Making Magickal Wands

 Good Afternoon,

Today, in magickal studies classes at Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts, we went wand harvesting. Firstly, you don't need to go to some sacred, magickal forest to gather your wands. We went into the parking lot of Enchantments, which is lined with many trees and shrubs and we gathered our wands there.

First thing you do, is identify the tree from which you are gathering your wand. Look up the magickal properties of the wood. Does it have the qualities you'd like? A very good website to check out the magickal properties of a type of wood is www.dragonoak.com. They list in alphabetical order most trees and types of wood and their specific magick, contained therein.
Find the spot were you will saw the branch from the tree. If it's being cut next to the trunk, leave an inch or so of branch attached to the trunk to prevent the wound from rotting and killing the tree.

Next take your saw and cut the branch. Now, holding the branch an inch or so away from where it was cut from, take your athame or your finger and cut the air between the ends of the cut branch. This will cut the etheric body of energy the tree branch has and the energy will stay within the branch. Place your hand on the tree and thank it if you wish to.

Now you can strip the, excess branches and leaves and then bark from the wand or leave it on, depending on how it looks to you. Sand it down, remove little branch nodules and you can even stain it if you wish. You can add crystals to the end or wrap it in gold or silver or copper wire, whatever makes it special to you.

Bring your wand into a magick circle and consecrate it with fire, incense smoke and water. It will be ready to use.

Use wands to cast a magick circle, but be sure to use an athame with a metal blade to seal the circle, or a sword for that matter. If the energy of the wood your wand is made from is for loving energies, such as Lilac, you can use the wand to touch to red candles to intensify the loving energies the candles will draw when burned.

Take a wand with the magickal properties you desire and make a large circle in the air in front of you from the ground to above your head. Wave the wand in this circle several times, you can chant an incantation if you wish to. After a few minutes of moving the wand in this large circle, going deosil stop moving the wand. then step into the circle you created and stand within the moving currents of energy. Open your palms and mouth and absorb the energies, feeling them flowing into you and all around you. After a few minutes you can step 'out' of the circle and go about your business.You will continue to draw those magickal properties to you throughout your day and night.

Magick wands can be used to stir magick potions and brews. To lay on your altar to bring in desired properties of your spell. There are many ways to use this magickal wood. Many of the ways you might discover for yourself if you just sit with the wand and try to feel it's energy. Close your eyes, open your mind and see what it says to you.

One final note, never use dead wood found lying on the ground for your magickal wand. It has no energy and will not aid you in your magick. Always harvest from a living, healthy tree.

Happy wand harvesting!


Peace and Happiness







© 2010-2015 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 


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

A Garden Blessing

 Pink Wave Petunias


Good Afternoon,

This past Saturday found the students of Enchantments, School for the Magickal Arts, out in the witches garden learning about planting a garden using some witchy tips.  I want to share some of these with you.

 Dusty Miller





We planted several pink wave petunias and Dusty Miller.  We took each plant out of it's pot and and gently tore off the bottom inch of root bound roots. Then taking the root ball in hand, we gently tore it in half and then again in half only about a half way up to the root ball. This just loosens the bottom roots and allows water and air to get to the root ball. Then, here comes a witchy tip, hold the roots up to your mouth, about 2 - 3 inches away and blow a deep breath on the roots. This 'breathes' life into the plant and helps it bond with you.

Then gently place the plant, root side down, into a hole you've dug just big enough to fit the entire root system into the ground. Firm the dirt up and around the base of the plant. Be sure not to cover the plant too high up on it's stem with dirt or it can die. Just cover the root ball.

Another thing you can do is rub your hands together, or clap your hands and bring your energy up. Place your hands on the plant and say out loud to the plant "I am phamaceutea" . This, according to the fabulous Wiccan and Magickal scholar Raven Grimassi, is one of the first words for witch. The plant world has an ancient memory bank and has the ability to communicate with us. You've heard of those people who talk to plants, well it's true and they can understand us. By telling the plant that you are pharmaceutea, you are telling it you mean no harm, you are working an ancient magick the plants remember, and you will only do what is best for the garden. This means if you have to pull out weeds, they will understand they must be sacrificed for the good of all.

Then we cast a magick circle which encompassed the entire garden and imagined a bright white light infusing the entire garden. We rubbed our hands together and held them out to the garden and turned in a slow deosil (clockwise) circle and visualized  energy flowing from the palms of our hands out into the garden. The energy touching each and every plant. Then we opened the circle and class was finished.

It's very easy to garden in a magickal way, if you just put some thought and your internal magickal energy into it. It works every time. And if you do everything right and you still lose a planting during the winter or even during the summer months, don't despair. Working with living things takes effort and even with our best efforts they sometimes die. Learn what you can about your garden, how it's located, full sun, partial sun, full shade. Whether it is dry soil or wet. Is the plantings in a micro climate close to a building? The more you learn about your specific garden the more successful you will be with your gardening. But it is a labor of love.
And if you love your garden, it will love you back.

Happy Gardening

Peace and Happiness









© 2010-2015 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 


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

Do you live a hard or soft life?

Good Afternoon,


This past Beltane found Enchantments just filled to capacity with wonderful people celebrating the Sabbat with us, dancing the Maypole, feasting and tending to the gardens of Enchantments.We had a lovely time and unfortunately some people missed it. For that reason I want to go over my Beltane talk as a review for those who were present and for those who weren't able to make it.

Do you live a hard or soft life? By this I mean, the energy you live your life with and the energy you send to others. Some people take offense and hold grudges, never wanting anything to do with that person again. If you have finished up the part of your life that has that person in it and hold no animosity or anger inside and are simply neutral towards that person, that's living life in a soft manner. But if anger, animosity, jealousy, bitterness continue to consume you, that's living life in a hard manner. It doesn't hurt the other person, but it can be damaging and poisonous to you. That will eventually bring you pain and suffering.

I'm not saying that when someone does you wrong to lay down and take it. Not at all. But realizing a person is not healthy to have in your life, and simply putting them aside with all the other strong emotions is a healthier way to go about it.

If someone steals from you, do you automatically distrust the next person that comes into your life? That is living in a hard manner. Learn from past experiences, but give the next person to come into your life the benefit of the doubt, that they are a good person. It's easier on the spirit to live this way.

Try to put bitterness, sadness, emotional pain and anger aside as it does not benefit you and can only make you unhealthy. If this is an issue for you and you wish to do something about this, burn a candle and ask your God or Goddess to help you shed the feelings that are holding you back from living a soft life.

