The Contemporary New England Witch

The Contemporary New England Witch
Author Ms.Faith

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Happy Lughnasadh! Our first food harvest of the year!




Good Afternoon,

It is such a lovely day. I want to get this discussion out and then I'm going to go sit under my Maple tree and enjoy the gardens. It's a perfect day for it.

This Saturday we celebrate Lughnsadh. This is an ancient Celtic harvest celebration that recognizes this time as the first food harvest. The first ripe grains in the fields are gathered and fresh, new bread is baked. Bread is a big feature for this Sabbat celebration. 

Tomorrow, August first is technically Lughnsadh. But, we will celebrate it on Saturday here at Enchantments.  You can also celebrate this holiday. You are invited to come to Enchantments, at 10 am and partake in our magick circle, to be followed by a feast of Thanksgiving. Yes, the harvest season is when the Thanksgiving feasts in ancient times were held.  We're even having a roast turkey! 

If you can't make our celebration you can have your own Thanksgiving feast,  served outdoors and make bread and bread products, like stuffing, a big part of your feast. Invite family and friends and enjoy your time with each other.

This is a time to give thanks to the Goddess and God for all of life's bounty, riches and abundance we have in our lives. A time of gratitude.  Be sure to leave a bit of bread out on the ground for the nature spirits and the birds. Also pour a small amount of libation, whatever drink you have on hand, on the ground while speaking your thanks to the Gods.

Celebrate outdoors as it's soon we will find ourselves forced to be indoors for six long months of winter. Our winter starts November 1st, and that's just a hands-breath away. Enjoy your Thanksgiving, each other and be well.


Peace and Happiness 




© 2010-2013 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Getting back to Nature doesn't necessarily mean meditating under a tree . . .

Good Afternoon,

So many people talk with me on a weekly basis, what with the shop and the various places I find myself week to week. Many mention how they want to "get back to Nature", as if it were a distant destination that they have to make a long trek to get there. It doesn't have to be that way.  As I titled this discussion, getting back to Nature doesn't necessarily mean you have to take a day off from life and sit under a tree meditating. Now, that would be nice if you could do it, but realistically many of us do not have the time or the inclination. Because, really, meditating under a tree is simply, to me, boring. Don't get me wrong, I love trees, but my idea of communing with Nature is more active. Take today for instance.

I woke up a bit earlier than usual and made a short trip to the neighboring town where there are several berry farms and I picked fresh blueberries this morning. I'm going to make pies later this week.  There I was, atop a hill with over 50 acres of blueberry fields surrounding me, birds singing, people quietly talking amongst themselves, all picking tender, ripe, big blue berries. To me, and I've said this before, this is the equivalent to going to church for me.  I was surrounded by nature and enjoying every moment of it. Today I picked a little over 10 lbs of berries, so that will make for a few lovely pies.While I was there I noticed many wild flowers such as loosestrife, yellow dock, wild morning glory and black-eyed Susans. The sky was a brilliant blue with fluffy white clouds floating gently along.

But my sojourn into Nature wasn't over with my berry picking. I came to work, opened the store then did some light weeding long the walkways of Enchantments. Then I mowed the lawn surrounding the gardens of Enchantments.  Nature was at her finest today.  Oh, I don't think I mentioned it to you, but just recently Enchantment's gardens received local recognition from the Manchester Garden Club for looking lovely and for "helping to beautify Manchester".  I am quite pleased that we received such recognition, an honorable mention actually in Manchester's Annual Beautification Program, to be precise. We've worked hard to make the gardens beautiful for everyone to see. Here's a few pictures of the gardens as they look today.




To finish off the day, I will place my Adirondack chair under the shady Maple tree in the front of our store and sit and read a bit. Well, .  .  .  Hmmmmm,   I guess I don't find sitting under a tree all that boring after all!

I hope you can get out and 'get back to Nature', just a bit this week. Remember, it doesn't have to be an effort at all. Just going outdoors and walking barefoot in the grass qualifies. I hope you have a beautiful week!


Peace and Happiness







© 2010-2013 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.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Auras . . . everybody has one, but what does it mean?






