The Contemporary New England Witch

The Contemporary New England Witch
Author Ms.Faith

Thursday, December 27, 2012

How to bring Abundance into your New Year's






 Good Evening,

 New Year's is just around the corner and so is the opportunity for sympathetic magick that can make your upcoming year financially prosperous and abundant while bringing in fresh, new energies into your life.

For centuries mankind has had all sorts of 'superstitions' concerning the New Year.  I find that it is in common superstitions where the ancient folk kept their sympathetic magick. Sympathetic magick is magick that has a correlation to what is seen or done.  For instance if a witch hops about a field of wheat on a broomstick, the higher she hops would indicate the height of the wheat when it's ripe.

In the instance of New Year's Day, the first day of the year is said to 'set the tone' for the rest of the year. That what you do or don't do on that day can make a difference in your upcoming year and whether it is successful or not. So with that in mind here are a few suggestions for making your upcoming year a great success!

Have any and all salt shakers in the house filled to the top. Have an abundance of bread and grain products in the house. Bread and salt both being ancient forms of currency and both, by having them, reflect on one's wealth and prosperity.

 New Year's Day, or the day before are great days for giving the house, especially the kitchen, a thorough cleaning. Eliminating any clutter and trash is also ideal for this day. Throw or give away that which no longer serves you.  This allows for fresh, clean energies to sweep through your home and, as such, your life.

Smudging your home or business in the beginning of the New Year can also eliminate stagnant, stale energies. Smudging helps remove unwanted energies from the past year, allowing new, fresh and abundant energies to enter. Redecorating, reorganizing or even moving furniture around into new, pleasing arrangements aid in bringing in a fresh, new air.

Have fresh flowers in your house for New Year's Day and NEVER eat leftovers on New Year's Day!!! Have a meal cooked fresh to start off your year right!

 It's an ancient superstition that on New Year's Day the first person over the threshold of the home would step over the threshold with their right foot and not their left foot. This would assure that prosperity and good fortune came into the home all the coming year. These are just a few simple suggestions to help you start off your New Year on the right foot!

Peace and Happiness!



© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 


If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Monday, December 17, 2012

A tragedy that has touched us all . . .







Dear Magickal Reader,

Here in Southern New England, Connecticut, we are saddened and grieving for the precious souls lost this past Friday in Newtown, CT.  As a witch, it is a tragedy such as this that makes me feel as if a bit of the maagickal has been taken from our world.  And, in the lives lost, of the children and those who took responsibility for them, it has been.

A magickal truth is, with all the spells, blessings, magickal stones, herbs, potions and candles we use everyday to affect magickal change in our lives, there still remains the sobering fact that bad things happen to good people in our world.  But it is important to understand that the victims and families of this tragedy DID NOT do anything that made this event 'karma returned'.  I don't personally believe death to be karmic return.

So many of us are affected by this tragedy, even if we don't personally know any of the people involved. Yet, they are part of our community, part of the 'human community' so even if you find yourself half way across the world you may very well be affected by these terrible events.  A feeling of helplessness is common as there is, honestly, little we can do to affect change in these instances. But, there is something I do every year, at Yuletide, 'my personal holiday tradition' that I want to share with you, as it seems especially relevant this year, at this time.

Thank the first responders in your community.  It's simple to do, and it means so much. Not only to them, but I personally find it feeds my soul.  I started my personal holiday tradition several years ago, and I want to share it with you now.  Many years ago, we needed to call 911 and thankfully the first responders were at our door in a matter of a few minutes or so.  Every year since, on Christmas Eve, I spend an hour or so delivering plates of home made cookies to the first responders in my town. I bring a plate of cookies to each fire house, to the police department, one plate for the officers and one for the dispatch room, and also the emergency room at our local hospital and ambulance company.

I try to keep in mind, this time of year, when we are with our families, celebrating and enjoying good food and company, that the first responders are there for us.  Sleeping in their fire houses, patrolling our streets in their police cruisers, manning the phones in the police station, working in the emergency room, away from their families and friends and distant from all the festivities. Yet, they are steadfastly there, waiting and ready to respond, should we have an emergency regardless of the holiday, time of year, time of day or night. They are there for us.

It's a small thing that takes a few minutes of your time, the passing of a plate of cookies from your hand to another and a heartfelt thank you! This year, in light of recent horrible events, it seems even more important for me to continue my 'personal holiday tradition'.  I share it with you and hope that you might like to do something similar in your town. I know it makes me feel less helpless, and as I said earlier, it 'feeds my soul'.

I wish you a holiday of peace and happiness.


Ms. Faith






© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Can you make me a witch? . . . please?


  Good Evening,

I hope you are having a fun and exciting holiday season! I know it can be a bit hectic, frantic and crazy!!!! But just remember to think of all the blessings you have in your life and it will make it easier and less stressful. That's what I do!

Tonight I address a question that has been put to me many times. Can a witch make someone else a witch? Hmmmmm? Well, to answer this we must first travel back into ancient history and walk our ways back to the present time. Many things happened long ago that no longer apply today, and being 'made' a witch is one of them.

You see in ancient times, the legend goes that to be made a witch, either male or female, you needed to be made such by a witch, most notably a high priest or priestess and the doing so consisted of the following:

A female would be made a witch by taking part in a special ceremony or ritual where she would have sex with a high priest! The same applied for a male, but he would have sex with a high priestess! Oh my!!

TODAY .  .  .  THIS IS NO  LONGER THE CASE!  Seriously, nowadays it's a bit different, but let me continue our walk back from ancient times .  .  . 

Then, after several generations or centuries things changed and in recent history, including my own history, one could be 'made' a witch by another witch in a ceremony where they named you a witch and walked you along a path, proclaiming you as a witch to the watchtowers or elemental guardians. These elemental guardians are the spirits of the North, East, South and West, respectively.

Yet, today things are different. No one needs to proclaim you to be a witch. You only need to call yourself one for it to be so. Simply that. The reason I say this is because most who follow this path know themselves to be a witch long before they learn from another, most following a solitary practice.  Does solitary practice invalidate one's self claimed witchdom? Only those on a personal power trip would say so today. 

Yes, yes, I know I anger some by stating this, but I believe it to be so. There are those who would have the world of the witch be an elitist, "only certain people are entitled world", when nothing could be further from the truth. ANYONE can be a witch, they have only to want it to be so and to practice the 'wonders of witchery'.

