In Memoriam of Cecil the Lion, and Witches, the Caretakers of the Earth

Cecil The Lion 2002 - 2015

Good Afternoon,

By now, just about everyone has heard of Cecil the Lion, that is unless you've been living in a cave. But for those who might not have heard the whole story, Cecil was a beautiful alpha lion in charge of his own pride in a protected National preservation park in Zimbabwe Africa . He wore a GPS collar since his birth put there by the Oxford University Research Unit that was tracking and recording the movements of African lions. They have been tracking and recording African lions since 1999. Cecil was a rare black maned lion and was protected and was also a favorite of thousands of visitors and tourists a year.

In July 2015, an American dentist from Minnesota paid two disreputable guides and a land owner, who had land adjacent to the National park, $55,000 for the 'privilege' to hunt and kill an African lion. When Walter Palmer, the dentist, arrived he was brought to the park with his guides. They lured Cecil from the park with fresh meat of a recently killed animal and when Cecil came out of the protected boundaries, they shown a light in his eyes ( a despicable practice called jack lighting) which caused the mighty beast to freeze in his tracks. Palmer then shot him with a bow and arrow, which unfortunately for the poor wounded lion was not fatal, only injurious. Wounded, in pain, Cecil took off running away from the would be murderers and they hunted him for 40 long hours, before finally shooting him with a rifle. They then decapitated him, for their trophy, and skinned his hide.

They attempted to remove the tracking device, but were unable to. Then, knowing what they had done, an illegal hunt, they left behind all of Cecil's remains and ran themselves.

The Zimbabwean authorities have petitioned the United States to extradite Walter Palmer back to Africa to stand trial for his crime. The trackers and land owner are already under arrest and are being dealt with by the authorities. What Palmer and the trackers didn't care to realize was that there was danger of territorial lions from other areas coming into the pride and killing Cecil's cubs and other male lions to take control of the pride. Up to 10 or more male lions could have been killed, as this happens in cases like this. I can report good news in this regard. Jericho, Cecil's brother lion has taken over the pride and has assumed guardianship of Cecil's cubs and the pride remains intake and secure as of now.  This was an unexpected positive turn of events, according to the researchers and park rangers.

The President of the United States, needed 100,000 petitions by August 27th to consider extradition proceedings against Walter Palmer. Two days after this story appeared on the Internet, the petition had 150,000 signatures and the list is growing. As of this discussion the President of Zimbabwe has  received over 1 million signatures from around the world to ban trophy hunting in his country. He has since increased restrictions when it comes to trophy hunting, and has made the practice much more difficult to do legally. But Walter Palmer doesn't care about legalities. back in 2008 he was arrested for the felonious killing of a black bear in Wisconsin. He was convicted of lying to federal investigators about exactly where he had killed the bear.

Unfortunately, there are other hunters. People with more money than compassion at their disposal, who thrill at taking the life of majestic beasts. Who have no care that many of these species are in danger of becoming extinct, IN OUR LIFETIME. That's right, in less than 50 years many species are in danger of becoming extinct solely because of humans enjoyment of killing. In less than  15 years from now, experts are predicting that there will no longer be any wild elephants left. As a witch and as a human that loves animals and all wild things of nature, this simply breaks my heart.

We, the witches, are the caretakers of the Earth. When so many are worrying about their jobs, homes, social lives, shopping, amongst other day to day issues, and that is how it should be, the witch cares about keeping the Earth healthy and alive and thriving. We will stop and pick up trash when others walk by, oblivious. We will cry tears when even one animal is abused and left to die. We worry deep into the night, that the rain forests are soon to be gone, that we won't have clean water to drink and use, that our air is becoming poisoned and that our very existence on the Earth is harming Her.

People this week, especially on Social media, where I posted things about Cecil the Lion and other animal abuses, have accused me of caring for an 'insignificant fuzzy lion' (their words) and not caring about other injustices in the world. The truth is, the witch does care, about so much and so many injustices it breaks our hearts. We are deeply capable of caring for many, many issues that face the world today. But to think Cecil the Lion is just one insignificant lion, you are missing the point. He is a symbol of where our world is going, and just how quickly we are bringing to an end all that is wild, beautiful and magnificent in our Natural World. It is like the Lorax and the trees. Nobody missed the trees until the last one was gone. As a matter of fact, right now there is one, lone, lonely Northern White Rhino living in Kenya, that is the last of his species, on Earth. We have done it yet again. Wiped out an entire species.

