Even More Autumn Magicks to be Found in our Gardens!

Good Afternoon,

We finish up today talking about the magicks to be found in our Autumn gardens.  It's important to note that I have touched upon just a few of the plants, vegetables and fruits that hold magick for us, in the past few weeks of our discussion. Today we discuss some of the season's favorites.

Pumpkins

The pumpkin holds a magick that will help you find a way into a man's heart. The recipe for pumpkin pie, for instance is actually a love spell that you can eat. Pumpkin's magickal property is love. Add sugar for sweetness, spices for lust and passion and voila' you have a tasty love spell that no man can resist. The pumpkin as a gourd also holds protection as a magickal property also. Carve a pumpkin into a scary face and place on your doorstep with a lit candle inside to keep evil and frightening forces from your home.

Gourds

Gourds magickal property as mentioned above with the pumpkin is protection. It's important to not eat any gourds that are not sold as food, as many of them are poisonous. Placing gourds around your front doorstep helps keep evil from your home. also tying them into a long string or rope of gourds and draping them over your doorway also repels negative spirits. Drying the gourds and using them as shakers with the seeds inside makes them good for magickal rituals when singing and dancing takes place.


Apples

Apples can be used in love spells also. In this case any dish made from apples, sweetened with sugar and spiced up can be a love spell, much like the pumpkin, but this time it's most effective on the woman. The apple also has healing energies in it. A new witch is often taught that to cut the apple in half horizontally will allow one to see the seed pod within, in the shape of a star or pentagram. The pentagram is a protective symbol for witches.  Apples are also consumed on Samhain (Halloween) as they are considered a food of the dead.


There is so much magick around us, to be found in the natural world. To be used, appreciated and blessed. I hope you are enjoying this Atumn season and the wondrous gifts of the Autumn garden.



Peace and Happiness

 

© 2010-2014 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.

More Autumn Magick to be found in our gardens

 Good Afternoon,

Today we will discuss the magickal properties of more gifts from our Autumn gardens. Today I focus on vegetables rather than flowers, as the magickal vegetable garden is giving us the last of Summer's abundant produce right now.

Corn-

Magickal properties are protection, luck, divination and money or prosperity. Hang a bunch of corn cobs or a wreath with corn cobs interspersed throughout for protection of the home. Hanging corn in bedrooms will protect the sleepers during the night. Blue corn is scattered as an offering to the Gods and Goddesses.

Tomato

The lovely tomato is abundant this time of year, giving us the tastiest and largest choices of the year. There is nothing as wonderful as a late summer tomato. The magickal properties of the tomato is prosperity, protection and love. Give a dish of tomatoes to one you love and the love will be returned. A tasty dish of tomatoes that we make every year around this time is called fried tomatoes. It's more like a tomato soup and very delicious. Here's the recipe:

Fried Tomatoes

Use several large fresh tomatoes right from the garden, rinsed and green stem removed. Then quarter or chunk tomatoes and put in a fry pan over medium heat. Let cook for several minutes until tomatoes have broken down and have made a soup. Chunks of tomato are O.K. Bring to a soft boil. Take off the heat and place several small pats of butter in the hot tomatoes and allow to melt. Stir to mix the melted butter throughout and serve with bread on the side. That's all there is to it! And it's a very tasty way to enjoy fresh tomatoes.

Cabbage-

The cabbage brings luck to a new marriage or relationship. Plant, grow and eat cabbage for luck and good fortune in life. The cabbage is ruled by the moon, it's element is water and it's gender is feminine. Cabbage is very good this time of year in an Irish dish called Colcannon. Here's how you make it.

Colcannon

Heat in a large heavy pan, several boiling potatoes with or without skins. Place into water quarters of cabbage with center stem removed. Bring all to a boil and let boil until potatoes and cabbage are cooked and tender. Place all in a colander and drain of all water. Then place in a large mixing bowl, add plenty of butter, milk and salt to taste and mashed together until all is incorporated.  The cabbage gives the potatoes a sweet taste and the butter makes it a rich and savory dish. No need to wait until St. Patrick's Day to enjoy a dish of Irish Colcannon.

Enjoy!


Peace and Happiness




© 2010-2014 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.


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

The Magick to be Found in our Autumn Gardens

 Good Afternoon,

The gardens are looking so lovely right now. I love the Autumn gardens with their late season blooms and fragrances. Let me tell you a little about the magick they hold this time of year.

 Asters - These beautiful blooms are rampant in the Autumn gardens now. They come in colors from white, to purple to pink. Many times they grow from seeds dropped by birds and some will weed them out of the garden early thinking they are simply weeds. But I always wait to see and I'm often surprised with beautiful fun, happy asters blooming in my garden. The magickal property of asters is love. It's gender is feminine, and it's deity is Venus. The ancient Greeks would use asters for love rituals and for all activities pertaining to love. You can use them in spells for love and burn dried asters on charcoal briquettes for love spells.

Another beautiful flower in the garden this Fall is the Chrysanthemum or simply mums.

The mum's magickal property is protection. I like to put mums out in front of my doorsteps and near entrances to the house or building. Beautiful and protective all at once! It's gender is male and it's element is fire. Be careful not to eat or drink anything with mum in it as it's labelled poisonous. But it can be worn to keep evil spirits away and bouquets of mums in the house help repel negative energies.

Also blooming this time of year is the Daisy.

The daisy's magickal property is lust and love. It's gender is feminine and it's element is water. Use in love spells and wear to attract love to you. In bouquets, daisies represent the fresh new spirit of young love and beginning romances. Pick the first daisy of the season to have romantic admirers follow you and become besotted with you.

These are just some of the magickal, beautiful flowers blooming in your garden now. I'll discuss more Autumnal blooms in the coming weeks of this discussion. I hope you are having a happy Fall!



