Shawn Robbins - Wiccapedia: A Modern-Day White Witch’s Guide

Wiccapedia

A MODERN-DAY WHITE WITCHS GUIDE

Shawn Robbins & Leanna Greenaway

An Imprint of Sterling Publishing
387 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10016

STERLING ETHOS and the distinctive Sterling logo are registered trademarks of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

2011 by Shawn Robbins and Leanna Greenaway

Book design and layout: Rachel Maloney

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-4027-7724-0 (paperback)
Sterling eBook ISBN: 978-1-40278-903-8

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Robbins, Shawn.
Wiccapedia : a modern-day white witch's guide / Shawn Robbins & Leanna Greenaway.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-4027-7724-0 (pb-trade pbk.)
1. Witchcraft. I. Greenaway, Leanna. II. Title.
BF1566.R55 2011
133.4'3--dc22

2010046594

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DISCLAIMER

This book is designed to educate and entertain while providing information regarding the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publishers and authors are not thereby engaged in rendering legal, medical, or any other professional services. If such services are required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Some countries may have regulations that prohibit the use of terms or performance of actions discussed in this book. In these cases the reader is urged to comply with such regulations.

Every effort has been made to ensure that this book is as complete and as accurate as possible within the space available. However, there may be mistakes, both typographical and in content, and additionally, the book contains only information available to the authors up to the date of first publication. Therefore the text should be used only as a general guide and not as the ultimate source of information on the subjects covered.

The purpose of this book is to entertain and inform. The authors and the publishers shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, directly or indirectly, by the information contained in this book.

In memory of my mom,
who taught me to soar above the clouds
and reach for the impossible dream.

SHAWN ROBBINS

To my mother, Beleta Greenaway, who has
had her brains picked to the limit once again.
You are my inspiration and my muse; thank you, Mamma.

LEANNA GREENAWAY

Contents

SHAWN ROBBINS

I am a mischievous psychic witch on the American side of the pond who is just coming out of the broom closet. To me, being a Wiccan is a way of life. Its a belief that all things are magickal and that you have the power within yourself to change the world around you for the better, including your own world. Its the freedom to go out in the darkest hours of the night and wish upon a shining star that your hopes and dreams come true. Its the desire to share with others how being a Wiccan, as I have learned, can turn your weaknesses into strengths. Wicca can help you live life to the fullest, and in this book we will show you how to combine the extraordinary tools of Wicca with the powers of psychic intuition that we all have within us. I dont expect or want everybody to be deeply psychic like me. I just want everyone to be their own personal best, learning by example and sharing those experiences with others. My coauthor, Leanna Greenaway, told me to embrace who I am and not be afraid of what the world thinks. Her words were the inspiration that brought me out of the broom closet and into the world and what a relief!

You see, from the time I was a very young child, I knew I had a different way of seeing the world around me. Not only could I see what others couldnt, but I could also hear, feel, and sense things that werent apparent to my friends. Some people might think of this as a burden, especially for a child, but I never did. I knew that this gift ran in my family, and that my grandmother, in particular, was highly in tune with her sixth (and maybe seventh, eighth, and ninth) sense. I was never frightened by my abilities, never wished I didnt have them. They were always just a part of me, as natural to me as breathing the fresh air.

One thing I can say about being a psychic child is that there were few surprises. I always knew what the Hanukkah Santa was going to bring me. I knew when my friends were going to call or pop by; I knew when my parents tried to plan surprise parties for me. But since Im curious by nature, I didnt consider these insights to be spoilersI loved knowing what no one else seemed to, and because I was so young, the fact that it frustrated some people only made it more enjoyable to me!

Even when my visions were of impending danger, I didnt shrink from them or try to close them out of my mind. In fact, my first premonition occurred when I was a very little girl, and it woke me out of a sound sleep. I was screaming, Fire! Fire! Daddy! and I felt as though I were choking. My mother ran to my side and tried to calm me, but I was having none of that, and I kept on screaming. Well, she happened to turn her head to look into the living room, where my father had fallen asleep, and saw that there was something smoldering. An electrical wire had become exposed and started to burn its way through the rug. When the danger had passed, I realized (with great relief) that I had probably saved my family and that I needed to pay attention to my visions in the future.

Ive had some amazing opportunities to use my gifts for the greater good over the years. I have found many different ways to provide information to people who are looking for something more. And I am happy to do it, because I feel thatalthough I didnt ask for itwhen I was given the gift of seeing, I was also given a responsibility to give back.

Let me back up for a moment and tell you about my family. My mom was born in 1918 and was just eleven years old when the Great Depression hit in 1929old enough to realize how bad things really were, yet young enough to feel completely helpless about it. Fortunately, my mother had a knack for fortune-telling, and she read palms during those difficult years for seekers who could spare a dime.

Like most of the women in my family, my mother had a way of looking for the positive in any situation, even when it was extremely difficult to find. As a young woman, my poor, penniless mom treasured the cardboard shoes she made from boxes. She would put those boxes on her feet and think of them as her magickal slippers, dreaming that they would take her to far-flung placesanywhere other than where she was, practically homeless and struggling to survive from day to day. This is an important story, I think, because its very typical of people who have otherworldly senses. Psychics have a way of losing themselves in the possibilities that life has to offer. We wonder what the future holds: how our lives might change, what we might be like a year or two from now. This is why were sometimes called flighty and flaky, but theres a good reason for it. We tend not to dwell on what isespecially if were stuck in a less-than-desirable situationbecause we know (and I mean we