Natural Witchery (4 page)

7. I make major decisions quickly and correctly, as if by instinct. (yes/no)

8. I wake up right before the alarm clock goes off in the morning. (yes/no)

9. While working magick, I follow my instincts more than correspondences or guides. (yes/no)

10. I consider myself a quiet and contemplative type of person. (yes/no)

Empathy Quiz

1. As I enter a room, my first thoughts and impressions are usually about how the room “feels” to me. (yes/no)

2. I am easily influenced by other people's moods and emotions. (yes/no)

3. Being in a large crowd makes me feel physically uncomfortable and
bombarded emotionally. (yes/no)

4. When I meet someone for the first time, I gather my impressions and
assess them by how they make me feel, despite how they act. (yes/no)

5. I find the atmosphere in hospitals to be very uncomfortable, to the point where I feel physically ill. (yes/no)

6. I dislike and will try to avoid casual touching in social situations. (yes/no)

7. Having heirloom items or antiques in my home makes me feel uncomfortable because of the memories they carry. (yes/no)

8. I experience a feeling of “butterflies in the stomach” or a tightening of the solar plexus area when I am contemplating the possibility of an angry verbal confrontation or physical danger. (yes/no)

9. I am able to sense another person's emotional state by touching them.
(yes/no)

10. I have my feelings hurt very easily and am quickly moved to tears. (yes/no)

Scoring the Test

Yes = 2 points

No = 0 points

Add up the scores and see which of the five areas you scored the highest in. Remember that you are going to have five separate scores. Use the following list to give yourself points for each of your answers in their respective categories. You may find there were a few sections that are very close in score—and if so, that's normal. We all use a mixture of intuitive abilities. The highest section that you scored in overall will show you where you natural psychic talents lie. Once you have checked out your scores, be sure to look at the following section, “Types of Psychic Abilities,” where there is more detailed information about each of these five types of psychic abilities and also some insights as to why certain statements were on the quiz.

Section Scores

If you scored 0–8

My friend, you have work to do! You don't often pay attention to your psychic abilities, or perhaps you lack faith in them. You may sense
something
but are often at a loss as to how to tune in and understand the messages you receive. Now, it may simply be that this particular psychic ability is not your area of expertise, or you may need to open up your mind a bit and explore all the possibilities … time will tell. Work the exercises in this chapter and get those intuitive skills up and running!

If you scored 10–14

You are usually in touch with this psychic sense, even though you may not understand what is happening. Confidence is the keyword here. Keep track of your experiences, and document and validate them. In time, a pattern will emerge, and you will begin to comprehend your individual intuitive skills better than you ever imagined. Practice the Easy as 1-2-3 exercise on page 11, and try using your intuitive skills every day. Pick a favored divinatory tool and start working it!

If you scored 16–20

You are very aware that you have psychic abilities and rely on this particular talent often. While you may not have much practical experience combining them with magick, this shouldn't be hard for you to dive into. Read further along for more information on your particular area of skill, and then begin incorporating this intuitive side of your personality into your magick for some truly spectacular results.

Types of Psychic Abilities:
How to Incorporate Them into Your Magick

Clairaudience

Clairaudience means “clear hearing”: think of having psychic headphones on. This power is often centered at the base of the throat and up and around the lower sides of your head, around the ear area. Telepathy is associated with clairaudience, though telepaths often hear other people's voices or occasionally thoughts from another person's mind, or they simply hear what is not said—think of it as “hearing between the lines.” This form of psychic information may seem a little creepy to some folks—and unless you are used to listening to your own inner monologue, it can be startling. With this type of psychic ability, the inner voice is usually a subtle and gentle nudge. If a feeling of nervousness or unease accompanies the “messages,” then it may be very loud indeed, in order to get your attention.

Clairaudience involves the reception of extrasensory signals as a word, a sound, or even a song. Individuals who have this ability often try to talk themselves out of it. They are analytical thinkers and need to have clairaudience proved to them, and often. Since they pick up so much anyway, it's easy for them to tune it out and dismiss the impressions as coincidences. So how do you tell the difference between background noise and telepathic receptions? You pay attention to your body—it will be accompanied by a physical reaction. You get a rush, your face may feel warmer, your stomach muscles tighten, or your stomach “drops.”

If you'd like to incorporate clairaudience into your magickal life, try asking yourself questions about planned spells or rituals, and then “listen” to your inner voice for the answers. Mantras and keywords will also work wonderfully for you, so choose a few positive ones and repeat them silently in your head when you need them. For a protection mantra, try this: “I stand in circles of light that nothing may cross.” To boost your prosperity, try “I manifest prosperity in my life, in many ways and every single day.” For self-healing, try “I manifest health, happiness, and strength for myself in the best possible way.” For keywords, that's really easy. Just pick a few, such as “health,” “success,” “protection,” or “wisdom”—you get the idea. Most folks who have strong clairaudient tendencies are quick thinkers, very direct, and are the no muss, no fuss type. So just keep it simple, and go with what works the best for you!

Clairvoyance

This term means “clear seeing.” A clairvoyant sees images and pictures that may be symbolic, or they can be as intense as watching a miniature psychic movie scene inside your mind. These visual images are spiritual messages. This psychic talent is linked to the third eye chakra, where you receive the visual images from your mind's eye. To sharpen the images, try closing your eyes. This shifts your focus internally, and it has always done the trick for me.

There are a few different types of clairvoyant images. There can be a perceived picture, symbol, or an actual full-blown vision that lasts a moment or two. Here a psychic scene plays out in your mind, and these may be scenes from the past, present, or future. The environment you are in, the way people appear, the clothing, and the atmosphere will tip you off as to whether you are looking at the past, present, or future. Also ask yourself, slowly, “Am I seeing the past … present … or future?” Note which word causes a physical reaction, such as the solar plexus tightening. Whichever word causes a physical reaction, there's your answer.

