runes, and the Yi King open channels to the Universal Consciousness while those of Dowsing, Pendulum Work, Crystal Gazing, and Tea-leaf Reading integrate the personal energy field with the immediate earth field, the exercises of Active Meditation and Self-Hypnosis can be directly focused toward Self-Improvement, and the practices of Astral Projection, Aura Reading, and Clairvoyance are the Next Steps in Spiritual Growth and Self-Transformation accelerating the evolution of Individual and all Humanity.

This is the Great Work that has been the goal of mystical practices, East and West, North and South, whether hidden away in monasteries or in mountain caves, or openly seen in rural villages or on city streets. Today, there is no hiding Place, and the need for each person to become more than they are is somewhere and everywhere, and now.

These are the techniques and powers once reserved to the elite priests and shamans serving only tribal and national rulers. Now they can be yours. This is a Book of Knowledge, Practice, and Success. Knowledge and Know-how lead the way, but can only be developed through disciplined Practice, culminating in the royal road of Success, where the benefits are both in personal transformation and in their practical applications that can lead towards Health and Wealth, and to Service for the benefit of all.

We, as the whole of Humanity, stand on the edge of a precipice, facing a New Dawn that can either lead to a Dark Abyss or become the Rainbow Bridge to a New Golden Age of Peace, Prosperity, and Progress. And the gateway to the Golden Age opens as we grow in consciousness through Psychic Empowerment and personal Transformation. Never before has such power of planetary choice been given to everyone. We can, and we must, accomplish the Great Work as outlined in these pages.

Carl Llewellyn Weschcke