The Contemporary New England Witch

The Contemporary New England Witch
Author Ms.Faith

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Happy Imbolc - Our First Spring Ritual



 Happy Imbolc,


Many Wiccans and Pagans today celebrate this First of Spring Sabbat. Let me start by pointing out an important detail. Imbolc has traditionally been celebrated on the first day of February. That's right, February 1st. You will, no doubt, see a lot of references on the Internet and in some published books that mention the day being celebrated on February 2nd. This date is the Christian holiday of Candlemass. It is one example of the early Christians adopting and trying to change the existing Pagan holidays (holy days) on the Wheel of the Year to reflect a more accepted Christian outlook.

The early Christians took many Sabbats of the Wheel of the Year and turned them into religious Masses, we have Candlemass overtaking  Imbolc, Lughnasadh on August 1st that became Loaf Mass, keeping the original Pagan focus of the grains and breads that came from the field (for the Christians, that came from God) and of course the biggest for some people,Yule, at the winter Solstice which became Christmas, or Christ's Mass.

 There were other Sabbats overtaken by the early Christians which were considered very special religious days but without the word mass in their new names. Such as Pagan Samhain on November 1st, which the Christians changed into a three day event of fasting, prayer and extreme martyrdom and they called on October 31st, All Hallows Eve, the night before the day of All Hallows day on November 1st. All Hallows stood for a day to pray for all the Saints and angels. Then the next day, November 2nd, became all Soul's day, a day to pray for everyone else. This was done to eliminate the Pagan day of the dead, our memorial day, of Samhain.  Another day adopted and overtaken from the Pagans by the early Christians was our Spring ritual at the Vernal or Spring Equinox of Eostra or Ostara. This day was then called Easter and interestingly celebrated the death and resurrection of the Christ. The Pagans saw the "God" of the harvest cut down and dying in the fields at Mabon and Samhain, and being resurrected at the winter solstice at Yule.

Both Pagan and Christian follow a Wheel of the Year. Our follows the Goddess and God as they dance around the Wheel of the Year following the planting, growing and harvesting of the fields, the birth, life and death of the God of the harvest and the Christians follow the birth, life and death of their Christed one. In so many way, we truly celebrate the same concepts, metaphorically. Interestingly, on the Pagan Wheel of the Year, the Goddess appears young, as the Maiden, Matronly as the Mother and Elderly as the Crone, but she does not die in the course of the year as does the God.

Getting back to Imbolc, this is a time when we humans today, who use the Whee of the Year to plant, grow and harvest, metaphorically, changes we wish to create in our lives. During our Sabbat ritual yesterday, I passed out to everyone, a terracotta flower pot. They will bring their pot home and contemplate what they wish to bring into their lives this year. They can decorate the pot anyway they wish. Giving it on the outside some symbolism of what will be growing inside of it and in their lives. Come Ostara in March, we will bring our pots back and fill them with potting soil and plant charged, blessed and empowered seeds from some herbs. We will offer lavender seeds for those who wish to bring in tranquility to their lives, basil seeds for love or money, rosemary for magick and just about any specific magickal goal, parsley for protection and so forth.

If you plan to celebrate today or tomorrow, you might choose to substitute the traditional cakes and ale with fresh milk and cheese, as the term Imbolc is thought to be a Gaelic term that refers to the milk 'In the Belly' of the ewes in the fields that are giving birth and nursing the new lambs in the fields.

I have noticed early signs of Spring already this year. About 3 weeks ago, I saw many Canada geese flying home, this is almost a full month before they normally fly back. My mother, in upstate Vermont, saw red wing black birds in January, when they normally don't appear until March. We have had a very mild winter so far, here in Southern New England  and wands crossed that the mild winter continues.

To celebrate the arrival of Spring, bring fresh spring flowers into your home. You'll find many beautiful flowers in the markets and florists in your town. Eating fresh fruit, fresh baked breads and light meals, chicken, fish, vegetarian dishes are all appropriate this time of year.

Have a Blessed Imbolc and Welcome Spring!



