Witches and Healing . . . One Witch's Opinion

Good Afternoon my favorite Witchlings,

Now, to start off, some of you might enjoy this discussion and some might absolutely not. That's O.K. But the following is my personal opinion and views on witches and healing, that I have developed over the last 30 years.

Nowadays, it seems like the very second someone steps onto the witches path they want to heal others, or cast spells for others. Well, right off, that is the wrong attitude to have. Being a witch is a personal path and should only be embarked upon only because you wish to bring the magick into your life. That you desire the changes that walking a magickal path can bring to you and the desire to make those changes, thus changing your life for the better for you. It is a singularly, personal, private undertaking that should have YOU first and foremost the focus of all your work.

It is perfectly wonderful to want to celebrate the Sabbats or Esbats with other like minded, witchy ones, with each adding to the celebration and enjoying fellowship with each other. But one must be careful of the path they tread. For instance, this past weekend I conducted a lecture on crystal grids and how to construct and the use of them.  Thee were many questions and one woman was pretty determined to find out how to construct a crystal grid to heal others. She even said "Yes, but I have the best intentions. I know they need healing." Well, .  .  she didn't like my answers, but I was honest with her.

First I told her, if you are of the mind to do a healing spell for someone else you MUST have their permission and they must know you are doing spell-work for them. SPELL-WORK. A big, magickal and for some scary word. She didn't like that answer. I could tell she wanted to do healing for those she felt needed it, without their involvement. I told her that was considered Black magick. Period. If you do conduct healing for another with their permission, please stick to the magickal healing i.e. burning candles, charging crystals and perhaps burning incense.

Now, take this into consideration for a moment. Take the concept of getting sick and dying. Many who follow this path understand that we are of three 'bodies' if you will. Body, Mind and Soul. Many times, when the body gets sick, the mind absolutely wants to heal. Few people enjoy being sick. But, the Soul is really driving the bus. And at times, we get sick with something, that will be the catalyst for our transitioning out of this physical life into the next realm. That's a fancy way of saying many times we get sick and die. The great truth is .  .  .  we all HAVE to die, and shed this physical shell we call a body. If you think about it, there's an awful lot of 'stuff' going on, surrounding this transition. It is a 'sacred agreement' between our body, our mind our soul and the great divinity or God/Goddess.  Now imagine that someone else decides to get involved, without your permission! Even doctors and surgeons need your permission to try to heal you and sometimes it works and sometimes other powers, energies have a greater mission in store for you.

Now, let's say we're not so terminal that we are dying, but just don't feel good. Again, without that persons permission, you should not do anything magickally for them. Take a love spell for example. Say someone at the office you work with, but you wouldn't dream of dating them or even going to lunch with them, decided to do a love spell with you as their focus. How violated and inappropriate would that feel to you? I bet a lot. It's the same with healing or any magick really. Even the ancient witches knew that they needed to be approached by someone and back then be paid for their spell work. Today, because of the proliferation of charlatans and con men, witches do not do healing or spell work of any kind for others, for money. NOT if they are legitimate and honest. To charge and tell someone you can do a spell for them or heal them in any fashion, is being a charlatan. No one can guarantee a spell will work, not myself nor even the most advanced and practiced witches in the world.

The best way to ensure your spell will manifest is to do it yourself.  And continuing on as far as healing spells are concerned, most witches I know are not doctors. There are laws in the United States, at least, that prohibit people from doing healing without a proper medical license. I know many people are out there doing Reiki healings, and crystal healings and herbal healings etc. etc.  And in the over 30 years I have been practicing witch craft I have seen all of the above category of practitioner, either arrested or worse, sued for failing to actually heal anyone. Also I have seen 'schools' that have taught students, for a tuition, healing studies, get closed down in this state and in others. They might be around for a few years, but then the authorities come around and shut them down. For good reason. If you are NOT a doctor or a natural-path, or a holistic doctor with a degree or a pharmacist, then you run the very serious risk of being in trouble one day.

Here at Enchantments we do not teach any healing arts, only the magickal and we do not encourage any customers or clients to use any of the products we sell for healing purposes. My students actually sign a contract which states they will not engage in any of the above practices while they are students of Enchantments. In all of my years of being a practicing witch I have found, very rarely, that I ever needed to do a healing spell. I use competent doctors, acupuncture, natural-path and herbal remedies, but all come from state medically approved sources. And I do magick. I can do magick to help the medicine work better, to help my body heal faster (using candle magick) and I work closely with the Goddess to help me find the right practitioners to help me along my path.

Do I always get the healing I want? No. Not always. And then, when that is the case, I trust that there is something greater than myself at work and I try to respect that.

So, spend your time learning the magickal properties of plants, herbs, flowers and grasses. The magickal properties of resins, herbaceous and woody plants, and practice the magick. That should keep you deeply immersed and studying for several years. Then if you should still feel the need to heal others, and it's just not being on a power trip, so you can show off your magickal prowess, then I encourage you to enter a medical school where you can follow the path of the healer. Some might shy away at that, because it takes a lot of time and a lot of money. Of course it does, and it should. Taking a couple of Reiki classes or an herbal studies course and then thinking you can go out and heal the masses? I call it what it is, a Power Trip. If it's not, then you'll spend the time and money getting a real medical education.

In conclusion, there is one very real reason why one should get a medical degree before trying to heal others. Because over the years many, many people have been injured, and have died from so called alternative healing practices conducted by those who did not get the proper training nor have the proper experience to treat others. People die every day in this country, having gone to 'quacks' who promised to heal them and then a mistake was made or the wrong treatment given. For a simple example, did you know that by drinking red raspberry leaf tea a pregnant woman can miscarry? By giving a small child white willow bark tea for pain can cause Reyes Syndrome disease and they can die?

Natural does not mean safe, nor does it mean effective. Remember poison ivy is natural.  And if you eat the green plant of a tomato plant you will die a painful death. There is a lot to know on this topic, more than a simple witches training. So work on your magick and leave the healing to the experts.




Peace and Happiness






© 2010-2016 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.

Let Us Burn A Candle Today

Good Afternoon my Witchy Readers,

Oh my wands and cauldrons! There is so much non-magickal "stuff" happening in the world today! From natural disasters, to human caused disasters (The water problems in Flint Michigan and the man created wild fires in Canada for example), to political gunk, to animal abuse, child abuse, domestic abuse, it goes on and on. It can get quite overwhelming and even depressing. What is a witch to do?

Well, let me tell you. I do know people who have decided to simply "not watch the news, too depressing." Yes, that is one approach, but it won't have any affect on the goings on in the world. While limiting our exposure couldn't hurt, a witch besides being green, natural, earth wise and educated, is or should be, concerned with the news in the world. We are considered by many ancient scholars, to be the Stewards of the Earth. We are Her spokespeople. We represent Her and need to stand up for Her. We simply can't do that if we stick our head's in the sand and hope that the bad "stuff" doesn't come our way.

