The Contemporary New England Witch

The Contemporary New England Witch
Author Ms.Faith

Friday, December 29, 2017

Ending 2017 With Love and Light - It Is The Only Way!


Greetings My Witchy Readers,

As so often happens, I plan to write about one thing and something so much more important pushes its way into my thoughts, and tonight I want to end this year, with the lessons I have learned and how they have impacted my magickal and spiritual life.

Yes, the lessons I have learned. I spend so much of my time teaching and guiding others on their magickal path, answering questions and helping students, customers and clients find their way with challenges and various problems as they deal with the magickal, the spiritual and life's day to day issues, while trying to keep a steady foothold. I find myself, especially as this year comes to a close, looking back and finding I have experienced so many lessons myself, and as a teacher, and a teacher who is truly worth their salt, never, ever stops learning and growing. A teacher never stops receiving lessons from others, and from the universe. Myself, this year, the lessons were many, hard and fast, fierce and cold, harsh and in some cases, life changing.

As I grow older, I can see and appreciate how older people can get bitter, and cold. How they can get sarcastic and seemingly unfeeling, uncaring and how some seem to cut themselves off from the world. I think they may have had enough pain, and heartache, enough disappointment and betrayal, definitely enough let downs and broken promises. All of these, after a long enough life, without contrary perspective to offset them can make a person harder and allow their own personal darkness to seep in and to set up residence and it then becomes a constant companion. By the time that happens they have forgotten that they once had a light shining bright within.

I can see and appreciate how this can happen to some people, but I can also see how some choose to fight against that from happening. Yes, we have our dark moments, and our regrets at how we act at times, the hurtful words we might say or the things we may or may not do, but we all make mistakes and those that truly love us will understand and give us a second chance. If they loved us from the start. If not, then they never did and that is a good thing to know also.

So, as I make plans to say farewell to this past year, the year of 2017, there are some thoughts I wish to send out to the universe. For those who are meant to read these words they will, somehow see them. If they do not, then they were not meant to. It is as simple as that.

I suppose the following is a sort of amends, in a way both for myself to others and for others to me:

" To those I have interacted with this year. If we have come together with love and have ended the year with love, I have been so happy and grateful, so blessed to have had you in my life this past year. You have made my life better in many ways, some I can never put into words, but the feelings are in my heart, and I will love you for that, for making my life happier and more fulfilled. I will feel blessed if you continue to grace my life with your presence for as long as you are able.

For those who have left my life this year. If on your part there was betrayal, lies, deception and cruelty, if you sought to hurt and cause pain, if you went out of your way to forget the friendship we once had, understand that I forgive you and have no animosity towards you.  I might not understand why you did what you did, and for some, I may indeed know, exactly why you did as you did, and that's okay. You had your reasons and I do not need to know or understand any further, I only send you love and light and I pray that the darkness you find yourself surrounded by, the pain you find yourself in, for I see that it simply mirrors what you tried to send out towards me and others. I hope that one day you find the light again, and are able to surround yourself with those who truly love you as you deserve.

For those I have interacted with this year, If there are any that I have said any harsh words to out of my own pain, or sadness, grief and anger for any reason, I do send my love and light and only ask that perhaps one day, you will choose to remember that I am also human, and should be allowed to make mistakes too. That when you say, or in some cases think, as some have kept so very silent, that I have changed or that you never really knew me, that you only knew parts of me, but never took the time to really know all of me, and simply assumed, that the face and persona you knew was all of me.

You see, there is a failing amongst humans. We simply desire to label and to box up people into neat, little packages. This way we think we know what we are dealing with. Yet, we inevitably find ourselves disappointed when we find the person we thought we knew, no longer fitting into the box we stuffed them into. The same goes for me and those I tried to put into boxes who in turn showed me, sometimes harshly and coldy who they really were and not who I thought they were.

 So for those who believe me to be 100% liberal, you'll be surprised to find I have some strong conservative ideals, and for those who think I am just a heathen pagan you may be surprised to know I study both the Christian Bible and the Jewish Tanakh as well as other religious texts, and for those who know me, and that I try as often as possible to be a polite respectful lady, well they may be a bit surprised to find I fight like a vicious, foul mouthed demon when someone I care about is threatened or their existence in my life is put to an unwarranted death. But then their life should have been fought for and their death should have been screamed for in grief as if from a Banshee, and in one instance, this past year, it was. I was and am proud of that. I would never allow a friendship to leave my life quietly as if it did not matter to me. It mattered.

