Practical Guide to Psychic Self-Defense

Melita Denning and Osborne Phillips are internationally-recognized authorities on the mainstream Western Mysteries and are two of the foremost exponents of the Ogdoadic Tradition, that premier hermetic school whose keywords are knowledge and regeneration, and whose influence and works are historically traceable for the past one thousand years. The authors received their major esoteric training in the magical order Aurum Solis, a society which was founded in 1897 and which has continued in active existence to the present day. On July 8, 1987, the authors, then heads of Aurum Solis, retired from the Order; but on June 23, 1988, at the unanimous request of the members, they resumed office. In 1997, Melita Denning passed from this earth. Melita Denning and Osborne Phillips are internationally recognized authorities on the Western Mysteries and two of the foremost exponents of the Ogdoadic Tradition, the premier hermetic school whose influence and works are historically traceable for the past one thousand years. The authors both served as Grand Masters in the magical order Aurum Solis, which was founded in 1897 and is still active today. Phillips lives in the United Kingdom. Denning passed from this earth in 1997.~

• Contents Introduction xv1 Why Psychic Self-defense? 1The astral level, meeting place of influences from physical, instinctual, emotional, and mental sources in ourselves and other beings. The function of the imagination. Who needs a special understanding of psychic self-defense? The occultist, the mystic, the medium; the man or woman whose life is spent in the commercial world; the psychotherapist, the nurse, everyone who assumes responsibility for the health and welfare of others. Contagion of negative conditions. Sufferers from afflictions of the psyche; sufferers from the stresses and strains of family life. The housewife, buyers, and consumers generally. Do you feel you are pressurized by traders, proselytizers, other canvassers, by your own oversensitivity or by general bad luck? Psychic self-defense methods and principles are not only psychic self-defense of high value in themselves, they help build up your own natural defenses so none of the things you now fear can or will assail you.2 Forcefields and Power Sources 23 The electrical aura and the psychic aura: distinguishable but not separate. Evidence for the real existence of the aura; power of the spiritually developed aura. To be the possessor of a strong aura clears many obstacles from your path. Fear, and how to cope with it. "Listen" to all levels of your nature; find, and live by, your real sense of values. Practical methods of fortifying the aura. Full confidence can be placed upon the aura's effectiveness in psychic defense, provided you do not open or weaken it from within. Using your fortified aura to defend yourself, your children, your home, your pets.3 Deep Waters in Occultism and Religion 55 Reassurance for people outside occultism. What is behind the centuries of stories of ritual murders, desecrated churches and graves, depraved cults, vampires, and the like? History as fact and fiction. The backlash of propaganda. Attacks by other occultists through jealousy, revenge, or as a simple display of power. Attacks by nonoccult people: the frightened, the skeptical, and the officious. Trouble from forces (usually impersonal) that the student of occultism may have aroused. Some symptoms of true psychic attack. Basic defense precautions. Troubles, somewhat similar, experienced by religionists. Buildup of unused psychic energy. Difficulties caused by psychological problems. Exteriorization of splinter personalities as a cause of false "hauntings," or "possessions." The pastor in a vulnerable position. Genesis of a Jonestown. Necessary psychic hygiene in spiritual leadership and following: the congregation as people progress toward spiritual adulthood.4 The Psyche's Weak Points 97 The protective aura and its danger of breach from within. Desire and fear, the two great creators of "focal points" in the psyche for attack from without. "Wrong" and "right" uses of the imagination for defense. Ways to banish an implanted image. Impersonating spirits and obsession. The astral vampire as a factor in alcoholism and in hypersexuality. Possibilities of human agency in such cases. Counter measures. Doll sorcery and counter measures. More on guardianship of the imagination.5 Meeting Impersonal Aggression 123 Even where there is no ill-will involved, we can still suffer some danger from our environment. Stress, noise, some types of music, some types of drugs such as psychic self-defense painkillers, the conventional urgency of external tasks, all can weaken our self-awareness and lower our confidence. Necessity of taking time and action to revitalize ourselves. Desirability of a positive program, vacations spent in activities in which we feel we belong to our real selves. Importance of taking a few minutes in the course of the working day to "get back to source," and renew our spiritual contacts. The "inward glance." Diet and defense. Harmony within oneself, harmony with the natural world: essentials for psychic self-defense. People who can command rats and mice.6 How to Survive in Business Life 145 Group mind and group aura: group aura and your aura in business life. "Office politics" and the individual. Keeping your nerves intact. Work well, play well. Why not do your own personality trip? Finding allies. The question of loyalty. Shopping for groceries, shopping for a house. Go on doing your own thinking. Psychological coercions and how to counter them: the three chief "push-buttons" and how they work. The word people fear even to utter; a vital morale practice for you, and a step toward a saner society. Dealing with people who take favors for granted, rights-robbing bosses and relatives, sales callers, religious canvassers, professional gamblers, dead-loss lovers. How we take their side against ourselves: the irrational fear of "missing a good thing." What the judge felt he had to say for the con man.7 Strengthening the Defenses 169 The interaction of life's levels, material and nonmaterial. Amulets: material focal points for nonmaterial influences. You can make or find your own. Preparing materials for use in amulets or in ritual. High value of ritual for psychic defense as a supplement to the development of the aura. Directions for ritual procedures: group ritual for protection of all participants, group ritual for the protection of one person, rapid emergency defense procedure for one person, the Rite of the First Kathisma for one person or many. The forward look: "luck" and your spiritual reserves. Why let guilt feelings jinx you. Divine love does not ask questions.8 Retaliation and Growth 191 How do you react in danger? Know, and plan constructively with your natural tendencies. Psychic retaliation: feasible? Yes. Ethical? Usually. Worthwhile or necessary? Not always. Biblical "quotations" if adopted should be taken in context. "Turning the other cheek" belongs with "blessing them that hate you." The great spiritual potency of blessing. Stopping an exchange of injuries. "Astral rebound" not always deliberately caused, but can be a natural result of freeing a victim from an obsessing image. Psychic self-defense—a normal part of healthy living. Don't live in the past—move on into your new bright future.Appendix A: Defending an Enterprise 203 How an enterprise needs psychic self-defense. Giving your project an auspicious beginning. Endowing the growing venture with its own protective aura. Vital psychic creativity to aid any enterprise. Ongoing vision, ongoing action.Appendix B: Psychic DefenseAgainst Crime 213 Material and psychic action both needed against crime. The "Claiming Techniques:" its timeless magical power to protect your treasures. Joint psychic defense with your neighbors. Transforming children and seniors from being potential victims. Psychically cleansing the locality. Social and spiritual aspects of psychic defense against crime.Glossary 229 Definitions and comments upon psychological and other terms used in this book.