AND NO!!!!! We NO LONGER require any sex, whatsoever to be performed in the circle. The circle is the ritual space where coveners (same meaning as congregants) come together to worship and share fellowship with one another.  Religious practice was very different in ancient times for ALL religions still around today, not just witch craft.  Note * Witch craft was practiced in religious ways long before Wicca was assigned as a religion in the early 1950's.  Witches came together, danced and worshiped in a circle and did things that today we see and understand as being part of Wicca, the 'religion of the witches' for a very long time now lost to history.  The legends and lore I speak of comes from this ancient of times. 

Today you are a witch if you deem it so.  I can't 'make' you a witch. I do however, after being asked by so many of my students past and present, to, in some way, proclaim them a witch, perform a ceremony at graduation from classes at Enchantments (classes are taken for a year and a day and then, if the student passes all tests, quizzes and exams given, they graduate) where I walk the student along a path and introduce them to the watchtowers as a witch and priestess or priest.  This does not give them clergy status, it simply reaffirms what they have already found to be so in their hearts and souls. That they are witches and work to serve the Goddess and the God.  Many find this to be as a graduation ceremony and we hold a feast afterwards to celebrate and socialize. 

So, to answer the question put forth at the beginning of this discussion, I can't make you a witch .  .  .  but I will recognize the witch within you and help you along your path of self discovery and study.


Peace and Happiness



© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.

 If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Do witches celebrate Christmas?



Glad Tidings to you!,

The holiday season is upon us! Fa la la la la .  .  .  la la la la   ♫♪♪♫♪♪♫  Again I am addressing questions that are posed to me this time of year, and the latest is "Do witches celebrate Christmas?"  yes, yes we do. In our own witchy way.  You see, once upon a time, in ancient times, Christmas was called Yule.  You may have heard of the Yule log, which still retains it's ancient name. 

We had a Yule tree which is now called the Christmas tree. We hung Mistletoe and brought greenery into the home to help dispel the harsh bleakness of the cold winter months. At one time many, many candles were lit to bring the light back during the dark months and today we still hang pretty lights to add to the celebration of the Yuletide season.

What? You say that you do all of these things today while celebrating Christmas? Well, of course you do! You see Christmas is just the modern equivalent of Yule.  There's very little difference as far as this witch is concerned.

The main focus of the season?  Christians celebrate the birth of the Son of God, Witches and Pagans celebrate the the re-birth of the Sun. The point? Everyone can celebrate the focus of their choosing. We all still have a holiday feast, the gathering of friends and family, the exchange of gifts and actually we share more things in common than apart.

Many people get uptight this time of year because people wish one another 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas' .  .  .  sigh. Really?   Isn't it nice that someone wishes you a pleasant and thoughtful greeting of good tidings? Do we really need to get uptight about what the wording is? My, my. There is so much in our world today that we can get upset about .  .  .  war, starvation, homelessness, sickness just to name a few. Many of us find ourselves to be very fortunate.  I personally light a candle just about everyday and thank the Goddess for the blessings in my life.

It doesn't bother me how people choose to celebrate the holidays or even if the choose not to. Isn't that one of the perks about being alive in today's society. We, as adults, get to choose.  I respect others choices and then go about making my own decisions on what to celebrate and how to recognize the season. 

So whether you call it Christmas, Yule, Hanukkah, Kwanza or something else, I wish you a happy and healthy one and I hope you enjoy the holiday season.


Peace and Happiness







© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

What is being a witch all about?




Good Evening,

I'm asked questions about what I do all the time,  about what witches do, what we are, how we view things. I thought tonight I would answer some of those questions, the best I can. Of course, let me say first and foremost that I can only speak from my perspective. Truly, each witch is different from another.

For me being a witch is being authentic about who I am, and what I do. I know that what I do is not evil, illegal or in anyway wrong, so I do not speak about what I do in whispers or covertly. I do not lace my speech with archane language, unusual verbiage or strange words which are designed to confuse and create awe. I answer questions clearly and with the intent of helping the asker understand what it is we do.

Anyone can be a witch. It is not for the 'gifted', 'special' or 'chosen few'.  Yes! I did say that! Anyone can be a witch. Plenty will be upset because I said that, but I care not! Frankly there's an elitist attitude starting to creep into modern day Witchcraft and it is only messing things up for people, and I find it foolish at best. But enough of that, back to what being a witch is all about.

Being a witch, to me, is about loving and revering nature.  Honoring the moon and sun, respecting the land, the waters and the sky.  Are we tree huggers? Sure, some of us definitely are. But there are witches in corporate America as well.

I use natural ingredients such as essential oils, herbs, resins, minerals, crystals, candles and powdered wood to bring in wanted natural energies or to banish unwanted energies. 

I try to be as honest with myself as I can be. I try to respect myself and others and allow others to have differing opinions from mine, without getting an attitude or passing judgment against them.

I celebrate by the moon and can't look upon her without my breath catching and a comfort seeping into my soul.  I honor the Goddess and the God on a daily basis and give them thanks for all the blessings in my life.

I seek to find acceptance for all that is around me, even if it's not my choice or desire. I don't have to like something, to condone it to accept that it is.  If there is something in my world that I find I cannot accept, I seek to change it by changing myself and how I interact with it. I've learned that I can't change anyone else, but I can change myself.  That's truly magickal!

Being a witch, to me, is about finding happiness in my day to day life and using nature to help me do this.

Peace and Happiness



© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

A Happy Magickal Thanksgiving to you all!


Good Evening,

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!  People have asked if we, witches, celebrate Thanksgiving. We certainly do! As a matter of fact our three Autumn Sabbats, Lughnasadh (August 1st), Mabon (September 21-24), and Samhain (November 1st) are all harvest celebrations. Harvest celebrations are by definition Thanksgiving feast days, celebrating the abundance and bounty of the harvest.

There is also a bit of sympathetic magick to be found in a feast day like Thanksgiving. By having plenty of food, an over abundance actually, is meant to symbolically stand for an abundance of food throughout the winter months.  Nowadays, abundance, which at one time meant plenty of food and shelter, warmth and clothing, now stands for wealth in general.

So modern witches celebrate Thanksgiving much as everyone else does. We celebrate with good food, plenty of it!! Celebrating with family and friends.  I also like to burn a candle, a love candle for the love of family and friends,  and to give thanks to the Goddess for the blessings I find in my life everyday. For the family I have, the friends I have been gifted with and the love and abundance I find in my life.


Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!


Peace and Happiness




© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.