While the "patriarchs", the Governmental politicians are concerned with War and boundaries and economics and such. It is the witch that is concerned with the environment, the oceans, the forests and the fields. We care about the pollution of the Earth, the sustainability of the Earth, the animals that inhabit the Earth alongside us. Some of us do not call ourselves witch. Some like the term hippy, or environmentalist. Conservators or Naturalists. They are all good terms. And we all care about the same things. The Earth and it's people, our survival and our lives and the satisfaction living our lives brings us. Some of us raise families, some of us raise fur babies. Some of us hold fundraisers for good causes, some of us conduct social events like cleaning up litter alongside the highways or feed the hungry at local soup kitchens. We may collect non perishable foods, grow gardens and pick blueberries when in season to make a homemade pie. Just being out in nature gives us a feeling of happiness and peace.

But, sometimes, things get bigger than we can do anything about. Or do they? There is a secret, magickal tool I use often. That is candle magick. Candles have been used magickally for thousands and thousands of years.  Of course, initially the candle was used to bring light into the darkness, and that in and of itself was a magickal thing for ancient mankind.

Then the energy of the candle flame was felt and a belief grew that by lighting a candle, as an offering to the Gods and Goddesses that wishes and prayers would be granted. The ancient Greeks burned candles for the Goddess Artemis over 5,000 years ago and after making a wish, blew the candle out and ate a small crescent shaped cake. This was the origins of our birthday candle wish that so many still do today.

Well, you also can do candle magick. The simplest way is to take a candle, a small candle and hold it in your hands. Close your eyes and imagine it glowing with a bright white energy, as if lit from within. See the end result, the thing you wish to have happen when your spell manifests. Then after a few minutes, open your eyes, place your candle in a candle holder and light it. Allow it to burn until it goes out. If it is a large candle, when you need to leave or go to sleep, snuff the flame out with a spoon or candle snuffer. Do not blow it out. That only works for birthday candle wishes!

We can burn a candle for many, many things. When burning my candles I also ask the Goddess to help me with the situation at hand. Then I leave it up to Her to make things right.  Some of the candle colors you could burn for your magickal purpose or spell work are:

Brown candles for grounding, house cleansing, animal magick (whether an animal is sick or being abused) seeking balance, eliminate indecisiveness, and to find lost items.

Orange candles are strong and create sudden change. It is a brave and bold witch who dares to burn an orange candle. It is good to burn before important business meetings, before a wedding ceremony and to bring needed sudden change into your life and circumstances.

Purple candles are burned to help alleviate negative karma and negative karmic kickback. We all make mistakes and if it involves someone else then karma will be attached. Just making a mistake on our own, that doesn't affect another will have no karmic feedback. It must affect another living being. When that happens, asking forgiveness and burning a purple candle will help the situation. They will also give you spiritual protection, and help you reconcile a situation on the spiritual plane.

Black candles. Many think burning a black candle has to do with summoning evil forces. The witch knows this is pure Hollywood and it does not mean this at all. When burning a black candle, though, it is serious business. We burn black candles to give us protection from harm, both physical, emotional and spiritual. You can also burn the black candle to banish unwanted energies from your life and to help bring a complete and definite end to a situation.

For legal issues - I have seen yellow, orange and brown candles all burned for help in a legal situation. The best is a combination of all three. Burn all three colors, one candle for each color, together, touching each other if possible. they might well melt into one single burning candle and that is very good, when that happens. They can bring positive legal decisions and actions to you.

These are some of the lesser known candle colors and magickal purposes I have written about. There are many colors and many, many magickal purposes you can work with. Start off simply and easily. There is no need for complex, confusing candle magick. Start with the basics and take it from there.
Happy Spell Casting, Ms. Faith


Peace and Happiness




© 2010-2016 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.

Let's Discuss Beltane Magicks! It is a Sexy Sabbat!

Good Afternoon,

Today I wish to discuss the Beltane Sabbat with you. It occurs on May 1st and for Pagans it is our last Spring Sabbat and it, at the same time, marks the first day of our Summer. But many of you already know all of this. What I want to discuss with you today are some little juicy tidbits about Beltane you may or may not have known.

Firstly, Beltane, or Beltaine is a very sexy Sabbat. It was known to the ancients as a fertility celebration and when the sun went down after the Beltane rituals and feasts, men and women would pair off and go off into the woods and fields to have sex. It was believed that babies conceived at Beltane, who would be born the following February, around Imbolc, would be especially blessed and considered quite magickal.

It was ancient man's version of sympathetic magick, they felt by having sex in the fields, the fields would be magickally fertilized and the crops would grow strong and tall. They also would slaughter white steers or bulls to be consumed during the Beltane feast, and the slain animals blood would be drizzled over the fields. To them, they were symbolically giving life back to the earth, most likely not realizing that blood was in actuality a true fertilizer. Even today, one can purchase dried blood at a garden center to help fertilize the gardens.

The May pole that is often danced around during the Beltane ritual was a very sacred ritual tool in ancient times. The act of dancing around the May pole, in ancient times the ribbons were only two colors, red and white, wrapping the ribbons around the pole, symbolized the Goddess wrapping her vagina around the God's phallus. This was in a sense a symbolic Great Rite by Proxy which represented the Goddess and God copulating and giving life to the Earth, the fields, the crops and the people and all living things. It was and still is a celebration.

After The Maypole is wrapped with pretty ribbons, the ribbons stay wrapped around the pole until Samhain, where they are then cut off of the pole and burned in the Samhain fires. At this time, if desired, ribbons of black, purple and silver can be tied to the top of the pole and allowed to hang freely, representing the time of the Crone being upon us. But the ancients then used the May pole at Yule to be burned in the town or village center as the Yule log. During the burning of the Yule log, a small unburned piece is removed from the fire and saved to be used to kindle next year's Yule log, symbolically uniting every Yule log that has been burned year after year. For a simple May pole, it certainly has a lot of responsibility during the year.

There are some other interesting tid-bits about this happy, Spring Sabbat. The ancient Druids, who were the spiritual leaders of the Celts, believed the year was split into two distinct halves. Winter, which went from November 1st (Samhain) to May 1st (Beltaine) and then Summer, which goes from May 1st to November 1st. Because of the Druids belief that "things in between" were especially sacred, they attributed sacred energies to the half times between seasons. "Things in between." What this means for example, take ice. It is water, but not fluid, but solid like rock. It is in between. Fog or mist, is not air totally, but not completely water, but in between. This belief was also placed on times of day/night such as midnight, which at the very stroke of, is not yesterday yet not quite today. So the time that falls at the cusp of winter/summer or summer/winter were also given sacred status.

It is often heard of that at Samhain, November 1st, "The veils between the worlds grows thin", and this is commonly thought to mean that the natural spiritual barriers between the physical world of the living and the other world of the spirits and ghosts grows thin and it is easier to communicate with spirits. This is true. But the thinning also allows for other magicks and at Beltane the veil also thins.  This is not as commonly talked about, I believe simply, because soooo much 'stuff' is associated with Samhain which is commonly called Halloween and all of the spooky, and scary and naughty things that go along with it. But Beltane, which more people are not aware of, not as many as are aware of Halloween, to be sure, also has a thinning of the veils.

At Beltane, where, yes, you can also communicate with spirits more easily such as at Samhain, it is also easier to communicate with Deity at this time, and many take this opportunity to speak directly with their Goddess or God, and give thanks or to ask for help in some fashion.