Good Afternoon,

Today's discussion will be about Auras. Everyone living has an aura. This is a light which emanates from their body and has a color. Everyone born has an aura and everyone's aura has a color or multiple colors which stays the same throughout their lives.





Although, some colors are not life long colors to be found in a person's aura, for instance red or black. Red is a color of excitement, extreme emotional energy expenditure or illness or damage to an area of the body. For example, I have seen Madonna in concert a few times. When she is performing she emanates a red aura from her body, which makes sense because she puts on a very physically demanding show. In another example I have seen red emanate around a person's elbow where that person had suffered physical injury to the elbow. This color is a temporary color and no one has a permanently red aura. 

The same can be said about black or brown. These colors appear when there is illness, sickness or disease affecting the body. They might appear as floating spots of brown or black within the aura. This also appears when the subject is taking drugs, regardless of whether the drugs are prescription or recreational.

Some drugs that a person can take, especially drugs prescribed for chemical imbalances within the brain can effectively mask the aura, making it difficult for others to perceive it. 

To see someones aura, the person being observed needs to be standing somewhat still for beginners to notice the aura. Lot's of fast movement can make it difficult to see the delicate, gentle color that surrounds the body.  Have the person being observed wear either white or black around the shoulders and upper body. This makes it easier to see the colors. Have the person being observed close their eyes and concentrate on 'making' their aura bigger and have them feel as if they are 'pushing' it out of their body. This will help the observer see the aura better.

Then stand several feet away from the person being observed and look at the perimeter of the person's body. Along the head, neck and shoulders work well. Allow your gaze to lose focus and get a bit fuzzy. For those who wear glasses, just take your glasses off, this will help you see the colors better. At first notice a bright white thin outline that surrounds the person's perimeter. Then try to distinguish faint colors.  Many people have more than one color for their aura. Some can have two and even up to three colors perceivable in their aura.

What do the colors mean?

Blue:  This is a color of a caregiver. Nurses, caretakers and those who care deeply for others can have this color. It is a color for mothers.

Green:  Someone who has a green aura is deeply connected with nature and may garden for a hobby or profession.

Yellow:  An intellectual. A life long student, could very much be a teacher.

Purple:  Someone who has purple as an aura color is concerned with justice, the law, fairness and has a strong sense of right and wrong. Could be in the profession of law or have a strong affinity for it.

Orange:  Dynamic, exciting. Many people are drawn to this type or color of aura. These people with orange auras tend to be very outgoing and vivacious, the 'life of the party!'

Pink: Pink is another color like red and black. It is a temporary color that shows itself in the auras of people who have recently fallen in love, new mothers, newlyweds. It tends to dissipate after time.

It is very difficult to see your own aura, have a friend help you by having them look at your aura and then you can look at theirs. Try to see or sense the color of the person you're looking at and you will eventually get better at seeing auras all around you.


Peace and Happiness






© 2010-2013 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 



If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Archery Night was a huge success!






 Good Afternoon!

Last night the Enchantment's Women's Spirituality Group met at Hall's Archery in Manchester to spend an hour shooting arrows at targets. A great time was had by all, and I want to thank the lovely ladies who showed up to participate. Many had never used a bow before but bravely stepped up to the black line and took a shot. Then they took another!

We were lucky that our Women's group even had a lovely lady instructor from Hall's, even though our group has had in the past men instructors and they are all fantastic at Hall's, no matter who we've had.

While we were shooting arrows and hitting bulls-eyes!!!, metaphors for life started to crop up and I wanted to share some of them with you.

