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.

Pancake Day also known to Christians as Shrove Tuesday

Good Afternoon,

Yesterday was a holy day for some Christians called Shrove Tuesday. Shrove is another word for 'shrive' which means to confess. It, at one time, was a day for introspection and looking at your life in ways that you could change for the better. The day has also been called,in various cultures, Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday, and has traditionally been a day to 'pig out' right before the 40 day restrictive period of Lent. These 40 days Christians typically deny themselves of certain 'fun' foods, foods they have little resistance over or foods they crave.

The making of pancakes came from the Fat Tuesday concept of using up perishable foods and getting rid of tempting foods right before Lent, like eggs, flour, butter and sugar. Pancakes and syrup make for the perfect food to use up all of these tempting food stuffs. But, let me tell you something you might not have known about the humble pancake.

It has a magickal history, long before Christianity and it comes from the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe. Cultures, everywhere, before the introduction to Christianity to Europe in the 600 c.e, era, were magickal people. They saw magick in everything and all around them. Nature was especially magickal as the peoples of this time lived with nature, a part of it, whereas today we tend to live in spite of nature. Well, for people of these magickal times, they used a magickal system called sympathetic magicks.

For instance the Slavs saw the warm, golden brown pancake as a symbol of the life giving Sun in the heavens above. They felt that by consuming the hot, sweet pancakes they would bring the life giving energies of the Sun into their bodies and into their lives. They were helping the Gods to banish the evil forces of winter, coldness and sickness that often comes in the wintertime. They felt the golden pancakes would return the Sun to the sky and warm up the earth in preparation for spring planting. Of course when the Slavic peoples of Eastern Europe were consuming the pancakes they weren't doing it before a period of fasting. They would eat, when they had plenty of food, as a celebration and of giving thanks for the abundance that would nourish them and keep starvation at bay. Today the Polish people call pancakes Nalesniki. You can find pancakes in many, many cultures around the world. Some are eaten sweetened and some savory.

 Unfortunately, for the tribal peoples that inhabited Europe at this time, before Christianity, there was all too often, times of starvation and want. Food was primarily hunted and gathered, before the introduction of agriculture, which was started when the first seed was planted by a human and watched over and nurtured until it was harvested. But thousands of years passed when humans roamed the earth before that first seed was planted. And want, starvation, malnutrition and death due to these factors was common and occurred in every village, every winter.

Pagans did not need a enforced fasting time, that later Christians adopted as part of their religious practice. Modern Pagans still do not often bring fasting into their spiritual practice, unless it is a personal choice. We understand the Goddess and God have given us everything we need on this earth. We simply need to make wise choices on how to use what we have.

And interestingly enough, those Christians or Holy men throughout history that have a story of fasting or giving up of material things, it's important to understand where they were coming from. They weren't giving up of material things or refusing to eat certain luxury foods because they were martyrs, not at all. They simply put aside, that which no longer served them. They weren't depriving themselves at all. They still ate and drank. They still wore clothes. They simply put aside the material things they had no further use for in that part of their lives. There are some people today who choose to live a simplistic life, for this same reason.

In some parts of Scandinavia, peas and salted, preserved meat is eaten and in other parts a rich, hearty pea soup, honoring the early spring pea, one of the first vegetables able to be harvested after winter, is consumed and spring is celebrated.

So it is up to you whether you eat the pancakes or not. But never give up something because you feel that by deprivation, suffering and want it will grant you points in the after life. Life is for living, enjoying and loving. Embrace it all! Enjoy it all! Take all you can get and live your life to the fullest!
Leave the suffering to the martyrs. And, have a pancake or two!

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.

Happy Imbolc - Our First Spring Ritual

 Happy Imbolc,


Many Wiccans and Pagans today celebrate this First of Spring Sabbat. Let me start by pointing out an important detail. Imbolc has traditionally been celebrated on the first day of February. That's right, February 1st. You will, no doubt, see a lot of references on the Internet and in some published books that mention the day being celebrated on February 2nd. This date is the Christian holiday of Candlemass. It is one example of the early Christians adopting and trying to change the existing Pagan holidays (holy days) on the Wheel of the Year to reflect a more accepted Christian outlook.

The early Christians took many Sabbats of the Wheel of the Year and turned them into religious Masses, we have Candlemass overtaking  Imbolc, Lughnasadh on August 1st that became Loaf Mass, keeping the original Pagan focus of the grains and breads that came from the field (for the Christians, that came from God) and of course the biggest for some people,Yule, at the winter Solstice which became Christmas, or Christ's Mass.

 There were other Sabbats overtaken by the early Christians which were considered very special religious days but without the word mass in their new names. Such as Pagan Samhain on November 1st, which the Christians changed into a three day event of fasting, prayer and extreme martyrdom and they called on October 31st, All Hallows Eve, the night before the day of All Hallows day on November 1st. All Hallows stood for a day to pray for all the Saints and angels. Then the next day, November 2nd, became all Soul's day, a day to pray for everyone else. This was done to eliminate the Pagan day of the dead, our memorial day, of Samhain.  Another day adopted and overtaken from the Pagans by the early Christians was our Spring ritual at the Vernal or Spring Equinox of Eostra or Ostara. This day was then called Easter and interestingly celebrated the death and resurrection of the Christ. The Pagans saw the "God" of the harvest cut down and dying in the fields at Mabon and Samhain, and being resurrected at the winter solstice at Yule.

Both Pagan and Christian follow a Wheel of the Year. Our follows the Goddess and God as they dance around the Wheel of the Year following the planting, growing and harvesting of the fields, the birth, life and death of the God of the harvest and the Christians follow the birth, life and death of their Christed one. In so many way, we truly celebrate the same concepts, metaphorically. Interestingly, on the Pagan Wheel of the Year, the Goddess appears young, as the Maiden, Matronly as the Mother and Elderly as the Crone, but she does not die in the course of the year as does the God.