But I do not apologize for who I am, what I am, or how I feel. Whether I stumble one day or walk tall the next, I will never apologize for trying my best on any given day, with what is presented to me.

I have no animosity towards any other human, I only wish for people to find the happiness they seek. I do not apologize to those who I no longer allow in my life, for I won't have those in my life who will not treat me with the respect, the honesty, the integrity or the decency I deserve. If you are not able to keep your promises, if you cannot untangled the web of lies because they have become too numerous, if all you have in your interpersonal bag of skills is smooth talking, empty, hollow, transparent shiny words that have no meaning?  Then I wish you well and good luck selling your goods elsewhere, as I only buy items of substance and integrity. I do not hold it against you, as I have learned, like in the ancient fable of the frog and the scorpion, I knew the scorpion was a scorpion all along. It was my fault if I allowed myself to be bit. I do not hold it against another, as it is only your nature. Nothing more.

I will not go into this next year with any hard feelings, nor with any grudges, nor with any dark energy or any sadness or grief. No animosity, or blame or finger pointing, or regrets. I am leaving it all behind, a bag of refuse to be taken out to the trash. Unneeded, unwanted and unnecessary. I only carry forth happiness, love and light, the good memories and a joyous heart. Forgiveness for what may have been done to me, and forgiveness for myself what I may have done in response. I do have a part in all that happens in my life, oh yes, I know that. I accept that, and I forgive myself more than anyone else, and you need to forgive yourself. That is the most important thing to move forward.

The lessons I have learned, are, I can look back on the happier times, the moments of learning, laughter, joy and fun, the times spent with people who may no longer be in my life, whether they were in my life for a mere year, or two, or four or nine and only remember the good times. The unhappy times? I have squeezed all of the life lessons from them and have discarded the rest. They no longer reside within me.

I do not have any misconceptions, or as one may say beliefs or ideas that any of those who have left my life will return one day. I do not believe this nor do I waste time or energy waiting for something that will not happen, nor should they. We are each moving on, and we should.

I truly believe and I have said this so many times. We each come into another's life for a time. Each relationship has a birth, life and a death, and whether that is the five minutes you spend talking to the clerk at a market while making your purchases or a life time with a family member, all relationships have a finite life span. When that life span comes to an end, it is over. So Mote it be. May the relationship that existed before the end be blessed.

Just as the life span of a year comes to an end. We, none of us can stop the year from ending, nor should we. Any more than we should try to stop a relationship from ending. So, even though you may think of that other person, remember the happy times. And if something like a weird computer glitch causes you to think that person has in some way tried to reach out to you, realize it most likely isn't true and let it go, let her go, or him go and above all else, allow the animosity and anger and sadness and grief to go. Simply delete and move on. Hopefully, for you, there is something better around the next corner. I know, there is something glorious around the corner for me!

 Live in Light and Love, it is the only way.


May you have a Safe and Happy, Healthy New Year  and remember to give thanks for the past year and all of it, the good, the bad and what you learned from it. Give gratitude and then leave it behind and move forward. In peace and in love.

Bright Blessings, Ms. Faith




Ms. Faith M. McCann  2017







© 2010-2017 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 receive the link to the most current weekly blog post send me an e mail with your email address. You will receive a new blog post weekly. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Thursday, December 28, 2017

An Original Poem by Ms. Faith


Greetings My Witchy Readers, 

Tonight, for a bit of a change of pace I have composed a poem, which compiles my feelings about this time of the year and that which I find the most important. I hope you like it. Warm Winter Blessings to you and yours, Ms. Faith 


Winter Shadows

Winter shadows stretch
Across the frosty expanse
An’ chill touches the skin
Ev’n seen from inside with a glance
Makes one happy to be within

This time o’ year
With every turn of the wheel
Comes ‘round yet again
As if caused to reveal  
As if it .  .  . suspends

