The Inner Temple of Witchcraft: Magick, Meditation and Psychic Development (Christopher Penczak's Temple of Witchcraft Series, 1)

This book changed my life. I know that’s an extraordinary claim, but it’s completely true. As a professional psychic and witch people often ask me questions like “What’s a good book for psychic ability?” or “What’s a good book for starting Witchcraft?” The first answer out of my mouth is always The Inner Temple of Witchcraft: Magick, Meditation and Psychic Development by Christopher Penczak. How did it change my life? Before I read the book I was not a professional psychic, I would say my ability was about average. This book elevated my abilities – both psychic and magickal – and I strongly believe it will for anyone who reads it cover to cover and actually does the work within it, taking it seriously. His work also put me back on the path of Witchcraft when I had veered away from it, realizing there’s much depth I previously hadn’t explored. Do not be deceived by it’s appearance as a 101 book. While it is an intro and foundational book, there is extreme depth here. It’s strength is in returning to the basics and bringing depth to it. Not only is it just a study of witchcraft, psychic ability and energy manipulation, but Christopher teaches how to actually do these things. There’s also a CD companion for this book in which Christopher leads you through most of the exercises within the book. Some of the psychic exercises are adaptations from what he was taught when studying under Laurie Cabot, who is known worldwide for her psychic ability, including accurately finding missing bodies for the police. However, some think that if they’ve read or studied under Laurie Cabot then they pretty much know everything in this book – this is definitely not true, as Christopher brings so much more to the table. One of the superpowers that Christopher has is not only the fact that he’s a living occult encyclopedia – but he’s able to take very complex topics and break it down in such an easy to understand manner and with such a clear and simple writing style. From building a relationship with deity and spirits, understanding how energy works and how to manipulate it, how to harness the Hermetic Principles to your advantage, diagnosing people from a distance, healing others, to astral projection and remote viewing – Christopher lays out a strong foundation for anyone’s metaphysical or occult practice. The book sets you up to develop an internal temple from which you can not only access information unavailable by external means, but also a place to perform magick and commune with the gods. I think anyone who overlooks this book is committing an act of foolishness.

The Inner Temple of Witchcraft by Christopher Penczak is a Wonderfully Superb tool of Learning for any one in the craft New and Old. The very basic foundation of Witchcraft is laid out in such a firm solid logical way with such wonderful detail that even the old pros at the craft can learn something I have been in the craft for over 3 years I have run my own coven in the past and am finding so much I didn't know about the History and even myself through Christopher Penczaks teachings This book goes with a Set of Guided Exercises that you have to purchase seperately which I find to be such a help with the guided meditation exercises that everyone who is serious about learning from this book needs to get ahold of the CD's for ease of doing the exercises. The author tells you things about himself like when he started the craft he was a skeptic and only joined a friend as an experiment as he was a very scientific minded indivitual and if you couldn't see and prove something existed then it wasn't there. As time went by he found that he believed in things he never thought possible do to his friend being able to prove the things that he didn't get physical proof of being there as real. She put it in to a place he could understand it. Kinda the same theory of Air you can't see it you can't touch it and you can't really prove that it is there without a whole bunch of expencive peices of Scientific equipment. Well however you know it is there by the Air's effects on the enviorment the sway of the leaves, It brushing against you when it moves fast, Hair blowing in the wind as you drive a motor bike or a convertable. So that is kinda the same idea. I love the fact this author gets personal and lets you get to know him and his journy through his personal testamony of his path to the craft of the wise. He tells you that he sees a Witch as being a wise person who is doing an art and a science and that Witches are pretty much the same as a tribal wise person would be in the anceint civilizations. He is very competant and well spoken and clear in what he is communicating. I recommend this book to all who are curious about the craft or who have a already established love of it and a working knowledge of it. If i had to rate this book from 1-10 one being lowsy and ten being the best book i've ever read I would have to give it a 20 that is how good it is. I can't say it enough this is the greatest book on witchcraft i have found.

I am still working my way through this book but really love it. There is good information in a format that makes it easy to read. I plan on getting the other books in this series.

