The Magick to be Found in Blueberries!

Good Afternoon,

This week found the Contemporary New England Witch  high on a hill in South Glastonbury, CT on a blueberry farm. I go picking one incredible, blessed, serene day a year. I call it going to church. High on a hill, surrounded by hundreds of acres of blueberry bushes, birds singing and eating their breakfast of sweet, plump, ripe berries, it is a day I look forward to yearly.

I always end up picking between 10 and 11 pounds of berries, that's what one of the berry farm's buckets hold, and use them fresh and freeze some for use throughout the winter. The humble blueberry, while very delicious, also has magickal properties to it. All things found in nature have magickal properties. Trees, herbs, vegetables and fruits, even stones, crystals and minerals. But the blueberry has the magickal property of banishment and protection. Using a blueberry branch as a wand can rid your area of all sorts of negative and harmful energies.  They provide protection and even internally, by eating them, they can surround your body with protective energies keeping harmful energies away. This is not a medical statement, as we don't give medical advice, blueberries are not eaten in this case for medical reasons but for magickal ones.

A fun and delicious way to eat blueberries is in a pie. Pies have been made for centuries and are an excellent way to enjoy many fruits. To make a simple, yet delicious blueberry pie follow this simple recipe:

Ingredients needed for 1 pie:

A store bought raw dough pie crust (top and bottom)
4 cups of fresh, clean picked blueberries
1 cup granulated sugar plus a little extra for dressing the pie
1/4 cup dried tapioca (found in the pudding or baking sections of your store)
appx 1/8 cup of milk for dressing the pie crust
a tin pie plate appx 9-10 inches in diameter

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Press pie dough in bottom of the pie tin, being sure to press firmly in the bottom and up the sides.
Take a large mixing bowl, and pour in berries, sugar and tapioca. Be sure tapioca is in it's dry state, right out of the box. Mix all ingredients gently in mixing bowl until all berries are covered with sugar/tapioca mix. Try not to break or bruise the berries.

Gently pour berry mix into pie shell. It will mound up as you want the pie to be quite filled and not thin and stingy. Then wet edges of pie crust along rim of pie tin with milk. Then gently lay second pie crust over the berries, being sure it is evenly laid over entire pie with no extreme excess of crust on one side or the other. Press pie crust gently along the edges. Then using your thumb and forefinger push crust along edge to make a pretty edge. Practice with this until it looks nice. If you are having little luck with making an edge, a simple old fashioned way is to dip a fork into milk and press the tines along the edge making a fork print all along the edge of the pie. Then using a knife gently trim off any excess crust.
Then using a pastry brush, brush entire crust with milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Then take the knife and slice a few air slits to allow for steam. These slits can be in a decorative pattern if you like.
Place pie tin on a cookie sheet and place in hot oven. Allow to cook for appx. an hour, but you will know when it is done as the blueberry juice will run out of the top crust. If the juice doesn't run, it is NOT done cooking. The crust will be a nice brown. Then take the pie out and place on a counter for a couple of hours for it to cool. Refrigerate after it cools. Can be served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

If you are using frozen berries, the same recipe works, except expect to increase cooking time by at least 10-15 minutes. Again, look for the blueberry juice to escape the pie to know it's done. Enjoy!!

No matter how you enjoy blueberries, fresh, frozen, in a pie, pancakes, muffins or cobblers, they bring protection into your life and help rid your world of negative, unwanted energies and that's a good thing!


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.

The Magickal Housewarming!

Good Afternoon,

This week some good friends have moved into a new house and it made me think of some magickal housewarming gifts that can be given. This discussion is especially for those who are invited to a first time at the new abode.

A gift is always appropriate, actually a requirement if one is of good taste. And a basket of goodies is very appropriate. The first and foremost gift for a housewarming is bread. A nice, artisan, loaf of bread. NOT sliced. But given whole as the household will remain whole and unbroken for the duration of the time the people live there. The bread can be sliced after it is received and eaten, of course, but as it makes it's way over the threshold it should be a whole loaf. And the more loaves of bread the better! Bread has stood for many millennium, as a food of nourishment, abundance, wealth and prosperity. A household that had an abundance of bread was healthy, rich and prosperous.

Also into the gift basket should go a portion of salt. Any type of salt will do. Nowadays you can use sea salt for ritual, pink Himalayan salt for cooking, black salt for protection, or any type you choose. Salt, of any variety, is good for protection of the home and it also was once used in ancient times as currency, so it draws wealth and prosperity energies to it.

For those that partake of alcohol, a bottle of red wine is appropriate or dark red grape juice if you don't consume alcohol. The essence of the grape is a gift of the Goddess, whereas the bread is a gift of the fields from the God. Red wine, is more appropriate than white or more modern varieties as red was the original color and flavor of wine. It has the ability to bring joy, laughter and happiness to a home.

