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“Our third-eye lets us see energy, if we are open to it. For most people this is a foreign concept, but once you let go of your prejudices and self-imposed limitations, you will open to this talent.” – Christopher Penczak, Spirit Allies

Embracing your power and path as a psychic being can be the most rewarding experience a witch can have in their lifetime. When we finally suspend our disbelief long enough to hold close the simple truth that to be a witch is to be psychic incredible things start to happen. Throughout the darker points in history, wielding such gifts as mediumship, prophecy, aura reading, and even vivid dreaming would likely lead others to consider you a witch.

Being psychic is not as glamorous as we are led to believe from watching television and reading blogs, though. Simply having the gift doesn’t mean you can do anything useful with it, and knowing where to begin the process of developing that gift into something meaningful can be a daunting task–so daunting that many never even scratch the surface of what they are capable of becoming. Like many others, I found myself exploring witchcraft and the occult as a means of understanding my natural gifts, but there wasn’t much information to find. Witches were always described as, and expected to be, these mystical figures with uncanny psychic ability, but I wasn’t necessarily finding that to be true once I was on the inside.

I discovered that just because witches were expected to be psychic, that didn’t mean that they were naturally gifted at being psychic. What’s more, teaching someone how to use their natural abilities, when present, was a difficult task at best. The majority of people writing on the subject developed the ability to be psychically sensitive through their studies in the occult. Those who did have a deeper level of understanding often did not identify as witches and did everything they could do to separate themselves from the label.

As Paganism and the occult began to reemerge onto the spiritual scene, there was a great importing of ideas, philosophies, and practices from groups and cultures that had already embraced the psychic. This went a long way in helping us to piece together practices that could be applied to our work in the craft, but still remained something separate from it, and if you wanted to go deep with the practices of psychic development, you still needed to look outside of the craft for help.

It has only been in recent history that this has started to change, as authors like Laurie Cabot, Silver Ravenwolf, and Christopher Penczak (to name a few) have leaned in on the conversation and have helped to bridge the gap between psychic development and modern witchcraft. What we have learned from their work and that of their contemporaries is that these two worlds weren’t always separate and, in reality, they quite naturally fit together. Psychic ability is something inherent in every witch; it merely needs to be nurtured. Like most skills, it is something that witches have the ability to do, it’s just that some of us have a knack for it, while others struggle to find their compass.

In this book, Mat Auryn continues this conversation with the goal of helping us find that compass, no matter our skill level or natural predilections. He puts his years as a professional psychic and witch to use and takes on the challenge of laying out a digestible yet detailed exploration of psychism as it relates to witchcraft, and he succeeds beautifully. What we find in this book is a well-researched and intimate look at tying the pieces together to not only sharpen our senses, but to enrich our magick as well.

Those approaching the subject for the first time will find a rich repository of practices and knowledge that will help to awaken dormant psychic abilities and put them to good use in their craft. This isn’t just apparent in his attention to detail, but in the slivers of gnosis that Mat wraps up in every topic. We the readers are treated to an intimate look at a fundamental praxis that could only come from years of personal development and experimentation.

Those who are naturally gifted or who are taking their practice to the next level will find that Mat’s own natural abilities as a psychic have given him unique insight: insight that proves to be informative and inspiring time and time again.

What sticks out most in this book is the emphasis on fusing the landscape of psychic development and witchcraft into a single practice. As I mentioned earlier, when I began my studies books like this did not exist. We had to go outside of witchcraft to find our answers. Here, we are finally given a manual on how to have an authentic witchcraft practice that includes psychic ability as a basic component.

Mat is part of a new generation of witches who continue to carry the torch of spiritual development into the twenty-first century, bridging the old-school and the new. Some will see his use of terms like brainwave entrainment, the Shadow Self, synchronicity, and reality mapping as too New Age. Others might find subjects like the Three Souls, Quintessence, True Will, and the Witch Fire to be too dark and witchy. In the past, these are things that would remain separate from one another, but here are woven together to create a tapestry of practices that have the potential to truly change your craft, no matter where you are starting from. These things are not presented to add fluff or to make our author sound smart; they are there to hold together the fundamental aspects of embracing our potential and taking our witchcraft to a whole new level.

In his professional life, Mat has spent years working with the public and helping seekers like you and me find the answers we were looking for. Sometimes this comes in the form of a reading, sometimes a class or a blog, but Mat’s love of service and commitment to helping others is always present. As a student within Sacred Fires he has surpassed my wildest expectations as his mentor, and I find myself in awe of his work and his continual progress. He is always moving forward, always ready to get his hands dirty and tackle difficult subjects–all while being there for his fellow students and tradition-mates as they do the same. He is the genuine deal; a real psychic witch who has built a life on being helpful to those in need.

In this book you will not find a bunch of spells to fix your problems; I think the title probably gave that away. What you will find, however, are tools that will help you to unlock your potential as a witch. Our problems in life are usually tied to that very thing: not living up to our potential. It isn’t easy; it is actually some of the most difficult work we can do, but Mat knows this and takes us where we need to go with perfect love and perfect trust in our ability to succeed where we may not have before.

With the mind of a scholar and the heart of a coach, Mat provides us with a new take on often complex and complicated subjects and gives us the keys to unlocking their power within. Rooted in the old mysteries, flavored with the new, Psychic Witch is the book I wish I had had all those years ago; it skillfully continues the discussion of psychism in the craft like no other book before.

Devin Hunter
Author of the Witch Power Series
Founder of the Sacred Fires Tradition of Witchcraft

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EXCERPT FROM PSYCHIC WITCH IS COPYRIGHT MAT AURYN & LLEWELLYN WORLDWIDE, LTD. AND IS REPRINTED HERE WITH PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER. NO PART OF THIS ARTICLE MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY MANNER OR ANY FORMAT WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR AND LLEWELLYN.

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