Peace and Happiness






© 2010-2014 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.

My Magickal Train Ride this Week

Good Evening,

I just returned home from a lovely trip to upstate Vermont this week. I go up yearly to see family and it was a wonderful trip this year.  While on vacation we decided to take a train ride to the top of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, a part of the White Mountains. 

While the day we went up the mountain proved to be overcast, foggy and rainy and we couldn't see the fabled hundreds of miles, we did have an interesting train ride up and back down the mountain.

I saw Balsam fir trees only  a foot or so high, but which were hundreds of years old. The elevation, the summit is 6,288 feet,  and conditions cause the trees and other plants to grow stunted.  I saw other plants, small sedums with vibrant tiny flowers, grasses, tiny white birch trees and boulders and stones heavily covered with lichen.

One of the best sights we saw was a brilliant red fox bounding in the grasses at the lower elevations and then he stopped and just looked at us as the train lumbered by going a respectable 6 miles per hour.  As we went up and then down (each trip was an hour in duration) I scanned the darkened woods looking for wild life. Except for the fox we didn't see any on this trip, but the witch in me could feel the eyes of many creatures as they watched us go by.

The weather was a quick dose of winter with the temperatures in the low 30's on top of the mountain and the wind speeds at 25 miles an hour. A chilly experience to be sure.

We were glad to come back down to lower elevations and higher temperatures after our afternoon excursion.

I enjoyed the day, the flora and fauna and the magickal feel that always overcomes me when I'm surrounded by nature.

I hope you are enjoying your fall. 








© 2010-2014 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.

Come See Me at the Mark Twain House and Museum on October 17th!

Good Afternoon,

It's getting closer to Halloween! Yes, I know, Summer has raced by this year. Yet, the Fall is enticing and I know so many people enjoy the Fall here in Southern New England.

Want to hang with the Witches this Autumnal season? Come and see me on Friday night, October 17th at 7 pm at the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, CT. The Mark Twain House and Museum is conducting a four month long season dedicated to Spiritualism and will be holding talks, lectures, seances, all wrapped up around witchy, spooky topics. 

My lecture, complete with a PowerPoint Presentation is called Witchcraft - Yesterday and Today. I will go over the ancient history of the witch and witchcraft, the Burning Times and persecution of witches throughout the ages and then talk about witchcraft today and what witches do.

The lecture and presentation will last about an hour and a half with time for questions and answers and costs only $15.00 per person. Want to go? Then call this number (860) 280-3130 or visit MarkTwainHouse.org to get tickets.

I would love to see you there! Ms. Faith





© 2010-2014 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.

There Were Terrible Happenings that Awful Summer of 1692, and The Story of Giles Corey

Good Afternoon,

This upcoming Sunday, September 7th, 2014, I will be conducting our annual trip to Salem, Mass and giving a lecture on the witch trials of 1692. For those who cannot make the trip let me tell you a few things about that hot, terrible summer.

From June through September of 1692, hundreds of innocents were accused, jailed and 19 were condemned and put to death by hanging on Gallow's Hill. One man, Giles Corey, was crushed to death under torture when he refused to speak after being accused.

Giless' story is interesting, for when you were accused of a crime in this era, you were expected to say that you were either innocent or guilty. By stating so, regardless of which, your lands, money and any assets could be taken by the local government. Giles knew this, he also knew that by refusing to speak, his assets could not be touched! So he said nothing. The Sheriff at the time, Sheriff Corwin, laid Giles out in the street and placed a big, heavy door upon him. Then he had men pile up stones upon the wooden door, making the weight and pressure of the stones lay heavy on Giless' chest.

After a while, Sheriff Corwin clambered atop the pile of stones and stood with his full weight on Giles and asked Giles "What say you? Innocent or guilty?" Giless' tongue protruded out of his mouth, and the Sheriff took his walking stick and pushed his tongue back in and asked again "What say you, Giles Corey? Are you innocent or guilty of the charges against you?" and in reply Giles said only two words "More weight".

In frustration, the Sheriff jumped down and had the men place even more stones upon Giles and then  finally the weight of the door and the stones did their evil deed and crushed Giles Corey's chest, killing the man.

Giles Corey is considered one of the 20 people put to death during the Salem Witch Trias of the Summer of 1692. There were a few that died in prison and also two or three dogs also hung at Gallow's hill.
You see dogs, at that time, were considered to be consorts of the witches and it was believed they would do evil deeds for their witch masters, so the witch hunters accused and hung some dogs also.

It was a Summer of hysteria, paranoia and panic. Hundreds were imprisoned under cruel, harsh conditions and many were affected for decades after that awful Summer.

Come with us and meet us at noon in Salem at the 1692 Victim's Memorial to hear a longer, more complete story of the Witch Trials of the Summer of 1692 and participate in a memorial service for those who lost their lives that year. Then tour the city of the Witches with me, Ms. Faith, and the rest of the Witches of Enchantments. I look forward to seeing you there!




© 2010-2014 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.

A Visit by a Spirit and Our Annual Trip to Salem Mass

 Good Afternoon,

As a witch I have dealt with spirits before. Usually on my terms. We have spirits at Enchantments that will visit at times and a friendly woman spirit that will say "hello" to the customer's, occasionally. But the other night I was sleeping soundly and dreaming when I turned over and half awake I heard a mans voice say "Hello Faith".  I said "Hello" and realized what was happening and I opened my eyes and thought I could see a tall, thin man standing in my bedroom. I blinked a few times, then turned on my bedside lamp. The tall, thin shape I made out was my china cabinet. I know I could have been dreaming, but my dreams had nothing to do with a man, and I know I heard his voice clearly. It woke me up. Instead of being scared or freaked out, I just thought about his voice and realized it was friendly. Well, friendly is good for me. I turned out the light and went back to sleep. I know we don't have any spirits that inhabit my house, so it must have been passing through. Spirits will do that at times. I don't know why he stopped by, but maybe it was just for a brief visit!

