The Contemporary New England Witch

The Contemporary New England Witch
Author Ms.Faith

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.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Ms. Janet Farrar and Mr. Gavin Bone at Enchantments this weekend!






Good Evening!

I'm very excited and proud to present at Enchantments, world renowned authors, lecturers, witches and priests, Ms. Janet Farrar and Mr. Gavin Bone, this weekend!

They will be conducting their 'Inner Mysteries Intensive Workshop' which is a two day workshop giving the participants an experiential base in magickal practice who wish to work as solitary practitioners or as members of a working Wiccan group.

This workshop includes: Working with core magical energy, the magic circle, the group mind, cosmology, path-working, working with polarity magic, magical laws, the Mysteries, finding your guides and guardians and much, much more!

Ms. Farrar and Mr. Bone are authors of 'A Witches Bible', 'The Witches Goddess', 'The Witches God','The Healing Craft', 'Progressive Witchcraft' and 'Inner Mysteries' and have lectured and conducted workshops all over the world.

The workshop starts at 9:30 am on Saturday and Sunday and goes until 5 pm each day. If you are interested in signing up, please call Enchantments at 860-791-6033 and have your credit card ready, there are only a few spaces available.

I look forward to seeing 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 16, 2012

A Beautiful Summer's Day and More Magickal Stones!

Good Evening,


Today is such a glorious Summer's day! This entire Summer has been wonderful, in this witch's estimation, that is. Hot, long, wet and just wonderful. I might need to note that I'm not terribly crazy about Winter, though it is a season we all must live through and respect here in Southern New England.

Yes, it has rained a lot this Summer season, but that just saves us from having to water the garden manually as well as saving water reserves. Another plus!! Well, onto tonight's magickal discussion!

Just last weekend I went to a Lapidary show (rocks, minerals and tumbled stones) and purchased some very nice pieces for Enchantments. I wanted to tell you about some of the magickal stones I gathered and their magickal energies that you can utilize for your own benefit.

Red Calcite

The first favorite of mine is red calcite. Red calcite is a stone used to energize the body and spirit and to help de-toxify the body. It increases stability and courage within. It is a stone that helps with fear and carrying red calcite helps one beset by fear to gently release it. It eases the fight or flight rush of fear that will at times course through the body, and can be utilized to great benefit by those who do 'battle' in their day to day lives.

It will attract love to the wearer. It is an overall beneficial stone for a healthy sex life and will increase one's sensuality. In the area of detoxifying, it is greatly useful for those trying to rid their bodies of toxins from the over use of alcohol and food poisonings. It is associated with the root chakra and aids in all areas of physical health.


Lapis Lazuli

I love Lapis Lazuli. A stone once revered by the ancient Egyptians, it is a beautiful blue stone shot through with gold pyrite. Lapis when viewed in direct sunlight is brilliant and sparkling, whereas in candlelight or artificial lighting it becomes dull and lifeless. As an amulet is is used for increasing happiness in love, sex and passion. It brings about a sincerity of the spirit, increases interest in new pursuits and strengthens friendships and relationships. Use lapis to help rid the spirit of bad memories and past pain and distress.

To bring about a peace to the soul energy take a piece of Lapis and place on the third eye, the middle of forehead between brows and lay down and become still for several minutes. Think peaceful and happy thoughts and do this every other day or so to bring about a release of painful energies from the past.


In addition to tumbled Lapis I was able to get some incredibly beautiful flat Lapis Lazuli pendants that make a tremendous fashion statement as well as being beneficial from their magickal properties that come from wearing such a special stone. The picture above is an example of the pendants.

These are just two of the special magickal stones I have recently bought for Enchantments as well as many others. if you love stones and minerals or wish to start using some in your life, please stop by and browse through our large and varied stone wall display. We are proud to carry one of the largest collections of magickal stones and minerals in the state, and all come with a paper detailing the magickal properties of each stone so you can use it magickally in your life.

I am also happy to bag each stone separately with its paper tag so you can keep every stone organized and remember what each one was when you get home!

I look forward to seeing you at Enchantments soon! Have a beautiful rest of your week!!

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 8, 2012

Enchantments hosting "Women's Spirituality Group" on Sept 5th at 5 pm





Good Evening,


I'm so excited about this new event I am planning and want to share it with you! For a long time I have wanted to host a Woman's Spirituality group and finally the time is right.

Firstly, may I extend my apologies to my wonderful male readers as this group is as it states for women only. Don't get me wrong, I love men and always have and rituals and covens I have run have always been for both sexes, but this group is being planned specifically for women. Why?

