The Witch and the Gentleman by J.R. Rain

healing. A lot more healing. And with that thought, I was reminded about Conn’s mother coming through.
    Could I someday channel Caesar? I didn’t know, but I suspected that seeing him, and feeling his love for me, knowing he was okay and still watching over me, my protector, might be enough for me to move on.
    Might.
    With a deep sigh, I pushed past the pain and opened the book in my lap. The book on Wicca, of course. Since, according to Millicent, I’d been a witch down through the ages.
    I shook my head at the thought and wondered if I’d ever been burned at the stake. On second thought, I didn’t want to know.
    So, I went through the basic exercises again, practicing my visualization, practicing feeling the energy in various objects around me, including the array of crystals lined on my bookshelf behind me. I discovered I received an almost electric tingle—very similar to the feeling when Millicent appeared—when I held my hand over the chunk of amethyst.
    I reveled in the feeling for a few minutes then went on to the other crystals. Each seemed to have a signature, a feeling, a buzzing, but none like the amethyst. According to the instruction book, I was to use whatever stone resonated the most with me for various spells and ceremonies. Well, then, amethyst it was!
    And, no, I still had not wrapped my head around the thought of performing spells or participating in ceremonies. Truth was, other than mild interest, I’d never considered pursuing witchcraft, or Wicca, in the past. More truth, I never really believed in magic, either. Yes, I believed in extrasensory perception, but real magic? The ability to influence the physical through potions, ritual and intent?
    No, I didn’t think it was possible.
    And yet...so much of Wicca I already performed without knowing it. Its practice of grounding oneself to Mother Earth prior to a reading. I did that. Grounding was necessary to maintain a deep connection to our greatest battery source: the Earth itself. I also practiced my own form of shielding, too. Yes, there were some negative energies and entities out there, and lately, I was feeling them more and more. Hell, I’d been possessed by such an entity.
    A lot of what I was doing was similar to the Wiccan techniques. I’d been taught the grounding and shielding techniques in a class I’d taken years ago. Had the trainer been Wiccan? Were her psychic techniques influenced by Wicca, or was it the other way around? Or was there some cross-pollinating going on?
    I didn’t know, but reading through the Wiccan book felt...comfortable. It also felt like I had sort of come home.
    I continued through the exercises, feeling like I was mastering each quickly as I went. Maybe I was a natural at this stuff. Maybe I really had been a witch in a past life.
    And a very good one, Daughter.
    I glanced up, gasping. “Millicent?” I asked.
    I doubted she was here, though, because I didn’t feel that same electrical charge when she made her presence known.
    Oh, she is near, overseeing your instruction, as are a few others.
    My heart thumped. The words appeared directly in my thoughts. I was sure of it. I was also sure they weren’t from Millicent, either.
    “Who are you?”
    For an answer, I saw a primeval forest, with huge, majestic pines rising high into the sky, and ferns crowding everywhere. I saw birds flitting from branch to branch, squirrels running up and down trunks. I saw moss and mushrooms and rotted logs and trails and deer. The image morphed into churning seas with misty land rising in the far distance. I saw ships on the horizon, and then my view dipped down below the waves and there I saw all manner of aquatic life. The ocean floor segued into windblown desert dunes. I saw caravans and tents and camels. I saw oases and awe-inspiring sandstorms. From there, I was led high up into snow-covered peaks. Below me was the world, shrouded in fog, and teeming with life. Above all else, I sensed unending, boundless, pure love