Another thing that was done years ago, that you might like to try is collecting Beltane dew. To do this, take a tiny glass vial or jar with a good cap. Go out in the early morning of Beltane and collect the dew. You do this by laying on the grass and uncapping the vial, holding it carefully next to a blade of grass with a dew drop upon it, and tap the blade of grass so the dew drop falls into the vial. You continue to do this, and it will take some time, until you have filled the vial up, at least half ways. Then you can put the vial on top of the altar pentacle on your altar and just by doing so it will be blessed and consecrated. Then afterwards you can use the dew to anoint yourself. It is said to keep one youthful and beautiful. Or it can be put into love potions. Or you can anoint a love candle with it.

Beltane has traditionally been a lovers holiday, and many couple choose to get hand-fasted during a Beltane celebration. Sweets, often honey and little seed cakes were traditionally served during the festivities of Beltane. Flowers are also traditionally given to loved ones at Beltane and the later tradition of May baskets of flowers stems from this ancient Pagan holiday.

Even when I was a little girl, in the 1960's and 70's I would go outside and pick violets, buttercups any flowers that were blooming and make a bouquet of them, leave them on the door step and ring the bell and run away, so my mother would think the fairies left them.

For many years after the Christians tried to eliminate the Pagan holidays by changing their names and dates, Beltane became known as the Lady's Day (for some meaning the Goddess, for other's the Mother of God, Mary).  Then for many years it became and is still known as May Day, and is still celebrated in many parts of the world as a celebration of spring and a forerunner of Summer.

Have a Bright and  Blessed Beltane!


Peace and Happiness, Ms.  Faith








© 2010-2016 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.

Not Everything is Magick!

Good Afternoon,

As my regular readers know, this blog, or as I like to call it, discussion, that I have with you weekly, is dedicated to the witchy and the magickal, the spiritual and the ritual of witchcraft. But every now and again I feel I must step out of the magickal realm and speak to you about things that are not so magickal.

For example, I will tell you about a conversation I had this week at my witch shop, Enchantments. A woman called and was concerned about her brother. She said he has been living in a house that is over run with ghosts! Not just a few, but 20-30 or more! She asked if I could help her, perhaps sell her something that would make the spirits leave.

Well, I have been working and practicing in the magickal realm for a few decades and immediately sensed something was amiss. That many spirits haunting one building would be far more likely in an abandoned insane asylum or a closed and boarded up prison. Not a single house. This just didn't feel like a 'haunting' situation. So I asked her a few questions.

• What has he been experiencing? She answered that he sees ghosts from adult people to little children all over the house, everywhere. All around him, in every room, all the time. He often asks if she or others can see them. 
• I asked her, "And can you?  See them or any manifestation such as unexplained sounds, lights flickering on and off, objects moving, cold spots etc?"
•  No, she answered, no one has experienced any of these things, only her brother has had the experiences. 
• I asked how long has he been living in this house? She said about 20 years. 
• How long has he been experiencing seeing the ghosts? She said for about a year. 

Then, as if knowing in which direction I was about to go in, she told me "I don't think it's dementia, but he did have a stroke a little over a year ago."

Well, that clinched it for me. Everything fell into place. I gently explained to her that it was not a case of spirit activity or a ghostly haunting, but that her brother needed to be seen by a medical professional as he may very well have an underlying condition brought on by the stroke or something  else going on in the brain that is causing visual and auditory hallucinations. Trust me, a smudge stick isn't going to do it!"

She was very disappointed, as I guess she was hoping it wasn't mental or physical or shall we say biological, but she really wanted it to be metaphysical or paranormal. Maybe for her it was less scary thinking it was ghosts than the possibility it could be a brain tumor or some other medical issue. But, I was left with the strong sense she was not going to seek out competent medical care for her brother but would continue to contact witch shops or go on line and try to find someone who would cast a spell or light a candle, all for a lot of money, and magickally fix her brother. And the sad part is .  .  . she will find someone. Not someone who will fix her brother magickally, but someone who will convince her they can, and for a good amount of money, will take her for all they can get and leave her with nothing. In the meantime, her brother remains trapped with the 'ghosts' only he can see and the fear and discomfort that condition brings him.

Not everything is magickal, nor should it be. We live on many planes of existence and each is to be acknowledged and respected. The spiritual plane, the astral plane, the physical plane, the mental and emotional planes. And when something goes awry on one of these levels sometimes magick can help and sometimes it can hurt. What I mean by "it can hurt" is exampled in the above story about the woman and her brother and his ghosts. By not giving him the medical and or psychiatric care needed and leaving it up to the magickal world and magickal practitioners, her brother is being hurt by not receiving the treatment that could possibly relieve his symptoms and give him some peace.

If someone has cancer, or a broken bone or diabetes, it is not only dangerous to simply and only rely on the magickal, it is unethical and unfair to not steer the person, that has come to you, in the right direction, to receive the help they need. And there are times when magickal herbal remedies, spell casting and ritual work will not help and are not appropriate.

Of course, if the person is receiving the medical care necessary, one can assist in ones treatment by burning a candle, asking the Goddess for help in healing and if desired carrying some stones or crystals to help focus on the healing process. Much of the healing will come from the mind and spirit, but to forgo modern medicine (which to this witch is one of our greatest magicks to date) is simply being foolish.

I have had another young man come into the shop a couple of times, also looking for a magickal remedy for what ails him. This gentleman is approximately 18-20 years old, and is absolutely convinced someone has cursed him with an evil spell. He feels this evil follows him around and sometimes he can even see it. He is starting to hear voices and he wants me to sell him something that will make it all go away. I am not a doctor nor am I a psychiatrist, but many signs and symptoms of the onset of schizophrenia are apparent in this young man.  I have gently suggested that he ask a doctor about what he is feeling, but again he pushes that aside and says he will think of something that will make me believe him, someday. I believe, he believes, everything he is telling me, but it is simply not of the magickal, supernatural or paranormal world.

As a witch and Priestess who works openly in our community, and being a teacher teaching others about witchcraft and Wicca, I feel a deep obligation to not go the easy, money making route and exploit these individuals even though they themselves, would much prefer I simply sell them something and tell them all of their problems will go away.

In these situations as difficult as it may be for some, the best response is to not delve into the magickal but to tell them the truth and strongly suggest they seek out proper care and treatment. I have even in the past, had to advice potential students that wanted to learn at Enchantments, when it became apparent they suffered from drug or alcohol addiction that the magickal world is not going to help them until they got a handle on their other issues.

Yes, as a witch you can find the magickal is just about anything, and I do feel that everything has a magickal component, but that is not to say we must be blind to what is right before our eyes and to disregard the help, treatments and medical world that is available to us for many, many issues.

It is the well rounded, educated, practiced and experienced magickal practitioner or witch that will utilize all the gifts the Goddess has bestowed upon us.

"The Lady has created Medicines out of the earth and the Wise will not abhor them." author unknown

"All things are poison and nothing s without poison, it is the dose alone which makes a thing poisonous" - Paracelsus 

Peace and Happiness





© 2010-2016 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.

Ancient Pagan Funerary Practices, Some That Are Still with us Today

Good Morning,

Recently I found myself going to a wake of a woman who had reached the remarkable age of 102. She was the mother of an acquaintance and though I did not know her, I went out of respect. Many times when we are at a wake or funeral we are grieving and emotional. As I went out of respect and had not known this woman I was able to appreciate the elements that go into a funeral nowadays and started thinking about where they had come from. The origins of the funerary traditions, if you will.

