I live in the City of the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. This is a World Heritage environment and the lungs of the sprawling urban areas to the East. There are distinct seasons here that are experiential and observable so that understanding the European roots of Wicca and Magic are easier. My family and I had previously lived in the sub tropics, near Byron Bay on the Far North coast of New South Wales where the seasons are not so clearly defined or understood. However, I feel fortunate to have always lived in beautiful and interesting parts of the country and for much of my life to have lived in close proximity to the natural world. I find that the natural world supports and nourishes me. It is fundamental to my spirituality to be connected to it. I am probably a strange mixture of an academic, a natural psychic and magical practitioner. This exotic combination of identities has allowed me to understand reality in a rather different and unique way. It is my hope and intention that my work is helpful to others and can aid those who are searching for a rational understanding of how the world works and how it can work better if certain spiritual and magical principles are understood. In many ways I fit the profile of the shaman but in a modern context. I have been a teacher for much of my life and have been privileged to have taught from kindergarten to adults at university. I have also trained and worked as a psychotherapist/counselor/group leader. I have also trained and worked as a medical herbalist, homeopathic physician, naturopath and nutritionist. On the more mystical side of things I have studied and taught both Wicca and High Magic. I think that the ability to work as a healer by combining the exoteric and the esoteric forms of healing has both broadened and enhanced my practice as the case studies in the book will indicate.