title: The Inner Temple of Witchcraft: Magick, Meditation and Psychic Development (Penczak Temple Series)
author:  Christopher Penczak 
description: These two new titles from Llewellyn focus on witchcraft, or Wicca, a cluster of religious rituals and beliefs deriving from ancient European polytheisms or paganisms. The author of seven books on witchcraft, Grimassi is a practicing Italian witch (a strega) who has researched the history and theory of witchcraft back to antiquity, with a view to recovering and preserving teachings and lore. As a result, the book is primarily a historical study of various European witchcraft traditions. Even when considering magickal techniques for the focusing of natural power or discussing methods of psychic development, the author takes pains to cover their historical development. While Grimassi's book will appeal more to scholars of religion, Penczak's book will appeal to believers and interested casual readers. An active witch and teacher of modern neo-Paganism, Penczak teaches classes (mainly in New England) on witchcraft and various other New Age practices such as reiki, shamanic journeying, and past-life regression. His book aims at using Wiccan techniques (generally termed "Magick") to aid in personal growth. Accordingly, after a brief history and some basic theory of Wiccan spirituality comprising four chapters, there follow 13 lesson-chapters on techniques of spiritual growth, each followed by appropriate exercises. A minor criticism: some of the material discussed, while probably hermetic or occult in origin, is not ordinarily considered Wiccan but pertains to other religious traditions. Astral travel, for instance, is more often a feature of Shamanism, while chakras are a part of yoga. Both books provide a useful introduction to modern witchcraft and are recommended for both academic and public libraries, particularly those with substantial religion collections.<br /><i>James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, VA </i><br />Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
zlib_text: About	the	Author
  Christopher	Penczak	is	an	award-winning	author,	teacher,	healing	practitioner,	and
  eclectic	witch.	His	practice	draws	upon	the	foundation	ofmodern	witchcraft	blended
  with	 the	 wisdom	 of	 mystical	 traditions	 from	 across	 the	 globe.	 He	 has	 studied
  extensively	with	witches,	mystics,	and	healers	in	various	traditions	to	synthesize	his
  own	practice	of	witchcraft	and	healing.	He	is	an	ordained	minister,	herbalist,	flower
  essence	 consultant,	 and	 certified	 Reiki	 Master	 (Teacher)	 in	 the	 Usui-Tibetan	 and
  Shamballa	traditions.	He	is	the	author	of	several	books,	including	The	Inner	Temple
  of	Witchcraft,	The	Temple	of	Shamanic	Witchcraft,	Gay	Witchcraft,	and	Magick	of
  Reiki.
  
  Llewellyn	Publications
  Woodbury,	Minnesota
  
  Copyright	Information
  Instant	Magick:	Ancient	Wisdom,	Modern	Spellcraft	©	2005	by
  Christopher	Penczak.
  All	rights	reserved.	No	part	of	this	book	may	be	used	or	reproduced	in	any
  matter	whatsoever,	including	Internet	usage,	without	written	permissio