I have been teaching a variety of occult topics for many years. One of the most common questions I get is about psychic attack. What I learned was that most psychic attacks were nothing of the sort. Sometimes they were imagined. Sometimes a person felt he or she was under attack so strongly that the person actually created the attack themselves. Real psychic attack was actually rather rare.

When I began teaching and discovered that students wanted more information on the subject, there was only one book available, the one by Dion Fortune. And although this may get me in hot water with some people, I really don't like the book. In it she's attacked by giant pussycats and has numerous physical problems, all due to a supposed attack on her. The final analysis is that she has a hole in her aura and her problem was removed only after she was initiated into an occult order. Not only did this book seem paranoid to me, but the solution could only help a few people. Not everyone has the availability of initiation into a legitimate occult order. At the present time I suggest people read her book only as a historical curiosity.

When Denning and Phillips' book, Practical Guide to Psychic Self-Defense, came out it literally revolutionized the field. It was an important contribution to the subject and one which has stood the test of time for being practical and useful. I have been recommending this book since I first read it over twenty years ago and I still highly recommend it.

Practical Guide to Psychic Self-Defense is really a multi-focus book. First, it clearly identifies the fact that true psychic attack is rare. It gives you methods of dealing with psychic attack whether the attack is real or imagined. After all, even if it is imagined, the effects can be just as powerful. It includes emergency self-defense techniques as well as methods for long-term personal and group protection.

Perhaps unique in the field, the book also points out that, although psychic attack is rare, attacks on your psyche are quite common. Friends and family try to get you to do things for them. Advertisers try to get you to buy their products even if you have no need for them. By using the techniques in this book, you will learn how to prepare yourself for the constant attacks on your psyche and give you the choice to do what others ask or make a purchase rather than being at the mercy of those who want your money, time, or energy.

There are very few books I would consider to be a fundamental text that should be in the collection of every person on a spiritual path, but Practical Guide to Psychic Self-Defense is certainly one of them.

Another of the frequent questions I get is from people who want to know how to increase their "powers." Often, however, they don't want to do any particular set of practices or rituals. So how can they improve their magick without actually doing magick?

The Magick That Isn't Magick
To answer this question, it is important to look at the nature of magick itself. There are certain types of magick which are based on the innate qualities of things such as herbs, stones, etc. But much of ceremonial magick requires the ability to generate and direct energy, frequently through achieving an altered state of consciousness.

One good way to achieve this state has been known for thousands of years, and you can learn the technique in New Age Hypnosis by Dr. Bruce Goldberg. Without doing magical rituals, you can visit past lives, improve psychic awareness, and project your consciousness to the astral plane. On a personal level, this book shows you how to easily increase your self-confidence and eliminate your bad habits. This improves your self-image and allows you to perform magick, if that is your desire, more easily.

Hypnosis is real and can be used after just a few hours of training and practice. It's safe and nothing like you see in movies, TV, or in stage shows. It absolutely can be a positive boost in all of your magical work, even if you don't want to do any rituals. I think you will find New Age Hypnosis to be one of the most practical books in your personal collection.