To look around
We create our hive
An eternal summer
That surrounds our life
Our personal transformer

Crystalline silence, nary a noise
The warmth of family, people an’ friends
Much more than things, gold or toys
These are what we’ve come to depend
These that bring us heartfelt joys
Without our hive, our eternal summer
Our lives would be barren,
A lone, lonely mummer
A winter landscape
A life without summer
A life to forsake
A forsaken mourner

Winter shadows stretch
Their length shortens daily
The light starts to return
Our bargain with the earth grows faintly
The Wheel continues to turn
We live our eternal summer gently

F.M.McCann  12-28-2017


Live, Laugh and Always Love


© 2010-2017 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 receive the link to the most current weekly blog post send me an e mail with your email address. You will receive a new blog post weekly. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Sunday, December 17, 2017

More Ancient Yule Tide Magick!


English Christmas Plum Pudding  recipe c. 1600's

Yuletide Greetings My Witchy Readers,

A very traditional, ancient treat, at Christmas or Yuletide is the English Plum pudding.  There is a belief that plums have never been used in plum pudding, as many dried fruits, especially raisins were at one time called plums, or plumbs, yet I hold off making such an absolute statement simply as there are precious few surviving written recipes from the time the first plum puddings were reputed to have been made in the 16th century or there abouts, and also, plums are native to Great Britain and are easily dried as are many fruits, such as cherries or figs, and could have easily, at one time lost in the mists of unwritten history have been used. They would certainly have fit the dessert recipe, with no issue.  At a time when food was much more scarce than it is in modern times, every edible fruit, vegetable, herb, plant and root would have been consumed. If it was palatable, then even more readily.

In the very earliest days, the harbingers of the Christmas Plum pudding was a soupy gravy or thickened bread based soup/stew first known in the 14th century and called frumenty. It did have the same base ingredients of broth,liquid, beer with stale bread crumbs, dried fruits, at times, bits of meat which eventually found its way into the historically traditional mince meat, which at one time contained meat. well, this thick soup, eventually became the steamed cake, and it was first made, from folk lore, at a time when plums were one of the few plentiful fruits that were harvested in the late fall and would have been sweet and available for easy picking for the poor and wealthy.  I find it, even without historical empirical evidence, very likely that the origins of today's Classic Christmas Plum pudding did indeed contain plums. Why wouldn't it? It was far more likely a fruit, than dates, or apricots, or even raisins in the 16th century.

This column is dedicated to magick and one will find, magick peppered in all food activities in early days, especially in the medieval days when people were very superstitious and based both good and bad events on the magickal and miraculous. So the preparation of food, the cooking of food, the serving of food, at times even how it is eaten or stored afterwards contained magickal, mostly folk magick tradition and belief.

Over 400 years ago, in England, magic was very highly regarded. Everyone believed in it, everyone knew it existed and everyone used it in one way or another, regardless of whether they were good Christians or not. Yes, at this time innocents, accused of the blackest of crimes, the darkest of witchcrafts and convening with Satan were being put to death after much torture and interrogations, in  many areas of Europe. Yet at the same time, the belief in folk magic, of doing a little here and there to ensure a safe trip, a healthy winter, a prosperous year, were all understandably harmless and everyone could use a little bit of good magic.

We see that in the traditional Christmas pudding that became a staple at Christmas dinners all around England, from the lowest household to the King's banquet hall. Even today, one can find hundreds, really no two alike, recipes for this wonderful, steamed cake that is called a pudding. It seems, even today, any sort of dessert, served after dinner in England is called a pudding.  Why this is so?  I do not know the answer to that, but it does make any sort of dessert sound tasty!

Christmas plum pudding is a steamed cake, that is labor intensive and I just finished making one myself, for New Year's Day, and it is loaded with magickal bits and pieces, that are as traditional as the cake itself. Even the preparation has magick infused in it. I will tell you about the magick and give you my personal recipe I created, that you may wish to try, if not this year, then next.

First, you need to acquire small silver or gold trinkets. I like coins and silver bells, and this year I also added a small, delicate necklace with a miniature Faberge' egg. They all have a special meaning.