 If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Using 'Cat Magick' to aid your day to day life!

 Good Evening,



Tonight's discussion must first and foremost start with a big hello and thank you to my friends Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone in Ireland. For it was Lady Janet who gave me the magickal information that I will impart to you this evening.  Both Janet and Gavin are world renowned authors of many books on Wicca, magick and magickal workings. If you have a chance to read any of their books, I personally highly recommend it! Janet is also a lady who has a natural affinity for and a deep love of felines and knows more than anyone else I know abut these wonderful creatures, both magickal and practical. Here's a bit of magickal lore she shared with me when we visited this past summer.

Cat Magick. More specifically, how to use naturally shed cat whiskers and claws in your magickal workings. I myself am blessed with seven fabulous felines and come across naturally shed claws and whiskers on occasion. I've been of a mind to pick them up and save them, but I didn't know what to do with them, so when Janet and Gavin visited Enchantments this past August I asked her her thoughts on the matter.

She told me to use the cats whiskers, which are occasionally shed (keep a look out for them) and to place them in a small envelope or paper packet. I use a small zip lock baggie normally used for jewelry. Place the cats whisker in your vehicle, somewhere out of the way, in a glove box or center console. Leave it there. It will aid you in avoiding accidents and other mishaps "by a cat's whisker"!

If you already have one in your vehicle and your cats gift you with others, make a gift out of them for loved ones.  You can't have too much traffic/travel safety magick, especially in New England in the winter time!

The other naturally shed item from your feline friends are claws. They naturally scratch to remove old claws and reveal newer, sharper claws on a regular basis. You will find cats claws much more readily than whiskers. You can use these in your magickal workings to help you climb out of a difficult situation, "climb your way to the top" so to speak. Especially in very difficult circumstances. You can use them in spell mixes, pouches with other items such as stones, herbs and crystals. Place them in a small bowl on your altar or on a shelf where you keep your magickal tools and supplies.

A witch uses what nature places before her to help aid her in her magickal workings. In this matter, your cat can really be your familiar when you use the gifts it leaves for you, right under your nose or feet as the case may be!

Start looking closely for these gifts from your cat, save them and use them well.


Peace and Happiness


© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Monday, November 5, 2012

How I spent my Halloween!

 Good Evening,

Well, Halloween (Samhain) was just wonderful this year. We had quite a scare with the hurricane that threatened to ruin the Halloween celebrations AGAIN this year.  If you remember, last year it was a Halloween snow storm that ruined it. But where we are in central CT, we luckily got our power back by Tuesday evening and Wednesday went off very well.

You might have wondered, what a witch does on Halloween? Well, I can only tell you what it is that I do, and I have a lot of fun doing it!  I celebrate the children on this holiday. I love the energy that comes from little ones dressing up and enjoying a holiday that has its origins as far back in time as 5,000 years ago. 

My witches cottage is located in a residential neighborhood with lots of houses, children, people and pets.  There's approximately 80 - 100 houses in our small neighborhood which makes for many children, and even more that come to our neighborhood for the bountiful trick or treat candy haul.

In front of my cottage I have an old cast iron cauldron, that weighs a hundred pounds or more on a tripod. I have little red, orange and yellow lights fixed underneath the cauldron with handfuls of sticks carefully placed on top, which gives the effect of a small fire burning under the large iron cauldron.  I have large spotlights affixed with red bulbs which light up the entire area with an eerie red glow.

Into the cauldron I put some warm water and have a bunch of dry ice chips nearby. Also at hand are some 'tasty' rubber snakes, rats and spiders. Some years I can find some gelatinous fake eyeballs to use also. This makes for my witches stew. Then I start practicing my cackle and I sit in a chair by the cauldron with a big stirring stick and await the first trick or treaters.

As they come up my walk, princesses, bat men, and cowboys clutching their precious candy bags or plastic pumpkins they spy me and sing out the expected "trick or treat" chorus that is expected to get some candy loot. But the witch stirring the cauldron doesn't respond to the song. Instead she's busy stirring the pot, with wisps of smoke flowing out from the cauldron and being illuminated in the eerie red light. She grabs a tail of a rubber rat and dangles it in front of the little costumed monsters and asks them "Do you want some of my witches stew? The rats are quite tasty" and then she grabs a handful of dangling snakes "and the snakes quite delicious!"  This is met with "ewwww's" mainly from little girls. Many little boys say "yes!" I would like some!"


"Ah," the witch continues "but, they're just a bit underdone. Hmmm, well , we can't be serving guests raw snakes or rats, that's just not polite."  "Well, now what can I possibly give you?" she asks, then notices the sacks being held open in silent appeal.

"well, what have you got there?" she inquires. "What's in your bags?"

"Candy!" comes the response.

"Oh Candy! Chocolate!" the witch exclaims. "Well, I had an elf that came around a while ago and left me a whole bunch of chocolate and candy. Would you .    .   .    you wouldn't like that would you?" she asks doubtfully.

"YES!!" "CANDY", "TRICK OR TREAT" are all  responses she hears throughout the night. And into the candy sacks and pumpkins goes a small bag filled with chocolate treats.  Many parents ask for a picture to be taken, and I sit before my cauldron and hear the children as they continue on their candy quest

"This is my favorite house every year!" " Mine too!" " You know .  .  .  She's a real witch!"

This year we had 56 children come to the witch's cauldron and get a candy treat. Afterwards I serve a dinner for just ourselves or sometimes for a few friends that is made up of appetizers and hor d' oeuvres, punch and party foods to keep with the spirit of the occasion.

Halloween or Samhain, whatever you call it, is a sacred holiday. But as such, a sacred holiday does not mean it must be somber, quiet, reverent and boring or sad. It's a celebration. On one side of the coin we celebrate the loved ones who have passed on into their next life, and on the other we celebrate the life we have here. And children are the best example of life on earth that we have!

I hope you had a Happy Samhain!


Peace and Happiness



© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

 If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Happy Samhain!

 Happy Samhain!

I'm writing this discussion a few days early with the Hurricane called Sandy threatening our state and our power, so I thought to get it on-line earlier than later.  Today I want to discuss Samhain, pronounced Sow-wen.  This sacred holiday on our Wheel of the Year (our Pagan Calendar) that falls every year on November 1st.

Samhain is the third and last harvest of the year, the first being August 1st (Lughnasadh), the second being the Fall or Autumnal Equinox (Mabon) which falls between September 20 and 24th.  The ancients depended on the harvest for survival as any food they had was what they harvested from the field and stored away for the upcoming year.

