Witches, Part 2: Inborn Abilities

Good morning and welcome to the second part of my mini-series on witches! (Yes, I'm very chipper for so early on a Sunday morning.) Today I'm going to speak a bit about inborn abilities, or what I like to call the subtler form of witchcraft. These are abilities such as ESP/clairvoyance, etc. which make up a part of what I like to call Magic Realism. These sorts of abilities are, in my opinion, a lot more believable to the reader than magic in which spells or incantations are used. A lot of spooky things happen in real life, and therefore believing that someone is just a little abnormal isn't such a stretch, if done properly. But let me get down to dissecting them.

1) Clairvoyance

This is such a broad term. After all, most forms of being psychic fall under this heading. However, let me dissect it further. Clairvoyance, I describe as: 

Clairvoyence: psychic ability, included but not limited to the following: seeing the future, seeing the past, aura sensing, and mediumship. 

Mediumship, I will speak of separately. As for the others, let me address them here. 

Seeing the future and/or past is often done in the same ways. It can be done through dreams, through "hunches" or gut feelings, or through visual or auditory hallucinations (visions) —which are sometimes triggered by touching objects and/or people, by overhearing bits of relevant conversation or being close to key people , or by nothing at all (and the latter are usually hailed with headaches, interrupting daily life). 

Aura sensing or aura reading is the ability to sense a person's energy, usually their moods. This can be done, again, through "hunches" or gut feelings. Or more commonly, it is done through visual effects. The clairvoyant can see these auras, meaning they take shape, colour, density, etc. Sometimes, the reader can also sense auras on recently dead bodies or auras which have rubbed off on other people. 

Here are some relevant websites in regards to clairvoyant abilities:

From the Spiritual Science Research Foundation

www.psychic-experience-for-you.com

From www.unexplainedstuff.com

And of course, the Wikipedia page 

2) Mediumship

As most of you know from shows such as Ghost Whisperer  or Medium, mediumship is communing with the dead. This can be done through a Ouija board, through a séance (which, contrary to popular belief, is not possession by a spirit), or often seen in fiction, a medium is able to see or hear these spirits and relay their messages to the public. 

3) Astral Projection

While I have never read a romance featuring astral projection, I thought I might as well cover it, in case someone else would like to write one (and if so, I would definitely like to read it!). For those unaware, the astral planes are said to be the planes of existence that spirits sometimes go to after death, although with careful practice, humans are able to leave their corporeal bodies behind and explore these realms. 

There are seven layers to the astral plane. The lowest level is much like Earth as you would see it, although it is also said to be cluttered with thoughts, ideas, etc. made "physical" on that plane. The closer you get to the seventh, or highest level, the more these ideas and even buildings drop away, and you would see Earth as it would be without technology and houses. 

The key to astral projection is to leave your corporeal body asleep while you explore, but some sites caution that you do not allow anyone to touch your body. If so, you may not be able to return. 

Take a look at this fantastic site for more information on astral projection.

This coming Wednesday, it is my great pleasure to sit down with tarot expert and fellow author L. K. Below to pick her brain! I hope you'll join me then!

Clara.