Then the ingredients for the cake, and brandy. The original recipe, made for the lower classes, originally the thick soup version, used stout, a stale, old, smelly beer of sorts. Very low class. Then wine was a next generation addition, then rum became popular for the higher classes, and when the recipe morphed into the steamed cake version which has now upgraded into using brandy, and today the very fancy (thank you very much!) may choose to use Cognac. The steamed cake version of course thickened the original frumenty into a cake by the additions of eggs, flour, spices, and beef suet, much more fancy dried and exotic fruits, from figs and apricots, to dates and added zests of lemons, oranges and other citrus fruits which were the luxury of the wealthy for centuries.

I chose brandy, and for my recipe you will need 3 cups, or just slightly less. No worries though, if you have non drinkers or children who wish to try some of this delicious ancient dessert, the recipe comes out alcohol free in the end. That's because you steam it until it is practically a ghost of Christmas past!!

These are the ingredients you can assemble once you have your silver and gold trinkets assembled and cleaned and sanitized. I put my trinkets in a mesh bag and put them through a cycle in the dishwasher where they are washed, sanitized and dried before wrapping in buttered parchment paper:

Christmas Plum Pudding: 

Brandy/ Rum or Cognac  (3 cups)

Part 1 :  1-1 1/2 lb  dried fruits e.g. prunes, dates, cherries, blueberries, cranberries, apricots, golden raisins and currants
a cup and a half of roughly chopped almonds, pecans mixed
1 medium fresh apple chopped in small pieces
1 T freshly zested orange peel
1 T freshly zested lemon peel

Mix together in a bowl and then mix well with 1 cup of the brandy or alcohol of choice. Allow to sit in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, overnight.


The next day mix the dry ingredients together in another bowl:

6 oz flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 oz dark brown sugar
3/4 c white sugar
6 oz fine fresh bread crumbs
6 oz vegetable shortening (instead of beef suet)

Chop this finely together until the shortening is well incorporated into the dry ingredients. Then add to the fruited mixture. Chop it all together until well mixed. Then add 1 additional cup of brandy, and 4 eggs. Mix well, until the entire mixture resembles a chunky batter.


 Then get a plum pudding pan, you can buy these on line and before putting batter into the pan, have everyone who is in the house at this exact time, stir, using a wooden spoon the batter in the bowl, going in a clockwise direction and make a wish at that time.

Then take the pudding pan, mine looks a lot like a bundt cake pan, and butter the inside very generously. Start to layer the batter into the pan. Take a moment and get another pot on the stove, with a few inches of water in it and start it on a simmer.  When the cake is layered in the pan you will be steaming the pudding.

After you have put a good two to three inches of batter in the pan, take the trinkets, which you have wrapped in buttered parchment, like little packages, and lay them in the batter, maybe half of them in the first layer. Then cover with more batter. Then more trinkets, then more batter. You should not be able to see the paper from the trinkets.

Pick up the pan and gently drop it on the counter a couple of times, gently. This will tap out the air bubbles. Then place in the simmering water and cover with its lid or cover with aluminum foil. Then you wait. This will steam for 7 hours. Yes, 7 hours. Keep topping off the water so it does not run dry, as it steams. After the 7 hours, remove from the heat and take carefully out of the water.

Allow it to rest on the counter for a bit, maybe 20-30 minutes. No longer. Then take a skewer and make holes, gently, remember the parchment wrapped trinkets throughout the batter. Carefully make holes throughout. Pour the last cup or so of brandy over the whole pudding and give it some time, move it back and forth and tap it a few times and the brandy will absorb into the pudding. It is now going to cure, for a month or more, until the day you serve it. It can be served on Christmas Day, or New Year's Day.

It is usually started the day after Thanksgiving, or 6 weeks before Christmas. Some recipes are known to actually be started an entire year ahead of time. BUT nowadays, please always store the curing pudding in the refrigerator. Traditionally the curing pudding/cake was stored in a 'cool dark' place and that was because they did not have refrigerators in the 17th century. But this also allows for mold, or other nasties to grow and no one wants to get sick after Christmas dinner. So keeping it in the refrigerator is just lovely and assures you of a safe and fresh pudding.