I have studied much about paleolithic man over the years as I am always looking for the origins of the first spiritual/religious worship. We find elements of this in the practices of dealing with the dead during the prehistoric era, with the first humans. There is evidence that the very first humans were prepared for burial by painting their naked bodies with a 'paint' made from red ochre a type of hematite stone also known as iron oxide, that is powered, and they were buried in caves rather than buried in the ground.

 The Upper Paleolithic Cave site known as Arene Candide has the body of a young man buried over 23,000 years ago, and he was painted with the red mixture.  Another body found in Paviland Cave in the UK, from approximately the same era, found a body called "the Red Lady" due to the large quantities of red ochre used in the burial. There are many other examples found around the world during this prehistoric era. There is a belief among Archaeologists that the bodies were so prepared, painting them with the 'blood' of the Mother earth, reminiscent of the blood that covers the body of the infant when it is born. Then the body of the deceased was interred back into the 'womb' of the Great Mother Earth.

When mankind evolved and became more populous it soon became more common to burn, or cremate bodies on funeral pyres. It is thought that this practice evolved out of the desire to stop disease and of course eliminate the odors and unpleasantness of decomposing bodies. The cremation process became very common throughout the Bronze and Iron ages, replacing inhumation (burial). Of course in Ancient Egypt, mummification was the preferred way of preparing the body after death.

Many of the funerary rituals developed out of the desire to prevent the deceased from becoming a ghost and wandering the earth. Many cultures developed their death preparations and funerary rituals to help the deceased to move on and to live in the afterlife in peace. For the ancient Greeks and Romans, huge mausoleums and tombs were built for the deceased. In Rome, some of these tombs were as large as a house with several rooms. The deceased would be placed within and the family and friends would continue to come and visit and hold elaborate feasts in the house like tomb, to honor the deceased.

The Romans would then bring large arrangements of flowers and plantings of flower, shrubs, trees and flowering bushes to be planted outside of the tomb, to make it look appealing and more like a home for the living than the dead. There is a belief that this may be the very first use of "funerary flowers" and the long held thought that flowers were used to ward off the smell of the decomposing body is less likely to be true, as throughout the ages, the Greeks and Romans (who really were the rulers of the civilized world at the time) were heavy users of incense in temples and in tombs to ward off the smells of decomposition from animal sacrifices and for the deceased humans. For truly,, flowers simply do not have the strength of aroma to hide the smell of death and incense smoke would be far more effective. It is thought the flowers were given as beautiful offerings to the deceased, in memory and love.

Again during later Roman times burial of the body became popular for a time, with the body buried in tombs and in crypts, while those considered holy were often interred under the floor of a church or temple. After a time, cremation again became popular, but the Romans, when practicing cremation would often take a severed finger joint off of the body before cremation and bury that as a symbolic burial. In time, when the Catholic church had unified Europe, cremation was frowned upon and considered a Pagan practice and inhumation, burial of the body wrapped in a shroud, emulating Jesus's entombment.  The Christian belief of the legend that Jesus rested in his tomb for three days before being resurrected, has led to the still common practice that after death, the wake and or funeral is held on the third day afterwards.

 Both the Greeks and the Romans believed that feasting, gathering to remember the deceased, especially on the day of their death would allow the loved one to rest in peace. Many times entire families, even to this day, will go to the cemeteries and set up tables, chairs, candles, flowers and host a party to honor the deceased. This is still common in Italy.

We still today, after holding the wake, then the funeral, often go to someone's home or back to the dining hall of the church to gather, to share memories, eat and drink food brought pot luck by mourners, and celebrate the one who has passed. The funeral "feast" has been practiced for well over a thousand years.

Funeral Wreaths

The history of the wreath goes back as far as the Etruscans, who were in Italy before the Romans, and the wearing of wreaths on the head, made out of precious metals, were worn as jewelry, Eventually, the form of the wreath was created out of evergreens, as evergreens symbolizes ever lasting life. When funeral wreaths were first used in unknown, but there are Roman documents dating to 450 B.C.E. which mentions that funeral wreaths were a long standing tradition, even back then.

Today we still have cemeteries for inhumation burials, cremation remains very popular, crypts and mausoleums are not as common today except for the very rich. We still hold funeral feasts and huge flower arrangements and flower wreaths are a very common and expected site at a wake and funeral today.

The wearing of black goes back to ancient Roman times, and depending on your culture, religion and the era, widows could wear black for a year, two years, four years or for the rest of their lives. Some cultures, though out the years, have worn all white for mourning, and red is never worn as it is considered very bad luck.  Today, black is a choice and is normally worn by those closest to the deceased, but it is no longer frowned upon if family members do not choose to wear black.  Today, mourning and grieving has in many ways,become a very personal event, rather than a cultural one.

Many have heard of and seen pall bearers carrying the coffin of the deceased, but many haven't heard that in days past there were also flower ladies, who would walk down the funeral procession carrying the arrangements of flowers brought for the deceased. At the cemetery the flower ladies would arrange the flower around the grave or tomb, and for a number of years this was a coveted, honored job for those women closest to the deceased.

Truly, if one does the research, you will find that just about all rites and rituals surrounding the preparation and disposal of the dead, all goes back to Pagan times. We have kept those aspects that still appeal to us and have set aside those that no longer do so.  This topic could easily fill up an entire book and then some. The history of funerals goes back to the very first humans and is still evolving and changing today.


Peace and Happiness



© 2010-2016 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.

Woo Hoo! The Contemporary New England Witch's 400th Discussion!!

Good Afternoon,

To celebrate "The Life and Times of A Contemporary New England Witch"'s 400th discussion today, I thought I would administer a pop quiz! Do you have a pencil and paper ready? Well, go get some, I'll wait .  .  .

Alright, some of these questions you might already know, some maybe not. If you are a student of Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts, you should know these. For these are the types of things we go over in Saturday morning classes, in the first year Magickal Studies classes.  See how well you do. The answers will appear farther down the page.

Moon Magick:

• How many days during the month can one do moon magick, either full moon or new moon magick? 
• How many days in a lunar month? 
• How long could it take for a full moon spell to manifest?
• How long could it take for a new moon spell to manifest? 
• Do you have to wait for the proper moon phase to cast a spell? 

Casting a Circle and Ritual Practice: 

• A magickal group that follows a Celtic based tradition or practice, normally starts their circle casting in which compass direction? 
• What are the four traditional Witches tools?
• What are the four compass directions, their associated element and color? 
• What does the Pentacle used in Witchcraft stand for? 

General Spell Casting: 

• List the five steps of Anatomy of a Spell
• What are magickal correspondences in Spell Casting? 
• List five types of Spell Casting
• Describe how to layer a Spell

These questions are just a few that students of Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts learn during their year and a day of study in the Magickal Arts. 

The answers are listed below: 

Moon Magick:

• How many days during the month can one do moon magick, either full moon or new moon magick?  The answer is 14 days. Three days before each moon, the day of the moon either full or new, and the three days after the moon. Each moon, Full or new, allows you 7 days to cast that moon spell and utilize the powers of the moon. 
• How many days in a lunar month? 28 days are typically considered a lunar month
• How long could it take for a full moon spell to manifest? Up to 28 days
• How long could it take for a new moon spell to manifest? Up to 14 days 
• Do you have to wait for the proper moon phase to cast a spell? No. You can cast a spell utilizing the days of the week, utilizing colors, candles, direct workings with the Goddess, planetary hours of the day, etc. There are many spell methods you can use, and not all of them use the moon phases at all. 