We are about to  embark on our next annual trip to Salem, Mass. Every year the Witches of Enchantments caravan to Salem, Mass to enjoy a day in the Witch capital of the world. If you want to go, you're invited. This year we will be going on Sunday, September 7th and you can meet us in Salem, at the 1692 Victim's Memorial at Noon. I will conduct a lecture about the 1692 witch trials and after that we hold a Memorial service where we will place roses on the stone memorials for all 20 victims of the witch trials. Afterwards we all go to a fun eatery where we have lunch together, then we travel around Salem, visiting the witch shops run by witches, for witches. I don't bring you to any of the 'touristy' spots, but to the real witches Salem.

If you'd like to go I suggest you head up to Salem to meet us at the victim's memorial at Noon. There is a visitor's center where you can get a nifty brochure/map showing all of the attractions of Salem. The Visitor's Center is located at 2 New Liberty Street, Salem, Mass. I would put this into my GPS and plan about a two hour drive from the Greater Hartford, CT area.  There is no charge for my tour of Salem, and everybody's welcome.

Just for your information. So many people ask me if I go to Salem, Mass in October. The answer is no, I do not. The reason .  .  .   well 20 years ago I started to go to with friends to Salem, annually. At that time the Salem Chamber of Commerce told me they received approximately 40,000 tourists a year in Salem. I checked in with them about 10 years ago and the numbers are now, approximately 400,000 people visit Salem in the month of October alone! That, my witchy friends, is NOT a typo. Yes almost a half million people in one month! It makes it hard to get into any stores, the lines reach down the block. Impossible to get a table at a restaurant, let alone trying to find a place to park. I recommend early September. There's less people, you can still get the flavor and feel for the witch city without the massive throngs of people. There are those who love to go in October and to them I wish the very best of experiences. But for this witch, I go when I can really enjoy the city, not have to wait to be seated in a restaurant and can find a parking place in the parking garage.

It would be great if you decided to come with us this year. I hope you do. Ms. Faith








© 2010-2014 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.

Having gratitude in the face of everyday stress

Good Afternoon,

In this day and age we can all say we know stress. Or that we know of stress. From the daily news to stressful things happening within our own family and friend group, stress makes itself known and felt to everyone it seems.

To me, this makes it all the more important to combat stress with gratitude and love.  Can we stop stressful things from happening? Most of the time, no, we can't. But we can change how we react to stress and what we do in relation to it.

Today, for instance, I received stressful news concerning three friends of mine, all within a couple of hours of each other. I, in turn, spoke with some friends who always make me feel better when I share stressful news with them. I recommend that, in fact. When you have, or hear something upsetting, share it with someone you care about. Someone who loves you. Together you become stronger in face of the stressful news. Leaning on each other, being there for the other. Be grateful for friends like that in your life.

I am also going to burn a candle for the people involved in the stressful situations I mentioned. This way I can speak to the Goddess and ask her to give her help and blessings to those involved. 

When things seem overwhelming, I stop and consciously start to list the things, people and circumstances in my life that I am grateful for. It's easy to see and think of the negative things. Bring back to the surface those things which make your life worth living. It will make a difference.

Be grateful for something, everyday. Even if it's one thing, or one person. Do this consciously everyday and you will begin to see a difference for the better, start to occur in your life. The stressful things will not stop or go away, they just get filed in their proper place and you will be able to deal with them in a better way.

Now, I'm going outside to sit under my tree and commune with nature and this beautiful August day!


Peace and Happiness








© 2010-2014 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

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

The Goddesses at Enchantments

 Good Afternoon,

For those who have had the opportunity to sit in my tarot reading room, they will recognize the following Goddesses that grace the walls of my reading room. I wanted to share them with you and tell you a little about them. They are all paintings (prints of paintings) from famous masters.

 This painting is done by John Collier and is called "Priestess of Delphi" (1891) also known as "The Pythia". The Pythia was also known as the Oracle of Delphi and she sat in the temple of Apollo in Greece and gave those that came to her a glimpse into their futures. Apollo was a Greek god known as the God of prophecy. I like that she graces the wall in my tarot card reading room where I also try to give people a glimpse into their futures. She, the Oracle of Delphi, was not just one woman, but it was a title held by many women, as young as 12 over the centuries. She would chew on raw bay laurel (which is a narcotic and can make you sick, so please don't do this!!!!) as well as hen bane (poisonous) and would then speak in tongues. The Priests would interpret her words and tell the person what she had said. If you can see in this painting John Collier has included natural gasses emanating up from a natural crack in the ground.  Archaeologists have just recently, in the past 20 years, proven that such a fault exists under the temple of Apollo and does release odorless and invisible gasses, that would have affected the Pythia as she was stationed inside the temple.

Another painting I have is called "Circe Invidosa" by John William Waterhouse (1892). He along with John Collier were known as occult artists and their paintings reflected certain elements of magick. This one, Circe shows a Goddess scorned by her lover who she stands upon and appears as a serpent in the water. She is poisoning him with the liquid she is pouring into the water. I believe this shows the time when women and witches were considered dangerous and evil. Deep into the burning times when so much rumor and legend had colored peoples images of the magickal woman.

This next painting is also by John William Waterhouse and is a personal favorite. "The Magic Circle" (1886)

This shows a witch at work. I often ask my students, is she opening a circle or casting a circle? Those that are familiar with circle casting can tell at a glance. She is opening a circle after having done her work. John William Waterhouse also incorporated symbols into his paintings. In this one, he has included ravens. The raven is a bird of magick and he has painted one standing upon a skull in the far left hand side of the painting.