This is also a sacred holiday where we remember the dead. We remember and honor our ancestors and loved ones who have passed away. A way to honor your ancestors and loved ones who are no longer with us is to have a plate of food during your dinner on Samhain Eve and place the plate in a place of honor on your dinner table, I place mine, right in the middle of the table. No one eats from this plate and it is filled with all the wonderful food everyone is enjoying.

November first also has the distinction of being the Pagan New Year's Day. That's right, it's the first day of our year and as such has sacred, special energies for starting new endeavors, planning for the upcoming year and it's the celebration of another year over and a new one to begin!  Most people put all of the emphasis on October 31st when in fact November 1st is truly the most special of days for Pagans!

On a special note, if you are in any area that is threatened by Hurricane Sandy please be smart and stay safe. Many people have asked me about spells to thwart, divert or stop a storm and while I do believe and also perform weather magick I assure you that with a storm like a hurricane, especially this one, there is nothing to be done except wait for Mother Nature to be done with her business. While weather magick can be done for small weather systems, this storm is reported to be over 1,000 miles across and very strong. Stay inside, evacuate if required of your area, and do what is necessary to get through this unharmed. Be careful of burning candles indoors and never leave a lit candle unsupervised, most especially around children and pets.

Be Safe and Blessed Be!


Peace and Happiness



© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

 If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Monday, October 22, 2012

The History of Halloween this Friday Night at MCC!

 Good Morning!

This is a picture of how I spent my day yesterday. I walked with friends in the Breast Cancer Walk held in Hartford, CT in Bushnell Park. There had to be a couple of thousand people at the walk and a great time was had by many if not all. I wore my witch hat, sadly the only one I saw the entire day, but many people said hi to the witch, adults and children alike.  Several people asked to take my picture and the friend I was with took one also, and here it is!

Well, this week is shaping up to be a busy week for a witch. I start it by speaking with a group of children at a local library about witches and who we are and what we do. I try to emphasize to children that witches are not mean or ugly nor do they mean to harm or hurt anyone, children included. I tell them witches can be pretty, happy, fun and good.

On Friday, October 26th at 6 pm I will be conducting a 'History of Halloween' PowerPoint presentation at Manchester Community College and I hope you can make it! The presentation is two hours long from 6 to 8 pm and will be held in room GPA GP232 in the Great Path Academy part of the college.

I start the presentation with a short parody of William Shakespeare's Macbeth which shows how people, even today, still perceive witches to be, cackling, evil, cauldron stirring hags. Then we go into a PowerPoint show that covers the ancient and mysterious origins of Halloween, a holiday that is still celebrated today over 5,000 years past its first murky beginnings.

You will learn in the presentation that the History of Halloween is really the history of the witch and as such, the history of the woman. We also discuss, black cats, bats, pumpkins and trick or treat! Registration to attend this presentation is required and a fee of $20 is payable to the college. To register over the phone for this class please call 860-512-3232 and have a credit card handy. The course number you will need to register is CRN#31876.

On Saturday October 27th I will be conducting a Samhain celebration at Enchantments at 6 pm, followed by a ritual feast where everyone brings a dish to share and then we will conclude the evening with a seance, speaking with the ghosts of Enchantments. Oh, didn't you know Enchantments was haunted? Oh yes! There are several spirits that inhabit the old Victorian Home that now houses Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts and Witch Shop. You will meet some of them Saturday night, that is .  .  .  if you dare!  If you plan to attend, and are not a student of Enchantments Magickal Studies Program, please call me at 860-791-6033 to make reservations as this ritual and feast will be held indoors and we have limited space and seating.

I am getting excited for Samhain, (Halloween) are you?

Peace and Happiness



© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.

 If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Do Green Faced Witches Offend you? This witch's opinion

Good Evening,

'Tis the Season .  .  .  of the Witch! Although, truthfully I feel every season is our season, but hey, that's just me!  This time of year, with Halloween nearing, I hear all sorts of comments regarding witches. Some comments come from non magickal people and others from like-minded magickal, pagan and witch.  I was recently in Salem Mass and heard a story regarding a green faced witch.

It seems a little girl was walking the streets of Salem with her mother and she was dressed as a witch complete with a green face. She was approached by a real witch, one quite well known in town. The little girl was given a serious lecture by said witch on how wrong it was to have a green face.  That it was insulting and wrong to portray witches like this. The little girl became upset and started to scrub at her face to remove the green. Poor thing.

I officially call, NONSENSE! A few points I would like to comment on. Firstly, the little girl may have been portraying a witch but she was still, without question, a little girl. Now, she's a little girl that I assure you will always remember, and not too fondly, that encounter with a 'real' witch. I only hope she doesn't have nightmares about it! Secondly, there is a time and place  for teaching, .  .  .  anything. That was not the time or the way to get that lesson across to that little girl and her mother. Not in my opinion. My, wouldn't it have been a different scenario if that Salem witch had taken the time to tell the little girl she was a real witch, which she might well have done, but then to have answered her questions, talked to her about magick, tell her  how witches are pretty with any skin color and had then left her with a happy experience. Ah, but it was not to be. I only hope that little girl grows up to learn and understand that even if one is a famous 'real' witch that not everything one says is necessarily true for everyone.




I would also like to address the 'Green Faced Witch' debate I've seen bantered about every year around this time. I look at the green faced witch differently than some. Yes, there is the famous Wicked Witch of the West portrayed by Ms. Margaret Hamilton in the classic Hollywood movie 'The Wizard of Oz', and its a given she was green faced and evil to the core.  This is what many think of when they see the green-faced witch. But some of us, have a different image in mind. When I see a green faced witch I think of the 'Green Witch', the magickal herbalist, and the Hedge Witch, all ancient versions of the modern witch today.  I mean let's look at the image of the witch around Halloween. We see children and adults dress in the witches conical hat and carry brooms around Samhain, Halloween and many wear the 'look', not being real witches and not understanding of our ways and most do not take offense. I think we can look at the green face and be as understanding about it as we are about other things pertaining to witches.

I personally will attest to the fact that not ALL real witches are nice, peasant or even good at heart. We are just like any other group or demographic. Some are very nice, sweet and good to the core and others are mean, rude and just not nice. Every group has its spectrum of people ranging from one extreme to the other. How we treat others, whether witch or not, really speaks of our character and what makes us who we are. 

