Magick
with a 'K'
Magick is not to be confused with magic. The latter is quite often used to describe sleight of hand, conjuring tricks and illusion. The former is the old spelling of the word and is quite simply the ability to influence and bring change, through the direction of will.
A true psychic spends much of his or her time in another world which is known as The Astral Plane, Fourth Dimension, The Causal Plane, Etheric Plane, or the collective unconscious. This other world or Astral Plane can appear to be a mirror image of the physical world, yet not as solid as it is not made from matter, like Earth. It is composed of energy, not the energy we call matter, but less dense energies. The Astral Plane is a collective pool of everybody's thoughts, emotions, drives and desires, who are living at present, but also of everyone who has ever lived, and because it is not governed by linear time, it can reveal the future of those not yet born into physical reality. It is The Gateway to The Spirit World or Fifth Dimension. The world between the worlds. Betwixt and between. The Magickal World. The Realm of Soul. The Akashic Records can be found by journeying through here - a kind of spiritual reference library for psychics and shamans, which shows all, as it is, was and ever will be. However, one may only gain entrance if he or she is of pure intent and can pass The Guardian of The Threshold. It is here, yet not here in the physical sense. It is in the twilight zone, so to speak. Most psychic experiences happen here. Ordinary, down-to-earth types can suddenly find themselves on The Astral Plane, when they 'see' or 'feel' a ghost, a Spirit Light or Guide, an Angel, a deceased relative, a fairy, or anything else 'other worldly' which cannot be explained away in solely physical terms.
Altered states, psychic abilities, meditation, trance, sleep, fatigue, sex, alcohol, drugs, sudden trauma, psychic attack, shock, severe stress and death, can bring you into contact with The Astral Plane. Many people who go through near death experiences and out of body experiences, find themselves floating or flying on The Astral Plane. There are also others who awaken from sleep with a sudden jolt, accompanied by a terrifying feeling of falling through their beds, these are people who have had their Astral journey interrupted by something disturbing their physical bodies while they were out travelling. The sudden return of the Astral Body back into the physical body can create a condition called Astral whiplash. The symptoms are one or more of the following: Fogginess, confusion, irritability, headache, fatigue and malaise. This can be remedied with certain techniques, the most simple being, to go to sleep even for just a few minutes, so that the Astral and physical bodies may merge and align correctly. If this is happening unbidden on a regular basis it would be wise to receive some Spiritual Healing, and perhaps seek some guidance for the development of psychic abilities.
Shamans and witches have often been depicted in flight either as a bird (or on the back of a bird), or riding a broomstick or pitchfork. This of course, is not to be taken literally, like in children's stories. These images are symbolic of journeying into other realms. (Most of the witches who were persecuted through fear, ignorance and religious mania, the very ones who were tortured, burned or hanged, were often in fact, healers and seers - quite innocent and working for the greater good). Some, but not all, used herbs and mushrooms to loosen their grip on physical reality, and travelled on The Astral Plane to find the causes and cures of illness or dis-ease. Likewise, with the shamans travelling into the Soul Realm to find healing, perform soul rescue or to spellcast. Magickal people have often used the energies of plants, minerals, oils, incenses, sound and the five elements of the ancient world; Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Spirit to help them channel, focus and direct their spellcasting whilst working on The Astral Plane or they have used them simply for healing and balancing those in need.
A genuine psychic, clairvoyant, medium, shaman, healer, witch, wizard, magickian or whatever you want to call someone with 'The Sight' should have, over time, learned not only through experiencing in a passive-receptive state of consciousness, but also learned how to master the energies of the Astral (or Astral Forces as the are known), through a series of Soul tests and trials or Initiations, which in turn brings wisdom, strength, stamina and magickal power or Astral Light, which can then be used in an active-creative way. A conscious, deliberate and wilful influence can then be made on The Astral Plane, which, through a ripple effect (otherwise known as 'The Law of Karma' or reaping that which you have sown), it can then, in time, come to effect the Physical Plane and bring about the desired change or outcome. This is true magick. It is not usually performed alone as this can be dangerous. Most magickal, psychic and spiritual journeys are taken with a Guide (human spirit or animal), with a Holy Guardian Angel, or a Master in The High Magickal Arts.