These three paintings are on the walls of my tarot reading room and I see them everyday. I love the feel they give to the room and the sense of the Goddess being close by. I hope you can see my reading room some day.  Now, as it is a glorious August day here in Southern New England I am going to go outside, water some flowers and sit beneath my Maple tree and watch the garden bloom.


Peace and Happiness






© 2010-2014 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.

Working with the Goddess

 Good Afternoon,


I often meet people who want to stat working with witchcraft but aren't sure how to get started or what to do. I often recommend they get a good starter book, start reading and then start practicing. You can work on casting a circle, and having a ritual with many steps and components. But one of my favorite ways of working magick is simply working with the Goddess and one lone candle.

I light a candle and ask the Goddess for help in a particular situation. She always comes through for me. I don't worry about whether I said it right, did the right thing in the right order, etc. I just leave it up to her. I do spend some time speaking with her and visualizing the end result I am looking for. Your visualization is still a key part of the work to be done.

Don't get too complicated either. Have a clear end result that you can visualize and focus on. Not on all the steps it will take to get there, leave that up to her. Once you've spent the time, a few minutes, focusing on your end result and speaking with the Goddess you can leave the candle burning and go about your day.

When speaking with the Goddess, speak as if you are having a conversation with someone. You don't need to use arcane language or get to fussy with your words. Speak clearly and put into words what your problem is and what you would like as an end result. Then as your day or week carries on, do the things that present themselves to you to get the job done. You might find the work already completed and nothing further required on your part, or you might have to do a few things to ensure the work gets done. Time will tell you what you need to do.

Working with the Goddess can be a very intimate experience. You don't need to pick a specific Goddess, general Goddess energy is fine to work with. So get your candle, sit comfortably and start your conversation. 

Peace and Happiness 





© 2010-2014 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.

Our Pagan Thanksgiving is coming up soon, Happy Lughnasadh!

 Good Afternoon,

Yes, Thanksgiving! You see, the American Thanksgiving, is held late in November due to some political fanageling, when a past President wanted to help boost Christmas retail sales in the stores, so they placed Thanksgiving where it is now, the last Thursday in November. And then, some people feel that Thanksgiving is an American holiday due to the story of the Pilgrim's first year, the help of the native people bringing them food and such.

In truth, many cultures have a time of Thanksgiving. It usually falls around the first harvest. This is August 1st for modern day Pagans. This is the time the first fruits, vegetables and grains are harvested from the fields. Next Saturday, August 2nd, at Enchantments, we will be celebrating our Pagan Thanksgiving, or Lughnasadh as it is called in the ancient Celtic language. This stands for Assembly of Lugh. Lugh being an ancient Celtic God of the harvest.

We will hold a Lughnasadh ritual first, giving thanks to the Goddess and God for all the blessings we are harvesting from our lives at the present time and then celebrating and socializing with each other. Traditional Thanksgiving foods are what you would expect. A roast turkey or chicken, pork or beef is often cooked. Vegetables from the garden, bread from the grains of the fields, fruit from the trees. So salads, vegetable side dishes, corn dishes, loaves of bread and pies are common and delicious Thanksgiving foods to be found on our feast tables.

Traditionally we eat our Thanksgiving feast out doors surrounded by nature on long tables.  This year we will be inviting a very special guest speaker to our Thanksgiving celebration. Grand Master Joel Waldron will attend and speak of some of the concepts to be found in the 'Conversations with God' series of books by Neale Donald Walsh. The celebration starts at 10 am, and there is no charge. If you wish to attend, please bring a dish to share with others for the feast.

We are also holding a non perishable food drive for the less fortunate in the Greater Manchester area. Please come to the Lughnasadh celebration and bring with you a non perishable food item. These items will be brought to the food pantry in Manchester to be distributed to those in need.

There is also one additional thing I want to talk about today. There is a little boy, six years old, who lives in Foxboro Mass, and he has inoperable brain cancer. He has had to drop out of kindergarten because of his illness and gets lonely sometimes. Today, July 25th, 2014 is his birthday and he has said all he wants for his birthday is a birthday card. He has received over 15,000 cards already and I'm sending mine out to him today. This was reported on Channel 3 news last night, July 24th, 2014. If you'd like to send one his information is: Danny Nickerson, P.O. Box 212, Foxboro, Mass 02035.

Remember to thank God, Goddess or the Universe for all of your blessings, love and the happiness you find in your life. Not everyone has it as good.  


Peace and Happiness







© 2010-2014 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.

Raven Grimassi's workshop is coming up!

Good Afternoon,

Raven and Stephanie Grimassi are going to be coming to Enchantments at the end of August. They will be conducting a wonderful workshop and there are a few tickets left for the event! Here is a descripton of the workshop:

THE CORD OF GREENWOOD MAGIC & WORKING WITH PLANT SPIRITS

The lore about witches has long included tales of secret knowledge related to the plants of witchcraft.  Join authors Raven Grimassi and Stephanie Taylor for a workshop on Plant Spirits as you journey to the Cavern of Old Magic.  Learn what Plant Spirits are, how to connect with them, and how they aid in ritual and magical work.  Included in this workshop is the construction and use of ‘The Cord of Greenwood Magic’ – a shamanic tool for tapping into the Greenwood Realm and the Organic Memory of the Earth.   Each person will work with the art of knotting cords, a magical process for connecting to the Realm of Plant Spirits.    Attendees of the workshop will be given a cord to work with and take home.  Come and learn about the ways of witchcraft that are ever ancient and ever new!

This workshop will be held Friday August 29th from 5 to 7 pm. The cost is $35.00 per person.  There is limited space available, if you want a seat, stop by Enchantments and pay for your ticket. That's the only way you can reserve a seat.