  • In life you don't always hit the paper target! It's true, sometimes in life one has to square off, aim and take another shot, and perhaps another but eventually you will hit the target, and if you try hard enough you will also get a bulls-eye.
  • Just let it go! The biggest issue anyone had with shooting the bow and arrows was, when after pulling the string back towards the face, was then letting the string go. There's the fear the string will hit your face and hurt you, that you haven't pulled it back properly, that after you let it go something will happen that's not right, many things crowd into your mind. When in reality all you need to do is take a breath and let the string simply .  .  .  go. Let things in your life that you no longer have control over simply .  .  .  go. You can control the string like things in your life up to a point, but then you must let them go.  We found ourselves striking the bulls-eye more often when we got to a place where we could 'let go'.
  • Don't over think things! There are several small things that need to be in place to shoot a bow successfully. But once those little things are applied i.e. having the right stance, pulling the string back properly, having the arrow notched onto the string in the correct manner etc., then just get along with the business of shooting the arrows. Over thinking things just mucks up the process. I found for myself, that when I put everything in place, took a breath and just let the string go, while keeping my mind calm and focused, the arrow found its way to the bulls-eye more times than not!
These are just a few of the metaphors that can be applied to life from a fun night of shooting with bows and arrows. Hall's Archery on Middle Tpke in Manchester, CT USA is a great place to learn, and to shoot there it's a nominal fee of $13.00 an hour. They provide all the equipment and the cost is pro-rated, which means if you shoot for 20 minutes, you only pay for 20 minutes. It's really one of the best deals in town! The facility was air conditioned (which we appreciated in the humidity and high heat waves we've been experiencing here in Southern New England) clean and the staff was professional, polite and really nice to work with.

I hope you have a happy, healthy and magickal Fourth of July holiday!

Peace and Happiness

© 2010-2013 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 


If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Some simple gardning magick




 Good Afternoon,
Today I will be working in the witch's gardens at Enchantments. I have flowers blooming, herbs growing and birds and butterflies fluttering amongst the blossoms. It's like a Disney movie! I just love it! I'm going to be doing some simple gardening today, fertilizing plants already planted, dead heading or snipping off the spend flowers off of the geraniums and some simple weeding as I see an occasional weed has crept into my garden.

Trust me, it's a magickal enough process to simply garden, although many may not be able to get in touch with the magick of gardening, the magickal person will. Here are some simple things to do while gardening that can help you feel the magick of the task at hand.

Light a Green Candle:  Having a green candle lit and outside in the vicinity of your gardening can help the work go more smoothly, and help you tune in to the magickal energies to be found while gardening. Take a small green candle, hold it in your hands (un-lit at this point) and close your eyes. "See" the candle glowing a bright white` and feel the energy start to pulsate within the candle. Now blow a breath gently on the candle and then place it in a holder and light it. Keep it in the area where you are doing your gardening. You may wish to shield the candle flame with a small, glass chimney if it's breezy out.

Send Energy into the Plant:  While dead heading, weeding next to or working closely with a particular plant you can help it grow by rubbing your hands together and placing them near the plant, feel the sparks of magickal energy flowing from your hands into the plant. The energy flows from the universal source of energy through your crown chakra on the top of your head through your body to be released through your hands. This is especially helpful for any sickly plants you might have.

Visualize a healthy, lush garden:  Visualization is a key technique in successful magickal manifestation.  Take a few moments to close your eyes and 'see' your garden as you wish it to be. Lush, vibrant, green and blooming. Even if it's not there yet, visualization will help it along it's way to getting there.  

Be aware of conflicting thoughts:  Send gratitude to the heavens. It may seem simple, but it can be a bit complex. sending gratitude. People want their gardens to be lush and lovely but will bemoan the amount of rain we have been getting this year. That 'contrary' thinking can slow and stunt the growth of your garden. Your garden is an extension of you and your thoughts.  Wanting a wonderfully full and amazing garden is in contrast to complaining about the wet weather we've been receiving.  Be grateful and recognize a good thing when it happens!

These are just a few simple magickal tips you can work into your gardening chores which will reward you with a lavish, blooming and beautiful garden. And don't forget, after all the hard work, to spend some time enjoying the garden! 



Peace and Happiness


© 2010-2013 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.


If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Be Aware of Magickal Internet Garbage!




 Good Afternoon,

I had a customer stop by Enchantments just the other day that made me think up this topic. I've spoken in the past about Internet 'crap' and that a magickal practitioner should be aware of it, and it seems like a good time to re-visit this topic.

This customer told me he was new to the magickal world  and was just learning. He had read that the athame (the ritual knife used in circle) was never to be used to cut anything, which is generally true, but that he had seen a website that told one to use the athame to carve candles and inscribe magickal symbols into ritual tools. NOT TRUE!