The trick now is to steam it for yes, another 2 hours before serving on the special day!!  So on the day you wish to serve it, take it out of the refrigerator, allow to sit on the counter for an hour or so, steam again for 2 hours and then serve it or bring it at this time to your party. It can be served warm or cold. At this point, it can be un-molded, and served with a hard sauce, which is not appropriate for children or those who do not consume alcohol as it is a thin sweet dessert sauce with more brandy in it, but it can also be served with whipped cream or even ice cream, which is not traditional but it is your dessert.

Hard Sauce:

Cream, (beat with a mixer) confectioner's sugar with butter and then add brandy until loose and runny. This is not a warm sauce but many times, traditionally it is poured over the plum pudding and then set on fire with a match and the flaming dessert is brought to the table in a flaming presentation.

Now the trinkets you ask? I have not forgotten.








The the "tokens or favors" all have a meaning and traditionally in ancient times the trinkets may have had a less than desirable fortune for the upcoming year!

Traditionally, as early as the 1300's a simple dried pea or bean would be cooked into the cake and whomever would get this dried legume in their serving would be King or Queen for the day and be deserving of the nicest treatment with others serving them, and treating them as royalty for an entire day and night.

Then silver rings, or silver tiny crowns were added. These also would give the lucky person who received it in their portion the same day of pampered treatment.

Then coins were added, and whomever got a coin was assured of a year of prosperity or general luck.

If a bachelor's button was found by a single man he would stay single for the coming year.

If a thimble was found by a single woman she would be unattached for the coming year.

A ring, if a single person found the ring it meant they would get married in the coming year, if a married person found it it meant they would receive riches!

Nowadays you can choose whatever token or favor you wish and attribute to it the special magickal attribute you wish it to have. It is that easy. For example, for my English Plum Pudding this year I have placed in it the following:

A tiny Faberee' egg necklace the lucky recipient becomes the King or Queen for the Day at the New Year's Dinner and then the King or Queen for the Year at their home!!

Gold Coins -  anyone who receives a gold coin will have prosperity for the coming year

A love token -  will have love for the coming year

A Happiness token - happiness for the coming year

Silver bells with hearts - love, and happiness in the home for the coming year

Silver bells with Fleur De Lis -  originally in France stood for purity and Christianity can now be used for tranquility, peace and serenity.

Silver bells with Celtic love knot work design -  unending, unbreakable love, enduring forever


Beware there are, I have found, recipes out there that are called English Plum pudding recipes that have you make the batter, steam it and serve it.  These are not real plum puddings, in my estimation. They must, must be cured or allowed to set for at least 3 to 4 weeks minimum, and some recipes up to a year. This rest period "marries" and mellows the flavors giving this complex, ancient recipe once served to the poorest classes to the richest of royals, it's distinctive, classic, special rich taste once synonymous with Christmas itself.

I hope you enjoy it, and may you have a Blessed Yuletide, a Merry Christmas, A Happy Hanukkah, and a joyous winter Solstice Season however you may choose to celebrate!!



Magickally Yours,  Ms. Faith



© 2010-2017 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 receive the link to the most current weekly blog post send me an e mail with your email address. You will receive a new blog post weekly. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Monday, December 11, 2017

Yuletide Magick From Your Contemporary New England Witch



Yuletide Greetings My Witchy Readers!!

There are so many blogs out and about that will tell you about the Wheel of the Year, the history and the legend and lore of the Sabbats and all of that should you choose to search it out and read it, and good information it is. I have even spent time in the past covering this information myself.

But I want to keep my discussions with you fresh, unique and totally my own material, so I am going to trust if you want the history or the legend and lore you have ways and means available to you to look it up yourself.

Instead we are going to stick with what makes the Contemporary New England Witch unique and today's discussion will cover magickal concepts to put into play for the Yuletide season!

Yuletide is the ancient forerunner to what today is the Christmas season, and was originally celebrated to recognize the return of the Sun, as the Winter Solstice passes around December 20th-21st and the days start to be slightly longer, imperceptibly at first, heading into the next year of spring and then summer.