Finally a book that presents a refreshing change on magick and the Craft as opposed to "here's a billion and one spells (go play with matches)". This book explains what magick is about, how magick works and most importantly why magick works. This book goes behind the scenes,so to speak on what happens when you are creating a ritual and/or spell. It also explains to the magickal practitioner what happens as a result of such ritual and/or spell. It is my opinio that today too many people have no knowledge, interest and/or understanding on how magick really works, what makes it work etc - they are just interested in the "quick fix" result - which is great for those wishing to line their pockets, but not for the rest of us who have to go around picking up the pieces. People have turned their backs on solid foundational teaching to cash in on the "fad" - however, I do believe that there are an increasing number of people who have gone beyond the "fad" stage and are interested in the REAL stuff - they want to know about magick, how it works, the hermetic laws, etc - all to gain a deeper understanding of what they are doing. As a magickal practitioner, both in Craft and hermetic magick, for over 15 years, it was refreshing to pick up something that (1) provided solid and accurate information, (2) didn't provide any fluff (or a billion and one spells), and (3) focused on the nuts and bolts of what should be included in basic magickal training. This book will be added to my recommended reading list for the Temple of the Dark Moon's Outer Court training circles because it provides the student with a solid foundation onto which they can build their own magickal temple - something which is rarely offered these days.

This book is wonderful. I wish I had discovered it much earlier in my exploration of magick and witchcraft. I've been studying the occult on my own off and on for the past 14 years or so, but haven't practiced much. This is mainly because while I read works by a lot of different notable authors, Scott Cunningham, Raven Grimassi, Edain McCoy, Orion Foxwood, Janet and Stewart Ferrar, Robin Artisson, I never read anything that fully explained and gave instruction on the energy manipulation behind magick. This book did just that. So many other books gave instructions on how to perform spells and rituals but not really how to make them work. I always felt like I was just going through motions and saying words without actually connecting to any real power. I have a fairly logical scientific mind so when I didn't see results I got discouraged. This book is amazing. It explains how and why magick works in a clear, informative, and accessible way. Not only does it contain alot of great information, but whats great about this book (and Penczak's Temple Series in general) is that provides structure, it breaks everything down into specific lessons and execises which when you're a solitary practitioner really helps you get into a routine practice schedule. I know I sound corny, but the idea of being a solitary practitioner has always felt lonely to me. I've always wished I had a teacher to guide me and I feel like I found one with this book (again, corny). I'm even considering taking the online course through Penczak's templeofwitchcraft.org

I have read a good number of the beginning Wicca books out there, and I reached the point where they were all saying the same thing. This book is an excellent next step. Once you know what a witch is and all the basic stuff, this book helps you experience it all with many meditation exercises. I just finished reading the book, but have not done all the exercises yet. He starts out simple, with meditations like "feeling energy" and "total relaxation." Then he moves on to programming your "instant magick trigger" (to enter a meditative state on the spot, no matter where you are), and mental projection (which is transferring your consciousness to another object, like a crystal, place, time, or even living being). There is a series of meditations on the aura and chakras, and finally several on various forms of simple divinations (by that I mean techniques which don't require much in the way of tools, such as the pendulum and automatic writing) and communicating with your spirit guides. The book is structured like a class. Each chapter builds on previous chapters. In each chapter, there are other tasks in addition to the exercises. Usually they are very simple but powerful, like maintaining a daily journal of your experiences and dreams. He also includes recommended reading in case you want to research a topic in more depth. One thing I liked very much about this author was his willingness to explain various perspectives and interpretations on different topics. For example, while discussing reincarnation, he described the beliefs of several schools of thought in addition to his own, including Christian, Hindu, and ancient Celtic beliefs. It is nice to read a book where the author does not believe he or she is the top authority in any topic he or she writes about. As much as I liked this book, I had to take a whole star off for his inaccuracy in the science parts. I am a physicist and mathematician, so I usually know when I read something about science that is just plain wrong. I was willing to forgive the author on a few misinterpretations of quantum mechanics, because, frankly, that's not an easy subject for most people to get. But when he came out and said something incorrect about classical mechanics, I realized he probably didn't run his draft by a scientist before going to print. I believe the line I am referring to mentioned adding inertia to energy while explaining the Law of Three. Everything has inertia; it is not a measureable quantity, so nothing can gain or lose it. What is important, ultimately, is that you can still gain so much from this book without even reading the scientific parts. Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to listen to the companion CDs to this book, so I cannot comment on them. I can imagine they would be helpful because some of the meditations in this book are a bit long for a person by him- or herself. In all, I found this to be a very good book full of inspiration for the beginning witch. Just don't take his science literally.