Get outside and smell a flower, listen to the breeze in the branches of the trees, feel the grass under your bare feet. These will all help you get connected with the Divine and help you start living the soft life. Blessings to you! Happy Spring!!



Peace and Happiness



© 2010-2015 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.


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

Happy Beltane Celebration at Enchantments! What Beltane is all about!

 Good Afternoon!

Isn't the weather just lovely? Finally we break out of winter and are enjoying the beautiful spring weather. Well in just a couple of days, on May 1st Beltane (sometimes spelled Beltaine) descends on us. We, the Witches of Enchantments, will be celebrating Beltane this Saturday, May 2nd at 10 am. Weather permitting, it will be an outdoor event.

Beltane has been celebrated by the ancient Celtic peoples from Western Europe for thousands of years. Beltane, Celtic for 'bright fire' is a time when in the ancient would, the night before, snuff out all of their fires and candle lights. Symbolically, this meant going into the dark, where survival was not guaranteed. You see, to snuff out the life giving fires, one had to have a lot of faith in the Gods that the next day the fire would be rekindled and life would continue. On the mountain and hill tops the next morning, before sunrise, a fire would be re-lit and then bonfires all along the land would be re-lit and the celebration would commence.

The Beltane celebration would have many aspects to it. There would be a sacred ritual where a white bull would be run between two raging bonfires to consecrate the animal. Then the bull would be slaughtered and the meat cooked and served to the entire village. These people might not have had meat of any sort for several months, as they were just coming out of a long, harsh winter. (Just like the one we just made it through). The Druid Priests would take the entrails of the bull and observing them with ancient techniques divine the upcoming year of good fortune and maladies for the villagers. The blood of the bull would be placed in bowls and scattered over the fields, which had been seeded back in March, around Ostara.

A long pole would be set up in the center of the village and red and white ribbons would be draped from it. With men and women alternately taking up a ribbon each they would start an age old dance of wrapping the essence of the Mother Goddess around the phallic pole of the God. Beltane is a fertility festival. Traditionally by celebrating this festival, it is thought to bring abundance, good fortune and wealth to those who participate. This is one of the Greater Sabbats on the Wheel of the Year and it was thought that if people didnt recognize it, and celebrate it, the wheel would cease to turn and life could become snuffed out.

Today we celebrate this Sabbat to help 'fertilize' our endeavors and projects we have set before us. In the group at Enchantments, we usually choose an area of our life that we wish to improve and work on during the upcoming year at Ostara, the Spring or Vernal Equinox. During Beltane, we fertilize our project.This can be done by magickal means, such as consecrating a candle and burning it, or some other method of magick. Dancing around the altar with musical instruments also puts your magickal intention into the universe with the build up of a Cone of Power which is then released and sent to do your bidding.

A feast, celebrating the spring and the beginning of summer is held. Foods and drinks of all sorts are brought and consumed with blessings to the Goddess and the Gods. A sense of happiness, joy and well being are common at Beltane, with the gentle breezes and sun shining it is easy to feel alive and well  and to rejoice. 

We at Enchantments, use a living Rowan tree in our front yard ritual area to dance the Maypole, gently entwining the many colored ribbons around the tree. If you wish to participate in our Beltane ritual, please show up at Enchantments this Saturday, May 2nd by 10 am, sharp! Bring a length of ribbon, any color except for black, 9 feet long and 1 inch thick. Please also bring a dish to share with others during our Beltane feast that is held directly after our ceremony.

Any form of dress is acceptable, as long as you are dressed. We do not do sky clad rituals at Enchantments. Any food and drink, with the exception of alcohol, is welcome at our feast. This year, please stay after the ceremony and feast and help us place mulch upon our gardens of Enchantments. This should only take a short time as we have so many coming to help, and your energy in the garden is welcome.

I look forward to having you there! Happy Beltane! Ms. Faith


Peace and Happiness






© 2010-2015 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 


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

Magick of the Days of the Week and Upcoming Events at Enchantments!

 Good Afternoon,

Many witches sync up their magick with the moon, but you don't need to wait for a particular moon phase to do successful magick. You can do magick that syncs up with the days of the week and covers most any magickal workings needed.

Let's look at the magick of the days of the week:

• Sunday - is an all purpose day. A day golden in color with a big push for all successful endeavors.A day to bring in, invoke, success and all things positive.
• Monday - is a day for women's mysteries. A good day for divination and learning to divine. Any system from tarot, to runes, oracle cards and tea leaf reading are all better practiced on this day. 
• Tuesday - a day designed for success in business. All business success, not just financial. A good day to start new business ventures, a new project, meet potential new clients or investors. 
• Wednesday - a good day for communication. To work on your verbal skills, doing spells designed to aid you in communicating with others. Also a good day to start healing spells.
• Thursday - the best day for all things related to money, abundance, fertility and growth. A day full of the green of new grass growing and spreading and becoming a vast, lush field. 
• Friday - a day dedicated to the Goddesses Venus/Freya and associated with all things pertaining to love! Familial/friendship love, new love, romantic love, passionate love and lust. Use the colors of red and pink on this day to put some umpth into your spell casting.
• Saturday - the best day for banishing, eliminating, cleansing and purifying. Increase the protection around you on this day.

These are just the general purposes of each day. Further research and other authors may give you additional information on each day, but I have always found the above listings to be useful for most anything I need, when it comes to spell casting.

Save the Dates! 

We have some exciting events coming to Enchantments! Please mark these days down on your calendar and plan to attend!

Mr. Christopher Penczak is coming to Enchantments on Thursday April 30th, 2015. He will conduct a class starting at 6 pm and ending at 8:30. The topic will be the 9 Muses. The cost for his class is $35 and we have just a few seats available. Please, if you are planning to attend, plan on purchasing your ticket in advance! There will be coffee, punch and refreshments available.

Beltane at Enchantments! Our First day of Summer Celebration will be held in the front gardens of Enchantments on Saturday, May 2nd, 2015 at 10 am. This is an open circle, open to any who wish to attend. There are a few stipulations though if you wish to attend. Firstly, you must be at Enchantments by 10 am. There is limited parking, but parking is available in adjacent parking lots. We will not hold up the ritual for late comers. There will also be a living Maypole dance. Please bring a 9 foot length of ribbon, 1 inch wide to dance the Maypole if you desire. Maypole dancing is for adults only as children may be trampled, and we wish to avoid such a thing!

