The Contemporary New England Witch

The Contemporary New England Witch
Author Ms.Faith

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

More magick of plants, herbs and flowers! Bleeding heart, Carnation & Foxglove

Good Evening,

Tonight we are discussing, again, some of the special magicks of plants, herbs and flowers. The plants we will discuss are common enough plants found in many gardens; Bleeding heart, Carnation and Foxglove.


The Bleeding Heart plant has many blossoms that look like little heart charms dangling off a charm bracelet. It has been a popular flower since Victorian times and has the magickal reputation to bring love into ones life. It is in sync with the planet Venus and the element of water. There is a superstition that if grown indoors it will bring about negative energies, but this can be changed by burying a coin in the soil around the base of the plant.


The Carnation is also a plant that has been used for centuries and during William Shakespeare's time it had been called many things from pinks, scaffold flowers, sops-in-wine, to gilliflowers. Also known as Dianthus it has the magickal properties of protection, strength and healing. It is in sync with the planet Sun and the element of fire.

During ancient times the carnation was worn to protect one from coming to an untimely death on the scaffold! Today the protective qualities of the flower are still employed by one bringing carnations to a hospital bed-ridden patient to bring about strength, healing and to protect them from getting sicker and possibly dying. If using for healing purposes use the red variety of carnation. They may be placed on the altar during healing spells and the dried blossoms can be placed in healing spell kits and in sachets.



Now for foxglove, a popular garden plant in Victorian times as well as now. Foxglove grows wild in wooded areas and along the edges of meadows and is said to attract the fairies. It is host to a number of interesting folk-names such as Deadmen's Bells, Fairy Petticoats, Fairy Thimbles, The Great Herb, Witches bells, and Witches Thimbles. Foxglove is also known as Digitalis and is used in pharmacopeia for medicines designed to aid the heart. Foxglove is very poisonous and should never be taken unless administered by a trained medical doctor and NEVER should one self administer the herb as IT WILL KILL YOU!!!

The magickal properties of foxglove are protection and the repelling of evil energies. The plant syncs up with the planet Venus and again the element of water. When grown in the garden the plant protects the garden as well as the home. Never bring foxglove inside as that angers the fairies and your good luck will run a muck! Housewives in Wales will take the leaves of foxglove and make a black ink out of them and then use this ink to paint black crossed lines on their cottages stone floors to keep evil from entering.

Again, remember that foxglove is never to be taken internally as it is quite poisonous. This plant is a bi-annual plant that puts out its leaves the first year, the tall stalks with blossoms the second year and then dies away. You can keep your foxglove in your garden by being sure to shake the stalks when they set seeds so the seeds fall to the ground and grow the next year. If you do this every year you will always have the lucky, protective foxglove in your garden!!



Now, this witch is about to sit a spell in her garden and ponder on the many magickal qualities of the rest of her plants, herbs and flowers. I hope you liked this little series of the magick of plants, herbs and flowers as much as I've enjoyed discussing them with you!


Peace and Happiness


Tonight's discussion gets much of its magickal information from:

Mr. Scott Cunningham's - "Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs"



© 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, May 23, 2012

My garden this morning looked lovely, here let me share with you . . .

Good Evening,

My garden looked just lovely this morning and I wanted to share her with you. Here are some pictures of her for you to enjoy. I hope you have a wonderful day and the next discussion will have more about the magick of plants, herbs and flowers. Until then,

Peace and Happiness



Garden Sage - in its third and last year of growth. A Tri-annual, garden sage grows for three seasons, blooms profusely in its third year and then dies away. I will plant first year plants this year so that my sage bed doesn't fade away. If I plant new sage plants every year I should have blooms every year after the first couple.


Cinquefoil- a true witches plant. It is also called five fingered grass and we know it in Southern New England as 'butter cups'. Witches use cinquefoil for five magickal properties i.e. love, money, health, power and wisdom







© 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, May 16, 2012

The Magick of Plants, Herbs and Flowers Part 2

Good Evening,

Tonight we're continuing our discussion on the magickal properties of plants found in the typical garden. There are many plants we often put in our garden for decoration and use all the time and tonight we're going to look at three of the most common and one not so common; tomato, basil and morning glory along with the morning glory's cousin the moonflower.

The tomato has been used for years as a culinary fruit/vegetable and we commonly see it used in salads, sauces and condiments, but did you know it has magickal properties? It does indeed! The tomato which syncs up with the planet Venus and the element of water will bring prosperity, protection and love into your life.

To bring prosperity into your home place a bright red, ripe tomato on your mantle or in the center of your kitchen table for three days. Use and replace after three days.