Getting back to Imbolc, this is a time when we humans today, who use the Whee of the Year to plant, grow and harvest, metaphorically, changes we wish to create in our lives. During our Sabbat ritual yesterday, I passed out to everyone, a terracotta flower pot. They will bring their pot home and contemplate what they wish to bring into their lives this year. They can decorate the pot anyway they wish. Giving it on the outside some symbolism of what will be growing inside of it and in their lives. Come Ostara in March, we will bring our pots back and fill them with potting soil and plant charged, blessed and empowered seeds from some herbs. We will offer lavender seeds for those who wish to bring in tranquility to their lives, basil seeds for love or money, rosemary for magick and just about any specific magickal goal, parsley for protection and so forth.

If you plan to celebrate today or tomorrow, you might choose to substitute the traditional cakes and ale with fresh milk and cheese, as the term Imbolc is thought to be a Gaelic term that refers to the milk 'In the Belly' of the ewes in the fields that are giving birth and nursing the new lambs in the fields.

I have noticed early signs of Spring already this year. About 3 weeks ago, I saw many Canada geese flying home, this is almost a full month before they normally fly back. My mother, in upstate Vermont, saw red wing black birds in January, when they normally don't appear until March. We have had a very mild winter so far, here in Southern New England  and wands crossed that the mild winter continues.

To celebrate the arrival of Spring, bring fresh spring flowers into your home. You'll find many beautiful flowers in the markets and florists in your town. Eating fresh fruit, fresh baked breads and light meals, chicken, fish, vegetarian dishes are all appropriate this time of year.

Have a Blessed Imbolc and Welcome 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.

Worried About Picking up Unwanted Energy? Let's Discuss

Good Snowy Afternoon,

Well, winter has finally blown in to take it's throne here in Southern New England. Many people take time during the winter months to clean and clear out a lot of unwanted stuff destined for tag sale tables and second hand consignment and thrift stores. But, if you are a magickal person, and as such have a developed sense of physic awareness and can sense the energy of an object, these places can be difficult to visit.

Many items that have been closely used by a person over a considerable amount of time will become imbued with that person's energy. Now, let me be clear about one thing. Just picking an object up, holding it for a few minutes or so will not flood the object with energies that can be detected. Likewise new items that have come from a factory, are shipped and un-boxed to be put in the showcase of your friendly neighborhood witch shop, also has little to no discernable energy.

I normally do not buy or even browse in an antique store, or consignment shop. But, if you are fond of finding good deals of previously used items, here's an idea of things that retain a certain level of energy imprints for you to consider. Clothing (that has been worn more than once) along with items made of cloth, dolls, stuffed animals, upholstered furniture, blankets, throws, decorative pillows all retain a high energy imprint.  Previously worn shoes are loaded with the previous owners energies! Never wear pre-owned shoes!!  Having these item around you can easily leak their previous owners energy onto you and into your life. You can pick up energies such as depression, unhappiness, anger, stress, chaotic thoughts, scattered thoughts, sadness, excitement, even extreme happiness and joy. Of course, if the latter occurs, it may not be an unwanted thing.

Items made from wood,metal, bone, ceramic or stone also retain an energy imprint, if owned for a long time and handled frequently. Especially furniture, that is often sat in, used as in a table for meals, or slept in, as in a bed or couch, sofa, these pieces will retain energy that can be felt by others. It is up to the person in question if they find the energies pleasant and wanted or disturbing and unwanted.

I have found in my experience, and with my heightened sense of  feeling energy imprints, that there is one type of item to be found in antique shops, tag sales or consignment shops that retains very little energy, and that is decorative glassware. I have collected decorative glassware, objects d' art, myself. The very nature of a piece of pretty glass lends it to absorb very little energy over the years. Firstly, glass is made by melting it in extremely high heat and when it hardens and cools it is non porous and very clean of energies, having been 'sterilized' by the glass making process. Unlike a piece of wood that is hand carved, or created by a carpenter who sands, rubs, stains and polishes lending their energy to the piece, glass is not handled by hand during the creation process because it is too hot. When it has cooled, a pretty piece of glass is often placed for viewing pleasure and seldom handled due to the risk of breakage. I have found very old glass with very little residual energy attached. Collecting old decorative glass is probably the least risky business when considering energy imprints.

Legendarily cursed Hope Diamond 

One of the most heavily energy imprinted objects one can buy or acquire is jewelry. Jewelry is worn close to the body and at times favorite pieces are seldom removed and are often touched or caressed while being worn.  Many times there are strong emotional, sentimental feelings associated with a piece of jewelry that also imprints on the piece. Pre-owned jewelry is probably the one item of pre-owned artifacts I would never own. Historically, famous pieces have been passed down or sold throughout history with legendary curses attached and bad luck or other maladies befalling the latest owners. Interestingly so, when these items become property of a public museum, the bad energy seems to become frozen and no longer wrecks havoc.

So, the importance to be taken from this discussion is to be very careful when purchasing something that has been previously owned by another. Rarely, but in addition to bringing unwanted energies into your home you could be very unlucky and bring an actual ghost that for some reason has attached itself to a piece previously owned. The ghost itself may be the previous owner. Historically when this happens it seems almost impossible to cleanse the item of the attached spirit. The only thing that can be done is to remove the item from your home and spiritually cleanse and bless the home completely.

The very best thing is to buy new, MOST especially any magickal tools, supplies, items for your altar or magickal room.  There are a lot of pre-owned magickal tools and supplies often sold on EBay and the Internet and at psychic fairs, and I wouldn't touch any of them with a ten foot wand!  You will, quite literally, be bringing into your magickal practice and circle the energy of others, that you don't know and do not know how friendly those energies are. Best to be very careful when choosing your magickal tools and supplies. It is also easier to imbue your magickal energy into a tool without having anyone else's energy interfering with your own.

When buying new tool or piece of furniture, it never hurts to smudge it with a sage smudge stick just to be sure it is sacredly cleansed and ready for your energy.  




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 Mercury Retrograde for what it Really is.

Happy New Year Magickal Reader!!

