The Contemporary New England Witch

The Contemporary New England Witch
Author Ms.Faith

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Happy Beltane Celebration at Enchantments! What Beltane is all about!



 Good Afternoon!

Isn't the weather just lovely? Finally we break out of winter and are enjoying the beautiful spring weather. Well in just a couple of days, on May 1st Beltane (sometimes spelled Beltaine) descends on us. We, the Witches of Enchantments, will be celebrating Beltane this Saturday, May 2nd at 10 am. Weather permitting, it will be an outdoor event.

Beltane has been celebrated by the ancient Celtic peoples from Western Europe for thousands of years. Beltane, Celtic for 'bright fire' is a time when in the ancient would, the night before, snuff out all of their fires and candle lights. Symbolically, this meant going into the dark, where survival was not guaranteed. You see, to snuff out the life giving fires, one had to have a lot of faith in the Gods that the next day the fire would be rekindled and life would continue. On the mountain and hill tops the next morning, before sunrise, a fire would be re-lit and then bonfires all along the land would be re-lit and the celebration would commence.

The Beltane celebration would have many aspects to it. There would be a sacred ritual where a white bull would be run between two raging bonfires to consecrate the animal. Then the bull would be slaughtered and the meat cooked and served to the entire village. These people might not have had meat of any sort for several months, as they were just coming out of a long, harsh winter. (Just like the one we just made it through). The Druid Priests would take the entrails of the bull and observing them with ancient techniques divine the upcoming year of good fortune and maladies for the villagers. The blood of the bull would be placed in bowls and scattered over the fields, which had been seeded back in March, around Ostara.

A long pole would be set up in the center of the village and red and white ribbons would be draped from it. With men and women alternately taking up a ribbon each they would start an age old dance of wrapping the essence of the Mother Goddess around the phallic pole of the God. Beltane is a fertility festival. Traditionally by celebrating this festival, it is thought to bring abundance, good fortune and wealth to those who participate. This is one of the Greater Sabbats on the Wheel of the Year and it was thought that if people didnt recognize it, and celebrate it, the wheel would cease to turn and life could become snuffed out.

Today we celebrate this Sabbat to help 'fertilize' our endeavors and projects we have set before us. In the group at Enchantments, we usually choose an area of our life that we wish to improve and work on during the upcoming year at Ostara, the Spring or Vernal Equinox. During Beltane, we fertilize our project.This can be done by magickal means, such as consecrating a candle and burning it, or some other method of magick. Dancing around the altar with musical instruments also puts your magickal intention into the universe with the build up of a Cone of Power which is then released and sent to do your bidding.

A feast, celebrating the spring and the beginning of summer is held. Foods and drinks of all sorts are brought and consumed with blessings to the Goddess and the Gods. A sense of happiness, joy and well being are common at Beltane, with the gentle breezes and sun shining it is easy to feel alive and well  and to rejoice. 



We at Enchantments, use a living Rowan tree in our front yard ritual area to dance the Maypole, gently entwining the many colored ribbons around the tree. If you wish to participate in our Beltane ritual, please show up at Enchantments this Saturday, May 2nd by 10 am, sharp! Bring a length of ribbon, any color except for black, 9 feet long and 1 inch thick. Please also bring a dish to share with others during our Beltane feast that is held directly after our ceremony.

Any form of dress is acceptable, as long as you are dressed. We do not do sky clad rituals at Enchantments. Any food and drink, with the exception of alcohol, is welcome at our feast. This year, please stay after the ceremony and feast and help us place mulch upon our gardens of Enchantments. This should only take a short time as we have so many coming to help, and your energy in the garden is welcome.

I look forward to having you there! Happy Beltane! Ms. Faith


Peace and Happiness






© 2010-2015 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, April 23, 2015

Magick of the Days of the Week and Upcoming Events at Enchantments!




 Good Afternoon,

Many witches sync up their magick with the moon, but you don't need to wait for a particular moon phase to do successful magick. You can do magick that syncs up with the days of the week and covers most any magickal workings needed.