Casting a Circle and Ritual Practice: 

• A magickal group that follows a Celtic based tradition or practice, normally starts their circle casting in which compass direction? We typically cast our circles starting in the North. There are some groups that will cast their circles from the East, but these are not typically Celtic based or trained groups. 
• What are the four traditional Witches tools? Wand, blade, cup and pentacle 
• What are the four compass directions, their associated element and color? North, earth, green  East, yellow, air   South, red, fire    West, blue, water 
• What does the Pentacle used in Witchcraft stand for? The pentacle, the five pointed star surrounded by a circle, is always used in witchcraft with the top point or apex pointing up or towards the North. 
  

The basic symbolism of the pentacle is the top point stands for Spirit or the Divine God/Goddess energy. The lower four points represent the Earth, Air, Fire, Water elements that witches work with and represent the physical world. By using the pentacle, apex pointing up, a witch is saying we put the Spirit or the Spiritual above the physical. At least, we try to in all of our affairs. The pentacle is also considered a protective amulet for those who wear it. 

General Spell Casting: 

• List the five steps of Anatomy of a Spell.  The five steps are as follows: 

1. Have a Magickal Goal. Know what you are casting a spell for. You cannot just simply cast a spell and have no purpose or reason. To cast a spell is to put forth energy which will return back to you. Such as, money, love, healing, protection or tranquility

2. Method.  Choose a method of casting your spell. Will you use a petition paper? A candle? a Cord? 

3. Enchant.  Once you have the goal and method, then you enchant your spell. If using candles for example, this is when you anoint them with oil, carve symbols into them, charge them with your energy and so forth, preparing them for the spell you are about to cast. 

4. Cast the Spell.  Now that you have prepared everything (always done within a magick circle) now you can cast the spell, again in the case of using candle magick, you burn the candle. 

5. Trust.  The most important part of your spell casting is visualizing the end result and trusting that your magick will return to you. 

• What are magickal correspondences in Spell Casting? Magickal correspondences in spell casting are magickal properties of the natural ingredients you are using, such as stones, herbs, essential oils etc. Magickal correspondences are magickal properties such as money drawing, banishing, cleansing, healing, bringing in love, passion, better sleep, calming, success in a legal situation etc. 

• List five types of Methods of Spell Casting.  There are so many types of spells that you can cast, and in this we are specifically referring to methods, such as candle, petitions, cords, spell mixes, magickal soaps, beth salts, moon magicks, etc. 

• Describe how to layer a Spell.  Layering a spell is simply adding more specifics or layers that all have the same magickal correspondences to work together to enhance your spell manifestation. For example, if you are casting a spell for money this is how you might choose to layer your spell: Use a green candle, anoint with patchouli oil, place green candle in a silver candle holder, place on a gold colored plate. Sprinkle chamomile around the candle and dress the plate with silver coins. These are all 'layers' that work with one another to help your wish for money to manifest. 

How did you do? Much of the above material can be found in my book "Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies" which is available for purchase at Enchantments and also by mail order on my website www.enchantmentsschool.com   If you are interested in taking classes at Enchantments please stop by or give us a call to see if we are accepting new students. At the time of this discussion being published we are almost full and will be starting a waiting list for students who would like to take classes. You can contact the shop by calling 860-791-6033. 

© 2010-2016 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! How the Church Uses Pagan Associations to Choose the Holy Dates

Happy Easter to all who Celebrate!

I thought it a timely topic, because today is Easter, to discuss with you, my witchy readers, some interesting things about the Christian Easter holiday. As many people already know, many of the Catholic holidays such as Christmas, All Soul's Day, Candlemass, Lammas etc. were all Christianized Pagan holy days. These celebrations were overlaid on Pagan holy days to help convert the masses to the new Christian religion that was being spread throughout Europe in the 6th century c.e.

But there is more to the Pagan-Christian correlation to the Easter holiday than simply overlaying one holiday on top of another. For starters, the name Easter was taken from the letters of the Old English spellings of Eostre or Eastre, which today is called Ostara, which is the Spring/Vernal Equinox Sabbat for Pagans.

Just a side note: I have seen memes on social media which claims Ostara and hence Easter has its origins in the Middle Eastern Goddess Ishtar and in all of my research on this Celtic-Druidic pagan Sabbat, I have never seen anything that corroborates this, except unfounded, unsupported opinion. It is so important these days to be aware that so much information on the Internet is wrong, so further research with reputable sources is vital.

More interesting facts concerning Easter, is the curious formula that the Catholic Church uses to determine the date of Easter Sunday.  They place Easter Sunday on the first Sunday to fall after the Paschal full moon, which is the first full moon to occur after the Spring/Vernal Equinox! Oh my! There's Pagan correlations all over the place! Full moons, Spring Equinox (Ostara)!! So, using this formula, Easter Sunday always falls between March 22 and April 25th.

 I simply love how close and alike we are, in many ways with Christians, as opposed to how different we are. We may have different 'dogma' but we are so very alike.  Christians are celebrating the resurrection of their Christ, Pagans are celebrating the resurrection of the earth as She comes into Spring.

Once the church has determined the date of Easter Sunday, then the other important Holy days are determined. For instance, Good Friday is two days before Easter Sunday, Palm Sunday (the sixth Sunday of Lent) is the Sunday one week before Easter. Ash Wednesday is figured by finding Easter Sunday and backing up six Sundays (which brings you to the first Sunday of Lent and back up four more days, which gives you Ash Wednesday which occurs before the first Sunday of Lent.

So many people, even if they identify as Pagan today, have started out their life as some type of Christian and I love the family gatherings, the social aspect of celebrating together, the feast (which has it's basis is Pagan culture), all of it. You see, the way I look at it, I can celebrate any holy day I wish to and it doesn't affect my beliefs and my faith. Celebrating a Christian holiday with others doesn't threaten my spirituality, nor should it. But if you celebrate today with others or if you are just enjoying a quiet day off, I hope you enjoy today!!  Happy Easter, Blessed Ostara, Happy Spring!!

Peace and Happiness!


© 2010-2016 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.

Words from The Goddess, so Very Much Needed at this Time

Good Afternoon,

This has been such a week of tragedy, with the bombings in Brussels, the continued killings in the Middle East, so much hatred and fear growing and flourishing in the United States and around the world, as people try to figure out who is harmful and who is not. Who is a threat and who is not.

I thought about this post for a long while, a week or more, and after the bombings yesterday, decided it needed to be put out there. I have, over the years, had the occasional prophetic dream.  A dream, that upon awakening, has come true or has had an impact on my life. Well, I had a curious dream about a week ago I want to share with you.  I shared it with all the participants at our Ostara Spring Equinox celebration last Saturday and decided to discuss it with you here.

There is so much stuff going on in the world today, sadness, hatred, neglect, abuse both of animals and humans, especially children, war, maiming and killing, the list seems endless. I had a few things going on in my life the last few weeks, a witch's life isn't always bubbles and sunshine! And I went to bed one night less than happy and wondering at the state of the world and my place in it.

