This is a great beginner book. The exercises were beneficial. I recommend this.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review

I come to this book as an intuitive with experience in channeling, lucid dreaming, and clear knowing, but also as someone who does not frequently have super “obvious” psychic experiences. I’m fairly open to pretty much all of the types of experiences Cat Gina Cole describes in this book, but also as someone who hasn’t personally experienced most of them and isn’t familiar with the literature, I can only share my opinions as an average reader who might pick this volume up curious about making more space for psychic knowing.

Cole’s background is in witchcraft practices of European origin, initially taught by her mother and grandmother. Though her family story is a little unclear, my understanding is that she may have Native, Latinx, and/or Roma ancestry in addition to northern European. Cultural specificity is one of the things that is missing here, so readers should consider seeking out additional resources to understand the origins of specific deities, practices, and concepts described and how to practice respectfully.

Overall, I found the book to be about what I expected, with suggestions for how to build psychic skills, protect oneself, practice ethically, and work with both the conscious mind and the subconscious. One of the strengths of the book is in how Cole makes it clear that conscious thoughts, fantasies, and memories are not antithetical to intuition or signs that you’re doing it wrong. I would’ve liked more examples from others who have more “borderline” experiences, since as is often true in books like these the author herself is adept in many of the skills described and her own experiences seem very clear, vivid, and unmistakeable. But as she describes it typically taking two years of meditation and basic practices to “work up” to more advanced skills, I did feel reassured that different experiences might be possible for me in the future.

I also wish there had been some consideration of how one might know whether they are psychic by Cole’s definition in the first place, as she talks about how psychic experiences can be confusing and not recognized but then seems to assume that anyone reading the book is in fact psychic and aware of it. Of course, “psychic” is a term with many definitions, but it would be nice to have some suggestions around how to recognize latent abilities. That said, the spiritual groundwork set around working with the mind, beliefs, and conditioning is particularly solid and can apply to anyone doing spiritual work. I also appreciate the centering of ethical concerns, and that Cole makes it clear when a practice is not recommended without more foundational skills.

Those foundations include several meditations for the reader to self-record, designed to be practiced many times to build the ability, for example, to “pause” from real-world concerns, sense energies, and scan for their source. Journaling is also heavily encouraged, and snippets from Cole’s own journal serve as “case studies” throughout the book. General spiritual principles, including a structure for how to think about the mind in this context and a framework for manifestation, form a foundation for understanding Cole’s worldview alongside experiential practice.

This definitely isn’t a book for the skeptic, especially past the basic skills section. I already had a sense from the initial chapters of where my own beliefs diverge from Cole’s, particularly around the idea of will, and that sense was borne out in later sections. (I strongly disagree with Cole’s assertion that will is somehow “better” than intention, as I personally prefer to clarify and state an intention and then allow the universe to help me find an aligned path. This isn’t necessarily in direct conflict with the techniques themselves, but it’s always a good idea to note where you agree and disagree with a spiritual author’s cosmology).

Someone less open to supernatural phenomena than I am is likely to be especially turned off by attempts to “scientifically” explain what’s going on in psychism, rather than simply attributing it to mystery. This isn’t a book I’d recommend if you’re just looking for tips around general use of intuition in witchcraft, for example. The perspective is also right on the edge of a “love and light” or New Age approach, and it’s honestly difficult to tell where the author would come down on topics such as spiritual bypassing. I tend to offer the benefit of the doubt, but this is worth noting.

Intermediate skills address common practical concerns (for example, how do you tell the difference between a psychic “hit” and a conscious thought?) but this is also where Cole starts to discuss experiences that go well beyond basic intuition such as pathworking, remote viewing, out-of-body experiences, and trance. More advanced skills go even further, covering topics like precognition, telepathy, invisibility, and “enchantment,” which made me raise an eyebrow in terms of consent. I found it a little strange that a couple of the “clairs” are included in the advanced section, since these are abilities that often come in spontaneously, but spontaneous experiences do come up later on.

The final few chapters read more like a dictionary of all the things that are possible with psychic abilities. A whole range of divination techniques are introduced (though not taught), as are working with deities and spirits, dreamwork, and practices like astral travel. Finally, some skills for protection are included, which I definitely would’ve moved up front!

While inclusion of so many possibilities might spark the imagination, I will note that the information on spirits and deities is presented as simple fact that readers should filter through their own beliefs. Correspondences presented in this book are not universal to all traditions, nor are the frameworks presented for understanding spirits and deities.

Personally, while I don’t necessarily doubt Cole’s personal experiences as a psychic meeting with entities such as Odin, Cerridwen, the Morrigan, Raphael, and Isis, I do suspect that there is a layer of mental association in how each person experiences supernatural entities as named beings with which they may already be at least loosely familiar. Working with Spirit or Source as an undifferentiated energy also does not come up, nor does working with higher self.

One of my biggest critiques concerns the treatment of certain mental and physical experiences in the context of psychism. Cole mentions neurodivergence offhand a few times in a way that rankled, including at least twice where she seemed to be saying autism is mutually exclusive with psychism. (Since these were brief mentions, though, it’s honestly hard to be sure of her opinion.) As someone who’s ADHD and autistic, I also noticed that some of the practices would be especially challenging with my specific brain.