I find the changing times in our country have become more and more challenging for women, our rights are again in jeopardy, our opinions and voices are more and more often ignored or overlooked and this group is designed to address those issues and more.

Frankly as women get together we talk, about everything!! Yet, we will censor ourselves if men are present. How many women really want to talk about the challenges of their moon cycles or menopause with men? And how many men want to join in that discussion? Be honest!

Women have come together for centuries to support, encourage, rally and befriend other women in times of stress, hardship and need. I want us to be able to do this again in this group. This group will meet for our first meeting at 5 pm, at Enchantments on September 5th and the meeting will go appx 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Our first discussion will center around the theme of "How did you find your personal path of spirituality?"

Coffee/tea and refreshments will be served and discussion on future meetings will be held. This is a free group and any female over 18 is welcome. I hope to see you there!

If there are questions or concerns please call me at Enchantments at 860-791-6033 on Tuesdays from 10 - 4, Wed - Saturdays 10 - 5 and I'll be happy to answer your questions. Thanks You, Ms Faith


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 1, 2012

Happy Lughnasadh! What are you thankful for?







Happy Lughnasadh to you!,

Today is August 1st, Lughnasadh or Lammas to many pagans and Wiccans around the world. This is a Sabbat, a solar celebration that marks another click on our pagan wheel of the year.

This celebration has been recognized as the first harvest for centuries and with good reason. November first marks the third and last food harvest of the growing season and for many, centuries ago, there was not to be another food harvest until the following August! That's 9 months away! Food was to be stored and carefully guarded throughout the year, but mishaps occurred, from mold to rats to fire, any number of hazards could happen that would destroy the grain crop, virtually all the food a village or tribe had to survive on, back in the day.

Ancient man did not eat meat as often and as much as we do today. Firstly, one had to hunt and actually kill an animal, which, when using hand held weapons or bow and arrows was not that easy to do. Then storing the meat was difficult and most of it had to be eaten quickly. Dried meat was made but a substantial grain harvest was needed to sustain a community.

Vegetables as we know them today also did not exist for Celtic man. The Celtic culture is what I write about primarily because that culture is where our Wheel of the Year developed from. Vegetables such as maize (our corn on the cob), potatoes and tomatoes came from other cultures centuries later. Celtic man had cabbages, leeks, onions and turnips. These vegetables needed to be stored throughout the winter months also, with similar hazards threatening their existence as those that could destroy the grains.

So when Lughnasadh came around, the first grain harvest of the growing season, a cause of celebration and thanksgiving abounded. Bread, fresh baked bread was made. Fermented drinks made from grain, similar to beer was made. Fresh cooked cereal such as oatmeal and meal made from millet was cooked. Soups and stews with fresh vegetables and herbs, strengthened by the addition of grains was cooked over large fires and the first animals of the year were slaughtered to create an abundant feast that everyone would enjoy and most likely would over indulge in, having gone for so long with rationed supplies.




A time for Thanksgiving was recognized by all. Thanking the Goddesses and Gods for the survival of the clans, villages, tribes and family was very important to the people of the day. They realized and believed it was only through the beneficence of the Gods that they survived another year. Everyone helped with the bringing in of the grain harvest. The young, the strong, women, men and the elderly helped in anyway they could. Everyone was needed for this very important occasion.

The strong men and boys that may have been away from home fighting to keep marauders from overtaking their homeland borderlands would have returned as would every fighting force regardless of culture to help their families bring in the harvest. For without the harvest, their families back home would perish and there would truthfully be little to fight for should that happen. So, everyone followed a 'cease fire' and went home to become farmers.

While at home, during the harvesting and feasting time, games would be played. These Celtic games were ofttimes called the assembly or games of Lugh, which is the translation of Lughnasadh. Lugh being a Celtic God of the harvest, of light, of war as well as other attributes. These games were similar to the Greek Olympic Games and were games of warfare. So while the soldiers were home they were still keeping in fighting form as they competed with one another in these games.




This is a time of celebration, a time of abundance, fertility of the Earth Mother, a giving of thanks and a taking of sustenance. This is a time where one can contemplate their life and give gratitude for the blessings abundant within it.

What are you thankful for?

Take a moment and light a candle, make a bountiful feast or give love to someone to show your gratitude to the Gods. Allow your gratitude to overwhelm your soul and so it will spill out and affect others and thus it will return back to you magnified and transformed into divine energy.

So Mote it 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.