Also if you plan on attending, you must bring a dish to share at the pot luck feast held immediately afterwards. We will have an outdoor picnic with a variety of foods brought by everyone. Please bring a dish that can be shared by others. This year we will be doing a quick bit of gardening afterwards, as we have several bags of mulch to be spread out on the gardens of Enchantments. Only those who wish to help with the gardening can do so, do not think it is a requirement. Many hands make light work, and so we hope as many people as possible can help out, but if you are unable or do not wish to, that is fine. If you do wish to help spread a bag or two, please bring a pair of gloves to make the work easier. We should be done with all the festivities and gardening by 1 pm, so you can plan the rest of your day! Look for next week's discussion by the 'Contemporary New England Witch' to read a complete description of Beltane and all it pertains. There is no charge for the Beltane celebration. Enchantments witch store will be open after the ritual for those who wish to shop.

Women's Spirituality Group meets next on Wednesday May 6th at 5 pm and it goes until 6:30 pm. The topic this time will be Candle Magick and how it can help you in your day to day magickal, spiritual practice. A short class on candle magick will be conducted by Ms. Faith and each person will be given a candle that they can carve and annoint and use at home. Learn how candle magick can bring the Goddess closer to you. There is no charge for this Spirituality group. There will be coffee and refreshments served. You don't need to be a witch to attend, simply a woman who wishes to explore her spirituality with other like minded ladies. The store closes at 5 pm, so if you wish to shop this night, please come before we close. Thank you.




Peace and Happiness 


© 2010-2015 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 


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

Part of our Pagan Heritage is to help in our Community.

 Good Afternoon,

So many people are turning away from traditional Judea-Christian philosophy these days and find themselves embracing a Pagan lifestyle. Being green, living in harmony with nature, worshiping the elements all are part of the Pagan life. But it goes, or ought to go farther than that.

For centuries, the Witch, the Green man of the village, the Herbalist, the Shaman all were a integral part of their villages, providing necessary services to their communities. Nowadays we can and I feel, should, give of ourselves in a kind of spiritual offering of ourselves to our community.

There is so much we can do. We can volunteer at our local soup kitchen, collect non-perishable foods for our local food pantry, collect scarves, gloves, socks and hats for our local shelters. Perhaps you work better dealing directly with nature. Grab a few garbage bags, the big ones, and a pair of gloves and go to a local greenway or wayside (alongside the roadways) and pick up discarded trash and debris.

You could collect used, clean blankets and towels for donation to your local veterinarian or pet shelter. There are always others who can use a hand in someway or another. 

The Witch, in history, was the person in the village you went to for advice, a spell, an herbal remedy to help in a difficult time. I assure you, times are not so different now. Running my own witch shop I often deal with customers who need serious advice on difficult situations in their lives. Sometimes a magickal stone or herb can help, but many times I end up selling them nothing. I just give them an insight they, for whatever reason,  don't seem to be able to get elsewhere.

You might not run your own store, but you can help others in magickal ways. Do you read the tarot cards or do some other form of divination? A quick reading can give insight into a person's life and when read back to them by an unbiased second party can help them see the situation more clearly.

Perhaps you are an awesome spell caster? I advise AGAINST doing spells for others. This just quickly leads you in a dangerous path. We do not do spells for others. But, we can help others do spells for themselves or teach them the proper ways. These spells are simply more effective when done by the person themselves. Doing spells for others can quickly lead you into a power trip. This is not the way to help others. Allow them to help themselves.

Perhaps you are an effective herbalist? Maybe you make herbal mixes and potions that can help a person? Firstly, BE VERY CAREFUL if making medicinal mixtures meant to be ingested.  Unless you are a licensed doctor or pharmacist this can lead you quickly into serious trouble with the law. Selling these medicinal mixtures also leads to woe. For example, do you know of any and all medicines being taken by the person you are treating and any contraindications for the herbal mixtures you are selling them? Danger!! But you can make simple, magickally effective potions and herbal mixtures that will bring magickal properties to the person's life which will aid them in their difficulties. By giving or selling these products (at a little above cost) can be helpful to those in your community. Do not expect to get rich selling your magickal services. That's not what being a magickal practitioner is all about. Do it to help others. Your magickal reward will come to you in ways much greater than monetary.

There are rules to follow being a magickal practitioner, but they are simple enough. What you send out, returns to you. It's as simple as that. There are many ways you can aid your community. You just need to decide what touches your heart and go out and follow it. That's a big part of the Pagan lifestyle. Or should be.



Peace and Happiness!




© 2010-2015 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 


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

Happy Easter! The Best Part of Being Pagan? Celebrating all the Holidays!

 Good Morning,

Happy Easter! The best part of being Pagan is being able to celebrate all the holidays. The main reason for this is many, many Pagans were raised Christian. I know some Pagans choose to celebrate only the Pagan holidays, but remember what I've taught you, the Christian holidays are actually Pagan holidays that were Christianized many centuries ago.

There is nothing wrong with celebrating the Christian holidays, as I said, they have Pagan roots, and we grew up celebrating these holidays. Even if you didn't celebrate these Christian holidays in your home, you grew up recognizing them as we live in a Christian society and these holidays are usually combined with days off from work or school.

I enjoy the festivities of my Pagan Wheel of the Year holy days, as well as the tradition of celebrating the Christian holidays. I truly believe we should and can all live together while celebrating our diversity without it becoming segregating. Just because we choose to set aside our Christian upbringing to embrace Paganism or Buddhism, or Judaism or some other religious path, or to choose a non religious path, there is nothing inherently wrong or bad about celebrating the days that are special.

The holidays to me are a reminder of good family gatherings, socializing and enjoying each other around a feast of traditional, and for us, cultural foods.  From ham on Easter, kielbasa, hard boiled eggs, cabbage, pierogies, babka bread, poppy seed breads and cakes. Many families turn to the traditional foods of their cultural heritage because 'going home' means so much to many.

Some choose to go to church, I choose to celebrate my religion on the Pagan day, this holiday was Ostara on the Vernal, Spring Equinox. On Easter I went to a friends home where we celebrate Easter every year. There is one individual who says grace before the meal every time, and that is simply lovely as far as I'm concerned. To respect each others beliefs, even when they differ from ours, makes us better people, I think.

To be fair, we spent a part of the day talking about paranormal topics, from ghosts to Ouija boards. Everyone was accepting and understanding and everyone enjoyed the day. So be aware if you have strong negative feelings concerning some of the holidays, whether they be yours or others. There might be other issues, unresolved, that you might wish to address. The negative energy will only negatively affect you, in the long run.