Well, what a way to start the New Year, by going into Mercury retrograde! Lovely isn't it? No need to worry, because by looking at Mercury Retrograde for what it really is, we can get through this together.  And much of it is simply perception.

Mercury is a planet and the planet closest to the Sun. It has the shortest orbit around the Sun. Three or four times a year when Mercury passes Earth on it's orbit it appears to slow down and looks to go backwards. It isn't going backwards of course, it just appears that way to the eye. In history Mercury the God was the messenger, delivering communication. And he is also the ruler of financial commerce, travel, eloquence in speech, travel, divination, truth, trickery and thieves.

All of these areas can get a bit messed up during Mercury's backwards trek, and affects us in the following ways:

Computer generated communication can get messed up. This includes any devices such as cell phones, tablets, IPods, and the like. Things like, very slow, choppy connections, sent messages that don't get delivered, computers crashing and needing re-booting, lost material (be sure to back up all important documents, emails and other written material.) Haha no coincidences! As I just finished writing this last paragraph, my computer connection broke down and I had to re-boot.

 To deal with the above possible difficulties, be sure to again back up your information, give yourself plenty of time to finish reports or other tasks on the computer, so you won't be late. And most importantly, be patient. You phone may start acting wonky, you'll miss calls, calls may go straight to voicemail, and other weirdness's may appear on or while using your phone.

Other areas that may be affected are travel. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get places, be patient when you find yourself in traffic jams and long lines. Make sure you keep your car gassed up, have your car looked over by a mechanic before you take long trips and be sure your tires and battery are newer than older. Also since we're in the midst of winter, here in Southern New England, be sure to have a blanket, cell phone charger, protein bars, bottles of water, small shovel and small bag of sand or kitty litter to help you get out of a stuck in the snow situation. Always carry your cell phone with you and always let someone know your travel plans.

Be aware that communication, one to one, can often get really screwed up. You'll say something in perfect innocence and it will be misunderstood, and misconstrued, causing all sorts of strife! Try to be as clear and simply worded as possible. The less wordy you are, the less chance for misunderstandings. If misunderstandings occur just apologize and be the bigger person. Things can be smoothed over with your handling of the situation rather than letting it fester and grow bigger than it needs to be.

Be very careful watching over your finances, your banking records and any firms, banks or organizations that handle your money for you. Keep all records, receipts and documents in regards to your finances and be very careful about any monetary transactions that occur during this time frame. Also be aware of simple monetary transactions like cash transactions at the convenience store, or super market. Make sure you get the right change back and be doubly sure you know you are in a safe place when using debit or credit cards.        

Be careful to  keep your doors locked and possessions safe. Mercury governs thieves, and during Mercury Retrograde things go better for thieves rather than becoming more difficult. Thieves are more successful and things taken during this time are seldom recovered. If things are stolen, know they are gone for good and don't stress. There's nothing that can be done, but do be sure to file a police report.

Most of all, during the phase of Mercury in Retrograde try not to become a victim. Not everything that happens is because of Mercury Retrograde. Mistakes happen, things get broken and everyone has a bad day, but somethings happen completely on their own. Blaming everything on M.R. won't help matters. Be aware that we create our reality and being responsible for what we create is a big part of living a magickal life.

Good News, Mercury Retrograde is over on January 26th, 2016.  And it will only happen another three times during this year. But being prepared will make the situation much easier to deal with.
Happy January!



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.

Using Sympathetic Magicks to Start Your New Year off Right

Good Afternoon,

The New Year will soon be upon us and I am often asked what can be done magickally to mark this special time of the year.  This time of the year is especially good for utilizing sympathetic magicks. What I mean by sympathetic magick, is when you do something magickally that will mimic or mirror the same energy back to you. Remember what we send out returns threefold, when done magickally.

For instance, to bring abundance and plenty into your home during the next, upcoming year it is good to have fresh loaves of bread in the kitchen. Bread has for thousands of years represented financial wealth and prosperity. To have lots of fresh bread translates that you have wealth and abundance. Even of you do not have all you need in the wealth department, sympathetic magick, mimics what will be drawn to you in the coming year. Of course after the New Year day has passed, you can freeze the bread for later use.

Having Fresh flowers in the house to start the New Year, represents a healthy, strong and beautiful year ahead. On the eve of the New Year, be sure to throw out all of the trash into the bins outside, wash any dirty laundry so all is clean on new Year's day.  Clean the refrigerator out so any and all spoiled or unwanted foods are discarded. Again, bring them outside to the trash cans. Even if it is a few days before trash pick up, having it all outside gives your home a fresh, clean start for the New Year.

Plan a few nice, fancy meals to enjoy around the New Year's mark. Even if you go out to eat, having a fancy meal, with a few extras that you might normally not indulge in, like dessert or a fancy wine, will translate into an abundant year with extras coming to you and your family.

Some things to avoid during the New Year's days, which is New Year's Eve and day of, as well as New Year's Day and for this year, the weekend of:

Try to avoid getting totally drunk, even with the customary celebrations as the subsequent hang over and nausea will affect you in the coming year in less desirable ways. You might find you lack energy, stamina and endurance during the next year. Your thoughts could be muddled and concentration and focus hard to come by.

Try to avoid having fights, arguments or disagreements during these few days as sympathetically this can lead to a year of discord and unhappiness with these people whom you argued with. If there are people whom you normally have difficulties with it is best to avoid them completely during these few days. Also, this time of year, a time of reflection, may have you asking yourself if you should even keep these people in your life, if they cause you anger and unhappiness. This time of the year is a good time to start off fresh, perhaps with surrounding yourself with more positive, happy people.

Try to avoid clutter and messy areas in your home or where you do your work. If it's other people's clutter or mess, especially in a work environment, there may be little you can do about it, but keep your immediate area clean and clear. To help, especially if surrounded by others clutter, place a small bowl of quartz crystals on your desk, or even scatter them on your desk top, where they won't interfere with your work. This will help keep the energies around you clean and clear.