Candles are a good addition to the housewarming basket. They bring light, warmth and magick to a household and will dispel darkness. Candles of any shape, size or color are appropriate.

Finally a bottle of good olive oil is a nice addition to the basket. Olive oil has properties of prosperity and fertility. In a new home, fertility is a desired energy. NOT necessarily to bring in babies, but to bring in new life into the home with the new homeowners. New life in their hobbies, ambitions, dreams and desires for their future in the new home. The olive oil can be used to lightly anoint the candles and used with a pinch of salt for dipping the bread.

Other than these things, you can add any items you think appropriate. Homemade jams and jellies, a jar of honey, bags of flour and sugar, magickal stones, bags of dried herbs, resins and incenses, smudge sticks to keep the energy clear, are also good ideas. Put all of your items in a basket made strongly and well, and you'll have a unique and beautiful gift.

Top this off with a gathering of good friends and family and the housewarming will seal the good energies within for many a year!


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.

In Memoriam of Cecil the Lion, and Witches, the Caretakers of the Earth

Cecil The Lion 2002 - 2015

Good Afternoon,

By now, just about everyone has heard of Cecil the Lion, that is unless you've been living in a cave. But for those who might not have heard the whole story, Cecil was a beautiful alpha lion in charge of his own pride in a protected National preservation park in Zimbabwe Africa . He wore a GPS collar since his birth put there by the Oxford University Research Unit that was tracking and recording the movements of African lions. They have been tracking and recording African lions since 1999. Cecil was a rare black maned lion and was protected and was also a favorite of thousands of visitors and tourists a year.

In July 2015, an American dentist from Minnesota paid two disreputable guides and a land owner, who had land adjacent to the National park, $55,000 for the 'privilege' to hunt and kill an African lion. When Walter Palmer, the dentist, arrived he was brought to the park with his guides. They lured Cecil from the park with fresh meat of a recently killed animal and when Cecil came out of the protected boundaries, they shown a light in his eyes ( a despicable practice called jack lighting) which caused the mighty beast to freeze in his tracks. Palmer then shot him with a bow and arrow, which unfortunately for the poor wounded lion was not fatal, only injurious. Wounded, in pain, Cecil took off running away from the would be murderers and they hunted him for 40 long hours, before finally shooting him with a rifle. They then decapitated him, for their trophy, and skinned his hide.

They attempted to remove the tracking device, but were unable to. Then, knowing what they had done, an illegal hunt, they left behind all of Cecil's remains and ran themselves.

The Zimbabwean authorities have petitioned the United States to extradite Walter Palmer back to Africa to stand trial for his crime. The trackers and land owner are already under arrest and are being dealt with by the authorities. What Palmer and the trackers didn't care to realize was that there was danger of territorial lions from other areas coming into the pride and killing Cecil's cubs and other male lions to take control of the pride. Up to 10 or more male lions could have been killed, as this happens in cases like this. I can report good news in this regard. Jericho, Cecil's brother lion has taken over the pride and has assumed guardianship of Cecil's cubs and the pride remains intake and secure as of now.  This was an unexpected positive turn of events, according to the researchers and park rangers.

The President of the United States, needed 100,000 petitions by August 27th to consider extradition proceedings against Walter Palmer. Two days after this story appeared on the Internet, the petition had 150,000 signatures and the list is growing. As of this discussion the President of Zimbabwe has  received over 1 million signatures from around the world to ban trophy hunting in his country. He has since increased restrictions when it comes to trophy hunting, and has made the practice much more difficult to do legally. But Walter Palmer doesn't care about legalities. back in 2008 he was arrested for the felonious killing of a black bear in Wisconsin. He was convicted of lying to federal investigators about exactly where he had killed the bear.

Unfortunately, there are other hunters. People with more money than compassion at their disposal, who thrill at taking the life of majestic beasts. Who have no care that many of these species are in danger of becoming extinct, IN OUR LIFETIME. That's right, in less than 50 years many species are in danger of becoming extinct solely because of humans enjoyment of killing. In less than  15 years from now, experts are predicting that there will no longer be any wild elephants left. As a witch and as a human that loves animals and all wild things of nature, this simply breaks my heart.

We, the witches, are the caretakers of the Earth. When so many are worrying about their jobs, homes, social lives, shopping, amongst other day to day issues, and that is how it should be, the witch cares about keeping the Earth healthy and alive and thriving. We will stop and pick up trash when others walk by, oblivious. We will cry tears when even one animal is abused and left to die. We worry deep into the night, that the rain forests are soon to be gone, that we won't have clean water to drink and use, that our air is becoming poisoned and that our very existence on the Earth is harming Her.