It's really up to us if we choose to be offended, and being offended is most definitely a choice. I choose to use some opportunities to help educate people, again when the time and place are appropriate and at other times I choose to go about my life and pick the battles I have a shot at wining. But the times I choose not to pick a battle I don't get all huffy about it and allow that negative energy to affect my day or to affect others around me. It's all a choice, most of the time. I like to make the choices that benefit my life and also respect that others can choose differently and that has to be O.K.


Peace and Happiness





© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

The Witch's Hat ~ a bit of legend and lore




Good Evening,

Tonight we will discuss the witch's pointy hat and what it may mean. Many recognize the witch's hat with its wide brim and long pointed center. As a matter of fact the witch's hat is thought by some to be the most recognized head wear through out history. Everyone from the smallest child recognizes it and knows it to belong to the witch.

But has it always belonged to the witch? Many ancient cultures have examples of tall, pointed hats in their history with the 'princess hat' or 'hennin' being a popular ladies fashion accessory in the 15th century, which had no brim and at times tied under the chin to keep it secure.



There are many symbolic claims to the witches hat I have heard over the years, one being it is a representation of the male/female union. The brim represents the female genitalia and the pointed center the male member.  The two worn together in the traditional witch's hat bring together the male/female creative energy that creates all of creation.  You see this male/female combination repeated in many areas of witchcraft for instance our pentacle. The pentacle has the five pointed star representative of the male surrounded by a circle, the female energy. Even the practical mortar and pestle has a male/female designation with the mortar (the bowl being female, the vessel) and the pestle (the grinder) being male.

Ancient Roman Priests wore conical hats in ritual and ceremony, and some anthropologists speak of cave paintings that seem to depict pointed hats or perhaps horns worn by ancient cave dwellers.  In ancient times it was the sign of intelligence and wisdom and in more modern times the pointed brimless hat was worn and seen as a dunce cap by unruly children in early 20th century schools. 

Few witches today wear the witches hat except around Samhain, Halloween. I personally love the witches hat and like wearing it along with my cloak in the fall time.  I will admit to getting unusual stares and the occasional whisper of 'witch' as I walk by, but I am. A witch that is. I like wearing traditional witches garb and with owning my own witch shop I can often get away with it!

Not everyone is comfortable dressing year round as a witch, but now is the season you can dress witchy and enjoy it. For .  .  .  'tis the season  .  .  .  of the witch!


Peace and Happiness 











© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.

 If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Victim of a Crime? Empower yourself with Magick!

 Good Evening,

If you read my discussions regularly you know I tend to be optimistic, happy and a pretty upbeat witch, at least I try to be! But as my blog description states, I want to share with you all the witchy things that happen to me. Or the witchy ways I deal with the real world. Tonight's discussion is a bit more sobering but I am sharing as I hope it may help you should you ever find yourself the victim of a crime.

Just a few night's ago, my witch shop Enchantments was broken into by thieves.  They kicked in the door and busted the door frame out. They stole the money out of the cash register and fled into the night. Luckily the cats, who are barricaded upstairs, were not hurt and nothing was destroyed except the door frame.

It was a decidedly un-magickal moment for me.  I came into work the next morning with a girl that helps me in the shop and we found the evidence of the break-in. We did the typical thing, called the police, made a report ,cleaned up the mess and arranged for the door to be fixed that afternoon.  As anyone who has experienced a break-in could tell you, it leaves you in a funky, unnerved, and uncomfortable place. But that's where my magick comes in.

I had class that morning, as I teach Magickal Studies to adult students on Saturday mornings and this was Saturday morning.  So as we were planning on doing a ritual for the full moon, I modified the ritual from our typical full moon ritual and made it into a protection spell ritual. 

Let me share with you some of the things we added to our circle in case you wish to do a spell like this for yourself. By the way, a protection ritual can be done before any harm comes to you or your property. It most assuredly should be done after an event also. By doing this ritual it had a two-fold affect. One it sent out strong protection magick around Enchantments thus preventing any other attempted break-ins.

Two, it helped to balance and center me and those associated with us that morning, as everyone felt a bit violated that 'their' place had been so shabbily treated.  I cast a simple circle, you may cast one as you normally would.

Then I held hands with two female students (it is believed the most powerful force in the universe is three witches or women working together. I read this once and it has always resonated within me as truth) and we sent a blue sphere of protective energy out from our bodies that started in our throat chakras and flowed down our left arms, moving deosil around the circle and up our right arms, and when it was strong enough we pushed it out of our bodies and out around the Enchantments building.  I must give credit for this circle casting with blue energy to Ms. Janet Farrar and  Mr. Gavin Bone. They taught this method to me the last seminar they conducted at Enchantments and I personally find it to be very powerful and effective!

Normally this blue field of energy is pulled back in after the circle work is finished but we left it out there to do its job of keeping the harm away. Eventually it will dissipate as all energy will wane, but we will reinforce it and continue to keep the protective circle strong.

I spoke with the Goddess and asked her to protect Enchantments from further harm and to prevent further break-ins. 

I then lit a smudge stick and we smudged each other and then the ritual room of Enchantments then took the smudge outside. Starting in the North, we acknowledged each Guardian of each element and asked them specifically to aid us in protecting Enchantments. We walked deosil around the building, sticking to the perimeter, stopping at each compass point, speaking to the Guardians of that direction and moved around until we were back in the North again.

Then the store of Enchantments was very well smudged and a few windows were opened to allow the smudge to slowly dissipate.  We then went upstairs and concluded the ritual and ended the class for the day. I felt more balanced and less stressed afterwards.

That is what magick is really all about. Manifesting needed change in your life. Bad things sometimes do happen, that's Life, but a witch takes that situation and makes it an opportunity to magickally make a difference. That's what I did.

Magick can and will empower you. I don't like the term 'victim' because to me it sounds voluntary.  I may have experienced a break in and theft, but I'll be damned if I'll let it get me down and ruin my outlook on life. I love life and people and I believe most people are generally good at heart. I honestly hope the person that stole the money needed it for food and was able to eat that day and the next with the cash they stole.

But, with the spells cast around Enchantments and the future spells we will cast, I don't believe it will happen again.

And, I hope you never experience a crime, but if you do, I hope you find something magickal and practical in this discussion that you can use to help empower you!


Peace and Happiness


© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.

 If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

'Tis the Season . . .

Good Evening!

What a wonderful, full, busy weekend I have had! I have spent this past weekend with the lovely weather and still long days decorating my yard for Autumn and for the upcoming Samhain season, also known as Halloween!