But, we CAN do something today! We do not need to wait for the last lion, the last elephant, the last giraffe. We can donate money to the Oxford University Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, the web address is www.wildcru.org . As of this story being given so much press, the Research Unit has received over $500,000 in donations. Every little bit will help keep endangered animals alive.

At the same time, Delta Airlines, the only American airline that travels to Africa has banned any transport of trophy's of murdered wild animals. Three other American airlines as well as several foreign airlines have done the same. You can ask, before you book your tickets, even states side travel, if the airline allows trophies from hunting to be transported. If so, let them know you'll be using another airline.

President Obama has issued a Nation wide ban on selling any ivory in the United States. But beware  of Internet sellers who feel they are exempt from the rules. If you see anything made of ivory for sale on Etsy, Ebay, Amazon, Craigs list etc. Let the administrators of that site know you will not shop their site if they don't remove these items. And do it! Hold firm to your beliefs. There are many, many Chinese sites and sellers who sell ivory and it is causing the poaching of elephants to increase daily. Until recently the United States and China were the two largest purchasers of ivory. Now it is China. Boycotting a Chinese company or business may make your life a bit more inconvenienced but that is of very little importance in comparison to the ultimate loss when elephants become extinct.

I hope, by writing of Cecil and alerting you to the tragedies of trophy hunting in our world, it will somehow make a difference and his death will not have been in vain. I also hope, as I light a candle and ask the Goddess for help in stopping these unnecessary deaths, that I will one day live to see the end of trophy hunting in it's entirety. By the will of the Goddess, So Mote it 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 Lughnasadh To You From the Witches of Enchantments

Happy Lughnasadh!


The Witches of Enchantments had a grand time indeed, this morning. Of course, as is typical on a Thanksgiving Day, lots of food was had, wonderful socializing and good energies abounded! We had a lovely ritual service where we blessed the animals after invoking the Goddesses who protect animals, Sekmet the Lion Goddess of Egypt, Bastet the Cat Goddess of Egypt, Freya the Norse Goddess of Cats and animals, Artemis the Greek Goddess of the hunt and animals, and Diana the Roman Goddess of the hunt and animals.

The  gardens of Enchantments were in full Summer bloom and we had over 20 people in attendance. It was really lovely. You can see a current picture of the Gardens above.

 There was talk today of covens and such. I no longer have a coven at Enchantments. We have spiritual services that people attend like a congregation. Ms. Laurel and I schedule the service and if people show up great, if not, that's O.K. too. Running covens have simply created a lot of issues and difficulties, so we walked away from that tradition a long time ago. This way new comers are always welcome and if someone doesn't show up, there is no animosity or stress because they weren't expected in the first place. We allow people to come and go as they choose. It is their religion after all, and that is a very private thing, and not up to us to meddle with.

For those who are new to the Craft, just starting out, it's important to find a group or a Pagan church or Circle, as we like to call them, that you feel comfortable with. Be aware of groups run by those who make new comers feel like outsiders, and make it a big deal even to talk to those in charge. There are a few Wiccans/Pagans in the Craft these days that are high on their own power. If you meet anyone that is all that and a bag of soggy chips, you might want to keep looking! The Magickal Masters I have met are as real with new comers as they are with 3rd degree Priestesses that have practiced for 30 years. We are all, simply humans. People like everybody else. Some of us have walked a little farther along the path than some others, but we're all on the SAME path.

Everyone who came today, from new comers to graduates of Enchantments Magickal  Studies program to family members and friends were all of a wonderful energy, sharing and enjoying and celebrating this wonderful Harvest Festival. Glad to be with one another and looking forward to the next Sabbat in six short weeks. Yikes, yes, soon it will be Mabon. Oh My!!

I hope you have the chance to celebrate this Harvest Festival time of year. One way of doing so is to have a hearty meal, with plenty of bread or bread products. To celebrate the harvest of grain from the fields. Happy Lughnasadh!

Peace and Happiness 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.