Cherry Tomatoes


Placing a tomato at the entrance door or window of a home, or planting a garden of tomatoes by the entrance door to a home prevents evil from entering. The yellow of the flowers and the red of the fruit are excellent in repelling harm and evil. This employs the use of color magick. To bring in love to your life, cook and eat tomatoes. You may wish to invite a certain someone over and then cook a spaghetti dinner with a red marinara sauce and serve with a tomato salad and garlic bread. This is a nice meal with which to woo a lover. You may also wish to use a pinch of basil in your recipes, lets look at basil and its magickal properties.

I've planted a couple of beds of basil this year. I love basil. I love the smell, the look, the taste of basil and can't seem to get enough of it. Why? Maybe because it has the magickal properties of love, wealth and protection, all good things to have in abundance, no? Basil is in-tune with the planet Mars and the element of fire. The scent of fresh basil creates sympathy between two people and it is used to soothe tempers between lovers. Carrying basil in your pocket ensures that wealth will visit you and small bags of basil placed in a room will bring strong protective energies to the area.

IMPORTANT HEALTH WARNING!! It is important to note that if pregnant, or nursing one must not consume basil and it should not be eaten by infants or toddlers. Always check with your medical doctor before consuming herbs of any kind if pregnant or nursing or before feeding to little ones.


A pretty flower this time of year is morning glory. I have just planted seeds which should develop into some lovely vines hosting a profusion of pink morning glory flowers this year. Morning glory syncs up with the planet Saturn and the element of water and brings happiness and peace to a home when planted outdoors. The root of the morning glory may be substituted for the High John the Conqueror root, but be warned that morning glory is highly poisonous and should not be ingested at all and handled carefully and infrequently. Do not bring morning glory indoors as it may be accidentally eaten by household pets and this can harm or kill them.


The first cousin of the morning glory plant is called the Moonflower. I have a love affair with this wonderful plant all because of its wonderful habits and characteristics. It follows morning glory in following the element of water and brings peace and happiness to a home, but it is different in that it follows the planet Moon, and it is also helpful in making your magick manifest quickly. The moonflower loves the shade, but will tolerate some sun and whereas the morning glory as its name suggests opens its blossoms in the morning hours the moonflower opens up its large blossoms late in the afternoon between four and six o'clock.

One amazing thing about the Moonflower is it opens its blossoms from a tightly wound bud to full open blossom in under five minutes. It looks like time lapsed photography except you're looking at it happen with your very own eyes! Once opened the flower itself can be larger than a hand span and it has a delicate, beautiful smell. To use in magick, take a blossom that has closed up again the next morning and place carefully in a pouch (be sure no pets or children can get to it) and place pouch on altar to speed up spells and make manifestation come quickly. Be sure to carefully and safely discard after a day or two of it remaining on your altar. The following photos show you the Moonflower from bud to open blossom. Each blossom only remains for one evening and then can be picked off and discarded to encourage additional flowers to bloom.




These are just the latest in this series of the Magick of Plants, Herbs and Flowers. More to come later this week. Now I hope you have a chance to get outside and enjoy some of nature's gifts!


Peace and Happiness


Tonight's discussion gets much of its magickal information from:

Mr. Scott Cunningham's - "Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs"






© 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, May 14, 2012

Working in the garden, getting back to nature!

Good Evening,


Where should one look for a witch in New England during the spring and summer months? Why in the garden, of course! I've been working out of doors and enjoying myself so much. At times I find myself, like many people, feeling discontented and a bit out of sorts. That's when I need the magick of the garden the most. Feeling the gentle breezes in my hair, the sun on my body, handling the green plants with their gentle energy all make me happier and I end up feeling much more balanced and at peace.

This week I have been planting, weeding, cleaning up gardens and re-decorating them for the summer months. So far I've planted a few plants, especially some witches Broom bushes, to replace the ones I lost in the winter months.

Broom ( Cytisus scoparius) is a member of the sweet pea family and is used in purification and protection spells. Also known as Besom, Irish Broom, Scotch Broom, Green Broom, and Broom Tops, broom syncs up with the planet Mars and the element of Air and is often hung up within the home to banish and repel harm and evil energies. Broom is poisonous, so carry for spell work in pouches rather than using it in any brews, poisons or incense. If you burn broom outdoors, it will bring rain. If you are casting a circle, use a broom made from broom as a sweep for the air of the circle. Go around the circle deosil (clockwise), three times adjusting the broom's height in the air to a different level for each time around the circle. The levels are down around the ankle, waist level and then head height or slightly higher. It matters not in which direction you go, from lower to higher. Do what feels right for you.