People this week, especially on Social media, where I posted things about Cecil the Lion and other animal abuses, have accused me of caring for an 'insignificant fuzzy lion' (their words) and not caring about other injustices in the world. The truth is, the witch does care, about so much and so many injustices it breaks our hearts. We are deeply capable of caring for many, many issues that face the world today. But to think Cecil the Lion is just one insignificant lion, you are missing the point. He is a symbol of where our world is going, and just how quickly we are bringing to an end all that is wild, beautiful and magnificent in our Natural World. It is like the Lorax and the trees. Nobody missed the trees until the last one was gone. As a matter of fact, right now there is one, lone, lonely Northern White Rhino living in Kenya, that is the last of his species, on Earth. We have done it yet again. Wiped out an entire species.

But, we CAN do something today! We do not need to wait for the last lion, the last elephant, the last giraffe. We can donate money to the Oxford University Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, the web address is www.wildcru.org . As of this story being given so much press, the Research Unit has received over $500,000 in donations. Every little bit will help keep endangered animals alive.

At the same time, Delta Airlines, the only American airline that travels to Africa has banned any transport of trophy's of murdered wild animals. Three other American airlines as well as several foreign airlines have done the same. You can ask, before you book your tickets, even states side travel, if the airline allows trophies from hunting to be transported. If so, let them know you'll be using another airline.

President Obama has issued a Nation wide ban on selling any ivory in the United States. But beware  of Internet sellers who feel they are exempt from the rules. If you see anything made of ivory for sale on Etsy, Ebay, Amazon, Craigs list etc. Let the administrators of that site know you will not shop their site if they don't remove these items. And do it! Hold firm to your beliefs. There are many, many Chinese sites and sellers who sell ivory and it is causing the poaching of elephants to increase daily. Until recently the United States and China were the two largest purchasers of ivory. Now it is China. Boycotting a Chinese company or business may make your life a bit more inconvenienced but that is of very little importance in comparison to the ultimate loss when elephants become extinct.

I hope, by writing of Cecil and alerting you to the tragedies of trophy hunting in our world, it will somehow make a difference and his death will not have been in vain. I also hope, as I light a candle and ask the Goddess for help in stopping these unnecessary deaths, that I will one day live to see the end of trophy hunting in it's entirety. By the will of the Goddess, So Mote it 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.

Happy Lughnasadh To You From the Witches of Enchantments

Happy Lughnasadh!


The Witches of Enchantments had a grand time indeed, this morning. Of course, as is typical on a Thanksgiving Day, lots of food was had, wonderful socializing and good energies abounded! We had a lovely ritual service where we blessed the animals after invoking the Goddesses who protect animals, Sekmet the Lion Goddess of Egypt, Bastet the Cat Goddess of Egypt, Freya the Norse Goddess of Cats and animals, Artemis the Greek Goddess of the hunt and animals, and Diana the Roman Goddess of the hunt and animals.

The  gardens of Enchantments were in full Summer bloom and we had over 20 people in attendance. It was really lovely. You can see a current picture of the Gardens above.

 There was talk today of covens and such. I no longer have a coven at Enchantments. We have spiritual services that people attend like a congregation. Ms. Laurel and I schedule the service and if people show up great, if not, that's O.K. too. Running covens have simply created a lot of issues and difficulties, so we walked away from that tradition a long time ago. This way new comers are always welcome and if someone doesn't show up, there is no animosity or stress because they weren't expected in the first place. We allow people to come and go as they choose. It is their religion after all, and that is a very private thing, and not up to us to meddle with.

For those who are new to the Craft, just starting out, it's important to find a group or a Pagan church or Circle, as we like to call them, that you feel comfortable with. Be aware of groups run by those who make new comers feel like outsiders, and make it a big deal even to talk to those in charge. There are a few Wiccans/Pagans in the Craft these days that are high on their own power. If you meet anyone that is all that and a bag of soggy chips, you might want to keep looking! The Magickal Masters I have met are as real with new comers as they are with 3rd degree Priestesses that have practiced for 30 years. We are all, simply humans. People like everybody else. Some of us have walked a little farther along the path than some others, but we're all on the SAME path.

Everyone who came today, from new comers to graduates of Enchantments Magickal  Studies program to family members and friends were all of a wonderful energy, sharing and enjoying and celebrating this wonderful Harvest Festival. Glad to be with one another and looking forward to the next Sabbat in six short weeks. Yikes, yes, soon it will be Mabon. Oh My!!

I hope you have the chance to celebrate this Harvest Festival time of year. One way of doing so is to have a hearty meal, with plenty of bread or bread products. To celebrate the harvest of grain from the fields. Happy Lughnasadh!

Peace and Happiness Ms. Faith



© 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.