I hope you enjoyed your Spring holiday, be it Easter, Passover, Ostara or simply the Spring. Bright Blessings to you! Ms. Faith


Peace and Happiness



 © 2010-2015 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

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

Saying Goodbye to Shadow, Baby Boy Baba, by Remembering the Good Moments

Shadow - Baby Boy Baba

Good Afternoon,

Today's discussion is tinged with sadness and grief. Last night I found my sweet, fur baby Baba laying in a darkened corner, already gone. It was such a shock as he is only 6 and a half years old. But as I lie awake last night, as there was no way I could sleep, I thought of the best way I could honor his life and his memory.

I would dedicate this blog post by remembering the wonderful, happy, funny memories I have of him over the past 6 years. These I would like to share with you.

On October 20th, 2008 I was teaching an evening class at Enchantments, when a small, scared black cat came in the school and walked up the stairs to my office and started to rub up against my ankles. She was lost I thought. We found out later that she had been abandoned at Enchantments because she was pregnant. We took her in, called her Calli, and welcomed her four kittens born a little over a month later on December 3rd.

Calli had four kittens and Shadow was the last one born. He came out pure black initially so we called him Shadow. He was the runt, so small and dark. I was worried about him making it, he seemed so weak at first. I remember one night around midnight, I went up to the store and laid down a green cloak, one that I had worn during rituals, on the floor of the closet where the kitten nursery was located, and placed him with the other kittens on it. By the next morning Shadow started eating better and moving around on stronger limbs. In magick, green is a color of physical healing.

After the kittens were about two months old, a dear friend brought a big, huge, bag of kitten chow up to the store. It was too early for them to eat it, they were still on mother's milk, so I put the bag down on the floor in the corner for when they could start eating dry food. One day I came around the corner and the sight I beheld was of one tiny, very fluffy kitten, Shadow, who had crawled up the massive bag of food. He had chewed a hole in the top corner of the bag and was contentedly sitting and chewing on the dry food! I checked with the vet and he said that the kittens were far too young for dry food and he might choke! I took the dry food away, but Shadow whose name morphed into Baby Boy Baba has had an awesome appetite ever since.

His name morphed because when I brought Shadow home from the store, now being the owner of 7 cats, I wanted to split them between home and work, I started to call him Baby Boy. All of the kittens had spots and unique characteristics about them that told us they were in part Egyptian Mau. When I started researching Maus I found out that the original Matriarch cat that started them all was called Baba, over 5,000 years ago in Egypt. Putting Baba after Baby Boy sounded just too good, and it stuck.

Baba also had long, fluffy hair, an amazing fluffy, full tail and strong Maine Coon markings which tells us something about his daddy. Now I found it interesting from the vet that if a cat gives birth to four kittens, it's very likely that there were four father cats involved! Which explains the difference in coloring and markings. Even though the mother is all black, I believe the mother is the carrier of the Egyptian Mau genes.

Being partially Maine Coon, he had a fondness for water. Every time I went into my bathroom he would be right there ready to jump on the sink for a drink of water. He had a habit, as my hand was turning the faucet on, of licking the back of my hand as if in thanks. He kissed me every time he did this. In the past few months he grew a bit lazy, or it might have been his heart, where he would sit on the floor and look up at me. Beseechingly, asking me with his big soulful eyes to lift him up to the sink. The vet feels that he had an undiagnosed heart condition that caused his sudden passing. Maybe asking for help to get on the counter was a sign, that sadly I didn't see for what it was. Every night he would sleep in his kitty bed, and I would hear it creak when I went to the bathroom, as he would follow me in, always, and want a drink of water and always kissed my hand.

He liked to lay on the bed next to me at night, when we would watch television together. He would lay next to me and kneed the blankets with his big, gray paws.  His paws were large, over an inch wide and so gentle. I never knew him to ever extend his nails. He always kept them in. He would lay next to me, but when I would lift him up and put him on my lap he would tense up and when I took my hands off of him he would scamper away. To always come back later and lay next to me. Happily, in the last few months, he started to initiate laying on my lap all on his own. He would climb on me and lay down and turn so he could watch the television or turn so he could watch me. This made me happy, that he chose to lay on me, without my grabbing him and putting him there. This happened mostly in the past few weeks. He seemed lately to want to be near me as much as possible.

When we would sit down for dinner, we have a booth and benches in our kitchen, Baba would sit next to me on the booth and look over my plate for his one favorite food, chicken. He wouldn't eat any table scraps or pieces of any kind of meat unless it was chicken. I'm glad the last time we ate chicken, I shared my portion with him.  He always looked up at me with his deep, soulful eyes, looking so wise and sweet.And pleading for one bite of chicken, Mom, please?

Shadow Baby Boy Baba is an impressive name for an impressive cat.  He was a gentle giant, that only meowed when he wanted a drink of water or to tell us something special. He liked to play with the feather stick but only on the ground, he wasn't a jumper. He would sit next to the couch on the floor next to our feet and loved a red, fluffy blanket we call the mommy blanket, because as soon as they are on it, a cat has to start kneading as if ready to nurse from the mother cat. I'll always remember his enjoyment of sitting next to the balcony door, in the sunshine, looking out at the birds on the feeder, his big, fluffy tail swiping the floor in his happiness. I'll always remember his one little snaggle tooth that stuck out when his mouth was closed, giving him an endearing expression. I'll always remember how full and heavy he was in  my arms, filling them and making it feel like you were holding a big, furry baby. Which I was. I'll always remember him.

Last night, after he passed, I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I knew he was gone, but I still turned the water on for him. Only this time I didn't feel his little tongue on the back of my hand. I miss that gentle kiss in the worse way.

Baby Boy Baba was my gentle, loving, fur baby and I will miss him, like a piece of my heart is now gone. I couldn't sleep last night, but when I closed my eyes I envisioned the two of us, walking side by side along a dirt road in a vast field of green. In the sunshine of the Summerland, just the two of us. I'm not ready to leave him. So I'll continue to walk by his side .  .  . 



I thank you for reading my memories of Shadow Baby Boy Baba. Ms. Faith



Peace and Happiness


 © 2010-2015 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

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

Easter . . . Why Bunnies, Baby Chicks and Eggs? They're all Pagan Really!

Good Afternoon,

The Christian holiday of Easter is right around the corner, and as Pagans we are getting ready to celebrate a much older, ancient forerunner of the Easter holiday. As Pagans we celebrate Ostara, the Spring Equinox. There's a lot happening with this sacred Holy day, let me tell you what I know.