I look forward to seeing you there! Ms. Faith


Peace and Happiness


© 2010-2014 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.

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

The Real Work of the Witch

Good Afternoon,

I come across people all of the time that want to 'pick up the broomstick' and become a witch.  That's just fine, anyone, in my opinion, can be a witch. That is, if they do the work of the witch.  Now, I don't mean making herbal blends, carving candles or making potions. I don't even mean having rituals and casting spells by the moon.

What I mean when I say, the work of the witch, is the internal work that must be done. Many feel that if they read the books and dress with witchy jewelry they are doing the work. Again, no. It is the work of changing who you are. Why do you need to change? Well, you don't necessarily need to, but then why would you be looking to become a witch. People find they want to change the fundamental basis of their lives, and that's what becoming a witch is, changing in a major way, because they are not happy with what they have at the time.  I mean, if you were really happy with everything in your life, why change?

So, you've decided you want to change. Great! Now look at the character traits you embody and see which ones benefit you, and which ones are a detriment. Are you a happy person? That's a benefit. Are you a negative person? Detriment. See where I'm going? Make a list of the qualities syou wish to change for the better and sit with it for a while.

I will tell you a Universal Mystery.  It's not others that need to change. It's you. It's NEVER others that need to change. It's ALWAYS you. If you can take that concept and work with it, you are on your way to becoming a witch. If not, then I wish you well on your path and I hope you find what you're looking for.

There are many ways to start changing the negative qualities you wish to change. Meditation can help. Also being aware of the words that come from your mouth. Most negativity is reflected in the words we use and the way we verbally look at the world. Hear your words and start to change them. Start by saying positive things, even if they feel foreign to you.

Try interacting with others in a positive way and not allowing others to drag you into their drama and negative outlook on things. It takes one day at a time and one step at a time. But during this work, be sure to play with the fun witchy stuff. Make sure you use Goddess help to help you change, by doing your rituals and casting your circles. Hang out with other positive witchy people. Work with your herbs, candles, potions and spells. It's all a process, a wonderful one, but it will take time. Good luck on your path!


Peace and Happiness






© 2010-2014 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.

Enjoying Mother Nature's Weather

Good Afternoon,


We find ourselves, at the time of this discussion, in the midst of a hot and steamy July in Southern New England. I've been listening to people complaining of the heat just as I hear people complain of the cold in the winter time.

From this witch's perspective, I try too enjoy all Mother Nature gives us. In the heat of Summer, I try to dress lightly and do most of my vigorous work in the early mornings or in the evenings. During the day I work at the store but find the time to just sit and read and relax in the heat of the day.

Other cultures have incorporated a 'siesta' time in the middle of their day, with good reason. Sometimes it can be too hot to do much except relax. But I find that complaining about the heat adds an extra element that makes the heat even more difficult. Our attitude about things really does make things easier or more difficult for us.

Yes, it's hot. That's what Summer is all about. This time of the year I do a couple of things to help me enjoy myself in the heat. I already mentioned I try to dress lightly. I also make sure I have fans around. Over head fans and table fans that move the air around. Air conditioning is nice but I find it makes me cold, where I am more comfortable enjoying the heat with a nice breeze blowing on me. The one thing I DO NOT do is complain about the heat. That puts me in a negative mood, makes me cranky and that just makes the whole situation worse.

I really do believe that your attitude can make a huge difference. It's Summer, Summer is hot, try to find the enjoyment in it. At best, when you're really hot and miserable remember my three word mantra "January, February, March" !! This also has a way of putting me in a better frame of mind.

Magick is within you, you have the ability to make things better or worse, simply by the way you perceive them. Make this a better day!


Peace and Happiness






© 2010-2014 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.

Gardening by the Moon

Good Evening,

I was recently interviewed on a local Regional Farm and Food radio program. The topic was gardening by the moon phases. I wanted to share this information with you.

There are two phases of the moon where one can garden by.   The light of the moon and the dark of the moon. The light of the moon is the two week period of time from the new moon as it waxes towards full.  The dark of the moon is the two week period of time from the day after the full moon to the day before the new moon.

The gardening to be done during the light of the moon is planting any fruits or vegetables that grow above the ground, like pumpkins, strawberries, cucumbers and tomatoes. Gardening to be done during the dark of the moon is for any flowering bulbs and vegetables that grow underground like potatoes, carrots and turnips.

It's important to note you can garden during the day, gardening by the moon does not have to be done during the nighttime hours. Anytime within the two week window for the moon phase is acceptable.

The moon in regards to gardening simply has to do with water. When the moon is waxing towards full it has filled up things in nature with water. When it's waning towards new it has taken the water away. This is the natural ebb and flow to be found in nature, in all things.

Besides gardening, there are other areas in farming where the light and dark of the moon make a difference. For instance, rail fences cut during the waning, dry moon will stay straighter as will wooden shingles and shakes.
Crabbing, shrimping ad clamming should be done when the moon is full, whereas the best days for fishing is between the new moon and full moon.

These are just a few things to be done by the phases of the moon. For more information consult the 'Old Farmer's Almanac' as this is the resource I referenced for this article today. Happy Gardening!

Peace and Happiness







© 2010-2014 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 


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

Happy Litha! Enchantments celebrates the Summer Solstice Saturday!

 Good Afternoon,



Well, it's that time of year again, the Summer Solstice is almost upon us! We look at the Solstice as mid- Summer, and we consider the beginning of Summer having  occurred May 1st. This Saturday we will hold our Mid - Summer celebration at Enchantments. We are celebrating the first harvest, but not of food crops. This first harvest is for medicinal and magickal herbs and plants. We celebrate the Sun being at it's zenith and at it's full strength and power.