Mums and pumpkins are coming out in the markets now and are beautiful and plentiful. I took some Zebra Grass, which grows as a perennial in my yard each year and needs to be cut down in the fall, and wrapped it around my lamppost out front and it looks a lot like cornstalks, only prettier and not as messy.

I then tackled a project I had seen on the Internet and wanted to try. Cute little ghosties dancing in a circle that you place on your front lawn. It took me a couple of hours to make eight ghosts and then a few minutes to put them in place, but the results are worth the time. I will, closer to Samhain, put a bundle of tiny lights, orange and purple, in a mock fire in the center of the ghost dancers and run an extension cord to an outdoor outlet.

It was a very busy weekend, but rewarding and I hope the weather stays mild so I can continue to decorate and add a bit of theater to my yard in preparation for the little ghosties and goblins that will come to my door this Samhain eve, begging for candy. I often get between 80 and 100 trick or treaters and, as last year we were robbed of Halloween at least in Southern New England when a freak snow storm plunged us into darkness for two weeks, I am really ready for the festivities this year!

Here are some photos of the work I've done so far. I'll continue to post photos as the decorating progresses over the next several weeks. Happy Holiday decorating to you!









© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website.


 Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Happy Mabon!





Good Evening,

Tomorrow, Saturday September 22nd, we all get to experience Mabon also know as the Fall or Autumnal Equinox. I say experience rather than celebrate because the Equinoxes like the Solstices happen whether we celebrate them or not!

What's going to happen tomorrow is a natural event that happens twice a year. The daylight hours and hours of darkness will be of equal length, that is, 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.

In the springtime when this happens, each day afterwards, the daylight hours get slightly longer until we reach the peak or zenith of daylight hours on the Summer Solstice around June 21st. When the Equinox happens in the fall the opposite happens, which is, we will get slightly more darkness each day until we reach the longest night, shortest day of the year around December 21st which we call the Winter Solstice.

This division of daylight, nighttime hours made a pretty big deal back when we were all farmers and our world was largely agricultural. The pagan Wheel Of The Year that modern pagans still follow is actually an ancient agricultural calendar created by the ancient Celtic peoples of ancient Europe.




Today, with modern electrical lighting, man created heat sources, refrigeration and such we don't follow the times of the year as precisely as the ancients did. We simply don't need to. We have food sources available year round in our modern supermarkets, and we create a summer like atmosphere indoors year round. Although in New England we follow the seasons primarily because they happen and affect us whether we want them to or not! Some people like winter, some of us do not. But in Southern New England 'Winter Happens'!

For modern pagans, few of us need to harvest the grains from the fields to survive the winter, and thankfully so! But we can still recognize the Sabbat of Mabon by how it metaphorically manifests in our lives. This is what I mean. What 'seeds' have you planted in the last year? By seeds I mean, what ideas, concepts, promises and goals have you made or set down for yourself? Many in our culture typically do this around New Year's Eve and call them New Year's resolutions. As pagans many of us do this same thing around the Sabbats of Imbolc and Ostara. Following the agricultural theme, I call these ideas 'seeds' that we are to plant, nurture, tend, weed and eventually harvest when they come to full growth.

If you had 'planted your seeds' earlier in the year, how are the ideas you had for yourself coming along? Have you been nurturing your concepts, doing what needs to be done to bring them to fruition so that they can be harvested? If not, no worries, the Wheel Of The Year is a yearly calendar and new seeds or the same seeds can be re-planted and worked on again for next year. Next year is right around the corner, you know.

For me, I planted seeds of happiness, satisfaction and love. These are concepts I always feel I can have more of in my life and tomorrow I plan on 'harvesting' those feelings by celebrating with like-minded folks and friends and enjoying the bounty of the harvest with a Mabon feast and then socializing with others as some walk the Labyrinth. For me the celebration of each Sabbat brings a deep, spiritual satisfaction and being with others of like mind brings me happiness. Now is also a good time to start thinking about what 'seeds' we may wish to plant in just a few months time.


I wish you a bountiful, happy and healthy Mabon Sabbat!



Peace and Happiness





© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.



If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included.

If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Meet me in Salem, Mass for my lecture on the 1692 witch trials!


Good Evening,

It is that time of year again, Halloween is just around the corner, and I'm planning my annual pilgrimage to Salem, Massachusetts, and you are cordially invited!

Our trip to Salem takes place this year on Sunday, October 7th and I plan on meeting everyone at noon at the 1692 Victim's memorial adjacent to the 'Old Burying Ground'. My lecture will cover the high points of the Summer and Fall of 1692 which consisted of the witch trials and hangings that took place.

I have personally studied and researched the witch trials of that fateful year for over 30 years now and I like to re-tell the story with interesting facts that bring this story to life over 300 years later.

After my lecture I conduct a small memorial ceremony where we remember those 20 victims who lost their lives in 1692. The Victim's Memorial park has benches, one for each victim that lost their lives with their respective names and dates of execution carved into the stone bench. During the ceremony we have one person stand before each bench and at the sound of a bell the name is read aloud and a flower is placed on the bench. It is a solemn ceremony that brings to life the tragedy of lives lost for very little reason save for hysteria, fear and ignorance.

After the lecture and ceremony at the Victim's Memorial we all go to a lovely restaurant for lunch and then many of us go to Pickering Wharf to shop the real witch shops run by real witches! It's a beautiful location and the day tends to be a beautiful one also.

I truly hope you can come on our trip with us. If you wish to, please meet me at the 1692 Victim's Memorial Park at noon on October 7th, 2012. For those with GPS punch in 2 New Liberty Street, Salem, MA. This is the Visitor's Center. You can park in the parking garage right next to the Visitor's Center. Be sure to stop at the Visitor's Center for a street map of Salem, and the Victim's memorial is just two blocks South from the Visitor's center. I look forward to seeing you there!


© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.

If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Walk the Labyrinth during our Mabon Celebraton!








Good Morning!,


I am celebrating our Mabon (Autumnal Equinox) Sabbat next Saturday, September 22 at 6 pm. I would like to invite you to attend. In addition to the ritual and Sabbat feast we will be walking the Labyrinth.

We will construct a Labyrinth in the parking lot of Enchantments and we can use help! If you have the time and inclination to assist us please come by the shop at 4:30 pm. We line a traced outline of a labyrinth with small terracotta cups each with a tea light inside. We light the tea lights and when it gets dark we walk the path of the labyrinth which brings us to an altar set up in the center.