Then a brief section on sleep paralysis presents this condition as a psychic experience that can easily be controlled, rather than a symptom of various health conditions. While I’d concede that it might be both, not mentioning that you should see your doctor if experiencing frequent sleep paralysis really seems like an oversight! Having experienced sleep paralysis, as well as frequent lucid dreaming, when I had a serious condition that required medication and didn’t know what was going on, I can tell you firsthand that no matter how practiced you are with relaxing and becoming lucid within the paralyzed state, it’s not actually that easy to let it go.

Overall, I’d most recommend the first third or so of the book, and especially to those who have had psychic experiences already, are of European descent, and are neurotypical. Others may benefit more from an alternative source.

Psychic Skills for Magic & Witchcraft by Cat Gina Cole is a great resource for those wanting to tap into their senses and psychic abilities. I appreciated the easy-to-read tone of the book and found the exercises thorough and beneficial. I would definitely recommend this to others. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this book!
I'm excited to start a journal and see where these exercises and journal journeys take me.
The synchronicity, manifesting, path working, enchantment, and glamor so many topics I want to explore further through journaling and practice.
I'm an empath so this was very helpful in explaining a lot. My daughter is also very empathic. So it will help me to explain to her before she gets completely socially visiting conditioned.
I'm very excited to find myself again with this one.
I feel my daughter and I both feel more through music.
I'm very curious about path working. And the meditating which I need more of.

Thank you to the publisher for my e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Psychic Skills for Magic & Witchcraft by Cat Gina Cole can help you develop your intuition in many enriching ways.
Déjà vu happens in various ways, and with this book that is so well written, you can understand and fine tune your psychic abilities. The author gives the reader easy-to-understand advice on empathy for yourself and others. I have learned so much from this book about how to feel with my emotions but not let things get me overwhelmed. That is a magnificent gift. If you are even curious about your psychic possibilities, get this book, you will absolutely love it.#PsychicSkillsforMagicWitchcraft #NetGalley

Loved it! It was easy to follow along as the author gave exercises to work on your psychic abilities. The author made it a wonderful experience because it felt as if she was talking directly to you. She was very down to earth which made the book so much fun to work with. I am giving my honest opinion via Netgalley in exchange for reading this book.

Many people are curious about being psychic. This book has tips on ways to manifest and enhance your abilities.. From meditation to relaxing techniques, it covers these and so much more.. I tried them and they really helped me to focus. Definitely a good book. I received this book from Net Galley and Llewellyn Worldwide for a honest review.

This was a vastly new subject for me, but Cat Cole makes it easy to read, and I look forward to trying some of the exercises listed in the book.

If you’re looking to enhance your skills, Psychic Skills for Magic & Witchcraft Developing Your Spirit, Intuition & Clairvoyance by Cat Gina Cole is a great resource to add to your toolkit and work your way through.

I think this book is aligned more for beginners in witchcraft and esoteric topics than those who are intermediate and advanced in practice. A lot of the contents in this book are a very basic knowledge for those with experience already and some of the contents are just normal everyday life things such as journaling. I appreciate what it tried to do but I don't get the point of this book in terms of the execution which is, to be honest, very messy and all over the place.

This was fascinating. I picked it up purely out of curiosity. As one who’s only lucid dreamt out of all of the subjects this book covers, it was much more advanced than it seemed. It’s not particularly an introductory to each thing, but a way to find your vibe and make it stronger. Some exercises sounded like great things to try and I thought this book could really benefit as a workbook/journal style that would walk you through the exercises ir have space to write about them. I have no insight into how much this guide can actually help improve your psychic powers, as I have none and only read the excercises. Lol. I was fascinated by this author and found it well written and easy to follow.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for tis ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Great book with lots of info.

Psychic Skills for Magic & Witchcraft is the book I have been looking for when it comes to recognizing and tuning in to intuition and inner psychic awareness. This book really goes in depth, further than the top recommended books on this topic. I give it 4/5, mostly because I find it difficult to read about how to do a specific meditation and then recreate it, versus listening and then doing the meditation. Otherwise, it’s full of great information.

As someone Who is newly interested in witchcraft and psychic, this book has taught me many things and enlightened me about certain subjects.
I must admit that I don't know much about the subject, but I recommend this book to anyone
without a doubt.

Thank you for the opportunity to study this handy guide to enhancing one's intuitive abilities. I've often wondered if being a psychic was something that could be achieved, or does have to be born with the skills. This book gives the confidence that with dedication and practice, one can master the skills.
I’ve worked with energy and I am an empath, but I've always found psychism to be a mystery. The text was easy to understand and the author has really put in the effort to lay the foundation and build from ground up. At the beginning of the book, readers are introduced to the basics of learning to build their own intuition. This book helped me a lot in my quest for self-awareness and building a mindfulness practise.

I had a lot of fun doing the exercises and meditations, and several of them are now part of my daily routine. My intuitive and psychic powers are so limited that I'm not sure I can do justice to the book's sophisticated principles. Though it would be wonderful if I could come back to it at a later date when I have more free time to work on honing my skills in this area.

I have always been intuitive and often predict what will happen, which kind of unnerves my family and friends. While it’s always come naturally, I figured it might be an interesting read to help me understand and develop these skills in a more controlled way. I’m glad I did because this will be my focus for 2022 along with astral charts.

If you’re looking to enhance your skills, this is a great resource to add to your toolkit and work your way through.

I'm just beginning my journey, so books like this both fascinate and teach me. I would absolutely recommend to any other baby witch looking to find their path, or just for readers who are interested in other belief systems or religions.