The Spring Equinox is a day when the hours of light and darkness are equal. This will happen, this year, on Friday, March 20th, coinciding with a new moon.  Also, the ancient holiday (or Holy day) for Pagan people this time of year was Eostre. This was the Spring Equinox. Over the years this became the Sabbat of Ostara.

Many who follow my discussions here at "The Life and Times of A Contemporary New England Witch" already know that many Pagan holidays were absorbed by early Christians and made their own. This is true of All Hallow's Eve, and All Soul's Day which surround our Samhain on November 1st, as well as Christmas which is near our Yule in December around the 25th. Well the same holds true for Easter.

What you may not know is that the word Easter itself is taken from the letters of the Pagan Sabbat Eostre. Besides being at the time of the equinox, Ostara and Easter arrive at a time, on the agricultural calendar of the Wheel of the Year, when the spring grass is greening in the fields. The baby chicks are being born in the barn yards, baby bunnies are being born in the fields and birds are laying eggs in nests in the trees. It is a time of renewal and rebirth. One correlation between the Pagan Sabbat of Ostara  and the Christian Holy Day of Easter is the 'renewal' or rising of Jesus Christ after being entombed for three days. The number three also has many sacred meanings and symbolism for Pagans and Christians alike.

But whether you celebrate one or the other, we each of us find ourselves, celebrating the return of springtime after, this year especially, a long, hard winter. I think we can all agree on this one point.

 I like that the holiday of Easter has kept a lot of it's Pagan symbolism. If you can find yourself coming from a place where being Pagan isn't considered evil, merely different, it allows for a larger, broader, more complete holiday where everyone can gather and come together in celebration. In truth we have all been celebrating this spring holiday together for thousands of years.

I'm glad we still can celebrate it together. It is one holiday that is a beautiful amalgamation of both sides, both beliefs and understandings. So hard boil and color your eggs, decorate your house with images of rabbits, bunnies and chicks and gather together to welcome in the spring, the renewal of Life and enjoy one another.


Peace and Happiness and Happy Ostara, Eostre and Easter to you all! Ms. Faith


 

© 2010-2015 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.

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

It's Time to Replenish Magickal Supplies, Tools and Ingredients

 Good Afternoon,

While many of us are waiting for the first warm breezes of spring, when we can start doing outdoor rituals there's plenty, magickally, to be done in the ritual room or magickal storage cupboard. That's right, now is the perfect time to take inventory of your magickal supplies, tools and ingredients and to replace old ingredients with new ones and to shine up your tools and get more supplies, for your magickal workings this year.

Here are a few areas to consider when "Spring Cleaning" the witches cupboard.

Dried Herbs: Dried green, herbaceous herbs over a year old will have lost most of their potency and need to be thrown away or burned in a fireplace or fire pit. If they are just a year old or so, you can grind them up into a powder to use for incense, wiggle your fingers in the powder to 'wake up' the energies in the herbs and then burn on charcoal briquettes as an incense.  Herbs older than a year or so are not really magickally potent and will do you little good in your spell casting. Roots and magickal wood last longer and can be used up to two years or more.

Candles:  Candles that have been burned and used in ritual throughout the year that have a little bit left, need to be discarded and replaced with fresh candles. They don't have to be brand new, just unused candles. February 1st, our Imbolc Sabbat, is the time when we typically replace all of our used candles, but if you haven't done so, now is the time. Replace altar candles, watchtower or elemental candles, and any luminary candles used for light during darkened rituals.

Tools: This is also a time when you can polish ritual knives and swords and apply a protective wax to wands and staffs. One ritual tools I never clean is the altar pentacle. I feel the energy it houses is very strong and I hesitate to polish it off. Also when cleaning tools I never use water or soap. I simply take a cloth and gently polish off any residue. This way the energy in the item stays strong. The longer you use a tool in ritual, especially when casting a magick circle, the stronger the energy will be.

Supplies: This is also a good time to make an inventory of magickal supplies. Do you have enough charcoal to burn your ritual incense on? Do you have enough essential oils? Petition paper? Incense and salt? Now as St. Patrick's Day is soon to be here, you can find lovely green and gold platters and saucers for your money magick spells.

Even though a witch is a creature of nature and we can get a bit melancholy and cranky being forced to be indoors, especially during such a harsh winter, we are never without something magickal to do. While cleaning and inventorying your magickal supplies, see what kind of potions, powders and spells you can come up with.  You might surprise yourself!



Peace and Happiness






© 2010-2015 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

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

A Requiem Rite (Funeral Service) at Enchantments

Good Afternoon,

This morning I had the sad, but important duty of conducting a Requiem Rite at Enchantments. A Requiem Rite is an old way of saying Funeral Service. A lovely lady who is a graduate of Enchantments lost her father recently, and asked me if I would conduct a service.

I chose a beautiful and profound Requiem Rite as written by Ms. Janet Farrar and Mr. Stewart Farrar in "The Witches Bible" which is still in print, and I highly recommend it. It is a beautiful Rite which when conducted uses a golden bowl, a silver cord and a hammer.

Earlier in the week, I  took an earthenware bowl and spray painted it gold, and then spray painted the wooden handle of the hammer gold and the metal top of the hammer silver. Then for the Rite itself,  I had the woman whose father had passed bring a silver cord. The silver cord is an ancient spiritual concept of the spirit or soul of man or woman which is connected to the physical body with a silver cord. We wrapped the silver cord around the golden bowl, which in this ritual represented the physical body. 

The words are spoken " Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain or the wheel be broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the ground it came from and the spirit returns to Goddess who gave it .  .  .  "

Then I handed the silver and gold hammer to the daughter and untied the silver cord from the bowl. We covered the bowl with a black cloth and the daughter took the hammer and broke the bowl, symbolically releasing her father's spirit from this Earthly plane of existence to allow him to travel unencumbered to the Summerland, the Pagan version of Heaven. 

We then had a Priestess who acted as the Maiden for this ceremony gather up the silver cord and walk to the Watchtowers of the West, the Gates of Death and Initiation, and offer the cord up to them. Then the Maiden walked the silver cord to the Watchtowers of the East, the Gates of Renewal and Rebirth and offer up the cord to them. The silver cord was then lain at the foot of the Eastern Realms until after the ceremony when I gathered the silver cord up and presented it to the daughter for her to keep.

After the Requiem Rite was concluded we held a Love Feast in the honor of the deceased and everyone socialized, ate, visited and remembered the one in whose memory we gathered. It was a beautiful, sad yet joyous gathering and I feel everyone took away from the experience something special for them.