That's right, I said that. Do what feels right for you. So much of witchcraft comes from within (not all mind you, as the manifestation of your magick usually comes from outside of oneself, in the tangible world.) Let me say this again, because I've come across so much out there that says you must do this, or certainly have to do that, etc. etc. I share lessons with you in witchcraft which is a science not a religion. Following traditions, following Wicca which has traditional religious ritual, many have formulas and 'ritual', which by definition must follow some sort of pattern.

If you belong to a group like this, or follow a tradition, by all means follow the 'rules' as it keeps you in unity and aligned with the balanced energy of the group. But when doing your magick privately, as I do , when you perform rituals by yourself, you alone can feel the energies and move with the energetic flow as you find comfortable. You might feel that sweeping the lower level of the circle and then moving higher makes energetic sense to your practice. Or to the contrary, you may find working from the top to the bottom flows better for you. Know the ritual, understand the practice and then do as it suits you. That's my style of witchcraft. I listen to the Goddess, I feel the energy flow and I follow the magickal flow when crafting my magick. Well, enough about that, let's get back to the plants and herbs, shall we?

In addition to Broom I also planted Salvia, a type of sage. Decorative Red Sage also known as Sawge can bring in the magickal properties of healing and abundance. There are a lot of superstitions regarding sage and one is, if you have a wish, write it on a sage leaf and sleep with it under your pillow for three nights. If you should dream of your wish, it will manifest. Regardless, afterwards take the used sage leaf and bury it in the ground, to ground the magick. I also plant sage with another plant as it is said to plant a bed of sage by itself would bring ill luck, and we wouldn't want that! Interestingly toads are also said to loooove sage! Sage syncs up with the planet Jupiter and the element of Air.



I love to plant marigold flowers along with red sage salvia. They make a beautiful combination and I find beauty immensely magickal. There are several varieties of marigold with the English marigold being what is also known as Calendula. There are also French, African, Spanish and Mexican marigolds. The magickal properties I will discuss are in reference to Calendula officinalis, and this plant is pictured below. Calendula marigold is also known as Bride of the Sun, Calendula, Goldes Holigolde, Husbandman's Dial, Marygold, Mary Gowles, and Summer's Bride, and finds itself in sync with the Sun and the element of Fire.

Marigolds when picked at noon when the Sun is at its hottest will strengthen and comfort the emotional heart. Plant marigolds around the doorways of your home to prevent evil from entering. Scatter marigold petals under your bed to give you prophetic dreams, and this technique is supposed to be very effective in discovering the thief who has robbed you!

It is an ancient wives tale that just by looking at marigolds it will strengthen the eye sight, but I'd check with my eye doctor before believing this! I am more apt to believe that looking at bright, happy little marigolds helps me to see beauty and joy in the world around me.

Do you find yourself in a bit of legal trouble? Carrying the marigold in your pocket helps justice to smile favorably upon you while in court. Just be sure to be innocent or in the right, as justice will be fair, even if its not in your favor. If guilty or responsible, wearing marigold can cause the judge or jury to go for leniency if possible.


Calendula Officinalis



Those are just a few of the plants I've played with this week. In a day or so I will be sharing more plants, herbs and flowers with you along with their magickal uses. The next few discussions will be based on a series of magickal plants and herbs. Right now I'm in the process of developing a one day seminar on the Magick of Plants, Flowers and Herbs. I am creating this using a PowerPoint presentation and hope to have it available for teaching purposes soon.




In the meantime if you have time to go to a local plant nursery and just commune with nature in all of her amazing, colorful, scented glory I strongly recommend you do so. I find myself wandering around plant nurseries this time of the year just to surround myself with an abundance of vegetative life, colorful extravagance and amazing variety. I love my yard and gardens, but its nice to see and experience different plants, some of which I wouldn't want at home. Also having so many varieties feeds my desire for looking at plants I don't have or couldn't have at home due to lack of space. So, my wish for you is that I hope you find yourself wandering around a nursery this week, just absorbing the energies and the scent of nature!

Peace and Happiness


Tonight's discussion gets much of its magickal information from:

Mr. Scott Cunningham's - "Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs"


© 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, May 8, 2012

Our Beltane Celebration

Good Evening,

We had a lovely Beltane celebration this past Saturday. It was a bit overcast and cool so we had a small gathering, but it was lovely nonetheless. We gathered for a ritual to welcome in Beltane and I spoke about concepts of fertilizing the 'seeds' you planted at Ostara and how you can make them grow.

