The Goddesses at Enchantments

 Good Afternoon,

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

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

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

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

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

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


Peace and Happiness






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

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

Working with the Goddess

 Good Afternoon,


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

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

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

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

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

Peace and Happiness 





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

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

Our Pagan Thanksgiving is coming up soon, Happy Lughnasadh!

 Good Afternoon,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Peace and Happiness







© 2010-2014 Faith M. McCann. Portions of this blog posting may include materials from my book “Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts First Year Magickal Studies.” For more information, see www.enchantmentsschool.com or go to the title of tonight's discussion and click, it will link you to my school's website. Please note that the copying and/or further distribution of this work without express written permission is prohibited. If you know someone who would like my work, please send them this link. If you or they would like to be included on our daily email distribution list send me an e mail with your email address to be included. If you ever wish to unsubscribe to this blog, please contact me and you will be immediately removed from our list.

Raven Grimassi's workshop is coming up!

Good Afternoon,

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

THE CORD OF GREENWOOD MAGIC & WORKING WITH PLANT SPIRITS

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

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

I look forward to seeing you there! Ms. Faith


Peace and Happiness


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

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

The Real Work of the Witch

Good Afternoon,

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

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

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

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

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

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


Peace and Happiness






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

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

Enjoying Mother Nature's Weather

Good Afternoon,


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

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

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

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

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

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


Peace and Happiness






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

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

Gardening by the Moon

Good Evening,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peace and Happiness







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


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

Happy Litha! Enchantments celebrates the Summer Solstice Saturday!

 Good Afternoon,



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

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

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

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

Happy Litha!


Peace and Happiness






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

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

A Magickal Garden Tour

Good Afternoon,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Peace and Happiness









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


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

Raven Grimassi & Stephanie Taylor Grimassi are coming to Enchantments!

 

 

 

 

 

Good Afternoon!

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

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

 

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

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


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

Peace and Happiness 













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


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

Do you know how to harvest a wand?

Good Afternoon,


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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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


Peace and Happiness





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


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

Blessing your Gardens

Good Afternoon,

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

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

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

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

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


Peace and Happiness






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

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

Time to plant the gardens!

 Good Afternoon,

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

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

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

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


Peace and Happiness


 

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

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

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

 Good Afternoon,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



Peace and Happiness




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


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

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

 Good Afternoon!

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

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

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

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

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

I wish you all a Blessed Beltaine!


Peace and Happiness







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

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

Beltaine is almost upon us!

Good Afternoon, 

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

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

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

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


Peace and Happiness





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

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

Answers to Last Weeks Test Questions

Good Afternoon,


Today I am answering the questions I posed last week.  The students of Enchantments took their tests and gladly everyone did really well. Here are the answers to last weeks questions:

Under History:

Archaeology is no longer using B.C. or A.D. to determine dates.  They are using instead B.C.E. and C.E.  Please describe what each mean. 

Archaeology is making an attempt to remove religion from the archaeological record of the world. In doing so they have replaced B.C. which stood for 'Before Christ' with B.C.E. which stands for 'Before the Common Era'. The Common Era starting with year 1.  They replaced A.D. which stood for 'Anno Domini', meaning 'in the year of our Lord' with C.E., Common Era. I personally like this better because the Earth is filled with so many rich, beautiful religions and no one religion is better or more right than any other. The history of the Earth should have no religious designation. (In my humble witch's opinion)

 

 Who was the first person put to death on Colonial American soil for the charges of Witchcraft? 

Her name was Alyse Young. She was 47 years old in 1647 when she was hung for the crime of witchcraft.

Where was this person put to death in Colonial America?

 Alyse was hung at the then, New State House, now the Old State House in Hartford, CT. She lived in Windsor, CT

How many people were put to death on Gallow's Hill in Salem, Mass? 

20 people  were put to death during the summer of the Salem Witch Trials. 19 hung on Gallow's Hill in Salem, and one person, Giles Corey was pressed to death under torture. 

What year was the Salem witch trials? 1692

What two parts of the year did the Ancient Celts recognize? 

They recognized two seasons, winter from November 1st to May 1st and Summer from May 1st to November 1st.

Spell Casting: 

How many total days of the month can one do full or new moon magick?

 A total of fourteen days.  For each moon, we teach, one can do moon magick three days before the moon, the day of the moon, and three days after the moon. Making it a total of seven days each moon, fourteen days for both the full moon and the new moon combined. The rest of the days, regular magickal workings can be done, just without the added punch of the moon's energy.