Let's look at the magick of the days of the week:

  • Sunday - is an all purpose day. A day golden in color with a big push for all successful endeavors.A day to bring in, invoke, success and all things positive.
  • Monday - is a day for women's mysteries. A good day for divination and learning to divine. Any system from tarot, to runes, oracle cards and tea leaf reading are all better practiced on this day. 
  • Tuesday - a day designed for success in business. All business success, not just financial. A good day to start new business ventures, a new project, meet potential new clients or investors. 
  • Wednesday - a good day for communication. To work on your verbal skills, doing spells designed to aid you in communicating with others. Also a good day to start healing spells.
  • Thursday - the best day for all things related to money, abundance, fertility and growth. A day full of the green of new grass growing and spreading and becoming a vast, lush field. 
  • Friday - a day dedicated to the Goddesses Venus/Freya and associated with all things pertaining to love! Familial/friendship love, new love, romantic love, passionate love and lust. Use the colors of red and pink on this day to put some umpth into your spell casting.
  • Saturday - the best day for banishing, eliminating, cleansing and purifying. Increase the protection around you on this day.
These are just the general purposes of each day. Further research and other authors may give you additional information on each day, but I have always found the above listings to be useful for most anything I need, when it comes to spell casting.

Save the Dates! 

We have some exciting events coming to Enchantments! Please mark these days down on your calendar and plan to attend!

Mr. Christopher Penczak is coming to Enchantments on Thursday April 30th, 2015. He will conduct a class starting at 6 pm and ending at 8:30. The topic will be the 9 Muses. The cost for his class is $35 and we have just a few seats available. Please, if you are planning to attend, plan on purchasing your ticket in advance! There will be coffee, punch and refreshments available.

Beltane at Enchantments! Our First day of Summer Celebration will be held in the front gardens of Enchantments on Saturday, May 2nd, 2015 at 10 am. This is an open circle, open to any who wish to attend. There are a few stipulations though if you wish to attend. Firstly, you must be at Enchantments by 10 am. There is limited parking, but parking is available in adjacent parking lots. We will not hold up the ritual for late comers. There will also be a living Maypole dance. Please bring a 9 foot length of ribbon, 1 inch wide to dance the Maypole if you desire. Maypole dancing is for adults only as children may be trampled, and we wish to avoid such a thing!

Also if you plan on attending, you must bring a dish to share at the pot luck feast held immediately afterwards. We will have an outdoor picnic with a variety of foods brought by everyone. Please bring a dish that can be shared by others. This year we will be doing a quick bit of gardening afterwards, as we have several bags of mulch to be spread out on the gardens of Enchantments. Only those who wish to help with the gardening can do so, do not think it is a requirement. Many hands make light work, and so we hope as many people as possible can help out, but if you are unable or do not wish to, that is fine. If you do wish to help spread a bag or two, please bring a pair of gloves to make the work easier. We should be done with all the festivities and gardening by 1 pm, so you can plan the rest of your day! Look for next week's discussion by the 'Contemporary New England Witch' to read a complete description of Beltane and all it pertains. There is no charge for the Beltane celebration. Enchantments witch store will be open after the ritual for those who wish to shop.

Women's Spirituality Group meets next on Wednesday May 6th at 5 pm and it goes until 6:30 pm. The topic this time will be Candle Magick and how it can help you in your day to day magickal, spiritual practice. A short class on candle magick will be conducted by Ms. Faith and each person will be given a candle that they can carve and annoint and use at home. Learn how candle magick can bring the Goddess closer to you. There is no charge for this Spirituality group. There will be coffee and refreshments served. You don't need to be a witch to attend, simply a woman who wishes to explore her spirituality with other like minded ladies. The store closes at 5 pm, so if you wish to shop this night, please come before we close. Thank you.




Peace and Happiness 


© 2010-2015 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, April 16, 2015

Part of our Pagan Heritage is to help in our Community.



 Good Afternoon,

So many people are turning away from traditional Judea-Christian philosophy these days and find themselves embracing a Pagan lifestyle. Being green, living in harmony with nature, worshiping the elements all are part of the Pagan life. But it goes, or ought to go farther than that.

For centuries, the Witch, the Green man of the village, the Herbalist, the Shaman all were a integral part of their villages, providing necessary services to their communities. Nowadays we can and I feel, should, give of ourselves in a kind of spiritual offering of ourselves to our community.

There is so much we can do. We can volunteer at our local soup kitchen, collect non-perishable foods for our local food pantry, collect scarves, gloves, socks and hats for our local shelters. Perhaps you work better dealing directly with nature. Grab a few garbage bags, the big ones, and a pair of gloves and go to a local greenway or wayside (alongside the roadways) and pick up discarded trash and debris.

