Psychic Self-Defense: The Classic Instruction Manual for Protecting Yourself Against Paranormal Attack Paperback – August 1, 2011

Man. This book. 😅 What. A. Trip.I'll start with the cons because I'm catty like that. First off, this author is an insane person. Between her descriptions of psychic wars, hallucinating giant cats/ wolves come to attack her and talking about continuing to live in a house after one of her roommates chased her around the kitchen with a knife, I get the impression that she isn't the most psychologically sound. I don't care what occult powers you have, if someone tries to kill you maybe leave? 🤔 maybe don't wait to see if magic will fix it? She's also like; "well I published this article accusing other witches of doing shady stuff with no proof because my intuition told me so and then had to protect myself because people got mad which is definitely proof that I was right and not at all because I accused them of stuff without any solid evidence or proof" 😅 like, psychic protection is cool and all but have you ever tried 🙌 basic common sense 🙌?I read some of the critical reviews but I've long been into occult stuff so I thought I'd give it a shot, anyway. It is true that she spends most of the book talking about the scary psychic stuff out there; vampires, manipulators, ghosts, demons, and much less time on what can actually be DONE to protect oneself. I also kinda had to laugh when she kept bringing up the evil of Hatha Yoga and the Left Hand Path. I guess I'm not too familiar with left hand path stuff but what I have read of it, it just sounds a whole lot less crazy than this woman.But. Having said all that.I would still say it's worth the read. (So long as you read with a grain of salt). There were some concepts and ideas that I got a lot out of and seen consistent with other psychic self-defense books/ courses I've enjoyed. For example, the idea of approaching the source with more neutrality, because what ever you push against or cling to will ultimately create a psychic tie. It's kinda almost in line with Brene Brown's idea that in conflict you want to avoid "shrinking or puffing up" -- basically, what you fear or desire, you give power to. I liked her idea that you have to meet a harmful energy with an equally as powerful healing energy, such as meeting spite with compassion, etc.Another thing this and other books I've been reading has made me more aware of is marketing and even social media as being forms of psychic attack. I hadn't thought of it that way before, but can definitely see how advertising is a form of psychic attack. Some of this book takes it to the extreme, but you have to be aware of the darkness that exists in the world if you're going to protect yourself from it. I disagree with reviewers who say that reading this book will "make" you paranoid. I think awareness and preparation is different than paranoia. It's not going to make you paranoid unless you allow it to.I also appreciated the part where she was talking about mental manipulation, basically saying that ultimately no one can be made to do something which they don't consent to, and the degree of influence one person has over another depends on the degree of rapport, which is something that is built over time. This inspires me as a healer (I'm an Acupuncturist and TCM practitioner) to focus more on building rapport with patients as opposed to "telling them what to do" which can elicit shame and resistance.Did have one slightly creepy thing happen to me while reading, though. She mentions a murder by magic in the book, so I figured I'd Google it. Get to the page and my phone started WIGGING out. The screen was moving up and down like it was having a seizure or something. 😳 My phone has never done that before or since. I wonder if it wasn't my own guides protecting me from having black magic energy in my psychic field...(the whole reason for reading the book! 😅)Anyways. Overall, I'm glad I read it, but would recommend "the witches shield" by Christopher Penzak over this any day. He just has a much more grounded, kind approach. I also would recommend "existential kink" by Carolyn Elliott and "the little work" by Durgadas Allon Duriel for the shadow work part of psychic self protection. Dion Fortune does make a good point that you can only protect yourself from what is outside of yourself; but internal demons you are stuck with until you alchemize them. Also, would suggest "body keeps the score" because anyone struggling with psychic boundaries has more than likely had some trauma and/or substance addiction which created the psychic tears in the first place.I'd say read it and feel free to laugh at the appropriate parts. Don't give the things she says toooo much credence, at the end of the day, the more you get caught up thinking about the creepy stuff out there, the more power you give it... If you're grounded and have a handle on your own psychological weak points, there are no boogey man that can get to you. If you are healthy in body, spirit and mind, (and get you some Acupuncture 🙃) you will be resilient against any of the nasties out there!🙏 Good luck to you on your spiritual journey. You got this.

