Judika Illes is an independent scholar, educator, and author of several books of folklore, folkways, and mythology about the subjects of magic, the occult, divination, diverse spiritual traditions, witchcraft, and the paranormal. Judika is a graduate of Rutgers University and has a certification in therapeutic aromatherapy from the Australasian College of Herbal Studies. Her books include The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells; The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft; The Encyclopedia of Spirits; The Weiser Field Guide to Witches and also The Weiser Field Guide to the Paranormal (published under the alias Judith Joyce). Her newest book, The Encyclopedia of Mystics, Saints, and Sages will be published by HarperCollins in October 2011.