If you are a solitary Wiccan you need this book. It goes way beyond your typical Wicca 101 books by Cunningham, etc. Although I like Scott Cunningham as well. Christopher lays the groundwork for everything you need to know to take your magickal practice to the next level. His teaching style is so good, it feels like you are sitting in a room with him as he is speaking to you. When I first glanced through the book I thought there is no way I could learn this stuff. But as you read it he makes it so clear and gives practical exercises that build upon one another as you go. By the end you will be an expert. After reading this one I purchased the next in the series, and the next, and the next. Yes, he's that good.

I bought this book years ago when I first came to the craft and have to say I've learned so much from Mr. Penczak. First though I want to say in regards to some of the less than stellar reviews I've seen about this book that people really need to pay attention. First: Christopher clearly states that this is a beginner book. Not only that but this is only the FIRST book of a series of five, each getting more progressive. I can't count how many times it is stated in ITOW that this book serves as a foundation to greater works in WITCHCRAFT, not Wicca, which brings me to my next point. Second: Penczak does not claim to be Wiccan. He said others lable him as Wiccan but he openly says he is a witch and practices witchcraft. Not everyone that is Wiccan practices witchcraft and not everyone that practices the Craft is Wiccan. before writing a bad review about something please make sure your facts are straight. About the book: this is a very good foundation book into the Craft. I've read 101 books before this but didn't quite understand the flow of things until ITOW. As Christopher says you need to understand not only how to cast spells but why you use the tools you use and the words you use. Understanding "why" is just as important, if not more so, as casting the spell itself. This book gives you a better understanding on the "why" so you can use your fullest magical potential wisely.

Another amazing book

Love this book. It's a hefty tome both in size and price but so worth it. It's not the sort of book you can read in one sitting or holiday. It gives you structure and guidance on how to make take this path. Had it a while now and still not finished it - because it's really an aid to study and you need to work your way through it. It's well written and like having a friend in written form. I constantly return to this book time & time again. Pricey but so worth it. Recommend you buy the meditation cd that is sold separately to go along with this if you want to get most out of it.

Loved it!!! Honestly the best 101 witchcraft book I've ever read. I'm a huge fan of Christopher's writing in general. This book is the first of his 5 level tradition of witchcraft called the "Temple of Witchcraft". This first book is all about inner work to develop your psychic senses and magickal power. This tradition is not specifically Wicca, but does very much subscribe to the Wiccan Rede of "An it harm none, do what ye will". If you are looking to harm anyone or yourself magickally, you will find no substance here to support that. Everything in this tradition is to support personal transformation and is a viable path to enlightenment. If you are interested in being the best possible version of yourself and make the world a better place with the use magick, then by all means this book is great. Each book in the series is a full year of training. If you do all the exercises in earnest and read at least some of the recommended additional reading, you will have your work cut out for you. For best results, you must do the exercises. I also recommend purchasing "Instant Magick" by Christopher Penczak as well as a companion to this book. After reading this, I decided to do the online apprenticeship with Christopher (www.christopherpenczak.com) and it has been nothing short of AMAZING! The online apprenticeship program is a huge commitment, so if you don't have the time for that, definitely use this book at your own pace. You can also purchase the accompanying CD with all the meditations. I've found this really helpful when I need a little guidance through all the visualizations and establishing a routine for my meditation practice. After this book there are four additional books you can do to become a very well trained witch: The Outer Temple, Shamanic Witchcraft, High Witchcraft, and the 2 volume Living Temple.

This book it's one of the best books I have ever read about witchcraft and magic! It definitely made me want to read from the beginning to the end, besides that even if you are more advanced i think you can take things out of this book that are just awesome.

Un'ottima guida per chi è seriamente interessato a intraprendere questo tipo di cammino. L'autore segue un preciso programma per preparare l'apprendista ad una crescita interiore con l'intenzione di avvicinarlo alla magia bianca, a portata di chiunque con un poco di impegno. Purtroppo il libro non è stato tradotto in italiano, ma anche in inglese è di facile lettura, naturalmente ci vuole un minimo di conoscenza della lingua. I found this book very useful for my psychic growth, I'm still reading it and I am very thankful to Christopher Penczak that he wrote this guide and made the craft be available for all to learn. I only wish it was translated in italian so it was easier for me and specially for my friends who don't speak and read in english.