And, this year, instead of making a resolution that may or may not be kept, instead make a list of all the things you'd like to accomplish this upcoming year.  A year long to-do list, if you will. The things listed should be fun things you'd like to experience, to enjoy and look forward to. We often give ourselves to-do lists of things we need to do but are not much fun, chores is another word for these lists. But the list I want you to make is of things you should 'gift' to yourself. Maybe a short trip to a place you've been wanting to visit, or a purchase you've been putting off because it's an extravagance or luxury you've been denying yourself. Maybe it's a visit with an old friend you haven't seen in far too long. Sit down, write out this list, then light a fresh candle (one that has not been previously burnt) any color, and allow it to burn while you sit and meditate for a few moments, thinking about what you have written on your list and 'see' in your minds eye, yourself doing these things. Save the list after the candle has gone out and place the list somewhere where you can see it everyday or a few times a week. By the end of the year, see how many items you've done on your list! Hopefully all of them!!

These are just a few ideas to help you ring in the New Year in a magickal and happy way. Have a healthy, happy and magickal New Year!


I'll look forward to having many more discussions with you in 2016!


Peace and Happiness








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

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

Let's Discuss Magickal Intentions vs Magickal Goals

Good Afternoon,

We, many of us, have finished the Christmas/Yule celebrations and are gearing up for the New Year's Eve/Day revelries.  For many, this also means New Year's resolutions. Well, we know where, all to often, those end up! Right out the window!

I bring this up today, to make a comparison, and to discuss, magickal intentions. For those of us, who consider ourselves practicing magickal people, whether we call ourselves witches, Pagans or both, we often hear of intent or intention. We will hear others say, "as long as you have good intent" and we read about it also in magickal writings.  But I threw out the word intent a long time ago. Honestly, it just doesn't serve.  Here, let me explain. When you look at the word 'intent', it brings to my mind the same energy as a New Year's resolution. A nifty concept, but seldom followed through to the end. Not to mention, vague .  .  .  well, I guess I just did!

To be brutally honest, many magickal people go through their day to day lives trying to have the best of intentions and things still don't go right. Life happens and stuff hits the fan. So, let's look at it a different way. A way, designed more specifically, where you have a much better chance of achieving the end result you have been 'spelling' for.

It's as simple as waving your magick wand and focusing instead on a magickal goal. Sounds simple but the differences are significant. Whereas an intention can be vague, not really thought out, no specific imagery, just a feeling of wanting everything to be 'good' or 'right' or something along the warm and fuzzy lines. But what does it look like? And let us not forget, an awful lot of not nice things are done to others with the person doing the harmful deed having the 'best' of intentions. And need I remind you 'the road to hell is paved with lots and lots of good intentions?'

Instead, sit down, and design a magickal goal. A goal, unlike an intention that can easily wisp away on a breath of emotion, is solid, specific and even though you might miss your intended goal the first time you strike out for it, you can take aim again and again until you hit the mark.

A magickal goal is not simply wanting to be good but during spell work, having a specific 'picture' of what the end result will look like. An ability to visualize helps immensely in this endeavor. Being able to see the future and what you would like it to be, aides one in then creating the reality you desire.

Alas, my dear Witchlings, casting effective spells and living a magickal life is not just having the desire and wearing witchy clothes and jewelry. It takes work. Yes, having a magickal goal and working towards it is a lot more difficult than just having a vague intention. But are you a magickal person by desire .   .   .    or by practice?

Start this upcoming calendar year with the 'intention' of making magickal goals for yourself and working towards them. Write them in your Book of Shadows (You do have a Book of Shadows, don't you?) and follow them through until each and everyone has manifested in one way or another.  At the end of the next 12 months you might be surprised at how much your life has changed and how it has become so very magickal.  All because of a simple twist in how you look at things. For that is what the definition of magick is 'to bend and shape'. To twist things just slightly and then they start working for you.

Happy bending and shaping! Ms. Faith



Peace and Happiness and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!






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

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

The Magick to be Found in your Holiday Foods!

Good Afternoon,

Today I want to discuss the magicks to be found in foods we normally eat during holidays. In truth any celebration, typically involves food of some sort, whether it is snack foods, appetizers and finger foods like at Superbowl parties, birthday and cocktail parties or full, multi-course meals like one would find at Christmas or Easter dinners, Thanksgiving or Sunday dinners.

Historically food has been associated with magickal energies since the most ancient of times. It is not surprising, since the substance of food gives life, nourishment and satiation when consumed. Anything that can 'give' life and makes one feel so good afterwards would be bound to have magickal associations given to it by the ancient peoples who once inhabited the tribes and villages of the Earth. These people saw the magick inherent in the plants, trees, grasses, crystals, minerals and herbs of the land. Many still attribute a 'magickal' quality to the consumption of the food at meals today, when they take a moment to say grace before eating the food. This spiritual practice is simply a magickal incantation, which are words spoken to invoke a desired effect from a spiritual realm.

Let's look at some magickal qualities attributed to various holiday foods.

Meat - There are very few magickal qualities associated with meats as the ancients ate very little meat.  The meat that was consumed like beef or swine (pork, which was a sacred meat to the ancient Celts and Druids) was only consumed a few times a year at a Major Sabbat or two. There were a couple of reasons for this, if a village had a few cattle or pigs they would use them for milk, in reference to the cows and the pigs were extremely hard workers when it comes to tilling an area to prepare it for planting. The earliest time for the development of agriculture, the planting of seeds and plants to be harvested by humans was 11,500 years ago. Before this time people were gatherers and would gather what nature provided, where and when it was provided.

So, the magickal qualities of meat is primarily sacred energy, and thanks is given to the God and Goddess for the provision of meat.  Scott Cunningham retells a story told to him by the publisher of Llewellyn Worldwide in relation to meat. A woman contacted the publisher and told him she was under psychic attack. Someone had cast a spell on her, she couldn't eat, sleep, was losing weight etc. He asked her if she was a vegetarian, she replied 'yes'. He told her to eat a hamburger. She did and her 'attack' ceased and never returned. It is possible she was lacking in protein and needed grounding energies, which meat will provide. Meat also helps us stay in touch with Earth energies in a way simply fruits and vegetables and grains do not. I do not endorse any specific diet, that is totally up to the individual and their sense of what is right for them, but I found this story very interesting as to what our bodies and spirit needs at any given time.