It's not everyday we get together to conduct a Requiem Rite but just as a Christian funerary service is, for Pagans, it is about remembering and honoring the one who has passed. And being there to comfort and support those left behind.


Peace and Happiness



 © 2010-2015 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.

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

What a Wicked, Wet and Haunted Week at Enchantments!

 Good Afternoon,

Well, this has certainly been a crazy week at Enchantments! I started my week, on Monday, by coming up to the store (which is closed on Sundays and Mondays) to feed the cats of Enchantments. I let myself into the store and as I turn on the lights I heard what can only be described as a waterfall in the tarot room! A large, gushing, torrential waterfall!

I looked in the tarot room and saw that the ceiling had fallen down and water was just gushing from the ceiling! I quickly went downstairs and shut off the main water shut off. Then I called 911. The place quickly filled up with firemen and the building inspector promptly shut us down. They turned off the electricity and I soon found myself with a lot of work to do.

I called a plumber and he was there in a half an hour. The electrician was there in a couple of hours. In the meantime I noticed, we had been very lucky. No merchandise was affected and the offices, upstairs classroom and ritual room were bone dry. The only room affected was my tarot card reading room.
Even the basement drained the water and dried up within a few hours! We didn't even need to suck up the water, lucky that!

Well, we hired a contractor, did the insurance thing and started to clean up and put things back together. Then I noticed something two days ago. I was upstairs feeding the cats and thinking about the damage to the building and all that it was taking to put things back in order. The light above my head flicked off.  The other lights stayed on, but that one light went out and I thought it odd because it's a multiple light florescent fixture. But I continued doing what I was doing. Then I went into the office and the television where I watch my video surveillance of the store downstairs, which had been turned off, turned itself on. I found myself watching the downstairs cameras of every room. I could feel I was not alone. Someone else was there with me watching. I felt a feeling of concern and anxiety (when I had been feeling better myself because everything was being taken care of, and all my subcontractors were lined up and getting the work done.)

I started to talk out loud, saying that everything was going to be O.K. That work was being done and we would all be fine. I felt as if someone was listening intently to my words. Then today, the ceiling has been replaced and we were able to open for business after having been closed most of the week. There were no customers. I could feel that sense of anxiety again. I checked with myself and I'm feeling fine, I could sense it around me. I started talking out loud again, saying "We're back in business and things are going to be O.K. We just need a first customer to make the energy flow, and we'll be fine."

Well, I no sooner said that then within 5 minutes the bells on the front door rang and in walked our first customer, needing magickal advice and magickal supplies.  The energy feels just fine now. I will wait for the contractors to finish the job tomorrow, just some baseboard trim needing to be put in place, and when they're gone I will smudge with a nice, new smudge stick! That should settle the energy and make things happy again! I already feel the Spirits of Enchantments feeling better and less anxious.

It will take a day or two to put my tarot room back together with all the cool, magickal, some say spooky decor and paraphernalia I use to decorate it. But we are sooooooo close. But tonight is supposed to be 5 degrees below zero again, so I will keep the heat up and allow a trickle of water to flow in every sink. Just to keep the water elements happy! 

If you're able, do stop by Enchantments to see the new tarot room and to say hi! We're open tomorrow, Saturday the 21st of February, but for students of Enchantments we will resume magickal studies classes next Saturday, February 28th.


Wishing you all Warmth, Sunshine, Peace and Happiness!




© 2010-2015 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 


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

Some Exciting Speakers coming to Enchantments!

Good Afternoon,

Here at Enchantments we are already gearing up for some informative and exciting speakers that will be here in the next few weeks and months.

The first speaker we have is Grand Master Joel Waldron who will be here Saturday February 21st at 10 am. He will be discussing Conversations with God, a series of books by author Neale Donald Walsh. If you're Pagan bent these books are right up your alley. Don't let the name God fool you. This is not a religious discussion, it's more of a discussion on the laws of the Universe and how the world really, metaphysically works. Thee is no charge for this discussion. A light breakfast of pastries and coffee will be served.The discussion goes until noon.

Grand Master Joel Waldron


Our next discussion will be with Mr. Christopher Penzak, a well known Wiccan published author of several books on Witchcraft and Wicca. Mr. Penzak will be here the evening of April 30th from 6-8:30. He will be discussing The Nine Maidens. Seek the mysteries of the nine maidens who appear in myth and witchy folklore. They manifest as the nine maidens of Awnnwn, warming the cauldron of the underworld with their breath, as well as the nine sisters of Avalon. They are the nine witches of Gloucester and the nine maidens of the well. They are the nine Marys and the nine muses. The nine sisters are teachers and tutors, healers and guides. Come and experience the nine sisters of the Other world through Celtic, Christian and Greek imagery in ritual and guided vision. See which one speaks to you and ask them for healing, wisdom, knowledge and power.  There is a $35 charge for this lecture and space is limited. Please reserve your space by paying for your seat in advance at the sales counter of Enchantments.

Mr. Christopher Penzak

These lectures are open to anyone who wishes to attend. I look forward to seeing you there! Ms. Faith

Peace and Happiness 








© 2010-2015 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 


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

Time to Celebrate Imbolc our First Spring Sabbat!

Good Afternoon,

The snow is flying around outside and some might wonder at the timing of our first spring Sabbat, Imbolc, but it is that time of year! Although many Pagans celebrate this Sabbat on February 2nd, take note that that is a Christianized date, when the early Christians started to overtake Pagan rituals and holy days and made them their own. They moved the date from the original February 1st, to the 2nd and called it Candlemass. 

I am a traditionalist in my practice and I prefer to celebrate the original dates. This is an exciting Sabbat as it is the Sabbat that brings the spring season into being. Already this week I have seen Canada geese flying back north and sap is starting to run in the trees.

One thing to do during this Sabbat is to replace all of your used ritual candles with new ones. This includes your watchtower candles, your altar candles and any candles that have been partially burned by this time. Start your Imbolc ritual with new, unused candles and also take the time to clean altar pieces and surfaces of dust or melted wax. Be careful not to clean and scrub everything too well, you don't want to clean the energies off that have built up with ritual use. Just make everything clean and tidy.

This Sabbat traditionally would see the animals of the fields and pastures giving birth to the new born. Cattle, sheep, goats and deer are giving birth to the spring babies that are metaphorically giving new birth and new beginnings to all. So an appropriate cakes and ale celebration can have fresh milk kept cool in fresh snow and cheese bites.  But that's up to you. Any cakes and ale choices are good. I prefer sparkling grape juice and real cake. But that's me!