Peace and Happiness









© 2010-2016 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, January 25, 2016

Worried About Picking up Unwanted Energy? Let's Discuss


Good Snowy Afternoon,

Well, winter has finally blown in to take it's throne here in Southern New England. Many people take time during the winter months to clean and clear out a lot of unwanted stuff destined for tag sale tables and second hand consignment and thrift stores. But, if you are a magickal person, and as such have a developed sense of physic awareness and can sense the energy of an object, these places can be difficult to visit.

Many items that have been closely used by a person over a considerable amount of time will become imbued with that person's energy. Now, let me be clear about one thing. Just picking an object up, holding it for a few minutes or so will not flood the object with energies that can be detected. Likewise new items that have come from a factory, are shipped and un-boxed to be put in the showcase of your friendly neighborhood witch shop, also has little to no discernable energy.

I normally do not buy or even browse in an antique store, or consignment shop. But, if you are fond of finding good deals of previously used items, here's an idea of things that retain a certain level of energy imprints for you to consider. Clothing (that has been worn more than once) along with items made of cloth, dolls, stuffed animals, upholstered furniture, blankets, throws, decorative pillows all retain a high energy imprint.  Previously worn shoes are loaded with the previous owners energies! Never wear pre-owned shoes!!  Having these item around you can easily leak their previous owners energy onto you and into your life. You can pick up energies such as depression, unhappiness, anger, stress, chaotic thoughts, scattered thoughts, sadness, excitement, even extreme happiness and joy. Of course, if the latter occurs, it may not be an unwanted thing.

Items made from wood,metal, bone, ceramic or stone also retain an energy imprint, if owned for a long time and handled frequently. Especially furniture, that is often sat in, used as in a table for meals, or slept in, as in a bed or couch, sofa, these pieces will retain energy that can be felt by others. It is up to the person in question if they find the energies pleasant and wanted or disturbing and unwanted.

I have found in my experience, and with my heightened sense of  feeling energy imprints, that there is one type of item to be found in antique shops, tag sales or consignment shops that retains very little energy, and that is decorative glassware. I have collected decorative glassware, objects d' art, myself. The very nature of a piece of pretty glass lends it to absorb very little energy over the years. Firstly, glass is made by melting it in extremely high heat and when it hardens and cools it is non porous and very clean of energies, having been 'sterilized' by the glass making process. Unlike a piece of wood that is hand carved, or created by a carpenter who sands, rubs, stains and polishes lending their energy to the piece, glass is not handled by hand during the creation process because it is too hot. When it has cooled, a pretty piece of glass is often placed for viewing pleasure and seldom handled due to the risk of breakage. I have found very old glass with very little residual energy attached. Collecting old decorative glass is probably the least risky business when considering energy imprints.
Legendarily cursed Hope Diamond 

One of the most heavily energy imprinted objects one can buy or acquire is jewelry. Jewelry is worn close to the body and at times favorite pieces are seldom removed and are often touched or caressed while being worn.  Many times there are strong emotional, sentimental feelings associated with a piece of jewelry that also imprints on the piece. Pre-owned jewelry is probably the one item of pre-owned artifacts I would never own. Historically, famous pieces have been passed down or sold throughout history with legendary curses attached and bad luck or other maladies befalling the latest owners. Interestingly so, when these items become property of a public museum, the bad energy seems to become frozen and no longer wrecks havoc.

So, the importance to be taken from this discussion is to be very careful when purchasing something that has been previously owned by another. Rarely, but in addition to bringing unwanted energies into your home you could be very unlucky and bring an actual ghost that for some reason has attached itself to a piece previously owned. The ghost itself may be the previous owner. Historically when this happens it seems almost impossible to cleanse the item of the attached spirit. The only thing that can be done is to remove the item from your home and spiritually cleanse and bless the home completely.