You could collect used, clean blankets and towels for donation to your local veterinarian or pet shelter. There are always others who can use a hand in someway or another. 




The Witch, in history, was the person in the village you went to for advice, a spell, an herbal remedy to help in a difficult time. I assure you, times are not so different now. Running my own witch shop I often deal with customers who need serious advice on difficult situations in their lives. Sometimes a magickal stone or herb can help, but many times I end up selling them nothing. I just give them an insight they, for whatever reason,  don't seem to be able to get elsewhere.

You might not run your own store, but you can help others in magickal ways. Do you read the tarot cards or do some other form of divination? A quick reading can give insight into a person's life and when read back to them by an unbiased second party can help them see the situation more clearly.

Perhaps you are an awesome spell caster? I advise AGAINST doing spells for others. This just quickly leads you in a dangerous path. We do not do spells for others. But, we can help others do spells for themselves or teach them the proper ways. These spells are simply more effective when done by the person themselves. Doing spells for others can quickly lead you into a power trip. This is not the way to help others. Allow them to help themselves.

Perhaps you are an effective herbalist? Maybe you make herbal mixes and potions that can help a person? Firstly, BE VERY CAREFUL if making medicinal mixtures meant to be ingested.  Unless you are a licensed doctor or pharmacist this can lead you quickly into serious trouble with the law. Selling these medicinal mixtures also leads to woe. For example, do you know of any and all medicines being taken by the person you are treating and any contraindications for the herbal mixtures you are selling them? Danger!! But you can make simple, magickally effective potions and herbal mixtures that will bring magickal properties to the person's life which will aid them in their difficulties. By giving or selling these products (at a little above cost) can be helpful to those in your community. Do not expect to get rich selling your magickal services. That's not what being a magickal practitioner is all about. Do it to help others. Your magickal reward will come to you in ways much greater than monetary.

There are rules to follow being a magickal practitioner, but they are simple enough. What you send out, returns to you. It's as simple as that. There are many ways you can aid your community. You just need to decide what touches your heart and go out and follow it. That's a big part of the Pagan lifestyle. Or should be.



Peace and Happiness!




© 2010-2015 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, April 6, 2015

Happy Easter! The Best Part of Being Pagan? Celebrating all the Holidays!


 Good Morning,

Happy Easter! The best part of being Pagan is being able to celebrate all the holidays. The main reason for this is many, many Pagans were raised Christian. I know some Pagans choose to celebrate only the Pagan holidays, but remember what I've taught you, the Christian holidays are actually Pagan holidays that were Christianized many centuries ago.

There is nothing wrong with celebrating the Christian holidays, as I said, they have Pagan roots, and we grew up celebrating these holidays. Even if you didn't celebrate these Christian holidays in your home, you grew up recognizing them as we live in a Christian society and these holidays are usually combined with days off from work or school.

I enjoy the festivities of my Pagan Wheel of the Year holy days, as well as the tradition of celebrating the Christian holidays. I truly believe we should and can all live together while celebrating our diversity without it becoming segregating. Just because we choose to set aside our Christian upbringing to embrace Paganism or Buddhism, or Judaism or some other religious path, or to choose a non religious path, there is nothing inherently wrong or bad about celebrating the days that are special.

The holidays to me are a reminder of good family gatherings, socializing and enjoying each other around a feast of traditional, and for us, cultural foods.  From ham on Easter, kielbasa, hard boiled eggs, cabbage, pierogies, babka bread, poppy seed breads and cakes. Many families turn to the traditional foods of their cultural heritage because 'going home' means so much to many.

Some choose to go to church, I choose to celebrate my religion on the Pagan day, this holiday was Ostara on the Vernal, Spring Equinox. On Easter I went to a friends home where we celebrate Easter every year. There is one individual who says grace before the meal every time, and that is simply lovely as far as I'm concerned. To respect each others beliefs, even when they differ from ours, makes us better people, I think.

To be fair, we spent a part of the day talking about paranormal topics, from ghosts to Ouija boards. Everyone was accepting and understanding and everyone enjoyed the day. So be aware if you have strong negative feelings concerning some of the holidays, whether they be yours or others. There might be other issues, unresolved, that you might wish to address. The negative energy will only negatively affect you, in the long run.

I hope you enjoyed your Spring holiday, be it Easter, Passover, Ostara or simply the Spring. Bright Blessings to you! Ms. Faith


Peace and Happiness



 © 2010-2015 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.