So whatever your celebration looks like, celebrating this most important Sabbat is a must! Bring in the spring, help turn the wheel of the year and have a wonderful time!


Peace and Happiness







© 2010-2015 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.

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

Mercury Retrograde . . . Will It Get You? And What To Do When It Does!

 Good Afternoon,

Well Mercury turned retrograde two days ago on January 21st,  2015. What does that mean you ask? Well astronomers and astrologers notice that at certain times of the year, the planet Mercury, seems to slow down in it's orbit to appear stopped or in some cases appears as if it's moving backwards! Over the years this time has come to be called Mercury Retrograde.

Now, I'm not a strong astrologist, I know enough of certain astrological signs and symbols to get by but I'm not an astrologist by any means. I have however, over the years found there is something to this Mercury retrograde as it seems to affect everybody in some way or another. You see, when Mercury is in retrograde it is said that it affects such things as many things with communication, computers and time being the biggest areas affected. You might misinterpret someones words, have computer crashes more frequently or emails that go completely missing, just to name a few things that could go wrong.

Take just this morning for instance. I normally take Mercury retrograde for what it is and try not to let the flubs get to me. I try to go with the flow and keep things serene. Well Mercury retrograde 'got me' this morning. I set the alarm clock for 8:30 and promptly woke up when it went off. I made coffee and turned on the morning news to see the weather while I got ready for the day. After 30 minutes or so I saw the morning news show continuing rather than going off the air for the next morning show. I looked at the alarm clock, it said 9 am. Then I picked up my cell phone and it said 8 am!!! I had gotten up an hour earlier than I needed to! And I'm greedy about my sleep! Well, I took another sip of coffee and realized I had a choice. I could be all cranky about losing a precious hour of sleep or I could make it work for me.

I decided to go to the Community Y, where I try to work out a few times a week and I worked out on the elliptical machine not for my usual 30 minutes, but for 45 minutes! I never have time for that long a work out, but today I did!! It was a good workout too!

I also notice that my cell phone turns on alerts and other system prompts, without my doing so, during Mercury retrograde. For instance as soon as Mercury went retrograde my phone started to tell me out loud who was calling, each time a call came in. It's a little annoying, but even the phone company couldn't turn off the alert. This went on until Mercury went out of retrograde. I had forgotten about it until two days ago, when, you guessed it .  .  .  my phone started using voice alerts to start telling me again who was calling. Now I simply try to answer my phone quickly so everyone around me doesn't hear! Frankly no one needs to know that my pharmacy or doctor is calling!

So yes, Mercury retrograde didn't take any time in finding me this time. Oh and there is no logical explanation as to why the alarm clock was set incorrectly. It was set right the night before when I went to bed. Or that the cell phone alerts turn themselves on , but you see, it's these seemingly unexplainable things that happen during these periods ascribed to Mercury retrograde, that will affect you. Many people have  many more crazy stories about how it affects them. Just be aware that it's happening and don't get too upset or think you're losing your mind. You're not! Mercury is just having a bit of fun with us.

And there's an end in sight. Mercury retrograde usually lasts for a couple of weeks. In some instances it can last for over a month! Yikes! Here are the dates of mercury retrograde for this year, 2015. Just to keep you aware:

• January 21st - February 11th

• May 18th - June 11th

• September 17th - October 9th          

Hopefully you will slide through this difficult time with little affect, but here are some quick tips for dealing with Mercury retrograde:

• Back up files on your computer
• Print out sales invoices for items ordered and keep a hard copy
• Don't assume. Be clear in your wording with others and ask for clarification if at all unsure of a person's words. Many arguments can be avoided by being clear and apologizing if words are misunderstood.
• Double check alarm clocks and other watches and clocks with something like a cell phone that it automatically set      
• When something goes awry, try to correct it or make the best out of the situation      

 Good luck!!


Peace and Happiness







© 2010-2015 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited.

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

Do Witches Pray?

 Good Afternoon,

I am always asked questions about what it is like to live as a witch. This is a question I was asked recently. Do witches pray? The answer is yes. Some witches, that have issues with Christianity, may not call it prayer, they may use instead words like blessings or sending out energies. But in truth we do pray. A witches prayer can be more of a tangible prayer and is often called a spell.

That's right, casting a spell is simply sending out a prayer to a higher power and asking for needed change to manifest. We might use candles, herbs, potions, crystals any number of natural materials to help cast our spell or prayer. But there are times when simply asking the Goddess for help in a situation can prove quite successful. A spell, like a prayer is not evil, nor manipulative or wrong. Historical legend and lore has often turned the concept of a spell into something dark and harmful. It simply is none of these things.

I want you to look at the picture of the hands in prayer pose I posted above, and allow me to explain the reason this pose is so popular in prayer. It is believed that an electrical current, the nervous system current found in the human body, completes a circuit when the hands are placed in this position. Imagine the current flowing from one hand through the arm, shoulders down the other arm and through the other hand, a completed circuit going around and around. This is a powerful position to place the body into and can aid in your spell or prayer.  You have energy in your body and you also take in universal energy through your crown chakra, located at the top of your head. By imagining the energy flowing into your body through the top of your head and intermingling with your natural personal energy you make the power flow stronger and it helps with your spell or prayer, giving it ummph, if you will.

So, to answer the question, yes, witches do pray. Any questions you may have, please write them in the comments section below and I'll do my best to answer them for you.


Peace and Happiness



© 2010-2015 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

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

My Spirit Totem Animal this Month has been the Black Vulture

 Good Afternoon,

There may be times in your day to day life when you come across an animal usually in the wild that gives you a moment to pause. An animal or bird that is. When you see an animal, especially more than once in a given time period, it usually means that animal has a message for you.

For me, at this time, it is the black vulture. I first saw a black vulture a week or so ago. I mean for the first time in my life. I was driving down the road to the post office and as I passed a small wooded area I saw a large black bird, the size of a wild turkey, feeding off of some carrion in the road. I knew it was a vulture, I just knew it. I looked it up later when I got home and realized I was correct. As I returned from the post office a few minutes later and then saw five vultures all coming out of the woods to feed on the dead animal in the road.

Then again today, I was passing another wooded area, in a different part of town, and was driving slow and I saw some large black shapes in the trees. I slowed down even further and saw about six or more black vultures sitting in the trees.  They were large and looked very ominous, silently sitting, watching .  .  .  waiting.