 

Ritual Workings: 

How many Sabbats are there in the Wheel of the Year?

 Eight Sabbats or Holy days 

• Samhain          November 1st         A greater or Major Sabbat 
• Yule                 December 20-24th The Winter Solstice, a Lesser or Minor Sabbat 
• Imbolc             February 1st           A Major Sabbat 
• Ostara             March 20-24th       The Spring or Vernal Equinox a Lesser Sabbat 
• Beltaine            May 1st                 A Major Sabbat the First day of our Summer season begins 
• Litha                 June 20-24th         The Summer Solstice a Lesser Sabbat 
• Lughnasadh      August 1st              A Major Sabbat 
• Mabon             September 20-24th The Fall or Autumnal Equinox a Lesser Sabbat

Peace and Happiness 

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

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

Time to take a test!

 Good Afternoon,

It's that time of the semester again, Test time! True, many people dislike taking tests, but it still is the best way to determine how much information the student is getting from a course of study. I actually look at each test as MY test. What I mean is, if a student does well on a test, I know the material I try to teach every Saturday morning is getting across.

I thought you might be interested in seeing some of the questions that will be on the test. For my students that read my blog weekly, I can sense their ears perking up now. You see their tests are this Saturday. But to be fair, I will post the answers to todays questions next week. That way, I don't give away anything.

The tests this weekend will be first semester, mid term exams and final exams along with a Mastery Degree Program test for Herbal Studies.  Some of the questions that will appear on these tests are:

Under History:

Archaeology is no longer using B.C. or A.D. to determine dates.  They are using instead B.C.E. and C.E.  Please describe what each mean. 

B.C.E.

C.E. 

Who was the first person put to death on Colonial American soil for the charges of Witchcraft? 

Where was this person put to death in Colonial America?

How many people were put to death on Gallow's Hill in Salem, Mass? 

What year was the Salem witch trials? 

What two parts of the year did the Ancient Celts recognize? 

Spell Casting: 

How many total days of the month can one do full or new moon magick? 

 

Ritual Workings: 

How many Sabbats are there in the Wheel of the Year? 

These are just a few of the questions the students in Enchantments school for the Magickal Arts will be challenged with. 

For students taking the end of year exam they are required to get a 90% accuracy rate or better to pass the course.

Next week I'll post the answers to this weeks questions. Have a great week! 

Peace and Happiness

 






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


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

My new class 'Practical Magick' at MCC this month!

Good Afternoon,

Welcome Spring! Oh my, take a deep breath, that would be Spring air you are breathing in. Feels good doesn't it? Well, it's also that time of year when I will be conducting my witches class at Manchester Community College this semester. I am only running this course twice a year, in the Spring and again in the Fall, so if you want to sign up for a fun class on magick, witchcraft and learning what it's all about, now is your chance!

This course is called 'Practical Magick' and the course description reads as follows:  "Have you ever wondered about witches or pagans and their belief systems? Maybe you have marveled at the full moon and wished you could do something to honor it, or celebrate in some special way the solstices, equinoxes and the four seasons.  This course will guide you on your way! Learn the history of the witch, The Wheel of the Year, Moon Magick, Candle Magick, and many other magickal topics. The final class will be a magickal potions workshop held at Enchantments, 349 East Center Street, Manchester during which time students will make and bring home their own potion and take part in a real witches magick circle ritual. Materials fee: $10 payable to instructor at first class."
Course Number: CRN 11871
Fee: $65
Held: 4 Mondays 4/21-5/12 from 7-9 pm in classroom LRC B209 (first three sessions); Enchantments (final session)

Instructor: Faith McCann is a third degree Wiccan Priestess. She is also owner of Enchantments, a Wiccan Metaphysical Center for the Magickal Arts, located in Manchester, CT

Sounds pretty awesome doesn't it? Well, it is! We have a lot of fun and everyone always tells me they wish the course were longer. Well for those that wish to continue their studies you can enroll in Enchantments School for the Magickal Arts for our Saturday morning classes. I can tell you more about them at another time, or you can check out my school's website for further details about the school. Here's the website: www.enchantmentsschool.com

Do you want to sign up for my class at MCC? Well, it's super easy. Just call this number and have a credit card handy. That's it. The number is 860-512-3232. They accept MasterCard, Visa and Discover. Please call this number between the hours of 8:30 am and 4:30 pm Monday thru Friday.

I hope to see you there!


Peace and Happiness






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

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