Breads - Bread has been a staple of the human diet for thousands of years. It is found in every, earliest, ancient culture.  It can be simply made with very few ingredients, the simplest recipe contains just flour, water and eventually they added salt. This would make a flat bread (unleavened) that was a staple for centuries for many Egyptians and those in the Middle East. Eventually a simple ingredient which was a by product of brewing ales and wine making, yeast, was introduced making bread much more like what we recognize today. In ancient time, due to the association of grains and fours with the Goddess and Gods of the Earth, breads were important and considered sacred during birth events, death events, when a new home was inhabited fresh loaves of bread were considered the perfect housewarming gift bringing protection, love and abundance to the new household. Eating bread together at a meal had the 'magickal' ability to bond the diners together and became known as 'breaking bread'. The most simple of meals consisted of bread and water, wine or ale. This most simple of meals eventually became the sacred act of consuming cakes and ale in Pagan circles also known as communion in Christian religious practice.

In seventeenth century England, midwives would place a loaf of bread on the bed of a woman in labor to prevent the theft of the mother and child. In modern day Greece, men would pack a piece of bread before going into the Army and engaging in battle for protection, whilst field workers n Greece would bring a roll or hunk of bread with them. They wouldn't eat it with their lunch but only when they returned safely home at the end of the day. Some cultures will take a fresh baked chunk of bread, ripped from a loaf, and dipped heavily in salt and place it in a place of honor in the house, such as the dining room table, to protect the house from harmful, evil spirits.

Pies - Many celebrations have desserts for the enjoyment of party goers, and pies have been a favorite in Europe and America for centuries. It is the ingredients found in many pies that together can be considered magickal spells when eaten. For instance, pumpkin pie, with the ingredients of pumpkin squash, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and sugar, along with brown sugar and or molasses, all combine to make a love spell especially enticing to men. Whereas the ingredients in apple pie, apples, cinnamon, sugar, mace and nutmeg, when combined all become an attractive love spell which attracts women.  By giving a slice of these pies to a possible love interest it may help them perceive you in a favorable light, but it will not cause them to fall in love with you, if it is not meant to be.

You can make sugar cookies with fresh lavender buds (flower buds only) added and baked into them and give them to a friend or family member you may have had a falling out with. It can help heal the riff if you so desire.

Eggs - Eggs are eaten for spirituality, fertility, magick and abundance. Eggs have many past cultural associations of healing, protection, divination, money drawing, to name but a few. We still often incorporate eggs into our festive feasts  from deviled eggs, egg bread, quiches, frittatas or omelets for celebratory breakfasts and brunches. In contemporary magick, I have found, having fresh eggs in the household, especially at the beginning of the year will bring abundance, health and happiness. Be sure to throw away any old, or rotten eggs before the New Year or you could draw into the household unwanted energies such as depression, sadness, anger and unhappiness.

For many cultures, many foods are consumed at different festivities during the year to draw in good luck, wealth, happiness, good health and many more wanted energies, such as:

In the UK, eat Mincemeat Pies for good luck on New Year's Day
The Asians eat noodles for good luck on Chinese New Year's
Pears are consumed on Thanksgiving for good luck
And for general good luck throughout the year eat at anytime:
Red Beans and Rice,
Pancakes
Sauerkraut
Bananas
Coconut
Green Foods

Foods for physical strength in the body are the same foods that provide magickal power. The energies are the same. Some of these strength/magickal power foods are:

Chocolate (my favorite!!)
Coffee
Pineapple
Dates/Figs
Honey
Meat/Proteins of all kinds
Salt
Sauteed foods
Spicy foods
Tofu
Tea

Grounding Foods, especially good after any ritual/spiritual practice, when very stressed out and 'in your head', when feeling 'spacey' or not in touch with the physical plane, these foods might help:

Potatoes/ root vegetables like carrots, beets, turnips
beans/grains
cheeses
eggs
dense proteins like meat
peanuts
pasta dishes
tofu

There is so much material that covers the magickal energies found in food and most of them come from different cultures and eras, this is just a small sampling. Having just celebrated Christmas and Yule, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, we have all recently enjoyed traditional and comfort foods we remember from our childhood. Sometimes that is the greatest magick of all, the warmth and peace, comfort and memories the foods bring to you, as you celebrate with loved ones. Enjoy!  




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

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

Do You Know the Magick to be found in your Christmas Celebrations?

Happy Yule, Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings!

Everyone seems to celebrate something this time of year, and with good reason. You see the earliest mid-winter celebrations started many centuries ago in an attempt by man to keep the breath of life going in the deadest of times on the Wheel of the Year.

That what we are really celebrating, the birth of the SUN, as after the Winter Solstice, the Sun starts to shine longer, albeit imperceptibly at first, but longer, and longer everyday.  The ever shortening days of winter now over as we start to move in the other direction. A direction that will bring us to Summer.

But, even though we know the days are growing longer, we still have at least three very harsh, cold and "dead" months to get through. For the ancients, the winter also represented dead, in a much more intimate and personal way as many that were sick, elderly or the very young often perished during the harsh winter months. The ancients used sympathetic magicks in much of their lives. Sympathetic magick is simply having or doing something representative of what you want to happen.

