The Inner Temple of Witchcraft: Magick, Meditation and Psychic Development »

Christopher Penczak is an eclectic witch, writer, and healing practitioner. His practice draws upon the foundation of modern Witchcraft blended with the wisdom of mystical traditions from across the globe.

Formerly based in the music industry, Christopher was empowered by his spiritual experiences to live a magickal life, and began a full-time practice of teaching, writing, and seeing clients. His books include the The Inner Temple of Witchcraft: Magick, Meditation, and Psychic Development, The Inner Temple of Witchcraft CD Companion set, City Magick (Red Wheel/Weiser), Spirit Allies (Red Wheel/Weiser), Gay Witchcraft (Red Wheel/Weiser), the award-winning The Outer Temple of Witchcraft: Circles, Spells, and Rituals, The Outer Temple of Witchcraft CD Companion Set, The Witch's Shield, Magick of Reiki, Sons of the Goddess, and the new Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft.

Explore your Inner Temple—your personal sacred space where there are no boundaries and all things are possible. With study, dedication, and practice, the lessons and exercises in this book will empower you to transform the repetitive rigors of the daily grind into a witch's web of magickal experiences.

The Inner Temple of Witchcraft is a thorough course of education, introspection, meditation, and the development of the magickal and psychic abilities that are the birthright of the witch. Four introductory chapters present the history, traditions, and principles of witchcraft, followed by thirteen lessons that start with basic meditation techniques and culminate in a self-initiation ceremony equivalent to the first-degree level of traditional coven-based witchcraft.

As you progress through this year-and-a-day course of study, you will explore a wide range of topics that support and inform the dedicated witch:
• Ancient and modern magickal philosophy
• Modern scientific theories supporting a new definition of reality
• "Instant" magick techniques for protection, healing, and serenity
• Energy work and anatomy, including chakras and auras
• Astral travel, dreams, and spirit guides
• Healing techniques for body, mind, and spirit This book's non-dogmatic presentation encourages an eclectic, personal approach while providing a strong foundation for the practice of witchcraft and magick. Develop your psychic abilities and practice potent magickal techniques as you explore the source of every witch's power—the temple within.

Winner of the 2003 Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Award for Best Magic Book

Library Journal

These two new titles from Llewellyn focus on witchcraft, or Wicca, a cluster of religious rituals and beliefs deriving from ancient European polytheisms or paganisms. The author of seven books on witchcraft, Grimassi is a practicing Italian witch (a strega) who has researched the history and theory of witchcraft back to antiquity, with a view to recovering and preserving teachings and lore. As a result, her book is primarily a historical study of various European witchcraft traditions. Even when considering magickal techniques for the focusing of natural power or discussing methods of psychic development, the author takes pains to cover their historical development. While Grimassi's book will appeal more to scholars of religion, Penczak's book will appeal to believers and interested casual readers. An active witch and teacher of modern neo-Paganism, Penczak teaches classes (mainly in New England) on witchcraft and various other New Age practices such as reiki, shamanic journeying, and past-life regression. His book aims at using Wiccan techniques (generally termed "Magick") to aid in personal growth. Accordingly, after a brief history and some basic theory of Wiccan spirituality comprising four chapters, there follow 13 lesson-chapters on techniques of spiritual growth, each followed by appropriate exercises. A minor criticism: some of the material discussed, while probably hermetic or occult in origin, is not ordinarily considered Wiccan but pertains to other religious traditions. Astral travel, for instance, is more often a feature of Shamanism, while chakras are a part of yoga. Both books provide a useful introduction to modern witchcraft and are recommended for both academic and public libraries, particularly those with substantial religion collections.-James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, VA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Contents

List of Exercises . . . ix

List of Figures . . . xi

Introduction: What Is the Inner Temple? . . . 1

Chapter One
Ask a Witch . . . 7

Chapter Two
Digging for the Roots . . . 17

Chapter Three
Flavors of Witchcraft . . . 41

Chapter Four
The Witch's Path . . . 59

Chapter Five
Lesson One—The Magickal Mind . . . 71

Chapter Six
Lesson Two—Meditation . . . 93

Chapter Seven
Lesson Three—The Magick of Science . . . 119

Chapter Eight
Lesson Four—The Science of Magick . . . 129

Chapter Nine
Lesson Five—The Art of Defense . . . 167

Chapter Ten
Lesson Six—The Power of Light . . . 181

Chapter Eleven
Lesson Seven—Energy Anatomy . . . 193

Chapter Twelve
Lesson Eight—Journey Work . . . 221

Chapter Thirteen
Lesson Nine—Spirit Work . . . 237

Chapter Fourteen
Lesson Ten—The Inner Temple . . . 259

Chapter Fifteen
Lesson Eleven—Healing . . . 273

Chapter Sixteen
Lesson Twelve—Born Again . . . 291

Chapter Seventeen
Lesson Thirteen—Initiation . . . 305

Appendix: Self-Test . . . 323

Bibliography . . . 329

Index . . . 333