The concepts we talk about at Sabbats are metaphoric for the concepts we wish to develop in our lives and the seeds I spoke about at Ostara, specifically refer to those things you wish to manifest in your life. For instance, do you wish to bring in new friendships with like minded people? Possibly a better work environment? Maybe peace, tranquility and calm are concepts you would like to have more of in your life? Well knowing what you wish to manifest is the first step, the planting of the seeds. Now during the season of Beltane we fertilize these concepts to make them sprout and grow and finally manifest in our lives.

In the case of developing relationships with like minded people, you can fertilize this concept by seeking out groups of people who share similar interests, making plans and spending time with like minded people, take a class and work at putting yourself out in the world where you can meet the people you'd like to have in your life. Today with the Internet you can make many friendships on various social networks. remember to be safe by screening people and checking with mutual friends to make sure the people you are developing friendships with are sincere and safe individuals. Sure you may meet a few cooky people, but the internet allows you a buffer zone if you choose to use it properly. There's no reason to meet someone face to face until you'll corresponded with them for quite a while, using the time again, to check with mutual friends and if they are not quite what you're looking for or flat out crazy, you can always delete them from your friends list.

Say you wish to foster a better work environment. Check in with yourself. Do you get to work on time? A few minutes late everyday does not count! Do you stay later than you need to just to finish up what needs to be finished? Oh, you don't get paid for those few extra minutes? Don't you? Is there too much socializing and drama at work? Do you spend time gossiping about non work related matters during business hours? Well, stop that. Keep work and your social life separate and things can become much more smooth and easy at work. Your boss will appreciate it also!

These are just a couple of examples on how to 'fertilize' the 'seeds' you've planted to manifest in your life. Think about what your seeds are, and then spend time figuring out how best to fertilize them, so they sprout and grow, to finally bloom later in the year, or later in your life!

The following are some pictures of the Beltane Celebration we held at Enchantments this past weekend. Take a quick note, our next outdoor open ritual is Litha (The summer solstice) and will be held on June 16th. You are cordially invited! Keep reading this witches blog for further details as we get closer.






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, May 1, 2012

Happy Beltane!!



Happy Beltane!!

Good Evening and a Happy Beltane to you!! Also a Happy Samhain to those magickal folks below the equator. What a special day this is. As much as I love all the Sabbats, Beltane is and always has been my most favorite one. Its true, even more so than Samhain! I remember when I was a little girl going into the gardens, picking flowers and leaving a bouquet on the doorstep, ringing the bell and running away before my mother could open the door. I had learned at an early age that May day or Beltane was a day of leaving those you love flowers. Even more so than Valentine's Day!

This beautiful holiday observation of giving flowers, is seldom given attention these days, but the day is special nonetheless. Beltane is our last spring ritual and our first day of Summer, for Pagan folk that is. Today in this area of Southern New England it is a rainy, cool day, which makes it perfect for the flowers and trees, grasses and shrubs. They will leaf, branch and bud out completely very soon.

The lilacs are blooming with their incredible aromas and beautiful buds. Lilac is symbolic for new, intense love. Some other flowers and their magickal properties are as follows:

Crocus: which is symbolic for newly blooming love can enhance visions and be used for dream work.

Daffodil: which is associated with fertility and abundance. Wear the daffodil to draw love and luck to your life.

Dandelion: brings needed change to your life and can be used in divination.

Hyacinth: is known to promote a stress free sleep, and prevents nightmares. Carry to help heal a broken heart or to ease grief when a loved one dies.

Lily: The lily is associated with Spring magickal properties such as fertility, rebirth, renewal and abundance.

Calendula: A type of marigold, can be added to your bath to gain the respect and admiration of your peers. Hang garlands of calendula around your home's doorways to stop harm from entering your house.

Morning Glory: Blue morning glories will bring peace and happiness, when grown in the garden.

Narcissus: helps promote balance and harmony as well as tranquility and inner peace and calm.

Rose: Use in love and friendship spells. Roses planted in your garden are said to attract the good fairies. Rose petals can be sprinkled around the house to help calm stress and reduce household arguments.

Snapdragon: Have fresh snapdragons on the altar while performing protective rituals. If you feel that someone has sent you negativity energy, you can try this ancient remedy: Place a vase of snapdragons on the altar with a mirror behind them to send the negative energy back to the sender.

Tulip: The tulip is associated with prosperity.

Violet: violet is associated with tranquility and peace. The leaf offers protection from evil, and a fresh vase of violets can be placed in the room of a new baby for protection and peace.





These are just a few of the common spring flowers that are coming out and blooming now. All flowers and blossoms have magickal associations attached to them, and can be used in magickal applications. One of the simplest ways to use flowers in magick is to get a bouquet of flowers and give them to someone you love.

Happy Beltane! May the bright fires burn within your soul to bring about your desired manifestations and dreams!



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.