Our modern Christmas celebrations are chock-full of ancient sympathetic magicks, and many are not aware of them. Let me tell you about some of the ancient magicks found in our modern Christmas:

• The evergreens brought into the house, or used in decoration outside of the house. Christmas trees, wreaths, evergreen garlands, even holiday flowers and living plants brought into the house. All of these symbolize the ancient people's desire to bring "living" green life into the home. Greenery that didn't die, so to speak. Even today, with flowering plants such as poinsettias, Christmas cactus, Cyclamen, paper whites, Amaryllis. All plants that the ancients would not have recognized, but we have cultivated them to be brought inside during the dead of winter for the exact same reason the ancients would adorn their homes with evergreen everywhere. To bring life in during the dead time of the year. Sympathetic magick being, if you had fresh living plants, and evergreens in the home, death wouldn't visit.

 Many are not aware of the full cycle of the Christmas/Yule tree. It would be chopped down and brought into the village square or into a home during the Winter Solstice. Then during the Beltaine celebrations, it was used as the May pole, then after it was well aged for the rest of the year, it would be used as the Yule log. A piece of the Yule log was retrieved from the fire, and saved to rekindle the log during the next year's Yule fire.

• Do you burn candles at Christmas time? Candles have been used for thousands of years to dispel the evil forces of the night and the harmful spirits that would lurk in dark corners. The first candles were most likely used in a practical sense, to simply light up a darkened area so one could see what was happening and where they were going. After a time, ritual and magick started to be associated with burning candles and we still use candles in today's modern witches spells.  And yes, even in the Church, when you burn a candle for a person, ask a Saint or God himself to look over a person, or to fix a situation favorably, this is a spell. Spells are not evil, or wrong, simply misunderstood. I bet you have done a candle spell, probably several times in your life! If you have ever blown out the candles on your birthday cake, you are performing an ancient candle spell that is over 5,000 years old!  Placing candles on your dining room table, in the colors of the season, red, green, silver and gold and burning them, will succeed in drawing love, abundance, good health and happiness into your life for the upcoming season. 

• Some people, at this time of year, burn incense or enjoy the incense burned during church services, especially Frankincense and Myrrh. These two resin incense have been used since before Biblical times, especially in ancient Egypt during mummification and other funerary rituals. They are quite magickal indeed and were given for their magickal purposes to the baby Jesus because it was known to the religious scholars of the day that he would need protection from harmful forces. Burning these resin incenses today succeeds in raising the vibrational level of a room or area, in effect, creating sacred space. Of course the witch does more work to assure her sacred space is ready for magickal workings, but anyone can burn this combination of  resins to create  peace and tranquility not normally found in an area. 

Next week we'll talk about the magicks found in the food and drink normally reserved for the Christmas/Yuletide season! 

Peace and Happiness

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

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

A Contemporary Witch's Way of Celebrating the Holidays!

Father Christmas/Green Man


Good Afternoon,

Well the holiday season is upon us, and many witches celebrate the upcoming winter season in a variety of ways. With owning a witch shop, one gets a pretty good view of how others choose to celebrate. Some witches have disregarded the "Christmas" part of the holiday and celebrate Yule, with a celebration on the 20th or 21st of December and treating the 25th a just a day off from work. Others due to work requirements and such, celebrate Yule, just on the 25th when almost everyone gets the day off to spend with family. Some still celebrate Christmas, and still others celebrate both! Yes, you can celebrate anyway you choose.

 Many witches and magickal people whom I have met have bad feelings about Christianity and the Church and don't wish to be associated with it. But in my view, if we stop to think about it, what has the church or Christianity actually done to you, that is so bad? Now, yes, there are those who have an actual bad experience or memory that causes them to dislike the church. But many of us, don't. We just dislike what the institution of the Christian Church has done over the centuries to so many. Some, today, actually wave the banner of hatred and disgust against the Christian church as if they are on a crusade! My personal feels are, I try not to hate anyone, I might hate actions of cruelty and neglect, but the actions, not the person.

I wasn't brought up in a religious household, but like so many in our country, we celebrated what would be considered Christian holidays, like Christmas and Easter. In our family we would have a big family dinner and all the trappings of the holiday at hand. For Christmas, there would be presents, a tree and decorations and lights around the house.

I have had my years with just celebrating Yule as a younger witchling (just getting started) and of course, like so many others, absolutely appalled at the history of the Church against the pagan population in Europe. A few years of celebrating on the 21st and just treating the 25th as any other day. But I felt as if something was missing.

And over the years, my life as a witch has evolved as much as my practice of witchcraft. In the beginning we read all sorts of books, take classes and learn from others. But eventually, if you stay on the path long enough, you must branch out and start doing it your own specific way. Make the lifestyle your own, not someone else's. Like spell casting, where you get to a place where you start writing your own spells, designing your own recipes and making magick that is completely your own. You do this by observations and seeing what works for you and disregarding that which does not work for you.

Yule Log

So over the years I have become what I would call a hybrid Witch. Enjoying the tradition of both Pagan and Christian traditions. For truly, especially in the United States, we have the luxury of celebrating exactly how we choose to. For me, and I don't make the assumption that my way is the way for everyone, shudder to even think that!! But, for me, I love the idea of a Yule log, whether burning in the fire place or the yummy chocolate cream filled rolled cakes one might find on the buffet table for dessert.

Yule Log dessert

I also have a Christmas/Yule tree as it just doesn't seem like the season without one. The decorations can be as Christian or Pagan or sentimental as you like. It's also a really nice way of incorporating both faiths on one tree, especially if there are both Christians and pagans in the family, no one will feel left out.

Christmas/Yule tree

One decoration I like to put out every year in a special nativity scene. I had collected the white bisque porcelain figurines for several years and my husband made the manger of the creche, so that has sentimental value to me. And the scene itself highlights a time when all the world was pagan and is on the cusp of the new religion being born into the world. And while many could argue that many bad things have happened over the centuries in the name of Christianity, it can also be argued that many good, charitable things are being done everyday in the same vein.

I like my nativity scene because when I look at it, it gives me peace and hope for a better day in our world.

Nativity Scene

It is important to remember that a holiday like Christmas is predominantly a holiday of memories and tradition. We often think back to the Christmases we celebrated as children and the memories that they invoke often come back to us as adults. We might see the ballet of the Nutcracker every year as tradition, or watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" because we've always watched it! We might be surprised that a Christmas movie like "It's a Wonderful Life" still brings tears to our eyes, but it is the memories that really make our holidays. The memories from yesteryear and the ones we make today.

