Table Of ContentFirst published in 2001 by
Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC
With offices at:
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Text copyright © 1930, 1997 Society of the Inner Light
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and
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LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages. Originally published in 1930 by
Rider & Co., London.
Dion Fortune™ is a registered trademark.
ISBN: 978-1-57863-509-2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fortune, Dion
Psychic self-defense / Dion Fortune.—Rev. ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-57863-151-3 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Occultism. 2. Parapsychology. 3. Self-defense—Miscellanea. 4.
Psychology, Pathological—Miscellanea. I. Title.
BF1439 .F67 2001
133.8—dc21
00-045589
Printed in Canada
TCP
15 14 13 12 11 10 9
CONTENTS
EXPLANATORY NOTE
PREFACE
PART I: TYPES OF PSYCHIC ATTACK
1. Signs of Psychic Attack
2. Analysis of the Nature of Psychic Attack
3. A Case of Modern Witchcraft
4. Projection of the Etheric Body
5. Vampirism
6. Hauntings
7. The Pathology of Nonhuman Contacts
8. The Risks Incedental to Ceremonial Magic
PART II: DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS
9. Distinction between Objective Psychic Attack and Subjective Psychic
Disturbance
10. Non-Occult Dangers of the Black Lodge
11. The Psychic Element in Mental Disturbance
PART III: THE DIAGNOSIS OF A PSYCHIC ATTACK
12. Methods Employed in Making a Psychic Attack
13. The Motives of Psychic Attack: Part I
14. The Motives of Psychic Attack: Part II
PART IV: METHODS OF DEFENCE AGAINST PSYCHIC ATTACK
15. Physical Aspect of Psychic Attack and Defence
16. Diagnosis of the Nature of an Attack
17. Methods of Defence: Part I
18. Methods of Defence: Part II
19. Methods of Defence: Part III
20. Methods of Defence: Part IV
CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
OTHER BOOKS BY DION FORTUNE
SOCIETY OF THE INNER LIGHT
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
THIS IS A WARNING to the curious: Times, points of view and fashions
change, but never principles. Those who have formed the impression they
are suffering from some form of psychic attack should take note of this. In
the end, isn't your own projection simply exaggerated into a dramatic
scenario? For the ultimate answer to most of life's problems almost
inevitably lies within oneself.
Sometimes the little ‘self craves for attention at all costs, even attention
that most people would think was unwelcome attention. Whatever you do,
don't dwell on the problem; stand back from it and give yourself space!
Believe and put your trust in something much more positive, bigger, and
better. There are some practical steps that you can take to restore the
balance in your life. Please consider the following:
1. Sever all connections with the suspected originator(s) of the attack, in so
far as this is practical, e.g., if you are living with your attacker, in which
case you should detach and distance yourself as much as you can, and
vigorously assert your own will and don't give in to someone else.
2. Keep away from drugs.
3. Don't meditate while the episode continues. If you have a religious
belief, concentrate on that; e.g., go to Holy Communion, or whatever,
regularly, for example.
4. Keep to a healthy diet, get plenty of sleep and fresh air, and take physical
exercise.
5. Find something positive to do, such as sports or gardening.
6. Some counsellors or psychotherapists are sufficiently open-minded,
knowledgeable, and experienced to help you with your problem. In any
case, before taking that step, it is generally advisable to have a thorough
physical check up, which should be done anyway. The supposed “attack”
may be a simple physical malfunction.
Then and Now: Different Perspectives
This book was written shortly after the beginning of a major change in the
West that brought with it the recognition of the positive contribution
psychology was likely to make in the future. Written over sixty years ago,
Dion Fortune inevitably reflects many commonly held beliefs and attitudes
of that time.
Times have changed, but the underlying principles have not. “Psychic
attack” is really a form of bullying of one sort or another. It is the drive to
dominate, if not crush, a person by invalidating that person—breaking his
or her will. It can take many forms, such as sexual harassment, or political
or religious persecution. It is generally an assault on free will by the
assertion of “superior” power which, so far as the persecutor is concerned,
is best carried out in a controlled environment from which the “victim”
cannot easily escape. Obvious environments would include the workplace;
any close group, institutions of one kind or another including schools,
service units, prisons, cults and sects, the family even. As well as the
victim's own mind.
One solution, after weighing the pros and cons, is leaving that
environment and the “psychic bully” to his or her own devices. What such
a person craves is the means to exercise power over others. Once that is
removed, he or she has failed and is no different from anyone else. The
second Achilles heel of the “persecutor” is activated when he or she is not
taken seriously. He or she must be taken seriously at all costs, otherwise
the power is lost. To be laughed at, or not to be taken seriously, is to turn
the tables on the bully. That it is all very serious is the name of the silly
negative game.
However, it is needless to point out that walking away from an
environment is not always easy and, in doing so one may simply be
exchanging one problem for another. One should be able to appeal to
higher authority, though a sympathetic response from human “superiors”
or law enforcers cannot always be relied on. A third solution is direct
confrontation with the oppressor, as Dion Fortune relates; a similar run-in
of the sort described between East and Flash man in Tom-Brown's
Schooldays. And while that was physical confrontation, it is equally true to
say that in the end all bullies are, at heart, cowards in whatever context.
Negative thought-streams are not always easy to handle since they tend to
be attuned and attracted to the weak spots in a person's psyche. Hence the
particular vulnerability of the inexperienced of either sex when confronted
by an older and therefore seemingly more experienced “adept”.
Without a modicum of self-confidence, or a firm trust in one's ability to
handle the situation using good judgement, one becomes a relatively easy
target.
However, we repeat, the ultimate solution is in the mind of the “victim”;
until the weak spot attracting negative attention and thought-flows is
eliminated or balanced, the problem cannot be properly dealt with.
Strength to bear with, rise above, and overcome the negative influence can
be obtained by sincerely and silently invoking the Christ Force as the
temporarily veiled aspect of one's own Higher nature.
Objective Phenomena
The world mood has swung, to some extent, from demons of the night and
various elementals, some of which are sadly missed, to corn circles, alien
sightings, and abductions, UFOs, etc. However, poltergeists are still in
evidence, though largely linked to young girls approaching puberty.
Similarly, hauntings—the likely consequence of unresolved fragmented
personalities “stuck” in the beyond and unable to proceed in the normal
after-death sequence, still obsessed by a particular habit pattern or event
from which they seem powerless to rid themselves.