Right before I woke up, when you're in the warm, fuzzy, dream like state, right before your brain sharpens and floods you with reality, I heard a voice. A female voice. I remember smiling, as I knew it was the Goddess speaking to me, and I found it cool that her voice, for me, was feminine. Now, I have never heard the Goddess speak directly to me before, or if She has, I wasn't in a place to remember it. But I knew the words she spoke that morning to me, needed to be remembered.

I also found it curious the words she chose, and she said " I have hard-wired you all, for one thing and one thing only .  .  . Love! Nothing else matters, nothing else is important. Try to get back to the beginning, where there is only Love." 

I woke up and thought about Her words and am still thinking about them, as they seem simple enough on the surface, but they feel like they go deep, very, very deep into my soul. With everything happening in the world, surely there must be more than just Love?

Shouldn't we feel anger at the senseless murders and deaths taking place every day? Shouldn't we cry at the abuse of animals and children and of each other? Shouldn't we demand justice for all the injustices and wrongs in the world?

Or should we? Yes, I believe we are in a human framework right now and that is to be taken into consideration. But when I feel helpless with all that is happening that I can't change, that none of us can change, when I feel angry at the unfairness of life, when I want to in some way blame someone for all that's wrong in the world, I come back to Her words.

Love.

Just that simple. Just that easy. Maybe that is all I need to remember .  .  .  is Love. Maybe that is all I need to do .  .  .  Is to Love.

I wanted to share this with you. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go stir my cauldron for a while and contemplate this message.  .  .  Love.



Peace and Happiness








© 2010-2016 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.

Ostara and Easter and the Correlations Between Them

Happy Ostara and a Blessed Easter!

The Vernal/Spring Equinox has been celebrated across the world by many Pagan cultures for centuries. Before the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth and the religion that was developed and propagated by his disciples, everyone, by definition, was Pagan. What I mean by the word Pagan, was at that time,  people, cultures that believed in worship and in a power greater than themselves. A spiritual being or beings that ruled the world of Nature, the Earth, the wind, water, the elements of the natural world.

They believed in Goddesses who gave birth to the world as they knew it, and of Gods who, in tandem with the Goddesses kept the world turning, the seasons changing and provided the sustenance and nourishment, shelter and clothing, all derived from the natural world, which kept them alive and thriving. The entire world of the Pagan was being a part of Nature. These ancient peoples lived in Nature whereas today, we live in spite of Nature.

In this world of Nature, these Pagans, observed the world around them for information as to how the world worked and in turn how they existed within this world. For this time of the year, they saw, after the 'death' of winter, the re-birth of the Earth.  They saw the gentle greening of the grasses, the tender budding of the trees, the first blooms in the gardens, the warming of the air. They saw the wild birds start laying eggs in the nests, the rutting of the rabbits which resulted in baby bunnies, which is one of the first animals of the forest and fields to give birth in the spring.

The entire celebration of this holy day (holiday) was to rejoice in the return of Spring, which meant warmer, easier days and nights, fresh greens and food stuffs and fresh eggs, and fresh meat to hunt and eat.  The early Christians also celebrated re-birth, but for them then, as for Christians today, their celebration is for the re-birth, the resurrection, of Jesus Christ. The renewal of the soul, the spirit, after death, to be resurrected and allowed to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

But, we, each of us, Pagans and Christians are celebrating the return of Spring in one fashion or another and each is special and important. We Pagans celebrate with feasting and the enjoyment of foods that we might have been deprived of during the scarce winter months. The scarcity of nourishing foods was a reality in ancient days, more so than today. Many Christians of today recognize a period of want or self denial of certain luxuries, the Lenten season, which is ended or broken with the Easter feast which often includes rich, special foods not often indulged in during the rest of the year.

After having gone six weeks, of Lent, without many 'treats', we see the Easter celebrations today incorporating sweets, candy and chocolates, rich pastries, breads, cakes and egg based dishes. Ham is an ancient, traditional dish served at this time, as pork was a sacred meat and food stuff for the ancient Celts and Druids. Just about every culture from Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia, the Mediterranean cultures all celebrate Easter or Ostara or some recognition of the return of the Spring.

Even the origins of the word Easter, according to Etymology experts, derives from the ancient Proto-Germanic word Eastre, which means dawn and was the name of a Goddess of Spring and fertility. Eastre is also the ancient spelling of the word Ostara. It is believed to be the only Christian holy day whose name was taken directly from the spelling of it's Pagan equivalent.

I have often felt, that this holiday, more so than any other on the Wheel of the Year, brings Pagans and Christians closer together than any other holiday. Yes, many of the Christian holy days have been adapted from Pagan Sabbats, but Ostara/Easter is so close in so many ways and observances, to make us more alike than different.

So, whether you celebrate Ostara or Easter or both! I wish you a blessed Spring Equinox and a lovely return of Spring. Bright Blessings, Ms. Faith




Peace and Happiness






© 2010-2016 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 Little Known Facts Regarding St. Patrick's Day

Good Afternoon,

The truth of it is, many Pagans do not celebrate St. Patrick because of his association with the annihilation of the Druid's and Pagan Celts, as he formally orchestrated their deaths and by doing so was able to bring his Christian religion to the British Isles. But, many Pagans can and do celebrate the Irish and the Celtic peoples on this day, and it can be a day to celebrate all things Irish!

The flag depicted above was the official Irish flag from 1542 to 1801 and the color blue was known as St. Patrick's blue.  Blue was the official color of Ireland, but there is a legend that St. Patrick chose the clover or Shamrock as his emblem, because the three leaved plant, it is said he told fellow Christians, that the Shamrock  represented the Holy Trinity. The Holy trinity, which to Christians is The Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost. But the Holy Trinity was already very well known in Celtic Pagan Ireland and still today we Pagans recognize it as The Maiden, The Mother and The Crone, aspects of the Goddess. This legend, while lovely, is not true, at least to scholars knowledgeable about the Saint, but the Shamrock was used in Ireland at the time to represent the Christian cross.

So by the association of the tiny Shamrock with St. Patrick, this caused the eventual demise of his sacred color, in favor of the now famously known Irish green.

And many do not know that St. Patrick (it is believed his real name was Maewyn Succat, he adopted the name Patrick or Patricius upon becoming a priest ) was not Irish at all, but he was Roman Briton. He was born in Scotland to Roman parents who lived in Briton and were at that time in charge of the colonies. It is believed he was born around 375 c.e. (Common Era, which has replaced the A.D.)

When he was a teen he was kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland, where he tended sheep on Slemish Mountain, Co. Antrim.  It is believed he was a slave for 6 years and during this time he had a dream where God came to him and told him to run away from his captors to the coast where a boat would be waiting to take him away.

He sailed to France where he studied to become a Priest and then a Bishop. He then had another dream, it is reported, that told him to bring the Christian teachings back to Ireland. He spent 40 years preaching and 'converting' people to Christianity, until in 432 it is said all of Ireland had converted. I put the word converting in quotes because it sounds so much like gentle persuasion when history tells us that the conversions of the Pagan peoples to Christianity was anything but gentle. It was a murderous, torturous endeavor and in the end, those who did not convert were killed.

Scholars believe that those women, the Druidic Priestesses of the Celtic peoples, took another tactic and entered the newly built convents attached to the newly built monasteries and where once they were called Priestesses they were afterwards called Nuns. But the work of the Goddess was still being done. Caring for the poor and ill, providing midwifery care, tending to the orphans, ministering to the dying.