So celebrate the holidays the way that feeds your soul. If you want to bring some part of the Christmases of your childhood into your current Christmas celebration, there is no one to tell you no! Or if you wish to start a new tradition and make your holiday season different from what you experienced as a child, that is just fine too!  It should be about what makes you happy, in the end.

So, especially if you are new to the craft, think about what makes you happy in observance of the Yuletide holidays and decide what you wish to do. If it make you happy, it can't be wrong.


Peace and Happiness! Ms. Faith



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

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

Gratitude is a Vital Component to Any and All Magickal Workings

Good Afternoon,

I really hope you had a beautiful Thanksgiving Holiday. Today I want to discuss with you a component that we find to be the basis of the Thanksgiving season, gratitude. Many will incorporate a moment of giving thanks and gratitude before their holiday dinner, even if they do not normally do this at other times of the year.

Gratitude is also a vital component to your successful magickal workings. I believe there are those who cast spells and practice magick without bringing in the aspect of the Divine, but those that do are simply not utilizing the fullest aspects of magickal practice. For the Divine is the basis of magick and what we send out is returned to us, but enhanced and made complete by the grace of the Goddess and the God.

So, we give thanks and gratitude to the Goddess and the God for the manifestation of our spells cast, for accepting our offerings (which are tangible signs of gratitude) and for blessing our circles and rituals.

The basis of all spells cast, circles cast and rituals held should be love and gratitude. For what we send out will return to us. When we send our love and gratitude our spells which we cast to draw to us love, money (abundance), protection, healing, tranquility, etc. will return to us with love from the Divine.

For, you see, The Divine (The Goddess and The God) ONLY works from a place of love and acceptance. Don't make the mistake of blaming the woes of the human population on the Divine. We have created all of the Earth's problems ourselves. WWe have only our selves to blame.

If you find yourself being moved to cast a spell due to emotion that is not loving, i.e. anger, hatred, vengeance, jealousy, pettiness, or fear, please be aware that those energies will overcome the magickal workings you practice and those energies will be what you will receive back to you. And to do a spell under the above, less than loving emotions, know that the spell you direct at another will do absolutely nothing to our intended 'target', but will return only to you, and with devastating consequences.

For to understand the science of witchcraft, you must understand the metaphysics. To feel that, 'I will send out a loving spell so it returns to me', but "I'll send out a destructive, harmful spell to someone else and it won't return back to me', just does not make any sense.  It is the same as expecting gravity to work sometimes and not at others!

If you have not been incorporating love and gratitude into your spell casting, your potion making, your candle spells, your rituals and circle castings, try it for a change and see how the energy increases and magnifies. See how much stronger your spells manifest and how much better your life becomes on so many levels.

Practice witchcraft, by all means, but practice love and gratitude, right along with it!




Peace and Happiness!






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

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

Kitchen Witchery for the Upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday

Good Afternoon,

Food has always been a focus in humans lives, as it is necessary for survival. Over the centuries, ritual, magick and spell casting have become interwoven with the harvesting, preparation and serving of food stuffs to our family and friends. Magick at it's very base is used for protection, healing, drawing love and abundance and for creating the life people want to live.

It's no surprise to see magick in and around the kitchen and dining table, especially at large holiday feasts.  But would we always recognize the magick for what it is? Maybe, not always.

Firstly, when getting started in the kitchen, wash hands thoroughly and dry them, then rub or clap hands together to get your energy and magickal ability awake and ready to go. You can also have a candle burning some where in the kitchen to give extra ummph to your magickal workings. Of course candles on the dining table for love, abundance and happiness are also a good idea. And people won't think anything strange about having candles on the holiday dining table. Be sure to hold the candles for a few moments and in your mind's eye see the magickal goal, like a happy loving family gathering at your holiday feast table. Then carve magickal symbols like hearts for love in the wax surface of the candle and anoint with a small drop of olive oil, rubbed in very good, before lighting.

When stirring in any bowl or pot be sure to stir deosil, clockwise, and concentrate on stirring love, and wanted energies into the ingredients you are stirring. Kitchen witchery takes a lot of visualization, so as you cook allow yourself to day dream, if you will. "See" the end result of your cooking. Which could be a healthy, happy, loving family gathering.

Of course, doing a little research on the magickal properties of ingredients you will be using is helpful for knowing the magickal energies you can add to a recipe. For instance, pumpkin pie. All of the ingredients found in pumpkin pie, i.e. the pumpkin puree, the cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, sugar, molasses, all combine to make a love 'potion' for a man. Men simply are drawn to this combination of ingredients.  Whereas the complimentary pie for causing women to feel loving feelings is apple pie.

When fashioning a pie, and placing a top crust on the pie you need to cut little slices in the dough to let steam escape while baking. When you do this you can cut little runes or symbols to help you bring protection, love or abundance to those who eat the pie.

Having a pretty bowl with fresh citrus fruits, like lemons, limes, oranges and tangerines and kumquats banish negativity and unwanted energies from the home, while having a fruit display with a pineapple on top is a magickal culinary way of welcoming guests to your home. Be sure to hold each fruit for a few moments and with eyes closed see the fruit glowing with white light energy and after you empower each fruit put them together in the display. They are fine to eat afterwards, no worries!

When using dried spices and herbs in cooking be sure to 'wake' up their dormant magickal energies before using. Place the desired amount of spices or herbs in the palm of your non-dominant hand, with your hand cupped to make a bowl of your hand to hold the spices. With the index finger of your dominant hand mix the spices and visualize white light energy flowing from your finger into the spices/herbs in your hand. Mix deosil only, for a few moments, then pour the spices/herbs into the dish you are cooking, or proceed to use them as you need to.  The inherent, magickal properties of the spices/herbs will awaken and bring those properties to the foods you are preparing.

