Food. What comes to mind when you think of food? Hunger? Raiding the fridge or cabinet for a snack? Who doesn't love food?
Since man lived in caves, the hearth has been a source of light and heat, the place where food was made, and where the shaman or wise woman gathered folk to tell them the stories and knowledge that passed from generation to generation. Almost every culture has a deity of the hearth....the Greek goddess Hestia, and her Roman counterpart, Vesta, were offered small sacrifices before meals. For the Svan people, she was called Lamaria, who was the goddess of the hearth, women, and cows. Thab-lha was the hearth god of the ancient Tibetans, and a shrine to the kitchen god Zao Jun still appears in many Chinese households. The ancient Irish god, Dagda, of the Tuatha De Danann, carried a cooking pot from which no one is/was ever turned away hungry.
The magick involved in growing things translates to preparing them in the kitchen. Kitchen witchery comes to me almost without thought. It is completely natural for someone who sees the kitchen as the heart and soul of her home, an ideology that many people have been raised with. In most cases, gatherings and celebrations are always centered around food, and there is no occasion that doesn't warrant a casserole especially if you are from the south.
When most people think of the kitchen, magick and ritual is not what comes to mind. Translating magick from the altar to the kitchen is really quite simple though. All you really need to do is just look at your kitchen with a different sort of perspective. The kitchen is ,in itself, inherently magickal....it is a keeper of all sorts and varieties of elemental tools. There are athames (kitchen knives), and chalices (cups and bowls). There are also wands, (wooden spoons and metal spatulas), cauldrons (pots and pans), fire (oven, stove, grill), air (steam and exhaust fans), water (the faucet), and earth (herbs, veggies, salt and spices). Everything you could possibly need to make magick....well, it's right there at your fingertips in one room, one area, one space.
I'm sure there are many people who don't cook, don't like to cook, don't want to cook or have no interest in cooking, however, if you gave it a try, and approached the kitchen with the same reverence you possibly do as you would your sacred altar, that might change. Magick, even including kitchen witchery, is basically all about intent. Even the most simple and smallest dish can be magickal. All you have to approach it with the right attitude. Keep your mind open to the possibility. Everything can be a magikal experience.
Example, the tomato. Let's talk about that for a minute. What comes to your mind when you think of the tomato? It's extremely versatile. You can slice it to put on a sandwhich, chop it for stews, soups, salads. You can fry it, can it, stew it, puree it....The tomato, when planted outdoors, is a protective plant, and when placed in a window repels evil. The tomato, when eaten, inspires love. The color is of the lifeforce and it represents passion, strength, courage. An easy receipe that can be a magical dish is to slice a tomato, focusing on the beautiful red color, the color associated with love, sex, and the energy of fire. Place the slices on a cookie sheet, add a teaspoon or so of goat cheese to each slice and broil them for just a few minutes. You can drizzle olive oil on them, add garlic to them - jazz them up to your personal liking - and when you take them out of the oven, adorn them each with some basil. Basil has great connections with the properties of love; in Haitian voodoo lore, basil comes from Erzulie, the goddess of love. Women were once said to powder their breasts with basil to keep their husbands from straying. With just a few simple ingredients, you can have a readymade love spell, that not only looks wonderful, but it smells great and tastes delicious. Having a dinner-in date with your special someone? Serve this as an appetizer, and have some pretty candles anointed with a few drops of patchouli oil burning on the table. Come on, get inspired and have some fun while experimenting in the kitchen. You may just find that you enjoy kitchen witchery after all.
Why not try using the tomato's protective energy in your kitchen magic? When tomatoes are in season, try your hand at making fresh tomato sauce. (This receipe was forwarded from another witchy woman, Mama C. Always give credit where credit is due).
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 large carrot, finely chopped
1 small stalk of celery, including the green tops, finely chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 3/4 pound of fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, and add the onion, carrot, celery and parsley. As you add the ingredients focus on the energy of the garlic, parsley and onions, which are all used in magic to repel evil and give protection. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes. Stir the vegetables occasionally.