The very best thing is to buy new, MOST especially any magickal tools, supplies, items for your altar or magickal room.  There are a lot of pre-owned magickal tools and supplies often sold on EBay and the Internet and at psychic fairs, and I wouldn't touch any of them with a ten foot wand!  You will, quite literally, be bringing into your magickal practice and circle the energy of others, that you don't know and do not know how friendly those energies are. Best to be very careful when choosing your magickal tools and supplies. It is also easier to imbue your magickal energy into a tool without having anyone else's energy interfering with your own.

When buying new tool or piece of furniture, it never hurts to smudge it with a sage smudge stick just to be sure it is sacredly cleansed and ready for your energy.  




Peace and Happiness





© 2010-2016 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, January 10, 2016

Let's Discuss Mercury Retrograde for what it Really is.


Happy New Year Magickal Reader!!

Well, what a way to start the New Year, by going into Mercury retrograde! Lovely isn't it? No need to worry, because by looking at Mercury Retrograde for what it really is, we can get through this together.  And much of it is simply perception.

Mercury is a planet and the planet closest to the Sun. It has the shortest orbit around the Sun. Three or four times a year when Mercury passes Earth on it's orbit it appears to slow down and looks to go backwards. It isn't going backwards of course, it just appears that way to the eye. In history Mercury the God was the messenger, delivering communication. And he is also the ruler of financial commerce, travel, eloquence in speech, travel, divination, truth, trickery and thieves.

All of these areas can get a bit messed up during Mercury's backwards trek, and affects us in the following ways:

Computer generated communication can get messed up. This includes any devices such as cell phones, tablets, IPods, and the like. Things like, very slow, choppy connections, sent messages that don't get delivered, computers crashing and needing re-booting, lost material (be sure to back up all important documents, emails and other written material.) Haha no coincidences! As I just finished writing this last paragraph, my computer connection broke down and I had to re-boot.

 To deal with the above possible difficulties, be sure to again back up your information, give yourself plenty of time to finish reports or other tasks on the computer, so you won't be late. And most importantly, be patient. You phone may start acting wonky, you'll miss calls, calls may go straight to voicemail, and other weirdness's may appear on or while using your phone.

Other areas that may be affected are travel. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get places, be patient when you find yourself in traffic jams and long lines. Make sure you keep your car gassed up, have your car looked over by a mechanic before you take long trips and be sure your tires and battery are newer than older. Also since we're in the midst of winter, here in Southern New England, be sure to have a blanket, cell phone charger, protein bars, bottles of water, small shovel and small bag of sand or kitty litter to help you get out of a stuck in the snow situation. Always carry your cell phone with you and always let someone know your travel plans.

Be aware that communication, one to one, can often get really screwed up. You'll say something in perfect innocence and it will be misunderstood, and misconstrued, causing all sorts of strife! Try to be as clear and simply worded as possible. The less wordy you are, the less chance for misunderstandings. If misunderstandings occur just apologize and be the bigger person. Things can be smoothed over with your handling of the situation rather than letting it fester and grow bigger than it needs to be.

Be very careful watching over your finances, your banking records and any firms, banks or organizations that handle your money for you. Keep all records, receipts and documents in regards to your finances and be very careful about any monetary transactions that occur during this time frame. Also be aware of simple monetary transactions like cash transactions at the convenience store, or super market. Make sure you get the right change back and be doubly sure you know you are in a safe place when using debit or credit cards.        

Be careful to  keep your doors locked and possessions safe. Mercury governs thieves, and during Mercury Retrograde things go better for thieves rather than becoming more difficult. Thieves are more successful and things taken during this time are seldom recovered. If things are stolen, know they are gone for good and don't stress. There's nothing that can be done, but do be sure to file a police report.

Most of all, during the phase of Mercury in Retrograde try not to become a victim. Not everything that happens is because of Mercury Retrograde. Mistakes happen, things get broken and everyone has a bad day, but somethings happen completely on their own. Blaming everything on M.R. won't help matters. Be aware that we create our reality and being responsible for what we create is a big part of living a magickal life.

Good News, Mercury Retrograde is over on January 26th, 2016.  And it will only happen another three times during this year. But being prepared will make the situation much easier to deal with.
Happy January!



Peace and Happiness


© 2010-2016 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.