Working with Goddess' Continued

 Good Afternoon,

A couple of weeks ago we discussed working with some Goddess' for love. But there are many Goddess' from different cultures or (Pantheons) that you can choose to work with for many different purposes. We'll discuss a few of them here today.

The Celtic Goddess - The Morrigan

The Morrigan is a Celtic War Goddess that is reputed to take the souls of men slain on the battlefield and brings them to a place where they can rest, become renewed and refreshed before continuing on their way after death. She is a Might Protective Goddess who will come to protect you when in danger. Her candle colors are black and red. Her animal spirit is the Raven, and she often assumes the shape and form of the Raven. There are many myths and legends concerning the Morrigan, that you can read. I work with her to bring protection to myself and loved ones, and also to give strength and courage in the midst of difficulties. To call upon her, light a red or black candle or one of each color. Her traditional offering was blood, from a simple pricked finger and smear onto a candle. Now a days blood substitutes can also work to appease the Great Phantom Queen, such as placing bloodstone rocks around her candles. These green rocks have specks of red that resemble drops of blood. You can also use Dragon's blood resin to burn as an incense or oil to anoint candles or even yourself.

Diana/ Artemis Goddess of the Hunt

Diana/ Artemis is the same Goddess just called two different names from two different Pantheons. She is known as Artemis from the Ancient Greeks and Diana from the Ancient Romans. Her basic energies are the same though. She is the Huntress. She can be invoked to help out with any problems with animals, large and small. You can burn a brown candle, silver candle or a green one to help with animals that are feeling poorly. Her offering would be saffron, which is an exotic, expensive spice found in the market in the spice aisle. Her symbols are the bow, the arrow and the moon. If you invoke her for help with a sick animal be aware that the animal might pass over to the other side, as with her help she helps the animal transition with no pain or discomfort. If the animal is meant to live, it will rebound and get better. Invoking Artemis can even help with problems with insects in your house! Just ask her to help them leave and find another place to live.

Bastet

This is the Goddess Bast also known as Bastet, both pronounced Bast . She is an Egyptian Cat Goddess that will help you with any magickal workings devoted strictly to cats and kittens. She is also a Goddess that works with women and secrets. Her candle color is black. Offerings to Bast can be any little toy that a cat might like, such as a toy mouse, a toy bird, a ball, a feather or something similar. You could even put out a small bowl of kitty treats or dry food. Not milk or cream, as cats are naturally lactose intolerant and so it would be inappropriate to offer the Goddess something that would make a cat sick. Catnip is also a very good offering, as well as a lovely incense when working with Bast. You may use Egyptian Musk oil as an anointing oil on candles. She will help you with specific issues regarding cats, whether they are sick, lost, having to go through difficult treatments to helping their spirits pass on after death. Stones that work well with Bast are Lapis Lazuli, turquoise and gold.


These are just a few Goddess' I work with on a regular basis and I find they really do work great magicks in my life. You can get a statue or picture of the Goddess you wish to work with, which will help you identify with and become closer to her as you work with her. You can work with one, or many Goddess' it's up to 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.

Our Lughnasadh Celebration is Coming Up Soon!

Good Afternoon,

Soon our First Autumnal Sabbat, Lughnasadh also known as Lammas or Loaf Mass, will be upon us. This year we will celebrate this Sabbat on it's actual day, Saturday, August 1st, 2015, at 10 am at Enchantments, in the front ritual garden. This year we are incorporating, for the very first time, a blessing of the animals. Please come and bring your pet to be blessed within the ritual sacred circle. If you have a few pets and can't bring them all you can bring a picture of each pet.

Lughnasadh as the ancient Celts knew it, was renamed Lammas meaning Loaf Mass, or the Mass of Bread by the early Christians, but for everyone it was the first harvest of the food from the fields. The first grains will be cut and the first vegetables as the ancients knew them would be harvested. The ancients did not have vegetables as we would recognize them to be. They had root vegetables, like carrot and parsnip and turnip. Also cabbage was a very common vegetable in the ancient's cooking cauldron. The first of these, if the season has been favorable, would be harvested along with the first grains to bake the new breads and cakes.

Being a harvest festival, this Sabbat, was considered the original Thanksgiving feast the ancients used to celebrate every year at this time. Those that think of the Pilgrims and Indians in the first Thanksgiving feast after the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock back in the early 1600's, remember Thanksgiving feasts were known to them. They wanted to have one for the year they were in the New World, and circumstances caused their feast to be held later in the year.