When the vegetables are soft, add the minced garlic. Increase the heat to medium and cook the garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, including the juice, and the basil. Season with salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer. Turn to low heat and cook until thickened, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. I like my sauce chunky, but if you want it smooth, just run it through a blender or food processor.
As you stir the ingredients, move your spoon in the shape of an invoking pentagram, and say these words:
I stir this pot with magic spoon, As I speak this witch's rune.
Garlic, carrot, parsley green, Lend yourself to this cuisine.
Tomato with your red, sweet fruit, Onion with your rounded root,
Bind I you with magic's haste, Shield and protect everyone who has a taste
Of this, my own, my magic dish, From harm or hurt or evil wish.
I set this spell, three times three, As I will it, so mote it be.
Tomato sauce can be a basic ingredient for so many dishes, homemade pizza, spaghetti, lasagna, baked chicken and broiled fish, soup, broth, etc.. Large batches can be canned or frozen for later use. Anyone you serve the sauce to is being issued a bit of magical protection just simply by tasting and ingesting it.
If you are the type of magickal practitioner that prefers strict traditions, and lots of rules, kitchen witchery is probably not for you. Kitchen witches tend to be an exuberant and eclectic lot, and we love to experiment! We want our food to transform you....to make you happy, to make you feel safe, to make you fall in love, make you feel healthy and energetic (to an extent). You will see us always muttering over a soup pot, or singing while we shuck corn, and even occasionally cursing while tossing something out the back door that didn't exactly turn out like we expected or invisioned it. (Yes, it happens to even the best of us from time to time). For the kitchen witch, working with food is a culmination of all of our own knowledge combined with all of the kitchen witches before us. It's a beautiful thing.
After all, women got the name 'witch' because of trial and error. Some things worked to heal, some things brought about a quick end, some things brought you more in tune with your self and gave you different perspectives, some put you in a happy and joyful mood. Keep your mind open and enjoy the moment. Brightest blessings to all!
Since man lived in caves, the hearth has been a source of light and heat, the place where food was made, and where the shaman or wise woman gathered folk to tell them the stories and knowledge that passed from generation to generation. Almost every culture has a deity of the hearth....the Greek goddess Hestia, and her Roman counterpart, Vesta, were offered small sacrifices before meals. For the Svan people, she was called Lamaria, who was the goddess of the hearth, women, and cows. Thab-lha was the hearth god of the ancient Tibetans, and a shrine to the kitchen god Zao Jun still appears in many Chinese households. The ancient Irish god, Dagda, of the Tuatha De Danann, carried a cooking pot from which no one is/was ever turned away hungry.
The magick involved in growing things translates to preparing them in the kitchen. Kitchen witchery comes to me almost without thought. It is completely natural for someone who sees the kitchen as the heart and soul of her home, an ideology that many people have been raised with. In most cases, gatherings and celebrations are always centered around food, and there is no occasion that doesn't warrant a casserole especially if you are from the south.
When most people think of the kitchen, magick and ritual is not what comes to mind. Translating magick from the altar to the kitchen is really quite simple though. All you really need to do is just look at your kitchen with a different sort of perspective. The kitchen is ,in itself, inherently magickal....it is a keeper of all sorts and varieties of elemental tools. There are athames (kitchen knives), and chalices (cups and bowls). There are also wands, (wooden spoons and metal spatulas), cauldrons (pots and pans), fire (oven, stove, grill), air (steam and exhaust fans), water (the faucet), and earth (herbs, veggies, salt and spices). Everything you could possibly need to make magick....well, it's right there at your fingertips in one room, one area, one space.
I'm sure there are many people who don't cook, don't like to cook, don't want to cook or have no interest in cooking, however, if you gave it a try, and approached the kitchen with the same reverence you possibly do as you would your sacred altar, that might change. Magick, even including kitchen witchery, is basically all about intent. Even the most simple and smallest dish can be magickal. All you have to approach it with the right attitude. Keep your mind open to the possibility. Everything can be a magikal experience.