There are those scholars who feel that March 17th was the day of St. Patrick's death in 461 c.e, (which would have made him 86 years old)  and those who believe it marked the day of his birth. After so many years it is hard to tell, but during the time in which he lived it was more common to mark the day of death as significant, rather than the day of birth, which has more significance to us today. There are many different years attributed to St. Patrick's birth and many for his year of death, but we do know he lived and did succeed for his time in driving the Druid's and Pagan ways out of Ireland.

Another little known fact, though St. Patrick was credited with converting all of Ireland to Christianity, there were Christians in Ireland before he came back. But he became, by far, the most famous of all the Christians bent on converting the masses.

Many now know that there were never any snakes in Ireland, but the snake was a metaphor for the Druid's and Pagans and for thousands of years the serpent or snake was known as a symbol of women's knowledge, power, and a sign of the Goddess.

For those who enjoy going to a St. Patrick's Day parade, it is curious to note,  that these parades did not originate in Ireland but in Boston in 1737, and was originally hosted by the Charitable Irish Society of Boston. Now parades celebrating the Irish are held all over the world.

In addition to his many 'occupations' such as sheep herder when younger, Priest and Bishop, St. Patrick  was known for preaching, writing, traveling, church building and, interestingly enough, hill walking. At the time of St. Patrick, it was very common for those on a spiritual quest to go on pilgrimages, and these consisted on walking great distances and in the case of the Tor in South West England, one could spend an entire day walking the spiral procession from the base of the Tor to the top. It was a similar practice to what we do today when walking a labyrinth.

For more than 1,000 years the Irish have observed March 17th as a religious Holy Day (Holiday) which falls in the parameters of Lent and have attended church in the morning and often held a feast meal of boiled cabbage, root vegetables and Irish bacon. Corned Beef is also an American addition to this Irish holiday, along with dying beer green.  Irish Soda bread dates from 1840 when Bicarbonate of Soda was first introduced to Ireland, and traditional Irish Soda bread has a cross cut into the top of the loaf to keep evil and harm away from the household. A magickal practice in it's own right.

Well, these are just a few bits of trivia surrounding this day of celebrating all things Irish and Celtic and I hope you enjoyed this discussion! My next post will be about Ostara which is coming up in just a few days!


Peace and Happiness!








© 2010-2016 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.

Omens, Visions and Premonitions

Good Evening,

Let us discuss this evening, Omens, Visions and Premonitions. They are often considered the same to some people but they ave important distinctions.

Omens

The ancient Druid's, who were the Holy Priests of the ancient Celtic people (pronounced Kel-tic), often looked around them and observed nature and natural phenomenon to see omens of things to come or perhaps to explain an occurrence or happening. People nowadays also see omens in things around them, but it's important to be able to see omens clearly and understand what they mean.

For instance, if your car breaks down one day, runs out of gas the next day and then you come up to road blocks and detours the rest of the week, some might see these as omens of a dire nature. But are they negative in nature? Perhaps your car breaking down prevents you from being involved in a nasty accident or traffic jam. The road blocks and detours could simply be telling you to take a different route every now and again and appreciate a different view and maybe you'll see something you ordinarily wouldn't have seen.

Many people see wildlife, a specific wild bird, a wild flower bloom and they remind the person of a loved one who has passed away. A kind of, message from beyond. You can also get messages from beyond when you hear a special song on the radio, when you overhear a brief snippet of a conversation, even seeing a specialized license plate, can speak to you!

But take an omen or message for what it is, a sign that there are things bigger than us in the universe. Even those that experience a ghostly presence, it is seldom a negative thing, it is simply different. It doesn't need to be bad, evil or scary.

Visions

There are times when you might get a vision of things to come, or something that is happening at that exact moment and you get a glimpse beyond the veil. I tend towards visions more so than any of the others, though I do get my share of omens and premonitions. But visions come to me quite often. I'll have a half dream, when you're almost awake or almost asleep, when visions come to me. I'll see loved ones who have passed, not only in my life, but in friends and other people. If the person is close I will tell them what I saw and heard in the vision half dream. Recently I have a friend that told me he had misplaced his cell phone. He thought he might have left it at a restaurant, but as soon as he mentioned it to me I saw his phone, deep in the seat crease in his car. That is where he found it. The more you believe in the visions that come to you, the more they will come to you. Skepticism, self-doubt will curb you from receiving visions, so have an open  mind and see what comes to you.

Premonitions

Premonitions are visions or omens that foretell a future event. Unlike divination that is a formal practice of seeing into the future using tools of some sort, like runes, crystal balls or tarot cards, premonitions come to the person unaided and spontaneously. They have the irritating quality of 'popping' into your mind at anytime, regardless of what you are doing. You just suddenly see something, and you get the feedback a few minutes, hours or days later when the vision happens to come true. Again, if you believe in the information coming to you, it can aid you in your day to day life.

Many people first start to experience premonitions when they start going through puberty. During this time, between the ages of 12-14, typically, young teens often see things that then come true. I, myself, had a number of premonitions when I was around 12 years old. One's critical mind normally slow down these experiences when someone grows older and matures, but some people retain the ability. The good news is, even if you no longer feel that you have visions, see omens or have premonitions, the more you read about the subject, the more you practice magickal skills, the more you will open your mind and start "seeing" beyond what is normally seen.

Peace and Happiness




© 2010-2016 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. 

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

More on Working with Crystal Grids!

Good Afternoon,

I have received a lot of positive, wonderful feedback concerning the last discussion on crystal grids.  I am so happy people liked the discussion. I have been asked though, to go into more detail on what I can construct a crystal grid to do and what I could magickally manifest using the grids.

Crystal grids can be used to manifest just about any outcome you desire. You simply need to give the grid time to condense and localize it's energy before it is sent out to the user.

We've discussed the Fab Five magickal spell casting goals before, i.e. money, love, healing, tranquility and protection. But crystal grids can be worked to manifest more specific goals not encompassed by the fab five.

You can, for instance, construct a grid to help you manifest the perfect job for you, or create the best possible, loving relationship with a significant other, You can use one to keep a loved one safe that is away from home, perhaps a soldier over seas, heal a sick animal or communicate with loved ones who have passed over. You can use a grid to banish harmful energies from your space, help you lose weight, have more endurance and stamina when working out, make you sleep better and more completely, keep your house tidy and organized, ensure a dinner party goes just right. There is no limit to where you can go with crystal grids.

• So start by having a magickal goal. What will you manifest (change) in your life with the grid? 
• Then start gathering the supplies. The diagram you will use, the crystals and stones and wand. 
• Gather as needed, any additional supplies you'll need such as a petition paper or tarot card to put under the center focus stone. 
• Smudge the area and your supplies to eliminate unwanted energies and enhance the wanted energies. 
• You can lightly anoint each stone with a trace smear of essential oil, of course, in keeping with the magickal goal. 
• After you have constructed your crystal grid, feel free to burn some candles around the grid, again also in keeping with the magickal goal. 
• Remember to draw the path of the energies with the wand, from your third eye, to each stone around the pattern. 

If you have any questions, please refer to last weeks discussion on Crystal Grids. It was published right before this one and is the next in line as you scroll down the page. 