The herbs we harvest are considered to be at their peak of magickal power.  If you wish to harvest during this time, harvesting anytime during the day of the Solstice is acceptable. Even three days before and three days afterwards is good. The magickal power takes time to dissipate over the rest of the Summer, just as it takes time to build during the Spring and early Summer. 

Don't get all crazy about having to do it NOW! Plants and herbs are in no rush like humans are, and many times I've seen humans place our own sensibilities onto plants and animals and that's not necessary.  Harvest with intent and love and harmony within you. A sense of being rushed and needing to get it done is not the way of the witch. We do things in their time, but we make sure we are present and part of the process while we do it.

The celebration starts at Enchantments at 10 am, and those who wish to attend must be there by 10 as we cast the circle shortly thereafter. Also if you come, be sure to bring a dish for the pot luck feast to be held right after the Sabbat celebration. It would be great to  have you there!

Happy Litha!


Peace and Happiness






© 2010-2014 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.

A Magickal Garden Tour

Good Afternoon,

Last Saturday, The wonderful students of Enchantments went on a field trip to a local nursery. Woodland Gardens in Manchester is simply one of the best nurseries around! I walked the class through the trees and shrubs, the perennials and then the annuals from flower to vegetable.

There was so much to see and learn. I tried to give the students the 'witch's' point of view of the plants. The magickal properties of the plants and little known secrets of the plants. I will cover just a few of them with you here, today.

 This first plant is Lady's Mantle. It's magickal property is love. It can be used in love spells and sachets. It also has a drop of what appears to be dew in the center of each leaf in the morning, but it is really a sap from the plant. Legend has it, that this drop of sap can be used magickally to create the philosopher's stone.  The philosopher's stone is reputed to be able to alchemically turn base metals into gold and in some legends for one to achieve immortality. 

 This next beautiful plant is the Scotch Broom or Witches Broom. It is a member of the sweet pea family and now comes in many beautiful colors, from yellows to reds, oranges and even white. It's natural color is a pale yellow flower. Burning broom is thought to bring the rains. This could be done if an area is experiencing a drought. The magickal properties of broom are Purification, wind spells, divination, protection.  If using broom be sure to carry with you and never drink or eat as the plant is poisonous.

 This plant is the lovely foxglove. It's magickal property is protection. It is the basis for Digitalis which is it's Latin name, and has been used in a heart medicine for heart patients. Be sure to never use this on your own for medicinal purposes. It needs to be modified in a laboratory for one to use the medicine it contains safely. It is said to never cut and bring foxglove indoors as it is bad luck and will irritate the faerie spirits that are near.

 This is sweet woodruff. It's magickal properties is victory, protection and money. Carry a sprig of woodruff with you to draw money to you and to increase protection around you. This is the herb used in May Wine at Beltaine and is also a source of coumadin an anti-coagulant or blood thinner. If you are on blood thinners be very careful about using woodruff in food or drink. When the leaves are crushed it smells like new mown hay.

These are just some of the secrets these plants have in store for you. Each one is a lovely addition to your garden and none spread except for the woodruff. It can be mown to keep it in check and to also release its wonderful fragrance.

If you would like to know more about the magickal properties of plants and herbs I recommend a wonderful book by Mr. Scott Cunningham "Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs". We sell this book at Enchantments, and as it's so popular we try to always have it in stock.

Please save the following dates for upcoming witchy activities at Enchantments:  Saturday June 21st, we celebrate the Summer Solstice at Enchantments with a Sabbat ritual and a Pagan feast. Everyone is welcome. More about this in next week's discussion.

Wednesday July 2, 2014 we host the bi-monthly Women's Spirituality Group at Enchantments at 5 pm. This is a free group for women who wish to discuss their spiritual path with others of like mind.


Peace and Happiness









© 2010-2014 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.

Raven Grimassi & Stephanie Taylor Grimassi are coming to Enchantments!

 

 

 

 

 

Good Afternoon!

I have some exciting news to share!! Raven Grimassi and Stephanie Taylor Grimassi will be coming to Enchantments to conduct a new workshop based on their soon to be published book "Grimoire of the Thorn Blood Witch"  It will be a cord magick workshop, and you'll be working with a green cord which will become a shamanic talisman to work with plant spirits.

They will be conducting this workshop on Friday evening August 29th, from 5-appx 7 or 7:30 pm. The cost is $35.00 a person and we will have his new book for sale that day. Anyone who purchases the book that night will receive a free poster of the book's cover which will become a collector's piece. 

 

Raven Grimassi is the award winning author of more than a dozen books on Witchcraft and Wicca such as  the  Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Wicca, The Cauldron of Memory and Old World Magick to name a few. A teacher and practitioner of magickal systems  for more than thirty-five years, he is also the co-founder and co-director of the College of the Crossroads, a mystery school devoted to preserving the Old Ways of pre-Christian European religion and spirituality.

I hope to fill up the class, we have room for 16 people. If you've met Raven in the past you know why I'm so excited, if you haven't yet, trust me. You do not want to miss this opportunity to meet one of the greatest Witchcraft scholars alive today!


Reservations and pre-payment required to take this awesome workshop! Please stop by Enchantments to make your reservation.

Peace and Happiness 













© 2010-2014 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.

Do you know how to harvest a wand?

Good Afternoon,


This Saturday, my class and I are headed to the woods of CT to harvest wands. Do you know the correct way to harvest wands? Let me tell you. Many people feel that any branch lying dead on the ground is acceptable. Actually it's not.You want the living energy in the wand, so therefore one needs to harvest their wand from a living tree.

Firstly, determine which type of wood you want. For example, Apple wood is good for bringing in love, healing and using during divination. Rowan is good for bringing in psychic power, protection and strength. Cherry is good for, divination, animal magick and healing. Pecan is good for employment and money spells, and Maple is good for longevity, focus and success. Just to name a few. To find out the magickal properties of other woods get a good book on magickal properties such as Scott Cunningham's Encycopedia of Magickal Herbs. This book lists the magickal properties of many trees as well as herbs, grasses, shrubs and vines. A great reference book to have on your magickal library shelf.