Before the Wiccan movement, Dion Fortune secured her place as a serious occultist in the Western Mystery Tradition with The Mystical Qabalah, generally acknowledged as one of the best introductions to the foundation of Victorian style occultism. That wasn’t her only book, though. Others included some novels and short stories.In Psychic Self-Defense, the author portrays herself as constantly the underdog. But with a measure of natural talent, a dash of formal training and good old-fashioned English pluck, she defeats endless attacks by forces of evil, including nefarious Indian types.90% of the book is made of fictional-sounding occult adventures whose scope would seem to leave little time for anything else, including writing. If you enjoy mystery-mongering and tales of occult derring do, you’ll like it.I can’t say for certain she doesn’t allow the truth to get in the way of a good story, but that is my impression. The only counter-argument I might accept is it is just her style of writing. She’s always the occult Mary Poppins in the right place at the right time, facing down everything from miniature snapping human heads at the foot of her bed to tiger-sized tabbies in the parlour with hardly a hair out of place, her self-effacing humor usually intact.At the end, she finally makes some good points and reveals some secrets that are even less secret today than they were back in the day. Nonetheless, you might find something useful, but it’s clear the more dramatic techniques like wielding Swords of Power are more to her taste. Given, however, the paucity of books on the subject, I give it a very qualified recommendation.It’s a two-star book with a third tacked on for style.One thing is worth mentioning. The dangers to beginners are, first, imagining that psychic attacks are common and at the root of their problems; and second, that they’ll be encouraged to attempt some pretty questionable techniques. If it’s not for beginners, it’s of slight use to old hats.I think this classic is best read in the spirit of Ripping Yarns of the Occult.

The following is a true story. When I was in high school, there was a boy that I never had any romantic interest in—until suddenly it hit me. After years of knowing him, it was like I saw him for the first time. I couldn’t wait to be around him. And he started being rude to me—making a snide comments here and there. Despite usually being a feisty thing, I found myself unable to say anything back.Then one day my sister came home from college and brought a copy of this book. The title seemed intriguing, so I read it—and came upon a section about mental influence. I then got a sinking feeling in my belly. I decided to try out one of the recommended techniques in the book when I saw the boy at school the next day. I visualized a brick wall between us, and then when I had to speak to him, it was a pane of glass. He made one of his usual snide remarks and I whipped my head around (pane of glass in place) and gave him a verbal lashing in return. A look of astonishment came over his face. He then never said another rude thing to me, and avoided me for the rest of high school. Coincidence? Maybe. But a few months later a friend of mine had to go over to his house to work on a project and mentioned that he had “all these weird books about demonology.”Now that I’m an adult with an e-reader, I never have to be without my copy of psychic self-defense. If you have a bad feeling about someone or a strange streak of bad luck, this is a must read.

Good read, great delivery, even better content of this small, but wise book. It mentions a few times god and christian views, but doesn't obsessively make you believe in them. Gives you overall information, cases which are personal to the author, educates you on what to look out for in order to defend yourself, even if not specifically detailed about it.Definitely would recommend!

Fantastic insight not only to occult matters but also the history and psychology of Victorian and Edwardian imperialism. Well worth the readers time.

Best info in this book is. The greatest protection comes from God, wayward minds are powerful things. Ask our Father in Heaven to light our way.

I came across Dion Fortune having been reading some books on Alchemy. The style of writing is quite dated and quite subjective, but there are some interesting points, especially some practical exercises for protecting ones aura and breaking psychic links.I suspect that there are more contemporary worms on the subject which the modern reader might find more relevant but it is a classic book in its field.

Very strange edition! The hardcover is the size of children's book, and it's got big letters and tiny margins. Many words are oddly spelled, like if the editor didn't do a good job.