Crystal Grid work, as I have described it,  with it's various elements of construction and charging, becomes a multi-layered advanced spell casting tool that anyone can use. You must be focused and visualize each and every step clearly, construct it, ideally, in a magick circle or at least have all items in a magick circle, charge them and then construct the final grid where it will stay put. Make sure you can construct it and leave it set up with no disturbance for at least 40 days. 

As a final note to working with the grids or with magick in general, remember you can not do anything that will adversely affect  another, such as a curse or a hex. It simply will not work against them and will only come directly back to you. Never try to send a harmful or negative spell against another, no matter how 'righteous' you think you are. That is considered black magick and makes the person doing it a dark magician, and they will find their powers quickly taken away, rendering them incapable of manifesting anything, good or bad. Stick with love and light and your magick will be quite effective. Ms. Faith 

Peace and Happiness 

© 2010-2016 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.

Constructing and Working with Crystal Grids

Good Afternoon,

Today I want to introduce you to a very exciting spell casting concept. Crystal Grids. Nowadays, crystal grids are used in Reiki practice, in Eastern Indian culture and many magickal practitioners have used them. I am going to explain to you what they are, how to construct one, and how to use them.

Firstly, I will tell you, if you Google Crystal Grids and read about them or watch videos on the Internet about how to construct one, you will find dozens of ways and concepts concerning them. For our discussion today, I am going to explain to you how a witch constructs and uses a crystal grid.

Sacred Geometry:

There are man people on the Internet that simply place a bunch of crystals and stones on a table in a pretty formation and call that a crystal grid. It's not. The original concept of crystal grids go back in time and utilize sacred geometry. Sacred geometry is found in designs created by nature such as a Nautilus shell, an ear of corn, a honeycomb. One definition of a crystal grid and what it can do is as follows:  " A crystal grid is a collection, that you have chosen of many crystals, stones and minerals and that which you  arranged in a pleasing, harmonious sacred geometric arrangement on a grid design.   With your energy and the energy  of the stones, the pathways you create works magickally to convert  and focus all of the magickal energies combined which then manifests in a variety of forms (e.g. sound, light, electromagnetism) into a unified energy field tuned to a particular desire or magickal goal. The unified energy field that is created allows for vibrational manifestations of the crystal grid energies with the body, mind and spirit of the magickal practitioner, creating the desired manifestation in the life of the person who constructs the grid." 

Sacred geometry is natural formations found to be based on the Fibonacci sequence, number or code. This sequence of numbers, by measurement is found to occur in many forms in nature. The code is 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 and so forth. The first two numbers equal 2, the second and third number equal 3, the third and fourth number equals 5 and so on and so forth. If you use these numbers in measurements, scientists have found this sequence to be replicated throughout the natural world. As witches we don't need to be genius mathematicians to use sacred geometry and I have included some diagrams below that can be used to construct your crystal grid upon.

This grid formation is commonly called the "flower of life" and is excellent for many grid constructions.

This grid is commonly called the "seed of life"

This diagram is commonly called the "Reiki Grid"

By searching on the Internet you can find many different grids or mandalas, as they are also known. Once you have chosen a design, you can start constructing your crystal grid. You need a quartz crystal to place in the center of your grid. And at least 12 or more additional stones, crystals, minerals, tumbled stones or gemstones to surround your center crystal.

Constructing your Grid:

You also need a smudge stick of desert sage and a wand. A wand is very necessary, simply using your finger to create the pathway for the energy is not enough. If you do not have a witches wand, using a longer quartz crystal point as a wand will work.

Now to start: First, light your smudge stick and sage or smudge the area over the table where you will construct your grid. Smudging the entire room would be helpful also. Keep in mind, once the grid has been constructed, it needs to stay in place for at least 40 days to fully manifest what you desire. If you'd like you can keep a grid in place for up to a year, where it will continue to manifest your desires.

After you have smudged the area, then gather your stones and crystals. You need to know what the magickal properties of the stones you are using. For instance if you are creating a grid for prosperity and wealth, do not use stones known for drawing in love or healing. You need to use appropriate stones for what you are going to manifest. If the stones have multiple purposes like jade and lapis lazuli which are known for money drawing and wealth, but they are also strong love drawing stones you can absolutely use them for a love grid. Just know what you are using them for, and have a strong visualization in mind at the start.

Starting in the North, yes, you do need to know where you are directionally to construct a grid, start by placing the outer stones at intersecting points, if your diagram has them, going in a deosil or clockwise direction. If there are no intersecting points along the outer rim of your design, place the stones evenly along the perimeter. Then moving in to the center intersecting points, which every design will have, place the stones (these can be another choice of stone or crystal from the outer rim) on the intersections, again starting in the North and going deosil (clockwise). Then gently place the center crystal last. At this time, if you'd like, you can write a word, indicating what your desire for the grid to manifest is, on a piece of paper and place it under the center crystal.

After you have placed all of the stones and crystals, your grid may look something like these:

These are just a few of the many designs you can come up with. And by using different stones, crystals, designs and desires your crystal grid will be unique to you and unlike any others.

Now that you have constructed the crystal grid, it is not finished yet. Just placing a bunch of stones on a table may have some effect, like carrying magickal stones in your pockets, but we can intensify the effect and make the manifestation so much more powerful by charging your grid.

Charging your Grid:

Take your witches wand or the crystal point and sitting near the grid, get comfortable and relax. Breath in and out for a few moments and see a strong visual of what you wish to manifest in your mind. Then take your wand or crystal point and touch it to your forehead, to your third eye. Hold it there for a moment and then touch the first outer stone you placed in the North. After touching that stone move the wand to the next stone going closer to the center crystal. You are making an energetic pathway from each stone to the center crystal. Keep moving around the grid, going clockwise, touching one stone, then the next, then the center crystal, every now and again touching your third eye and then more stones. You want to slowly make your way around the design three times. Touching each stone with your wand and then making your way to the center stone and so on. Once you have gone around three times, then with
keeping your wand in the air above the grid and not touching anything, move it along three times in the air in a circle over the grid, again in a clockwise direction.

When you're finished say "So Mote it Be" and you're done.  Leave your grid up for at least 40 days, and do not try to move it or deconstruct it. If you do, you will have to complete all the steps again to re-construct it, so be sure it's where you want it to be before you start.

You are using many magickal energies when using a crystal grid. You are using the energies of sacred geometry, the magickal energies inherent in the natural stones, your magickal energy from your third eye, the magickal energy of visualization and the energy of the pattern or pathway which is the same as walking a labyrinth.
There are a lot of magickal energies all coming together to manifest your desire. You can use a crystal grid to manifest just about anything you desire. But do it for yourself. To help another, show them how to construct a crystal grid. Doing for yourself, unless you are very close and have a very loving relationship with that person, is best. Even if you help another person with the construction of a grid, have them use the wand and visualize. It will be much more effective for them.

This discussion was more lengthy and detailed than usual, but constructing a crystal grid is by no means a fast and easy practice. But the end results are worth it. So read this discussion over carefully and get to work gathering all of your supplies. If you are in the area of Enchantments we sell the diagrams and all of the stones, crystals, smudge and wands you might need. Also any questions the Witches of Enchantments would be happy to answer, just give us a call.

Happy Crystal Grid Constructing!


Peace and Happiness


© 2010-2016 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.