Once you've decided on the magickal properties of the wand you want, as well as the wood from where it will comes from, head to the woods. Another good book to have for tree identification is the National Audubon's North American Tree Identification book. These books are split into regions, so for us here in CT we would use the Eastern United States book. These are available online or at your  local bookstore.

Once you find your tree, and hopefully it has a living branch somewhere close to where you can reach it, take a small handsaw and cut it at least an inch or two away from the trunk. Cutting flush to the trunk could actually cause disease to enter the tree and it could die. Once you've separated the branch from the tree, continue to hold the branch up to where it had been cut and using your athame or index finger 'cut' the etheric body. What I mean it, run your finger in the air between the branch and tree as if following the original cut made to separate branch from tree. This will seal the natural living energy into the branch and soon to be wand.

Before you leave the site where you harvested your wand be sure to leave a gift for the tree. A few coins, a piece of bread, some small sprinkles of fertilizer are all suitable gifts for the tree. 


Then you can do as you wish with your wand. You can cut it to length for you. Typically a branch made into a wand is cut to fit from the inside of your elbow to the end of your middle finger. See how this feels. I've at times cut them longer, but never have I ever cut them shorter. Then you can sand down the bark, remove it altogether or leave some of the bark for the handle at one end. The handle is the largest diameter of the wand or the end that was closest to tree when it was removed. The narrower end is the wand tip and can be dressed with a crystal point, by wrapping a bit of silver or copper wire around it. You can also decorate your wand as you desire, with paints, a wood burning kit, drilling and inlaying gemstones etc. The possibilities are endless and totally up to you.

Once you've decorated your wand cast a full magick circle and bless your wand. You do this by running it through the incense smoke, dripping blessed water upon it and then running it through a candle flame. Then open your circle and your wand is ready to use. A wand is used to cast a circle if you desire, open a circle, directing energy and using it to direct your energy to where you wish it to go.

I keep a wand on my tarot table to aid me in divination and one on my personal altar at home. Yes, one can have more than one wand. It's beautiful outside and it's Summer! Now go on, get out of the house, commune with nature and go get your wand.


Peace and Happiness





© 2010-2014 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.

Blessing your Gardens

Good Afternoon,

The students of Enchantments will be planting flowers in the gardens of Enchantments this Saturday as a part of class. They will learn how to deal with root bound seedlings, separating the roots for the best growth. They will 'breath' life into each seedling to also give it the best chance of growing to it's fullest potential. 

Once the plants have been planted and mulch surrounds them, we will conduct a garden blessing. You can do this at home if you desire. First cast your magick circle to encompass the entire garden. If you don't know how to cast a magick circle, no worries just have a few ingredients at hand. Incense, water, a small amount of salt and a green candle. Also some cake and juice if you wish to conduct the cakes and ale ceremony, described below.

Light the incense, the candle and put three small pinches of salt into a bowl holding about a cup of water. First take incense and go around the circle, starting in the North and allow the smoke to waft as you walk in a clockwise circle, going from the North to the East to the South to the West and back again to the North.  Then take the water with the salt in it and with your finger tips flick water out into the garden also following the path you took with the incense, starting and ending in the North. Then finish with the candle, taking the lit candle and holding it aloft to the North and saying 'Goddess and God, please bless this garden', walk to the East and holding the candle aloft say the same thing, again in the South and finally again in the West.

You may do the cakes and ale ceremony also if you wish.  Take a piece of bread, cake or cookie (one for each person present plus one) and hold it aloft and say "by the God, may you never hunger" and eat the cake. Then take the extra piece and place it on the altar or on the ground. Be sure it's not chocolate as a stray animal may come by and eat it, and we don't wish to make anyone sick. Then take a small cup of sparkling cider, ale, wine, water or what have you and also have one extra. Hold the tray of cups aloft and say, "by the Goddess, may you never thirst" and then drink the libation. Then take the extra cup of juice and slowly pour it on the ground. The cake and ale for the ground is for the nature spirits of the garden. The Fae if you will. This will assure you of a protected garden with happy spirits in it.

This concludes the garden blessing. Now, place a chair somewhere close by so you can see your garden, sit in it and enjoy.


Peace and Happiness






© 2010-2014 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.

Time to plant the gardens!

 Good Afternoon,

Yes, I know people have already started planting flowers and vegetables but I'm a bit old fashioned.  I still believe the old adage not to plant until after May 15th, in these parts. That's the date when hard frosts should cease. I don't want to lose any plants. And if it's cold enough for a frost, it's really too cold for any substantial growth to happen to the plants.

This is a picture of our gardens last year at Enchantments. I will go with the same color scheme this year, as it worked out so well. We even received a beautification award notification from the Manchester Garden Club last year. So we definitely did something right! We're going to plant pink petunias again, with some white and purple sage spires to give some texture to the gardens.

We already have Star Gazer lilies coming up and a small lavender plant and a few roses. The sages from last year are also coming up and looking robust. It's a nice garden because it borders the busy road in front of Enchantments RT 6/44 East Center Street. The town of Manchester reported that between 30-35,000 cars pass by daily! That's a lot of people looking at our gardens. So we want them to look special.

The students of Enchantments will be helping plant the gardens in the next week or so and we'll be doing a garden blessing on the day we plant. I'll tell you more about blessing your gardens next week! In the meantime, go out, get some lovely plants and start planting your garden. Commune with nature and become one with the Earth and Sky. I hope you have a lovely week.


Peace and Happiness


 

© 2010-2014 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.