Yes, there is a lot of areas where a witch can go off on her own and create magick as she/he wishes, but there is some foundational principles that generally need to be followed. When one sees a common theme in just about all published work (the only sources I take seriously) and then sees something coming from left field on a website .  .  .   be aware, be very aware that you are most likely seeing a mistake or just someone's ignorance as to what should really be done.

In the case of the athame, there is only one physical cut an athame is allowed to make in it's magickal life and that's the first cut of a wedding cake after a handfasting. In truth, the cake knife a bride and groom uses to cut that first sacred slice is in fact an athame, even if it's put away after the ceremony never to see the light of day again and regardless of religion. Other than that, it is not used as a Boline, which is the ritual working tool used to cut, carve, whittle and the like for magickal usage.

Please, please, please keep reading from the published magickal masters such as Laurie Cabot, Janet Farrar, Gavin Bone, Raymond Buckland, Raven Grimassi and Scott Cunningham. Learn from the best and be wary of any of their work for free on a website as many websites pirate their works and these authors do not get the credit or any compensation for their efforts. Buy their books! Your magickal schooling deserves a financial investment and by buying their books you know you are getting solid, reliable magickal information.

Have a Happy Day and be sure to get out and enjoy some of this wonderful summer weather!


Peace and Happiness




© 2010-2013 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, June 17, 2013

The Summer Soltice is almost here!







 Good Afternoon,

We've had lots of rain for the past couple of months, but the mid point of summer, the Summer Solstice, is almost upon us. The Summer Solstice has been a special time marking the mid point of summer for centuries. 

Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England has been a gathering site for the mid winter and mid summer calendar points for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence proves that as many as 4,000 people would gather at Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice in ancient times. The stones are aligned in such a way that an observer, standing within the stone circle, would see the sun pierce  over a specific stone, the heel stone, right at the moment of the sunrise. This happens every year in the same manner, suggesting the stone henge was built on the principles of a clock or stone calendar.

In Pagan times , long before Christianity was introduced, pagan folks would gather at outdoor venues such as sacred groves, crossroads, temples and such, to worship the Sabbats on the Wheel of the Year. The Summer Solstice was a big event as people were known to travel during the mild summer months to the celebration sites. The site of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris before the Cathedral was built was reputed to attract upwards of 10,000 people during the Summer Solstice.  In ancient times, those numbers are pretty impressive. Heck! Those numbers are pretty impressive today!

Enter Christianity.  As the early Christians were hell bent on converting everyone to the new, only, religion, they started to incorporate many concepts with which to encourage the conversion. One was to build churches and cathedrals on sacred gathering sites. This was why Notre Dame Cathedral was built. People would still come to the sacred site to worship, but now they had to go through the doors, pay their tithes  and worship as though they were Catholic.

Stonehenge was a Pagan gathering site that is still populated by Pagans every year at the various Sabbats and has not been Christianized to this day.

The Summer Solstice enters this Friday, June 21st and in the United States is recognized as the first day of summer, whereas for many Pagans it is the mid-summer marking point, as we recognized May 1st, Beltaine, as our first day of summer. Regardless of when you recognize summer to have started, we are in summer this week and I plan to enjoy it!

Going out now to plant two Witches Broom Bushes in my broom garden. I hope you get out this week and enjoy the summer in your own special way!


Peace and Happiness!






© 2010-2013 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.


 If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

You are cordially invited to . . . Enchantments upcoming events!




 Good Afternoon,

The next few weeks have a couple of fun things happening at Enchantments that I'd like to invite you to. First our Summer Solstice (Litha) Ritual and Feast.  To be held on Saturday June 22nd in the front gardens of Enchantments at 10 am. Followed right afterwards by a pagan feast. You are invited and are asked to please bring a dish to share with others.  We celebrate Litha (a Germanic name for a Summer Goddess) to honor the God and Goddess and this time of Summer and abundance.  Litha is the only Summer Sabbat we have as the prior three were considered Spring Sabbats. It is directly across from the Winter Solstice or Yule which we celebrate 6 months from now in December.  But enough about winter!! Now is the time to celebrate the warmth of the Sun, the flowers and abundance we find in our lives.