Why do we walk the Labyrinth? Good question! The labyrinth is a patterned layout that can be made from stones, hedges, walls etc and have bee constructed for thousands of years. Some may remember the Labyrinth that Theseus walked to get to the center where he could slay the Minotaur in the ancient Greek fables.

Many feel that walking the Labyrinth can aid one in unraveling problems in ones life. Walking the path only to encounter a barrier and being forced to go in another direction can be metaphoric when it comes to issues, problems and complications in life. It is felt that by walking the Labyrinth one can tap into deeper levels of understanding. Carl Jung felt that in Jungian psychology the labyrinth is one of the most powerful symbols of the subconscious. In his book ‘Man and His Symbols’, he explains its meaning:

“The maze of strange passages, chambers, and unlocked exits in the cellar recalls the old Egyptian representation of the underworld, which is a well-known symbol of the unconscious with its abilities. It also shows how one is “open” to other influences in one’s unconscious shadow side and how uncanny and alien elements can break in.”




We start walking the Labyrinth by taking a piece of specialized paper, either water or fire paper, and writing a word or concept upon it. The person then starts by entering the passage way and slowly starts to travel the path, eventually getting to the center. once at the center they destroy the paper by either putting the water paper (made of cornstarch) in a bowl of water and dissolving it or the fire paper (flash paper) touched to the flame of the candle on the altar and allowing it to flare up and disintegrate.

Then the person gives thanks to their higher power, and starts to travel back along the path to the entrance.

Over the next few days and weeks following the Labyrinth walk I have talked with people who have had remarkable circumstances happen. Some have dreams, some have their problems resolutions appear clearly before them, some have felt more at peace and are more calm and relaxed. Some claim anxiety and inner stress is reduced or in some cases goes away completely. Some just enjoy the quiet walking time which in itself is a physical meditation.

If you are interested in coming to the Sabbat celebration we are starting the ritual sat 6 pm, and the feast starts right afterwards. We will be serving pork roast, sauerkraut with apples and we can use some side dishes to go along with the main dish. We can use dessert, bread and drink. Please contact me at Enchantments at 860-791-6033 to let me know what you will bring, so we don't have too many of one item.

I would love to see you there!




Peace and Happiness


© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.


If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

You Can Speak With The Dead By Using a Pendulum





Good Evening,

You may have used a pendulum to ask questions and perhaps to divine your future, but I find the pendulum to be less accurate than say the tarot or witches runes for simple divination. But I have found, over the last few years, the pendulum to be a very useful tool in communicating with loved ones who have passed over, using it to do the work of the medium. One who speaks with the dead. I am able to do this, though I don't advertise myself as a medium. There are times when I'm doing someone's tarot cards when I start to hear things or visualize images that are meant for them. I use a pendulum to control the thoughts and images, so I may best relay them to the client.

If you wish to use the pendulum in this manner first you need to find one you like. It does not have to be made of a certain material, or look a certain way, you just need to enjoy the look and feel of it.


After you have found the right pendulum for you, then you need to 'program' it. There are many publications and websites out there that tell you to have the pendulum itself show you what a yes or no looks like, by asking it and watching the way it swings. I disagree with this. YOU are the one using the tool, so you should be the one programming it and telling it what a yes will look like and so forth for a negative response.

Too many times I've seen the magickal practitioner give away the power to the tools, supplies, ingredients and energies they are using. You control the power, you are the practitioner. Therefore you are the one running the show.

Hold the pendulum at the end of its string or chain between your thumb and forefinger. Then using deliberate hand movement (really move your hand) cause the pendulum to swing in a circle and strongly say "this is a yes" and let it swing for a few moments. Then stop the pendulum's movement and start it swinging back and forth in a line and say strongly "this is a no". Allow it to continue for a few moments. Then stop the movement and now it is programmed to answer you when you wish to use it.

To speak with those loved ones who have passed on, sit quietly for a few moments and picture them in your mind's eye. When you think of them, they come to you. The cannot NOT come. Love is the connection that will always keep you together.

Think of them, see them in your mind's eye and verbally, out loud, ask them to "please come and speak with me" It is recommended that you use their name, as full and complete a name as they had in life. Given name, maiden, married, confirmation the entire name. No matter if you only know a first and last name, but visualize them as clearly as you can.

Hold the pendulum as before, but try to keep your hand as still as possible. Note, that you are a tool through which the spirit will speak, so if you feel slight movement in your hand, do not try to stop it. There are tiny, micro muscle movements that will assist the pendulum in movement, and the spirit uses these to help answer your question. That is why we don't hand a pendulum from a hook on the wall and ask spirit to speak to us through it. The spirit uses our body and our hand and the muscles within, so there will be slight movement on your part but go with it, don't try to fight it.


Ask questions of the spirit you are communicating with that can be answered with a yes or a no. After the question is answered, and you must ask the question aloud, stop the pendulum's movement for the next question. Be careful if you do this with other people in the room, as side conversations and comments can be what the spirit decides to answer. Complete silence after a question is asked is best. Also asking the question and keeping your mind blank of the next question is also helpful.

Be patient and wait for the pendulum to start moving. At times, when I work with spirits, I can feel a strong tug on the pendulum's chain as it starts to swing and at times the swinging movement becomes very strong, and I know the spirit is working with me to answer the questions.

Play with the pendulum, but don't treat it as a toy. Asking questions you already know the answer to i.e. am I a girl? Will just insult the spirit and I've seen cases where the pendulum ceases to work for the practitioner. Respect the tool, the spirit and the process and it will work wonderfully for you.

As we creep closer to Samhain (Halloween) it is said the veil between the worlds grows thinnest, and that this is the perfect time of the year to speak with those whom we love and have lost. Write down the messages you get from beyond and also pay attention to thoughts, images, smells and words or sounds that just pop into your head while this process is going on. This is medium work and spirits will attempt to communicate with you in many ways. Don't discard any of them, they are all messages meant for you.


Peace and Happiness




© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.



If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

The Women's Spirituality Group was a huge success!





Good Evening,

We just hosted our first Women's Spirituality Group at Enchantments last night and it was a great success. Thirteen women attended and the discussion was quite lively.

I especially enjoyed the discussion because I felt a part of the group rather than 'leading' the group and that was a very nice change of pace. As I sat there listening to the stories, insight and sharing it occurred to me that the group that attended was made up of many strong women deeply in touch with their spirituality and dedicated to their spiritual path.