You can take a large quartz crystal and place it on or near your stove for food to taste better.

A witch's kitchen should never be without a lunar calendar or chart showing the phases of the moon and it's movement through the wheel of the zodiac.

A pot of garden basil grown in your kitchen keeps your home safe from evil forces and negative energies.

Offerings made to the Goddess/God are always a welcome gesture when preparing and then consuming foods. A simple but sincere offering is a piece of good quality bread dipped in a bowl of olive oil and then salt and placed on a small plate as an offering to the Divine in thanks for the food we have in abundance on our table this holy day (holiday). A small cordial glass with a small measure of wine can be placed next to the salted bread as thanks for the drink which staves off thirst. After the meal the bread can be placed outside in the garden and the wine spilled upon the bare ground to complete the offering.

These are just a few ideas you might wish to incorporate into your holiday feast preparations for this upcoming Thanksgiving feast. You can add your own magickal touches as they come to you, for the longer you practice the more easily the magick will come.

Have a Blessed and Healthy Thanksgiving Holiday! Ms. Faith


Peace and Happiness


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

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

Friday the 13th and other Superstitions

Good Afternoon,

Happy Friday the 13th! Does this day scare you, maybe a little? There really is no reason for that. The superstition for the day of Friday the 13th considered by many to be a day of  bad luck, or having bad things happen to you, was a rumor whipped up in Medieval Times when everyone was fearful of witches and demons and the devil getting you!

Early Christians in their zealous attempts to get the Pagan populous to convert to Christianity, employed many methods to achieve this end. They built cathedrals on Pagan Sabbat gathering sites, they adopted and Christianized the holy days found on our Wheel of the Year, and also those things which were directly associated with the Goddess, such as days like Friday, which was a day associated with love Goddesses, and the whole industry of love. From being in love, making love, using love potions, brews and love spells, these were all considered evil and consorting with the devil, according to the priests of the New Religion.

So days like Friday and May day (also known as Lady's Day in honor of Her) even numbers like 13, which s a combination of the number 1 which stands for the Divine source and the number 3 which stands for the Holy Trinity, Maiden, Mother, Crone (The three aspects of the Goddess) all became suspect. The simplest way to get people to stay away from what you don't want them to 'play with' is to tell them it's bad for them, or bad luck. Many people attribute the bad luck of Friday the 13th to the last supper with Jesus Christ and his disciples (of which there were a total of 13 people in attendance) and his crucifixion the next day, which some religious scholars believe it to have been on a Friday.

I think because the death of Jesus started the world on a new path, which was to eventually almost eliminate the Goddess from religious worship, that both theories  have influenced the common modern day belief that this day is bad luck. But luck is truly what you make it, so it is up to you to decide if this day is bad luck or good luck.

There are many superstitions, especially in New England. I have, for many years, studied New England superstitions and I personally feel that many of the Old World Magicks brought to this country by immigrants can be found hidden away in the superstitions people believe in. Let us discuss some of them here:

Red Doors -  In Germanic and British folk magick the color red was used to fend off evil spirits and unwanted ghosts. It is believed that the front doors of homes in New England are a throw back to these old customs, that are now found to be superstitions. But different cultures use colors in different ways. In Asian cultures, for instance, the color of red was for prosperity and abundance. There is a Christian belief that the color red represents the blood of Christ and that by painting the front door red, it will protect those within the home.

Weddings: There have always been many superstitions surrounding weddings, even to this day. You've heard of a bride wearing  something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. These come from British folk magick and are believed to bring good fortune to the bride and groom and their married life.

When a man and woman would marry in Colonial America, they would then move into a house to start their lives together. One of the first things the husband would do would be to plant an evergreen tree on either side of the front door. Almost any type of every green was acceptable, except Yew as that was a plant that would herald in death and was regulated to cemeteries and grave yards.  The evergreen trees or bushes on either side of the front door was to assure a long, happy and prosperous married life together. As the evergreen never loses it's foliage, it is symbolic magick that the relationship would never die.

Interestingly, in Colonial America, summer weddings were not as popular as winter weddings. It is believed that the winter season was a time for festivities and the summer was a busy time with farming and tending the fields. Thanksgiving eve was an especially popular time to get married, as the entire family was usually present and a feast was already planned.

Some other fun superstitions from old New England:

If a cat starts washing it's face you will soon receive company. Hmmmm, since cats clean themselves daily, visitors must have been dropping in on a regular basis back then!  And another sign of company coming to visit is if a bumblebee flies in an open window. Much more likely happening back then than now as they didn't have window screens in Colonial America!

New Englanders in the Colonial days were by majority Puritans, and while the Puritans were a religious lot they were just as superstitious. They felt the devil was around every corner just waiting to get them. And that their lives were ruled by luck, either good or bad. They saw omens for good or bad luck in almost everything! Such as:

They were fond of putting old shoes within the walls of buildings they were constructing to keep evil demons and bad luck, such as lightening strikes away. Many times things such as coins, shoes, nails or other 'good luck' tokens were placed within the corner stone of a new building being constructed.

If your buttered bread fell butter side down it was a sign of bad luck. Kind of goes without saying!! As many of the floors in Colonial America were dirt, the 10 second rule probably didn't apply!

If you spill the salt on the table, you might argue with your best friend. Break this 'spell' by throwing salt over your left shoulder.

If a strange dog or cat comes to live with you it will bring good luck! (I firmly believe this one!!) And if you have a black cat it will bring it's owner good luck. Huh, this last one is interesting as nowadays many people believe a black cat is bad luck. But that most definitely is not true.

And of course, even today, finding a penny is one of the best harbingers of good luck. "Find a penny, pick it up, and all the day, you'll have good luck."

There are a myriad of superstitions that our fore fathers believed in, and some have remained to this day. As far as superstitions go, and if I believe in them? I believe that if you believe in them it makes them true, and if you don't then they are not true. For our beliefs shape our reality, each and every day.

Have a peaceful and magickal evening! Ms. Faith


Peace and Happiness




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

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