The next activity planned after our Litha Sabbat is our Bi-monthly Women's Spirituality Group meeting. This next meeting is being held at a special time and date, 7 pm on Tuesday July 2nd and we will meet at Halls Archery located at 291 Middle Tpke West in Manchester, CT. Ladies only, as this is our Women's Spirituality Group meeting and it will cost each lady $12.00 to participate. After an hour of shooting bow and arrow we will take the party across the street to the Chinese Buffet which will cost each person $13.99 and talk about our experiences. I have conducted this archery class every year for several years and it is a blast! No worries if you have never shot a bow and arrow before, nor if you are the least athletic person you know! With the excellent instructors at Hall's Archery you will be shooting bulls eyes before you know it. The hour goes by quickly and the empowerment from such an experience is awesome.  Being able to hold a quivering bow in your hands and direct an arrow to its destination can be a metaphor in many ways into taking charge of situations in your life and directing things as to where to go and how to work them for your own benefit. We will conduct a  spirituality meeting while having dinner at the buffet. I hope you will consider coming to this event. Please call me, Ms. Faith at Enchantments 860-791-6033 or e mail me at Enchantmentsllc@gmail.com to let me know to expect you at Hall's Indoor Archery on July 2nd.


Peace and Happiness


© 2010-2013 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, June 6, 2013

Which elements are you?

 Good Afternoon,

We all, well most of us, know the element we are associated with due to our Sun sign. Such as Virgo is an earth sign, Aquarius is an air sign and so forth. But could you have more than one element within you? I think so. And, I've come up with a mini quiz to help you determine which elements you have the most of within you. Take my quiz and then check below to see the qualities that make up a part of you.






What element are you?

To determine the element you most sync up with circle only one option for each question.

1.     When working in the garden what item would you never wear ?
a.                 gloves
b.                 hat
c.                  shoes
d.                 sun glasses
2.     Do you use an umbrella when it rains?
  
a.                 sometimes
b.                 most of the time
c.                  always
d.                 never

3.     What would bother you the most?

a.                 Being in a large, crowded, noisy & excited place
b.                 Being in the dark
c.                  Being in a dark, musty, damp cave or basement
d.                 Being alone

4.     Imagine that you are upset about a situation and you were told that if you sat or lay down beneath one of 4 trees, you would feel better. Which tree would you choose?

a.                 oak
b.                 soft fir
c.                  sugar maple
d.                 willow

5.     What would you most like to do on a perfect day off?

a.                 go shopping
b.                 take a hot air balloon ride
c.                  go on a roller coaster
d.                 travel down a gently flowing stream in a very comfortable boat.

6.     If you could design the front yard which represents you the best what would it contain? Pick the one which is the most important for you to have in your front yard.

a.                 privacy hedge
b.                 a manicured or wild grass garden
c.                  bright, beautiful fragrant flowers
d.                 a fountain

7.     Which creature are you most “in sync” with?

a.                 bird
b.                 dragonfly
c.                  bee
d.                 butterfly

8.     What would be your ideal vacation from the 4 below?

a.                 Dude Ranch
b.                 Skiing
c.                  Tropical island
d.                 Cruise

9.     What creature would you most likely pick up?

a.                 Toad
b.                 Spider
c.                  Salamander
d.                 Snake

10.                        Which pet are you most likely to have?

a.                 cat/dog
b.                 bird
c.                  reptile
d.                 fish

11.                        Which one of the four color combos is most pleasing to you?

a.                 brown-green
b.                 yellow-red
c.                  red-black
d.                 blue-green

12.                        Which of the following is the most abhorrent to you ?

a.                 Falling a great distance
b.                 Being buried alive
c.                  Drowning
d.                 Being burned

13.                        What element is your astrological sign?

a.                 earth
b.                 air
c.                  fire
d.                 water



Astrological Signs:

Fire Signs - 

Aries (3/21-4/20)
Leo   (7/23 - 8/23) 
Sagittarius (11/23- 12/21) 

Air Signs: 

Aquarius (1/21) -2/18) 
Gemini    (5/22 - 6/21) 
Libra       (9/23 - 10/23) 

Water Signs: 

Pisces  (2/19 - 3/20) 
Cancer ( 6/22 - 7/22)
Scorpio (10/24 - 11/22) 

Earth Signs: 

Virgo (8/24 - 9/22) 
Taurus ( 4/21 - 5/21) 
Capricorn (12/22 - 1/20) 

 To score yourself apply the following:



Count up number of A’s, B’s, C’s, & D’. The majority of one letter is the dominant element within you. Many people have traces of all the elements in them, and many more have two strong elements within. How did you score?  a - earth, b- air, c- fire, d- water 



Now that you've scored yourself and found out your elements, lets discuss a bit about each element and what type of personal qualities each has. 