Even though it is a 'women only' gathering, we discussed men and especially those men we know that are strong, confidant and self assured yet gentle, compassionate, loving, understanding and not threatened by their 'softer' side.

Talk centered around each person's introduction to their spiritual path and triumphs and challenges faced while walking that path. All in all it was an amazing hour and a half and we could have stayed for another hour easy!

We will be meeting the first Wednesday of every month and the next meeting will go from 5-7 pm, just to give us time to 'discuss'. If you missed this meeting, mark your calendars for the next one in October on October 3rd at 5 pm.

I'd love it if you could attend!



Peace and Happiness









© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.


If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Women's Spirituality Group Meets for first time this Wednesday!

Good Evening,

I have had a lot of interest expressed about our upcoming Women's Spirituality Group
which is starting this Wednesday, September 5th at 5 pm. I hope you can make it!

The group will meet upstairs in the classroom of Enchantments at 5 pm and the first group will plan on meeting for an hour. Depending on the number of women who attend we may extend this meeting in the future.

There will be coffee and pastries served and the topic of the evening will be "How the Goddess Manifests in our day to day lives"

There will also be discussion concerning what each participant hopes to get out of the Spirituality group. There will be no charge for this group and any woman over the age of 18 in the magickal or local community is invited.

If there are any questions concerning the meeting please call me Wednesday from 10 am until 5 pm at 860-791-6033 and I'll be happy to talk to you.

I hope to see you there!


Peace and Happiness



© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.


If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Rest In Peace Beautiful Kitty . . .

Good Evening,

Tonight I write this discussion more for me as writing helps me balance my energies and emotions, at least with situations like I encountered today. Let me start, as is always a good place, at the beginning.

I was driving down the road to get my morning coffee before work today, and saw on the side of the road a beautiful cat that had been hit by a car. I didn't think, but immediately pulled over to see if it was still alive and perhaps in need of a vet. What a beautiful cat it was too. A large, very clean, white cat with a few orange spots and the most beautiful blue eyes. Unfortunately it was already gone. My heart sank as I stroked this poor animal. I could feel the stiffness settling in its body, even though it was still warm.

At first I lifted it off the road and tried to place it on the side where it wouldn't be run over time and again by drivers un-aware, but the grass was tall on the side of the road and I feared it wouldn't be found by its owners, or that the coyotes that come around this time of year would find it first. I couldn't leave the poor thing, so I placed it's body gently in the back of my truck.

I went to work at Enchantments and proceeded to try to bury the body. Easier said than done! The outer perimeter of Enchantments property is populated with Elm trees and their roots make digging in the dirt more than an inch or so impossible. I was troubled as I couldn't imagine disposing of the body in a way other than a proper burial and then it struck me, I could bury the beautiful cat in my garden.

It was still long and arduous digging with a large shovel and a crow bar to soften the soil, but after an hour or so I had opened up a large enough hole to provide a respectable grave for the cat. I then went into Enchantments and gathered some ingredients. A clean white bag, fennel seeds and a cauldron with charcoal and incense,and then I went back outside. I wrapped the body with the bag and gently placed it into the grave making sure it was face up. I blessed and consecrated the fennel seeds and then sprinkled them over the body. I asked the Goddess to lead this beautiful animals spirit to the Summerland (our Pagan Heaven) and allow it to run and hunt and frolic in the sunshine and fields chasing mice and rabbits and birds all the rest of its days. I swung the cauldron over the body, censing it with incense and made the sign of the pentagram which is a protective divine symbol and thanked the Goddess for her help. Then I cried tears for this poor, beautiful animal and wished it had had a different end, but I knew in my heart that it was as it was meant to be.

I then covered the body with soil and firmed it down. I had made sure the hole was deep enough to prevent animals from coming around to dig it up, though I will be keeping a close eye on it over the next several weeks.

My heart goes out to the owners of this beautiful animal and as it did not have a collar or identification I have no way to contact the owners to let them know their precious cat is now at peace.

It is a sad day for me, as is any day I lay to rest a beautiful animal but I am glad in a way that I was there to do so, as I feel someone needed to do this work today for this precious kitty.

Thank you for letting me tell you this tale and thank you for reading this story. Now I am gong to go sit under the large, old maple tree in the gardens of Enchantments and relax.


I hope you find the magick in this day!


Peace and Happiness





© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.


If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

What a wonderful birthday week!





Good Evening,

This week was my birthday and I had a very magickal one! I was fortunate enough to have both Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone at my shop, Enchantments, for the weekend where they conducted tarot readings, of which I had one and healings, also got one of those. Someone mentioned it was like having a witches spa day, hahahaha, and I agree. They also ran a two day Cosmology workshop that was well attended.

Janet read my tarot cards and I'm excited as the next year will be a prosperous one for Enchantments and Gavin did a healing for me, which worked absolute wonders on a hyper-extended knee I was suffering from. All the pain and swelling is gone, and it left a mere few hours after the healing. It is as good as new!

Then the Cosmology workshop dealing with Chakras, pathworking, the inner soul and the shadow self was just tremendous! I actually closed the store early so I wouldn't miss any of this amazing workshop and I'm glad I did. Sometimes you have to go with what is best for you and I apologize to those who came to the shop and found us closed, but an opportunity like this doesn't happen everyday!

I had a wonderful birthday party with close friends and family, that consisted of an old fashioned New England Lobster/Clam bake and we had a wonderful troupe of fire dancers for entertainment. They were truly spectacular and everyone had a great time. Talk about a pagan event, the fire dancers brought the element of fire up close and personal.

Then I had a quiet day of rest and the next day, for my actual birthday . . . I did say I celebrated my birthday week!. . . I spent the day with my best friend, and a lovely day we had!

Now, for a little birthday magickal lore, let me share with you, that when you're blowing out your candles on your birthday cake, that you are performing one of the oldest candle spells known to man. This dates back over 2,000 years ago to the temple of Artemis in ancient Greece. People would bring little crescent moon shaped cakes to the temple and arrange candles around them. They would wish for something special and then blow out the candles, knowing the Goddess Artemis would grant them their wish. When you blow out your candles, know that Artemis is listening and may possibly choose to grant you your wish!

There was so much magick, happiness and joy in this birthday this year, I am truly blessed and grateful for all the wonderful people I find in my life. Have a magickal day!


Peace and Happiness!


© 2010-2012 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.



If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.