With this ancient Pagans would practice all sorts of sympathetic magick to bring the renewal of life into the homes, and thus ensure that life flourished throughout the long winters. Today, our lives are a bit more secure than ancient mankind was, so we practice sympathetic magicks more metaphorically as it pertains to our day to day and the upcoming year. Take for example the common practice of announcing a New Year's resolution. As the new Year turns, one would set down something they would put into play that would change for them their upcoming year, hopefully for the better.

Well, that is what we, as modern Pagans can do, if we choose to, at this time of darkness and cold, as we rest and contemplate the upcoming year. We plan and put into play the changes we wish to have happen in the upcoming year. Now the difference, as you know, between pagans and the rest of the world, is we do not just think about things and "pray" they will happen, we actively put ourselves into the work to make them manifest.

So, I have put together some lovely Yuletide spells for you to help bring the "Sun" back into your lives this winter and to start you on the path of positive change, at the same time setting aside the darkness, the sadness, or grief, or loss, or anger, or ___________ fill in the blank with any negative, unwanted feeling or energy you wish to put aside from the past few months or year. That which no longer serves you.

We will also utilize typical, time honored Yuletide representations which have served for, in some cases over a thousand years.  To start we will create a Yule log, and we will use a white birch log piece which represents the Goddess.

So the following is creating an indoor, table top Yule log, but as more than just a simple decoration.  Take a small piece of white birch log, saw the bottom off, so it lays flat. Then drill three holes in the top to put the candles, mini spell candles, also known as chime candles.

Silver and gold, and if you are ambitious you can drill 6 or 9 holes. If you did 6 or 9 red, silver and gold would be appropriate with an equal number of each color.

You can add evergreen pieces to the log as decoration, or simply lay it on a bed of evergreens, to bring in the new life, new growth of the new "thing" you are ushering into your life. Is it a new job, or perhaps a new home? Maybe you are in a phase of your life that the previous year cleaned out old, unhealthy people in your life, so this year you are bringing in new, happy, loving friendships and significant relationships? Maybe you shed an unhealthy lifestyle or illness, and this year you are focusing on health, happiness and strength?

All of these new, positive, life affirming areas, all that I mentioned above are supported and enhanced by the representation of the evergreen. So lay a thick bed, thick and plush, for your Yule Log, to lay upon. Has it occurred to you yet?  In this magickal scenario, you are the Yule Log! The same as when we construct a poppet or use a significator candle in candle magick, the Yule log is your representation.

You decorate it as you wish to. You may remain simple and uncomplicated, and some may wish to be fancy and all decked out!! But we all have candles to light for we are relighting our inner "Sun" as the Sun returns to the earth. Place the Yule log somewhere in your house that is central to your home. Many times this is the kitchen or it could be the living room, where everyone watches TV, if this is a gathering place. The heart of the home.

The laying the Yule Log East to West, because the Sun rises East to West and this is a solar spell we are doing, place an incense burner or cauldron on the eastern end of the log. Burn a mixture of Frankincense and Myrrh, ground fine, into a powder. Then add some finely chopped evergreen, fresh evergreen, very finely chopped, I like spruce, or hemlock, which is not as resiny as pine. After you have ground it together into a fine powder in a mortar and pestle, then it is ready to burn on a charcoal. Please use charcoal meant to be burned indoors.

The candles placed in the log, gold signify the blessings of the God, the touch of the Sun, new beginnings, prosperity (but not necessarily monetary) but success in all of your endeavors and physical actions. So when you start something, a project, a task, any goal you strive for the luck will be very fortuitous.  The Silver candles signify the blessings of the Goddess, the touch of the moon, also good fortune, but in areas of relationships, emotions, desires you have dreamed of and put your good intentions towards.

Should you choose to add red candles, this is a color that will bring life and vitality, energy and fire to your life, but in a positive way. It can spark the physical, bring strength and courage and fortitude to the spirit. It is a nice color to add to the gold and the silver because it ties the two higher, loftier aspects to the grounded physical nature.

You may also ring the Yule log around with candles making a lovely centerpiece, so you can use larger candles which complement the smaller candles in the Yule log itself.



Now take an essential oil such as Myrrh, which will banish that which is stuck on you from the last year, anoint yourself by smearing a small mark of oil on your forehead where your third eye is. Then anoint the candles with the Myrrh oil. Light the Frankincese Myrrh incense powder sitting in the east of the log and allow it to smoke. then dress each candle, by holding it in the incense smoke for a few moments, (the candles are unlit at this time) and then place them in their holes.