Having seen these black vultures for the first time ever in the last few weeks, made me aware that they were acting as a spirit totem animal for me and that they wished to let me know something. I looked up the magical property of black vulture and found a lot of information.

Vulture deals with life and death and new beginnings. It represents vital energy, year round. I believe vulture is telling me that my energy, that has waned over the past few years is on the upswing and that I will be getting my energy back. I have been feeling very good and healthy this past year and I think vulture is confirming this is going to continue.

Vulture also deals with connection to the Mother Goddess, whom I work with on a regular basis. For many years I would cast spells to make changes in my life always thanking the Goddess for helping me with them. Now I am at a place in my life where I cast less spells, I have arranged my life as I like it, and I simply commune with Goddess as one would an old friend.  I think vulture coming into my life at this time also speaks to this. 

The vulture has many magickal properties and can speak to you of many things. Here's a short list:

• Sense of allegiance
• Very ernest
• Perfectly patient (I'd been working on this one also!)
• Highly tolerant
• Looking to renew everything
• Making everybody equal
• Cleaning the environment
• Acute perception
• Highly protective
• Immune to heat
• Out of the ordinary
• Overtly resourceful

These are just some of the areas vulture may have messages for you, if it shows up in  your life. I am excited to walk along for a while with vulture and finding out the areas I can explore with it's help and guidance.

Pay attention to the animals and birds that pop up in your day to day life and do a little research to see what messages they may hold in store for you!

Peace and Happiness and Happy New Year!!!


© 2010-2015 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

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

Bring in Abundance this New Years that will last all year!

 Good Afternoon,

This is the time of the year when people make New Year's resolutions and promises for the upcoming year. A simple way to do this is with sympathetic magick.  Sympathetic magick is having something mimic what will happen in real life, even if metaphorically.

In this instance, on New Year's Day make sure your wallet or bill fold has money in it.  A good amount like $50 or $100 will see that your wallet has money in it all year.  That's the idea of it. Cleaning the house, throwing out broken and unwanted things will allow for the upcoming year to be free of clutter and discord.

Having symbolic abundance around you and in your house will translate into more this year, for instance, have fresh bread in the house. Fill up the salt shakers (salt and bread had been used for currency in ancient times) make sure the front doorway is clear of clutter and swept clean.

Get rid of old wrapping paper and unused boxes, bring in fresh flowers and fruits and vegetables. Even having a decadent dessert for New Year's Eve can translate into abundance for the coming year.

Some cultures make a big pot of soup or stew for the New Year's dinner, making sure there is plenty for everyone and leftovers as well. All of these things can help you to magickally manifest abundance in your life for the upcoming year.

Have a Safe, Happy and Healthy New Year's!


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.

Mistletoe as part of the Christmas/Yuletide festivities

 Good Afternoon,

The small, unassuming mistletoe has a vast history that goes back to the first century A.D. when the Celtic Druids would harvest it from old oak trees. There is a legend that the druids would hold a  white cloth underneath an oak tree while one would climb the tree and cut the mistletoe with little gold knives. The mistletoe would drop into the cloth, thus never touching the ground. It was then used as a cure all for all sorts of illnesses and maladies. It was a plant from 'between the worlds' which made it sacred.

By being 'between the worlds' means it was an air plant. It didn't need sol to grow. It grew on branches of the Oak tree, deriving it's nutrients from the tree and from the air around it. Thus being an 'in-between' being. The druids felt anything in-between was sacred. Such as ice. It's water, but it's a solid. Mist or fog, also water but it acts as air. The time of day which is midnight. That stroke of midnight isn't today, nor is it quite tomorrow. All of these things were considered 'between the worlds'.

Mistletoe also had the ability to bloom in the dead of winter, showing an evergreen, living ability when surrounded by the cold, harsh, death of winter. This made it extra special for the druids. 

Some time in the Middle Ages, mistletoe was brought into the Christmas holiday festivities. At first it was used by the servant classes and used to procure a kiss from an unsuspecting female who happened to be standing directly underneath a sprig of mistletoe. It was considered bad luck to refuse the kiss. After a kiss was had, a white berry was removed from the sprig. This kept on until all the white berries were removed then a new sprig had to be used.  Soon mistletoe moved into the upper classes and remains to this day a part of this holiday's festivities.

Be careful if you use mistletoe as it is poisonous to pets and people alike.

Happy Yuletide and Merry Christmas to you!!


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.

Yuletide Blessings

Season's Greetings!

A recent debate has come to light in the past few years. How to extend holiday wishes to others. Some want, nay demand! Merry Christmas! Others want to hear Happy Holidays or Season's Greetings. Me? Haha, I am happy to extend to you the greeting you desire. I find it easier to respond in kind when someone extends me holiday greetings. If someone says "Merry Christmas" I say it back to them.

It makes people happy and avoids holiday discord. I mean, really? Does it matter? Truly? I'm just happy to receive a smile and a greeting from another person. If they say Happy Holidays, I'll say it back. Some people say, it was always Christmas, so Christmas it remains. Well .   .   .  to be historically accurate .   .   .  it was originally Yule or Yuletide.

You see the Ancients celebrated the middle of winter, Yule, (The winter solstice December 20-24th) by bringing into the house evergreens, which spoke of life during the cold, bitter, snowy 'death' of winter. The reds and greens were colors favored by the Celts.  There was a feast day, as is customary for a Sabbat, and gift giving became popular over the centuries as people remembered one another during this festive time.

The May pole decorated during the May Day festival became the Yule Log which was burned in the village center to bring in the light, during this dark time of the year. The darkest, as the winter solstice marks the longest night, shortest day of the year. Right after the solstice, the days start to become just a little bit longer, although imperceptibly so to begin with.  Traditionally a bit of unburned Yule log is saved from the previous year to light the fire for this year's Yule log. This is done year after year, magickally keeping the energies of the Yuletide celebrations ongoing.

A witch celebrates this holiday much as everyone else does. We have Yule trees and wreaths. We bake cookies and cakes. We have feasts or dinners with everyone's favorite foods. It's a form of sympathetic magick to have a table full of abundance. Fancy foods, sweets, delicacies which then represent the abundance to be had during the coming year.

It's a good thing to clean your house before the holiday, get rid of accumulated trash and unwanted items, bringing in fresh foods, new items and a show of abundance with presents under the tree and plenty of special items. Sweets, delicacies and special items you normally wouldn't have, bring in during the holiday. It will reflect back on you during the year with abundance and plenty coming your way.

I wish you a beautiful holiday season!  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.