Earth - an earth sign or someone with a lot of earth within them are usually steadfast, loyal, true and devoted. They fall in love strongly and for keeps. They are usually good with organizational tasks and give good advice to those closest to them.  Don't cross them though, as they can be true life long friends, betraying them will cause them to turn their backs on you and they never look back. 

Air - Those with a lot of air within are often in their heads. They are intellectual, trustworthy and very smart. They work well with others and can be great friends. They love with all their hearts but be sure not to treat their love lightly as they will tend to look elsewhere for the love, respect and admiration they desire. 

Fire- Those who have a dominant fire element within can be passionate, energetic, effervescent and fun to be around. They are passionate lovers and are hard workers. They tend to be truthful, sometimes this can be hurtful to others they tell their truth to! They make good friends and a fire element can be surrounded by many who wish to be with them. 

Water- Those who have an abundance of water within are caring, compassionate and loving. They can be moody with their emotions and at times just wish to be by themselves until they feel more sociable. They can be creative, artistic and are very consistent with their likes and dislikes. 


This is my mini quiz on how the elements may work within you. The ancient philosophers felt that the four elements, earth, air, fire and water along with spirit (the fifth element) were to be found in some combination within all things found on earth. I feel the same applies for us. I hope you enjoy the quiz!



Peace and Happiness




© 2010-2013 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

 If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

'Practical Magick' My new re-vamped class at Manchester Community College



Good Afternoon,

I am getting ready to teach a new class at Manchester Community College this semester. It's called 'Practical Magick' and it's designed to teach the beginner student, the ways of the witch. Over the last decade I have taught hundreds of students and countless classes at Manchester Community College, as well as at my own school for the magickal arts, Enchantments in Manchester, CT.  I've taken these lessons, re-vamped them, and paired them with a jazzy PowerPoint presentation to develop a new program that teaches moon magick, candle magick, potions, as well as having some fun quizzes designed to help the student find out more about their magickal selves.

So,  have you ever wondered about witches or pagans and their magickal belief systems? Maybe you have marveled at the full moon and wished that you could do something to honor it, or to celebrate in some special way the solstices, equinoxes and the four seasons. This course will guide you on your way!  Learn the Wheel of the Year, Moon Magick, Candle Magick and many more magickal topics. The final class will be a magickal potions workshop held at Enchantments, 349 East Center Street, Manchester, CT during which time students will make and bring home their own potion.  There is a $10 materials fee due at the first class, payable to instructor.

So, if this sounds fun to you, come and take class with me as I show you how to live and practice as a witch.

This course costs $65 payable to Manchester Community College. To sign up for classes and you MUST reserve your class in advance please call 860-512-3232 Your course number is CRN20729 and the classroom, this class will be held in, is GPA (Great Path Academy building on the MCC Campus) GP143

This class will be offered again during the fall semester at MCC and again in the spring of 2014. 


I look forward to seeing you there! Ms. Faith


 Peace and Happiness!




© 2010-2013 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Magickal Gardening and Magick when Tragedy Strikes

 Good Afternoon,

This past week, in magickal studies class, we did some magickal gardening.  My students and I prepared, planted and then blessed our garden in front of Enchantments.

We learned that to plant plants properly, we pull apart, just slightly, the root structure of the plant and breath on it gently to infuse the plant with our life's energy thus giving it a stronger head start in the garden.

We planted Petunias which has the magickal property to soothe and calm a person. It also has the magickal properties of joy and happiness.We also planted Alyssum which has the magickal property to protect one against 'fascination' or being bewitched if hung up in the home. It also is able to rid a person of anger if worn upon the body. The third plant we planted was Geranium. Geraniums magickal properties are fertility, health, love and protection. There is an old saying "snakes will not go, where geranium grow" indicating a snack repelling quality to the plant.