You may finish decorating the Yule log at this time. Then when you are ready to light it, when the time feels right to you, either on the night of Yule, which is the evening before Yule (the 21st) or anytime during the Yuletide season) light the candles and say a prayer or blessing. Allow the candles to burn out without snuffing them out.

The focus of this Yule log spell is not just to have a pretty table top decoration, but to spend time, reflecting on last year. Then think about this upcoming year. Where there things you wish you could undo from last year? Good news! This new year is truly a clean slate!! Ahh, you say .  .  .  but what about what I did? Or what I didn't do? Or what I said? or what I didn't say? etc. etc. You get my point.

Well. That remains to be seen. We do not live in this world isolated and alone, nor should we. We all make mistakes. We all deserve a second chance. Yes, even you! Sometimes, it is not even another, sometimes you simply need to give yourself another chance, to change and be the person who you want to be, or who you say you are. Then, do it.

If it involves making amends, then do those also. If a person is worthy of having in your life then you will choose that they should be.  You just may have to be braver than you ever have been before. This spell will also bring bravery and courage to your soul. It is there, this will help wake up those qualities.


Another Spell for the Yule tide season is a life enhancing spell for home and hearth.

What I mean by that is a candle spell, where you take a wreath, either in a round circle, and lay if flat, or even if you take a round platter or dish and lay evergreen pieces and tiny scraps on the plate and then set red candles on the plate.

Place pomegranates, small  bright orange small tangerines or baby oranges, and small bright red apples around the candles. These fruits are always popular and in season this holiday time. They have always been held as special, extravagant treats of abundance and luxury, thus bringing in sympathetic magick of the new years bringing the recipients all that they will need and then some. No pain of loss, or want for those who have plenty at the end of the year.

So set up this platter of fruits and red candles. Inscribe on the candles words such as "LOVE", "HAPPINESS", "JOY", "LAUGHTER", "BLESSINGS" whatever words mean something to you, stay away from words like want, or take away or any verbs, just specific words, primarily nouns.

Anoint these candles with different oils. Choose a light, happy oil such as an apple blossom, cherry, jasmine, or even a ylang, ylang if you have it. If not one of those then I would choose a citrus such as neroli, or a sweet orange and that will bring in a light, happy loving feeling which will affect your mood, your attitude and the energy around the candles and the house.

Placing bowls of lemons and citrus fruits around the house keeps the home cleansed of negative, low level energies and helps keep depression and sadness that seem to come hand in hand with holiday seasons at bay.

Do not discount holiday lighting as a magickal method all of it's own. Blue holiday lights have an incredible power in how they affect you, when you walk in the door, and you see a room or tree done up entirely in blue lights!! They will reduce your stress and help calm you down and suddenly you feel more relaxed and happy to be home from a long day at work!

For the Yule log, the Yule wreath even your Yule tree, a spell, is not a spell without an Incantation, and for this occasion I wrote a special one that you can use for this Yule tide:

Rub your hands together then with your palms facing the Yule item you have created, sending your energy out, say this incantation which will seal your magickal goal and start the manifestation:

Yuletide seasons

Bring to us/me

The Blessings of

the greenery

Life affirming

ever lasting

love and happiness

never fasting

Bring abundance

Bring us/me peace, bring us/me light,

protecting us/me

into this night.

allow the candles to burn, every now and then put a pinch more of the Yule incense on the charcoal and it will burn and scent the area with a vibrational energy raising smoke, making the entire household feel more sacred and light.

Also while reciting the incantation, visualize the end result, what you are bringing into your life for the upcoming year. The light, the love, the happiness, the joy, all that you are bringing in and desire to have in your life for the upcoming year.

Also you can walk through each room with the burning incense, and incense each room with the fragrant smoke, raising the vibrations in each room.

Keep checking, your Contemporary New England Witch will have more Yule Tide discussions coming up in the new few days and weeks leading up to Yule!!


Live, Laugh and Always Love!  Ms. Faith




© 2010-2017 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. 

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