You can incorporate clairvoyance into your magick quickly and easily. How? By using visualization. If you can't visualize, your spells will flop. Having a talent for receiving visual images and messages is like having the volume turned up on magick. You've got the power already, so just crank it and get ready to rock and roll. Envision your spell's outcome and see it as being manifested. Since you are already a visual type of person, this is a snap. Also, setting up and plotting out magick will be a breeze for you, as you have that mental picture to focus on.

On an interesting note, clairvoyance is linked to precognitive dreams. Since dreams are visual images, they do go hand in hand with clairvoyance. Chances are if you scored high in clairvoyance, then your precognitive dreams score is higher as well. So look over the next section, too, and see what you discover.

Precognitive Dreams

Precognitive dreams are usually full of symbols and emotions and have a vivid type of compelling force behind them. The easiest way to tell the difference between just a dream and a precognitive dream is the strength it carries behind it. These vivid dreams may jolt you awake or pop into your head as you lay in bed in the morning waking up. Also, you are usually present and have an active role in these dreams. Interpreting these dreams for yourself isn't difficult after all of the psychic senses are linked together. Look back at the dream, and ask yourself what you felt and what phrases popped into your mind. What do you
just know
about them?

Keeping a dream journal is one way to notice patterns and trends. For example, women may find that at different times of their monthly cycle they will have more vivid dreams. Also, the moon's cycles of waxing and waning may come into play. Keeping track of your dreams by noting the date and lunar phase—and of course writing them down—will offer you valuable clues. In your dream journal, you can jot down your dreams, and note any emotions or intuition that you feel as you transcribe the dream. In time, you will begin to notice patterns and symbols.

Intuition

Intuition is an immediate insight sensed as a cognition or apprehension: the “gut hunch.” With this talent, you go with your gut—and follow your heart. This ability of intuition is also called “prophetic knowing.” In the simplest terms, you
know
. The area of energy in the body that this ability comes from is the top of your head: the crown chakra. The great thing about intuition is that it's lightning fast. You don't have to examine the visions (as a clairvoyant would) or consider that internal voice and then interpret what the messages mean (as a clairaudient does). Again, you'll know. And that knowledge will ring clear for you, and you will recognize it to be true to your very soul. You will experience that sensation in your gut—a “hunch”—and you can then quickly follow your instincts.

Since intuitive folks are so sure, confident, quick, and clever, they are the least likely to worry and fret about the outcome of things. So if this is your area of power, use this to your advantage in magick. Get in there and follow your inner wisdom, and do the magickal work you know to be the best for yourself and the situation. Follow your instincts, and see where they lead you. Use your intuition as a quick, practical, and clever guide to magick and spellcraft.

Empathy

Empathy is also known as clairsentience. An empath is a person who can physically “tune in” to the emotional experience of a person or place. They sense attitudes, emotions, and sometimes physical ailments. It is believed that empaths sense the vibrations and “feel” of the human aura. The aura is the naturally occurring energy field that surrounds all living things. It can be seen, felt, and even photographed. Every aura is unique, and it leaves traces behind, no matter where you go. The aura may, in fact, linger around objects or places and that “lingering energy” is what an empath senses and intuits. I should also point out here that the ability to read objects is called psychometry.

In psychometry, an empath senses a person's energy that lingers on an object, such as a ring, for example. They read this information through touch and can deduce information about the individual's personality and life, whether they are living or deceased. They sense and feel on an emotional level who the person truly is (or was). This psychometric ability is strongly tied into the emotions, just as you'd expect with an empath.

The psychic reception area for an empath is located in the solar plexus region and is linked to the same chakra point. In this area of the body there are tons of nerve networks, and they flare out over the abdomen like an intricate web. This chakra point is tied into your creativity and your emotions, which takes the mystery right out of why this is an empath's power center. With an empath, it's all about how they feel: what emotions they pick up and what sentiments they sense.

Empaths can be overly sensitive to touch from a stranger or may dislike crowds, antiques, or environments such as hospitals. So they have to learn how to “toughen up” and block overwhelming memories and sensations. I'm not being unsympathetic here; I'm one of those people who is very empathic. It can be tough, but I learned how to block and shield so I wouldn't be so overwhelmed by other people, their memories, and emotions all the time.

For empaths, psychic protection is a necessity. Take the time to ground yourself and to “zip up” those chakras so you don't become bombarded with other people's negativity and bad vibes. Visualize a shield of blue light surrounding you. Also, I have found that folding your arms across your middle will block out any negative emotions as well. This gesture physically blocks all those psychic receptors in the solar plexus region, and it muffles them, giving you an immediate break.

Also, in a pinch, if you are feeling bombarded with other people's emotions, try washing your hands—running cold water over your hands will break the emotional link. Just quietly excuse yourself to go to the restroom. This gives you the opportunity to walk away from an overwhelming situation or person that you are picking up on. Once you have physically removed yourself from the situation or person, ground yourself and then follow that up by washing your hands. Quick, clever, and very, very effective.

In magick, empaths have a built-in safety net to keep them from even considering negative work. Why? Because it's very easy for an empath to understand exactly how it would feel to be on the receiving end of manipulative magick. On the plus side, empathy can help you work a spell for another. Your emotions are easily matched to theirs, and this can be a large help while working, let's say, a requested healing spell for another person. With empaths, their emotions and compassion always lead their magick. So if this is your strongest trait, then celebrate it, and let your sentiments guide you into strong, beautiful, compassionate, and ethical magick.