Today, as Witches, Pagans and Wiccans we celebrate Lughnasadh as our Thanksgiving feast. It is common to have Turkey, or Pork (which was a sacred meat to the ancient Celts), root vegetables, dishes made out of bread such as stuffing and bread puddings, and fruit as berries are common this time of year. Served with cheeses and creams, this is a rich, abundant feast with many side dishes and desserts. If you wish to attend this year, try to bring a dish to share that goes along with our Thanksgiving themed feast.

Also if you bring a pet to be blessed during the circle, bring a leash so they can be tied up safely as the street in front of Enchantments is very busy and dangerous, as well as a bowl for water. We have a faucet outside with clean, fresh water, you just need to bring the bowl.

 Munchie One of Ms. Faith's cats.

I look forward to seeing you all at our next Sabbat! Until then, Happy Harvesting! 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.

Working with Love Goddesses

 Aphrodite

Good Afternoon,


Today I want to discuss with you, working with Goddesses, most especially love Goddesses. There are many but for our conversation today we'll work with the Greek and Roman versions of love Goddesses, Aphrodite and Venus.  Specifically Aphrodite is from Greek Mythology and Venus is from Roman Mythology.

Now working with either is fairly simple. You can burn a red candle for either Goddess. When getting ready to burn a candle, you hold it in your hands for a few minutes, close your eyes and see the end result. Now, don't envision another person without that person's express permission. Just see yourself surrounded by pink, warm, golden, loving energy. The right person will come to you when the timing is right.

Working with these Goddesses works best on a Friday, like today. Hold the candle, envision the light surrounding you and then rub a little rose oil on the candle. If you don't have rose oil, then using a bit of olive oil  in a pinch will do. Thank the Goddess you are working with for bringing love into your life (even if it's not there yet) and place the candle in a holder and light it.

Offerings to the Goddesses are also appropriate. For Aphrodite you can place roses on her altar, burn frankincense and myrrh resin to call her forth, and place in a bowl roses,oranges, papaya, mango, orange blossoms, spicy orange tea, bubbling bath lotions, fancy soaps and lotions, and hand mirrors. 

Offerings to Venus can be emeralds, turquoise and pearls, jade and lapis lazuli. Sea shells, as her legend is she rose from the sea foam. She also loves roses and lilies. Placing fragrant oils in a sea shell on her altar is also appropriate.

Venus



 After the offerings have been on Her altar for three days, you can remove the items and replace them with fresh. Oils that were used, can be placed in a bath for you as you burn a candle to Her. Speak with your Goddess. Over the years this has been proven to me to be one of the strongest ways to work with your Goddess. Use your voice, out loud and speak with Her. Tell Her what you need and desire in your life, what your problem or challenge is, what you need done. She will answer you, with changes that She brings to your life. When changes come to you, look at them closely.

If you desire better health for example, your might find yourself in the hospital or needing to go to your doctor all of a sudden. On the surface this may not seem like what you were asking for, but indeed, it will give you what you desire. So look at changes that happen in your life closely, to see Her hand at work in your world.

There are many Goddesses with which you can work, you needn't just choose one. But before you work with a specific Goddess, find out about Her and see what it is She needs from you.


Next week we'll discuss other Goddesses and how they can work in your life.


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.

Now is the Time for the First Harvest!

 Good Afternoon,

We have celebrated the Summer Solstice also known as Litha to witches and pagans. This is the time for the first harvest from the gardens and waysides. No, not the first food harvest, but the first harvest of medicinal and magickal herbs and plants.

The sun is at it's zenith, with it being mid-summer. I know, I know, many in this country feel that June 21st signifies the first day of summer, but for plant life and pagans it is truly mid-summer. You see we celebrate the first day of summer on May 1st, the first day of winter on November 1st. Many of us follow the old Celtic calendar known as the Wheel of the Year, and it is split into two halves, a light half of the year, summer and the dark half of the year, winter.