We concluded our planting session by casting a circle,  holding hands, and sending out loving, growing energy to the garden. We smudged the garden and blessed it with blessed water.  This is what the garden looks like today: 
With the hard work of one particular student, Susan, the altar and surrounding area has been cleared of overgrown grasses and weeds. Doesn't it look amazing!? Ms. Eileen, Susan and myself planted the flowers and the entire front garden is truly a show piece! Thanks to the lovely ladies, three witches we, that have blessed Enchantments gardens with their special magick!

On a sadder note, let's discuss in brief, the terrible tragedy of the Tornadoes which have wrecked havoc on Oklahoma this past week. When a disaster such as this strikes, we all feel so helpless and it feels that there is truly little we can do.  But we can do something. Burn a candle. I know, it sounds simple and it is. But that doesn't make it less powerful or effective. For centuries candles have been burned at vigils and to help during the darkest of times and their special magickal energy is still effective today. You see everything, as I'm often saying, is made up of vibrational energy.  A candle has a special vibrational energy that with a bit of magickal effort on your part, syncs up with the energy of the situation in which you're trying to create change. Hold the candle in your hands, close your eyes and see in this case, people - happy, healthy, in touch with loved ones, in homes surrounded by warmth, light, good food and loved ones. After a few moments of visualization, open your eyes, light the candle and place it in a holder.

Allow the candle to burn completely down and know your loving, caring energies are making their way to a place and to people who will use that energy when it gets there. It can make you feel less helpless and more in control of being able to do something. It might also come to you to donate money, goods or services also, and if it does and this is something you can do, by all means do so. But don't dismiss burning a candle as trivial, for the magick that it brings is often quite powerful.

Our Blessings and prayers go out to all of those affected by the tornadoes in Oklahoma.

Peace and Happiness




© 2010-2013 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Earthing . . . a new concept for a better well being





 Good Afternoon,

Today I want to discuss a new concept I just came across called 'earthing'.  Now it's really not so new. In fact as children we, most of us, did it all the time. That is to walk barefoot on the bare earth and grass.

Proponents of earthing claim that by walking, laying on or getting your hands into the earth (as in gardening) without gloves or shoes, you connect with the vibrational energy of the earth and it combines with your personal energy and wonderful things can come of this vibrational connection.

Now quantum physicists will tell you that everything is made up of vibrational energy. Everything vibrates. Some things like rocks have a slower vibration where as electricity is faster. Humans, animals, plants, even manufactured items like a desk or a chair has a vibrational energy to it.

We all fall somewhere on the scale of vibrational energy. Animals and plants have a different level than humans for instance. All humans fall within a window but we are at different places within that window. That's why some people you meet you dislike or want nothing to do with, for no reason really. You might even have said "we're just not in sync" and you'd be right. Your vibrational energies don't sync up,  but for some people like a loved one, significant other or best friend you're absolutely in sync. This means your vibrational levels are very, very similar to one another.

I have taught students about vibrational energies for several years being a firm believer in the energetic world of vibration. Now along comes 'earthing' and I'm loving it! Why not!? It makes perfect sense, I'm surprised it hasn't been around longer, but then again .  .  .  maybe it has. Remember the 'tree huggers' of the seventies, the hippies 'peace love and joy man' of the sixties? They were all getting into, and getting off on, the energy of nature and the natural world around them.

So now we have a concept that has been coined 'earthing.' Today, it is believed by those who are following this concept that earthing can bring about a wellness of being, as well as increased good physical health. Now, I caution against those who develop a medical problem, that wish to avoid the doctor and just go walking around their front lawns. If you have a medical issue please seek out competent medical care but by all means enhance it with getting out in the sun, walking barefoot on the grass or along a beach and every now and then plant a flower or green plant and use your hands. Ditch the shoes and gloves which prevent you from absorbing the natural energies from the earth. See how you feel after doing a bit of earthing!


Peace and Happiness







© 2010-2013 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Let me clear up some things about me as a witch and about being Wiccan




Good Afternoon,

Recently I had someone come into Enchantments, he is a ghost-hunter, and ask me some questions about a place he's investigating that's haunted.  He was told by someone that the place in question had been inhabited by a woman, now dead, who was believed to be a Wiccan. Now that she's passed on, all sorts of paranormal activity has been going on.