Beltaine Memories and Women's Spirituality Group Meets this week!

 Good Afternoon,

What a lovely Beltaine I had on Saturday! The sun was shining, the birds singing, the sky a brilliant blue with white fluffy clouds. So perfect for our day of celebration. We held the ritual with a comfortable number of people, 14 total. Then we wrapped our living May Pole, our Rowan tree in the front garden, with beautiful ribbons, as everyone danced around the tree.  Here's a picture of the final results.

In a couple of weeks, I will unravel the ribbons and cut them to about three feet in length and let them flutter in the breeze as they stay attached to the Rowan tree for Spring and Summer. In a couple of months I will remove them altogether so the Rowan tree has a chance to grow and thicken it's branches. 

In addition to the lovely ritual, May pole dancing and feast held afterwards, I was pleasantly surprised by my Magickal Studies Students who, in honor of Enchantment's 10th year anniversary, took it upon themselves to rebuild the front garden altar by putting a new base on it. The old base of wooden logs was quite old and the wood was starting to crumble. Here's a picture of the new altar base with the altar stone re-positioned on top.

Then the students surprised me with a lovely Lilac bush, already in bud and ready to bloom. They planted it in the gardens of Enchantments, right next to the drive where you will be able to smell it every time you come or go. And, as if that wasn't enough! The students went out and purchased cedar mulch and mulched under my Maple tree where I sit in the summer so it would look and smell nice while I sat there this year.

What a very lucky witch I am. Very blessed and fortunate to have such a thoughtful and considerate group of students who just want to, in their words 'give back.' 

Also happening this week, is our bi-monthly Women's Spirituality Group which is meeting this Wednesday, tomorrow, May 7th from 5 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.  This groups topic of discussion will be " Challenges I have faced and how I overcame them'. I am asking the ladies to bring with them stories of challenges they have faced in life, on their spiritual path and in the course of their day to day lives and how they overcame these challenges.

Refreshments will be served. There is no charge for this meeting, and it is open to any lady in the community that wishes to discuss their spirituality with others. I look forward to seeing you there.



Peace and Happiness




© 2010-2014 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 


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

Happy Beltaine & Happy 10th Anniversary of Enchantments!!!!

 Good Afternoon!

May 1st, 2014. Ten years ago today, it was a Saturday, I opened Enchantments. Meant to be a school for the magickal arts and witch shop, it has become all that and more. Every Saturday I find myself teaching a wonderful group of interested, witchy students who just want to make the word a better place. It is very rewarding for me and I enjoy it so much.

This Saturday, May 3rd, we will hold our annual Beltaine celebration and our 10 year anniversary party. It's open to the magickal public and if you want to come, be sure to be there by 10 am to be part of the magick circle.  For those who wish to dance the Maypole dance, bring a ribbon 12 feet in length. We will have a ritual feast following the ceremony and we ask everyone to bring a dish to share with others.

Beltaine is the Celtic start of Summer and we look at it as such. Waiting until June 21st as so many do seems to waste a lot of summer to me. June 21st has been known in Europe for centuries as Midsummer, and to us it still is.

Beltaine is a fertility ritual, with the focus on love, lust, sex and procreation. Fertilizing the fields and fertilizing your life and the projects and goals you've set for yourself. It is the lover's holy day and as such lovers should spend time together and make the most of this wonderful holiday.

Even if you are celebrating this holiday solitary, do something to make it special. Plant some seeds or a seedling, tie pretty ribbons onto a small tree in your yard so the wind can pick up their tendrils and blow them into the air, something that makes you feel good.

I wish you all a Blessed Beltaine!


Peace and Happiness







© 2010-2014 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.

Beltaine is almost upon us!

Good Afternoon, 

 May 1st is right around the corner, and this is our Beltaine Sabbat. It is a Greater Sabbat, celebrated by Witches and other magickal folks, and is seen as our first day of Summer. I have been celebrating this holiday since I was a little girl. I wasn't Pagan back then, ( or at least I didn't know I was) but come May 1st I would go outside and pick a bunch of Spring flowers and make a bouquet out of them and leave them by the front door. I would knock or ring the bell and run away, for my mother to find them. She must have told me about this tradition because I remember doing it when I was quite young. This day is also called May Day and Lady's Day.

Today we celebrate this holiday (holy day) with a ritual casting of the magickal circle, a dance around the May Pole (which at Enchantments is a living Rowan tree) and an outdoor pot luck feast. This year's Beltaine also marks the tenth anniversary of Enchantments! It will definitely be a day of great celebration. This Beltaine celebration is open to the public. We just ask that anyone who wishes to attend, to be at Enchantments by 10 am at the latest and that they bring a pot luck dish to share with others. The ritual will start at 10 am.  The day of our Beltaine Celebration this year will be Saturday, May 3rd at 10 am. Also, if you wish to dance around the May pole please bring a length of ribbon, 1 inch wide and approximately 9 - 12 feet in length. Any festive color will do (NO Black!!!)

Traditionally, Beltaine was a time of fertilizing the fields to nurture the fragile, new growth from the seeds we just planted at Ostara. Metaphorically speaking, what seeds have you planted recently. Are you trying to be a better person? More understanding, more kind, compassionate, less judgmental? Now that the seeds have been planted, how will you fertilize them? Opportunities always abound when we wish to be different. You will be given the chance to be that person you wish to be. But you must recognize the opportunity and make the changes you say you want. Just some food for thought.

Well we have just over a week until we celebrate Beltaine. I hope you do something to mark the day. It's one of the most special days of our year. A day to welcome in the Summer and finally rid ourselves of Winter. And a long Winter it has been.  I hope to see you at our Beltaine Celebration and if not, I hope you have a lovely celebration of your own.


Peace and Happiness





© 2010-2014 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.