But, back to the harvesting of the herbs. Litha is a time when the herbs have been growing for several months. You can see that lavender, roses and herbs such as St John's Wort are all in full bloom.  Now is the time to harvest them and by doing so, trap their potency and magickal power within them.  When harvesting an herb or plant there are a few simple rules to follow. First, a witch usually uses his or her Boline. A Boline is an herb knife and one is pictured here. But any knife, that you dedicate to the job as herb knife will work. Just keep it for this use only.

When harvesting, cut the plant an inch or so above the ground. Never harvest the entire plant, but leave some for the spirits of the garden or forests.  Place the cut herbs on a clean sheet or towel and place in a space with good air circulation and no sun. You can also tie elastic bands to the ends and hang up to dry. Elastic bands are best as the plant stalks might shrink as the water evaporates out of them, making them smaller. The elastic bands shrink with the stalks and keep your plants from falling all over the ground.

Once your plants and herbs are thoroughly dried, store them in a glass container and label them clearly so you know what you have. Also date them. Herbs over a year old, unless they are roots or stalks, will lose their potency and need to be used or replaced. I keep the rule of thumb, that if Nature renews her herbs every year, then so should I!

Research your herbs and know how they work and how to use them. Be very careful of using herbs in a medicinal way, especially if you're not trained in herbal medicine. Just because something is natural, does NOT make it safe. Keep in mind poison ivy is also natural! To learn about medicinal uses for herbs I highly recommend you stay off the Internet, as it's loaded with fools that know it all, without knowing it all! Buy a couple of good, reputable books and read. Also asking questions at a reputable health food store can also give you knowledge. I will also tell you to not ask me or any of the Witches of Enchantments for medicinal herbal knowledge as none of us are trained in the medical field and we refrain from giving any medical advice.

I do use herbs for magickal purposes though. I will mix up a few herbs and carry them in a small pouch for their magickal properties to be drawn to me. I also use them in spell mixes and as components for spells that I cast. There are many magickal uses for herbs but first you must harvest them. Do that in the next week or so, so you can have the herbs at their peak of magickal power and we'll discuss other ways to use them as the summer goes on. Now go out and happy 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.

Happy Summer Solstice!

Good Afternoon,

This weekend we celebrate the Summer Solstice, also known to Pagans as Litha, or mid-summer. Whereas most of the country is celebrating the beginning of Summer, Pagans have been celebrating Summer since May 1st. In ancient times this time of the year has been known as mid summer, and the photograph of Stonehenge, in England,  above shows the phenomenon of the sun rising and the first shafts of sunlight piercing the henge right at a particular place, and this happens every year and has for centuries.

Litha, a name given to this Sabbat, is an ancient Germanic Goddess of Summer. The ancient Celts most likely brought this name with them as they migrated from the lands of Eastern Europe across the European continent until they finally settled in Great Britain.

This is our only Summer Sabbat and it is often recognized with a bonfire and feasting. The Sabbats are solar celebrations, honoring the Sun and the God. The full and new moon celebrations are lunar and celebrate the moon and the Goddess. Modern Pagans honor both aspects of the divine spark of life, both female and male. Or I should say most seem to. There are groups that exclusively honor and worship the Goddess, but I've always felt extremes leave out a lot of good stuff. I like the balance of the Goddess and the God, but you must worship as you feel works best for you.

At Enchantments, this Saturday, June 20th at 10 am, we will be holding a Summer Solstice celebration in the front gardens of Enchantments. You are invited. If you come, please be present by 10 am as we will not hold up the casting of the circle for latecomers, and please brng a dish to share with the group for our pot luck feast.

Feasting has always been a big part of the Pagan celebrations and gatherings. We eat to celebrate life and the nourishment and sustenance the Goddess and God provide. The feasting is filled with socializing, sharing and bonding in a fellowship of like minded Pagans. For our outdoor celebrations, all are welcome. There is no charge for this event. 

I hope to see you there! Summer Blessings 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.

Some Simple Tips for Reading Tarot Cards

 Good Afternoon,

Today we'll be having a discussion on some handy tips for reading the tarot. I have been reading for over 30 years and I teach students how to read the tarot during classes at Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts.

Firstly, let's dispel some common rumors and superstitions about the tarot. I have heard nonsense that one needs to be given a deck by someone else, or even must steal a deck! This is absolutely not true! Keep your karma clean and buy your own deck. A deck needs to speak to you, and no one can choose a deck for you better than you can yourself.