He started to tell me some things, her magickal items. they had found in the place when I stopped him cold. He had said they found all sorts of bones from animals, mostly birds. I told him pointblank "She wasn't a Wiccan." I know this because we don't use animal remains, bones or blood in our practice. Not under any circumstances. This falls under the 'an' it harm none category'.

He had  come to me to see exactly what he was dealing with, and while I can say she wasn't Wiccan, at least not an educated in our ways, Wiccan witch way, I wasn't really able to help him other than to say she wasn't practicing Wicca.  He wanted to know if I could do a house cleansing. I do house blessings and cleansings of unwanted energies but I draw the line at homes under the influence of ghostly presences. I have ghosts at Enchantments and I can communicate with spirits but by my own definition I am not a medium, nor do I wish to be one.  The elimination of ghostly spirits I leave to those who enjoy that work. Not every witch is a medium. Besides I like the spirits that inhabit Enchantments and have no wish to see them go.

Also, Wiccans believe in God. Now, take a moment for that to settle in. While we may choose to worship the female aspect of the Godhead, Goddess, that doesn't mean we don't believe in God. Quite the contrary. I have had more people that will start off a conversation or make a remark similar to: 'Even if you don't believe in God, I respect you and your beliefs .  .   .  " Wait! What? Somewhere along the line just because we are not Christian in our beliefs people think that we've thrown out everything religious or spiritual in the process. That's just not true. Actually, if you want to be picky about it, I worship two Gods! The Goddess and the God, both aspects of one divine, amazing, all encompassing force but I stop and take recognition of the female aspect and again with the male aspect.  Just because I don't follow the Bible or practice Christian theology does not mean I am without God.

Finally for today, not every magickal person who does fortune readings uses the same tools. I use tarot, crystal ball, runes and stones but I do not read palms. I've had people come in and ask for a palm reading and look crestfallen because I don't use that divination method. Not every artist uses a paint brush. But that doesn't make the sculpture or flower arrangement less  beautiful or visually satisfying, now does it? If you want a reading, that should be the goal, not the method it is achieved by. The reading and it's accuracy should be what you're looking for, not necessarily someone to hold your hand.

I hope today's discussion clears up some misconceptions you might have had!



Peace and Happiness!







© 2010-2013 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.

 If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Happy Beltaine! A bit of history about the MayPole and Sex!




 Happy Beltaine!

The first day of the Celtic Pagan Summer! Wow, it certainly has been a long winter! I know many of you look towards June 21st as the first day of summer, but if you recall June 21st has for centuries been also referred to as midsummer. Remember Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream? It took place towards the end of June.

But no matter, we can all agree to celebrate warmer weather, flowers in full bloom and trees leafing out, all over.

People have asked about the Maypole which is predominant at this Sabbat or Holiday. This Holiday or Holy Day is a day where the ancients recognized the importance of procreation to keep the species alive. This was important, so as to have babies to keep the tribe, clan or village growing and becoming stronger. The Maypole is a metaphoric example of the concept.

The pole in the center is representative of the phallus which is the male member. Traditionally it is wrapped around with white and red ribbons representing the female genitalia.  Once wrapped and decorated thee Maypole signifies the coupling of the Goddess and the God, or intercourse. Without of course, having babies would be difficult!
Ms. Faith's Maypole Beltaine Celebration 2008


Today the ribbons take on many hues and after the ribbons are affixed at the top of the Maypole, people stand around and call out alternately 'Sun' and 'Moon'. Those that called out Sun will start walking in a deosil or clockwise direction, whilst those who called out Moon would start walking in the opposite direction. As people come up to others they dip and raise going over or under the other's ribbons. Slowly the pole becomes encased in the pretty ribbons wrapped tightly around.

Both men and women can dance the Maypole dance, though I believe in ancient times only boys were the ones to hold the ribbons and dance the dance. I'll have to check my facts on this one though. As I get older the magickal memory starts to fade a bit!

So whether you dance round a Maypole, jump a Beltaine Bonfire or just have a lovely feast today, I wish you a Merry Beltaine and a Happy Summer!


Peace and Happiness!









© 2010-2013 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.