Customer Reviews

Psychic Self-Defense

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Ok, first of all if you are a wiccan/witch/neo-pagan, take it easy. Dion Fortune obviously had a different definition for you than you had for yourselves. She saw the term "witch" not as a neo-pagan religion, but as a synonym for practitioners of black magic. As for the people offended by use of racist and class terms, remembber this was written around seventy years ago in a class conscious society. Lastly, as for the people who found her writing to be difficult to read or understand, it is archaic, and filled with references that are no longer common. I also admit that she puts a definite Judeo-Christian spin on things. If you can't deal with any of these facts, then don't read this book. Instead read "Practical Guide to Psychic Self-Defense" by Denning and Phillips and "Monsters" by John Michael Greer, both titles by Lewelleyn. They have the same information, but in greater detail, and they lack the Judo-Christian slant.

If you want to read an excellent first hand account of psychic attack, and the development and mistakes of an occultist, then read Dion Fortune. She is great, the writing is wonderful and witty. She gives tons of information, and she was one of the first people to write on the topic. I recommend this book for those reasons. Plus the stories of her experiences in the beginning of the book are fascinating to say the least.

When reading Dion Fortune, I'm always reminded of afternoons spent with a certain stuffy aunt. She's friendly and interesting to listen to, even if she does have a tendency to meander like a senile sylph. In order to glean any insight, however, one must repress the gut reaction one has to the extreme examples of class bigotry and elitism that overwhelm her otherwise wonderful company.

Psychic Self Defense is a prime example of both Fortune's strengths and weaknesses. The book contains a great deal of good information and advice as to what one should do if they suspect an occult assault of some kind. Thankfully, it also includes a warning to avoid jumping to conclusions. Really, most of the information on how to deal with the attack is spot-on and very useful.

It's the part where she illustrates where these attack are likely to come from that makes one cringe inwardly. Fortune's repeated insistance that the "witch-cult" is behind a large number of these assaults is annoying at first and completely laughable by the end. The fact that she cites Montegue Summers as a reliable source should tell you something. Her argument is based on the assumption that any occultist not approved by the Masonic Brotherhood of Holy Innefable Ango-Saxon Tea-Totalers (or the Knights Who Say NEEE! as it were) is automatically a member of the "Left Hand Path", and thus to be suspected and avoided. That and "there can not have been so much smoke (during the witch hunts) if there hadn't been a fire". This is the sort of statement for which the word "sophistry" was invented. What is completly bewildering is that Fortune never accuses the Mideval Church of any sort of psychic wrongdoing. Creating an entity (Satan) and impregnating it with your repressed sexual desires, mobid fears, and prejudices in order to enslave an entire civilization seems like a psychic attack to me, but I could have misinterpreted.

There are mainy statements in this book, about Africans, Indians, and even (for crying out loud) Buddhists, that are just plain racist. The story of her encounter with the "Occult Police" implies that British Imperialism in India was justified.

It is a shame that good information has to be buried under such a heap of total garbage. Luckily, Fortune is in spite of it all, a superb writer. She is quite witty when she wants to be, and a very good storyteller. This redeems the work in many places, and keeps you reading where you might not if her prose were inferior.

I would reccomend this book just for the information on the signs of an unscrupulous organization, which are farily prosaic and common sense. Much can be learned, if you just tune out the static and listen for what rings true.

I've found most of Dion Fortune's work to be like rummaging through Grandmother's attic -- there's a great deal of dusty, outdated rubbish and a few exquisitely valuable treasures that make the whole search worthwhile. This book is no exception.

Much of her work here hints at a magickal or occult theory of mental illness; there are attempts here to offer magical explanations and occult treatment for people whose psyches are under attack (whether from within or without).

However, Fortune is far more practical than a number of modern writers; the glamorous supernatural approaches aren't emphasized at the expense of the prosaic stuff that works.

Among other recommendations, she suggests that people troubled by psychic attack stop their magickal work, take a vacation, and spend their time in mundane pursuits. (She recommends Charlie Chaplin movies, a reminder of just how long this book's been kicking around). And it's far more palatable than "Stop whining and forget the whole thing," because Fortune's able to provide a sound magickal theory that explains why, precisely, watching Charlie Chaplin ought to do the trick.

There are downsides. It's incredibly Christian in perspective, and it's colored by Fortune's intense aversion to anything Aliester Crowley ever did. And it's too dated to serve as a primary guide for dealing with the delicate space between magick and psychology/psychiatry, since both fields have changed enormously in seventy years.

All that aside, it was worth digging through the attic for.

This book is so serious, scientific and well written that total sceptics I have shown it to are compelled to consider occultism as a science after they've read this one. Not only for the student of the occult and the magician, but also for the "scientific" parapsychologist and the professional exorcist, (e.g. psychologists and psychiatrists) this book is a must. Fascinating, incredible, anecdotic and yet practical and easy to follow, this book helps you recognize and deal with psychic attack on others and on oneself, and most importantly, to differentiate psychic attack from psychological dissorder.With Mystical Cabbalah and Sane Occutlism, the best book by Dion Fortune.

