"I wasn't just trained to do good, I was trained to fight evil," said Thursday night's guest, Dr. Evelyn Paglini (mysticalblend(1)), a self-proclaimed witch. Paglini, an authority on the occult and supernatural, doesn't believe there is such a thing as black or white witchcraft. "There is only power and intent," she said. She described harnessing such powers via rituals and evocations that employ magic and the forces of nature. While there are many that use these powers for the betterment of mankind, Paglini said there are also countless practitioners of the "dark arts."

She outlined methods to fend off curses and malignant intents by creating a protection field around oneself that can bounce these energies back to their sender. How does one know if they have been hexed or if they are just simply having bad luck? Paglini said bad luck runs in cycles and usually just in one area of your life, whereas in the case of a hex, a person might experience a host of problems in every area of their life, for sustained periods.

Sometimes witches can create "familiars" which are sent out to do a bidding said Paglini. She suggested that in some cases that is what people are observing when they report seeing "Shadow People." Paglini also talked about the powerful psychological effects of colors particularly when they are combined with burning candles, which can be used in rituals to manifest desired goals.

1. http://www.mysticalblend.com/