THE
Witch’s Way

A GUIDE TO MODERN-DAY
SPELLCRAFT, NATURE MAGICK,
AND DIVINATION

SHAWN
ROBBINS

LEANNA
GREENAWAY

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Text © 2019 Shawn Robbins and Leanna Greenaway

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ISBN 978-1-4549-3605-3

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Interior design by Sharon Jacobs

Cover design by Elizabeth Mihaltse Lindy

Picture credits see page 303

Dedicated to the never-ending journey, illuminated by 1,001 magickal lights.
—Shawn Robbins

I dedicate this book to my lovely Dad, who always said that I could achieve anything I wanted if I put my mind to it. This book is for you Dad.
—Leanna Greenaway

Authors’ Notes

Leanna Greenaway

In my opinion, if a faith feels right deep inside your soul, then believe it, and if it doesn’t, then don’t! Each one of us is unique, and we all must go through life at our own pace. I have been a witch since I was a teenager, but even as a small child, I always felt a calling and the need to reach out to a higher power. At the age of nineteen, when I began researching and studying witchcraft, I realized that this was the path I had to take. When I finally ‘came out of the broom closet,’ it didn’t go down well with all my family members, but it was something that I really couldn’t deny myself. Over time, they realized this and, thankfully, came to accept it. Nowadays, I am head of my own coven, where, once a month, nine of us meet and cast spells together for the good of mankind. I also have my very own YouTube channel where I perform demonstrations on things magickal.

My message to all the budding witches out there is this: you will know deep in your heart if Wicca is for you. It starts with an intense fascination that will draw you in. Often, people who take an interest in the craft in this life have been witches or healers in another, so the things they learn from studying Wiccan books sometimes feels like a reminder of what they already know. For me, Wicca is the love of my life, and I can’t imagine not being able to follow my true path.

SHAWN ROBBINS

I believe we live in a world of indefinite possibilities, where everything is an enigma and we are all unique in our search for individuality. To me, labels do not define who, or what, we are; they are just a gateway to realize the true meaning of life. As for my own thoughts and musings, the path that I have chosen is a road less traveled, filled with hills and valleys. I look upon my journey as a perpetual student in life, and the people that I have met along the way—including Margot Adler and Sybil Leek—have had a profound effect in shaping my views and thoughts, both as a friend and teacher.

As authors, we also believe that we who promote the Wiccan way have a responsibility to learn from our ‘peers from the past,’ who laid a foundation of writings and teachings to grow upon. This includes the likes of Aleister Crowley, Helena Blavatsky, Scott Cunningham, Raymond Buckland, Robert Graves, Éliphas Lévi, Stewart Farrar, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, Owen Davies, George Pickingill, and Gerald Gardner, just to name a few. These people greatly influenced modern Witchcraft.

Preface

WITCHCRAFT TODAY

Bell, Book, and Magick

No one is really quite sure when witchcraft began, but from what we can gather, it probably originated when human beings first assembled together in groups and worshipped the sun, moon, and stars. Historical records show us that it stemmed from the ancient Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, and Egyptians. Other cultures believe that it started with the ancient Celts—a group of people dating as far back as 700 bce.

Whatever its origin, it is safe to say that magick and all things supernatural have made appearances in most cultures since the beginning of time. Although witchcraft today has its roots in Paganism, it is fast becoming one of the most popular faiths of the modern day. Human beings are more sophisticated than ever before and look for sense and logic when we are seeking an inner truth. We might be able to argue the fundamental facts of the Bible or other religious teachings, but you cannot deny that there is a moon and a sun in the sky, medicinal plants in the soil, and nature all around us.

Wicca is a spiritual following. It is a versatile faith, allowing you to sculpt and shape it in a way to suit your needs. For a belief to matter, it must chime within your heart and ring a truth deep within your soul.

The nice thing about the craft is that some people will embrace it completely, whereas others will only take on parts of it; a select few may merge their practices with other religions, such as Christianity. Wiccans do not frown upon other faiths. Wicca is a personal journey for everyone willing to experience it, and you can give as much or as little as you like.

History tells us that many of our traditions today were born from the ancient Pagans. Annual holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Halloween, were once referred to as the Sabbats, and all the customs that we participate in today, such as blowing out candles on a birthday cake and making a wish, started with the ancient Greeks. People would adorn a cake with candles, which symbolized the glow of the moon, and take them to temples as an offering to Artemis. It is thought that the candle smoke carried their prayers to the heavens. It’s funny to think that we all perform this ritual year in and year out when we blow out the candles on our birthday cakes!

Like with most things, witchcraft has evolved across the ages. Nowadays, Wiccans are proud of their faith and always try to work with the greater good, but in days gone by, Wicca had a dark side. Sadly, this bad press clung to witchcraft. It is not until we really delve deep into the recent history of the craft that we see how most of the current-day prejudice is quite misconstrued.

The witch trials in England, which took place around 1645, are a good example of this. Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins projected widespread panic across the United Kingdom, and many innocent people were accused of working for the Devil, tortured, and often put to death.

Hopkins was a feared and evil witch hunter who worked with his associate, John Stearne, to line his own pockets. He swept across East Anglia and later traveled farther afield through Essex, trying and executing women for the crimes of witchcraft. Others accompanying him were employed to torture confessions of witchcraft out of the innocent victims. The accused would be submitted to sleep deprivation and be forced to stay awake for days, constantly walking around in circles until they were so exhausted, they had no other option but to confess. Another form of torture was cutting victims with a blunt knife. If a victim bled, she was proclaimed innocent; if she did not, she was sentenced to death for being a witch. One of Hopkins’s preferred methods of torture was the swimming test. Accused women were bent double, tied up, and plunged into rivers and lakes. If they floated, they were condemned, and if they sank, they were innocent.

Hopkins became renowned across England for these practices and was paid a healthy fee of £23 from each town to rid them of their witches. This figure today would amount to approximately £4,000, so it seems that this was a lucrative career move for the witchfinder general.

Even today, people still shy away from the word witch and believe it to have some dealings with the devil. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Witchcraft is not a form of Satanic worship like some would have you believe. Witches do not and never have believed in the Devil, because the Devil is a Christian concept.

Over the centuries people have advanced and, thankfully, so has witchcraft. Most Wiccans are gentle souls with good intent and a love of nature. They pride themselves on looking at the planet from a deeper perspective and becoming in tune with everything from a physical and spiritual standpoint. Like with any spiritual movement, there is good and bad, but it must be said that it is highly unusual for modern-day Wiccans to work with anything but good intent. More often than not, they will repel from becoming involved in anything other than what is right and pure. This is because Wiccans have a devout belief in that what goes around comes around, so if you do something cruel or unkind to another person, it is highly likely that your karma will catch up with you and something similar will befall you later down the line. Wiccans also have a code of ethics, which they stand by. The most upheld of these: harm none and do as ye will. Those adept in the craft believe entirely on a person’s free will. They take their rituals very seriously and will always make sure that no one is affected negatively in the process.

This is the third book in the Modern-Day Witch Series, after Wiccapedia (written by the two of us) and The Good Witch’s Guide (written by Shawn and Charity Bedell). In this book, we’ll further explore different kinds of witches and what they practice; take a deeper look at cosmic helpers and more about how to work with them for a wide range of spells; and also cover all types of nature magic—from flowers to faeries. Plus there’ll be a full-color chapter on pentacle power and comprehensive sections on divination, including using astrology and practicing botanomancy, the art of plant and herb divination. There is also a FAQs appendix on the most-asked questions about the craft.

Part One

WICCA AND MAGICK