Example, the tomato. Let's talk about that for a minute. What comes to your mind when you think of the tomato? It's extremely versatile. You can slice it to put on a sandwhich, chop it for stews, soups, salads. You can fry it, can it, stew it, puree it....The tomato, when planted outdoors, is a protective plant, and when placed in a window repels evil. The tomato, when eaten, inspires love. The color is of the lifeforce and it represents passion, strength, courage. An easy receipe that can be a magical dish is to slice a tomato, focusing on the beautiful red color, the color associated with love, sex, and the energy of fire. Place the slices on a cookie sheet, add a teaspoon or so of goat cheese to each slice and broil them for just a few minutes. You can drizzle olive oil on them, add garlic to them - jazz them up to your personal liking - and when you take them out of the oven, adorn them each with some basil. Basil has great connections with the properties of love; in Haitian voodoo lore, basil comes from Erzulie, the goddess of love. Women were once said to powder their breasts with basil to keep their husbands from straying. With just a few simple ingredients, you can have a readymade love spell, that not only looks wonderful, but it smells great and tastes delicious. Having a dinner-in date with your special someone? Serve this as an appetizer, and have some pretty candles anointed with a few drops of patchouli oil burning on the table. Come on, get inspired and have some fun while experimenting in the kitchen. You may just find that you enjoy kitchen witchery after all.
Why not try using the tomato's protective energy in your kitchen magic? When tomatoes are in season, try your hand at making fresh tomato sauce. (This receipe was forwarded from another witchy woman, Mama C. Always give credit where credit is due).
INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 large carrot, finely chopped
1 small stalk of celery, including the green tops, finely chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 3/4 pound of fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, and add the onion, carrot, celery and parsley. As you add the ingredients focus on the energy of the garlic, parsley and onions, which are all used in magic to repel evil and give protection. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes. Stir the vegetables occasionally.
When the vegetables are soft, add the minced garlic. Increase the heat to medium and cook the garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, including the juice, and the basil. Season with salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer. Turn to low heat and cook until thickened, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. I like my sauce chunky, but if you want it smooth, just run it through a blender or food processor.
As you stir the ingredients, move your spoon in the shape of an invoking pentagram, and say these words:
I stir this pot with magic spoon, As I speak this witch's rune.
Garlic, carrot, parsley green, Lend yourself to this cuisine.
Tomato with your red, sweet fruit, Onion with your rounded root,
Bind I you with magic's haste, Shield and protect everyone who has a taste
Of this, my own, my magic dish, From harm or hurt or evil wish.
I set this spell, three times three, As I will it, so mote it be.
Tomato sauce can be a basic ingredient for so many dishes, homemade pizza, spaghetti, lasagna, baked chicken and broiled fish, soup, broth, etc.. Large batches can be canned or frozen for later use. Anyone you serve the sauce to is being issued a bit of magical protection just simply by tasting and ingesting it.
If you are the type of magickal practitioner that prefers strict traditions, and lots of rules, kitchen witchery is probably not for you. Kitchen witches tend to be an exuberant and eclectic lot, and we love to experiment! We want our food to transform you....to make you happy, to make you feel safe, to make you fall in love, make you feel healthy and energetic (to an extent). You will see us always muttering over a soup pot, or singing while we shuck corn, and even occasionally cursing while tossing something out the back door that didn't exactly turn out like we expected or invisioned it. (Yes, it happens to even the best of us from time to time). For the kitchen witch, working with food is a culmination of all of our own knowledge combined with all of the kitchen witches before us. It's a beautiful thing.
After all, women got the name 'witch' because of trial and error. Some things worked to heal, some things brought about a quick end, some things brought you more in tune with your self and gave you different perspectives, some put you in a happy and joyful mood. Keep your mind open and enjoy the moment. Brightest blessings to all!
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