Then I tell my students to set aside the book and learn from the deck itself. Look at the cards, see what story they each tell. One way of learning the cards quicker is to do tarot spells with them. Take the pentacles for instance. They stand for wealth, abundance and physical healing. A note here is important, you need to learn the various characteristics of the suits. Knowing what the pentacles stand for. Take all of them out of the deck and spread them out. Look at them closely. Now you will do a tarot spell with three cards. Look at the cards and choose one that seems to tell the tale of your finances in the recent past. Maybe a two of pentacles. Not having a lot of money, trying to balance the money so you can pay all the bills, and so on. Place this card, right side up on the table. Next to it, on it's right side, pick the Queen of pentacles if you're a woman, the King of pentacles if you're a man. Now, on this card's right side place a pentacle card that tells what you want the financial future to be! Maybe an Ace of pentacles, or the 10 of pentacles, showing great abundance. You see this way you have to read the story each card is telling you. To finish off the spell, take a green candle, place it on a plate and place this over the three cards as they lay on the table. Burn the candle and leave the cards there for a few days so the spells starts to manifest. What you deliberately chose will start to manifest. And it helps you read the cards quicker and easier for others.

Another tip, do NOT try to read your future in the cards. It's akin to doing your own psychotherapy. Very difficult. Not that it can't be done, but you are so close to .  .  .  You! That a clear, concise reading is difficult to pull off.  

Another tip for reading the cards. When you read for others, especially if you start to charge money for readings be aware of a few things. Firstly, no one wants to know the history of the tarot or how and why a Celtic cross spread works. They are not there to learn how to read the cards they are there for you to wow them!  They want you to tell them something you could not possibly know. Don't waste their time or money with unnecessary teaching. This just showcases your newness to the game.

You'll be uncertain and perhaps a bit nervous reading the cards. But refrain from asking questions. This shows your inexperience and nervousness. You might ask during the reading "does this make sense?" But only ask this once or twice. Not with every card.

Also, modern readers refrain from reading reverse readings. When a card is placed upside down.  When you place the card upside down, just turn it right side up. We don't read the cards because that is looking for challenges and difficulties. The little books that come with the cards always have the reverse meanings, but they are all basing their material on the original Rider Waite deck which was the first published deck and had reverse meanings. You don't need to look for the negative in a reading. You have the swords which stand for challenges and difficulties.

These are some of the bad habits I have seen new and experienced readers make. I have been reading for over 30 years.  Get a deck of cards, or even more than one, that attracts you with the pictures the cards have. Start reading for friends and people who won't give you a hard time, but will encourage you as you begin this path.

To help you start on your path to reading the tarot here are some magickal propertiies you need to know as they are associated with the suits of the cards:

Cups, cauldrons, chalices: These are associated with water and govern the emotions. Love, happiness, sadness, grief, are all found in the realm of the water cards.  You'll have to see what your deck uses, cups are most common, but there are many that use cauldrons or chalices. Or maybe even some other symbol, but it will be able to hold water, whatever the tarot artist uses.

Swords, knives, athames, or some other metal pointy thing. Here these symbols govern challenges, difficulties and stressful times. The swords are governed by fire. Yes, yes, I know everyone will say air but that is incorrect. The first deck published had a typo of sorts. They placed swords under air and wands under fire. No where in the magickal world will you see this correlation, no where except for the tarot.  I use the sword for the story each card tells, and I attribute the swords to difficulties and challenges and it has always come out as accurate and precise readings.

Then we have wands, staves, rods or other long, pointy wooden things. These are, as I said, governed by air and discuss communication, change, and relationships such as family and friends. But of course, the pictures each card has tells a story. Look for the story in the cards.

Finally you have the pentacles, coins, discs, or other flat, round objects. These stand for material wealth, abundance, money, as well as physical health and healing  and are governed by earth.

There is a lot to learn about reading the cards, but start simply with a deck of cards and a simple three card spread. Work with friends and write down what you see in the cards and then go back and ask your friends if the things you saw came to pass. Over time you will be reading the cards like a pro. And, it's an important note that anyone can learn to read the cards. You are not specially gifted or chosen or any such nonsense. It's a skill anyone can develop if they so choose. So get a deck and start reading!



© 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.

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.