An interesting characteristic of "Psychic Self Defense" is the way it works on several levels at once. First, it's full of very amusing stories about psychic attacks, weird poltergeist phenomena, and black magic activities. Second, for people interested in practicing magic it can be read as a very practical guide for how to defend against various types of psychic attacks. And third, if you read between the lines, it presents excellent and valuable insight into occult philosophy of the mind and different planes of reality, dealing with things such as elemental powers, thought forms (entities that are created by our imagination and take on a life of their own- a very common theme in Chaos Magic), the astral plane, how talismans work, and more. Also, because the book is a bit old now (1930) it read well as a kind of historical document, giving insight into the mindset of a post-Romantic era occult mentality and worldview- somehow it gave me the feel of a cultural anthropology text, in a good way.

While I was reading this book, my girlfriend would occasionally pick it up and was totally fascinated by the stories of psychic attacks- so the book seems to work well simply as pure entertainment. The book would make an excellent inspiration for writers, because it presents a unique worldview and good to draw upon. What I found to be the best element of this book was that, if you read between the lines and put together a general sense of what the authour is saying, you can pick up a lot of information about occult matters that are not directly related to psychic attack, and get an interesting overview of magical philosophy.

The basic theme of Fortune's approach to psychic self defense is that psychic attacks are perpetrated through the powers of the mind (usually involving intense concentration and intent), and often take place through/upon the astral plane. Often, psychic problems occur through the working of our subconscious mind (psychic... psyche), and her brief treatment of "suggestion" (i.e. implanting thought viruses into our subconscious mind, so they effect our behaviour, attitudes, beliefs) gives particularly interesting insights into magic and psychology, and how they interrelate.

I would read particular sections of this book again, and reflect on them for a while because they provide great material for meditation. Overall, it was an easy and entertaining read, though some people may find her writing style a little too old school. I would give it 3.5 stars because it deserves a bit more, but it wasn't good enough for a 4. I would recommend Dion Fortune's "The Mystical Qabalah", it is an absolutely phenomenal book which anyone seriously interested in the kabbalah or magic or mythology can read over and over again.

If I am ever attacked by a black magician, an entity, or a vampire I will be very happy I read this book.

Okay, all you upset Wiccans and multiculturalists take a breath, ground and center. There. Now I want you to keep in mind that in 1930, the Occult Revival was not quite mainstream. There were many charlatans about at the time, and the police were far less sympathetic if you lost money, time, or your reputation to one or more of them (and don't get me started on losing energies to them). People in the English-speaking world did not have much access to accurate information in English about other cultures (something many of us take for granted, being the products of reform in the social sciences that in 1930 were yet to be). They could not just surf the Web and find out enough to tell them whether the new "guru" in town was blowing smoke. Honestly, some of those alleged "gurus" were nothing more than some swarthier-than-average guy with a turban on his head running some kind of scam. You or I would know enough to spot this guy from a mile away, but someone less familiar with Indian or Asian cultures (such as your average European in the early 20th century)could be and were taken in. She warned so much against foreign magickians because Joe and Jane Average English-Speaker generally did not have enough of a clue to know when they were getting in too deep, or being taken advantage of.

Now for the Witches. A) This book predates Gardner by twenty-someodd years and B) If you think that all pre-Wiccan Witchy types were all these sparkly-eyed grandmas living in little cottages in the woods who wouldn't hurt a fly, don't even bother! Magickal knowledge could and did sometimes fall into the hands of petty, jealous people.

Dion Fortune wrote for an audience that was Christian, but had heard a lot about things going on in the Occult Revival, or who were having wierd things going on in their lives. If you keep this in mind, this is actually a wonderful book.

Psychic Self-Defense is Dion Fortune's greatest work to which she holds great pride. It was written for those working within the field of psychic attack and is an absolute must for the serious occultist. While the language may be dated the message is clear and completely accurate. This is the first book that I have found that reads like a text book for my own work. I have found Dion's pragmatism and jovialty completely inspirational. While her book is an extremely serious read, she is quite the opposite. I know that those drawn to this type of publication will come away with a sense of completeness and a new understanding of their work. A great recommendation to those teaching and to their students, whether in colleges for the spiritual or private groups working in this area. Certainly not for the novice or beginner, this book is definately for the more advanced student or teacher.

Written for a layperson of Dion's time(c. 1930), PSYCHIC SELF-DEFENSE achieves an extensive overview of the phenomenon of "psychic attack". Through her exposition on working methods of attack, Dion intends that the reader will be able to construct an imaginative defense, dependent on the nature of attack. To this end, she, wisely, devotes much of the volume to discerning the varying instances and motives of psychic disturbance, including those of vampirism, haunting, astral projection, and use of ceremonial magic. Ending chapters are devoted to specific applications of defense, including the use of the quabalistic cross. The author's focus on psychic actions related to magical work makes the book an excellent introduction to occult practice.

Poor Violet Firth, aka Dion Fortune. As her true personal story unfolds, you learn with her about the disasters of psychic attack, what makes a person vulnerable and what you can do to protect yourself. The information in this book is perhaps dated but this book was a seminal and important work in the early stages of the metaphysical revival in England and America. Fortune, the author of many classics in the metaphysical field, was among the first to speak out on this topic and it is worthwhile to read the book for this reason alone, if you are seriously interested in the development of thought in the metaphysical field. Fortune was briefly a member of The Order of the Golden Dawn until her feud with another important member broke her association. She is a "personality", a "player", a forerunner, a woman of power, a name you should recognize and an author you should have in your personal library.

I found the book well written, practical, and very informative and insightful. It provided clear step by step exercises on how to protect yourself. I learned so much with this one book - it gives enough background information to give a layperson knowledge about occult. The most interesting part was the psychological aspect or influences of occult and it's purpose. Not too different from what advertisers and media do today.