Seshat Moon Willow

The kitchen is, after all, the heart and hearth of many households. When you have friends or family over where do most of your guests hang out? Why, the kitchen, of course! Also, thanks to a declining economy, many more people are making meals from scratch and the kitchen has once again become a place where people spend hours, rather than minutes. So it's no surprise that kitchen witchery is once more on the rise and we see more and more people seeking knowledge in this area.

This type of Witch does not cast a Circle while doing his or her spells. My belief is that as a Kitchen Witch I use my own power and the power inherent in my tools, rather than call for divine power or tap the energy around me, therefore, I don't need to use a Circle at this time. Using the energy or power from within makes it less dangerous as the Witch is not opening herself to the outside.

The types of spells that I cast as a Kitchen Witch, focus on what can be done in cooking a special dish. When mixing the ingredients together and preparing food, a Witch concentrates on her own energies and the properties of the food. Using her energy and enhancing it with the food, she imprints her purpose onto the food. This spell is 'activated' when the food is eaten. As the personal energy of the Witch is used, emotions are especially easy to impart. Healing and a sense of wellbeing can be very easy things to accomplish through Kitchen Witchery. Since the energies or feelings the Witch is experiencing while cooking the dish are imprinted onto it, it is never a wise decision to try a new recipe for a special occasion.

The kitchen can be the most important place in a home for a Kitchen Witch. In the kitchen the Witch will do a majority of her spells, whether it be just to give the lemonade extra refreshing power or to help heal a sick friend with a cake. Bunches of protective and helpful herbs used for those reasons will often be seen hanging from windows or the ceiling. Cookbooks, mundane and Magickal will also be fairly standard.

Fruits and vegetables have special powers, just like essential oils. There are many lists in existence, which describe their powers but my tradition dictates that a Witch must discover them his/herself. This discovery can be a slow process as the Witch learns their uses through cooking and intuition. Each list will always be a little different anyway. For spices, their powers are similar to those in oils or incense.

Recipes are often handed down through families or from teacher to student. As they are highly personal, it is always an honor to receive a recipe from a Kitchen Witch. My family have many cookie recipes in particular that go back generations, along with many other dishes.  One of which I shared on here recently.  As I feel knowledge needs to be shared, I will list some of the recipes, at a later date. I hope that people enjoy them.

Meal Prep as Magic:

When you take the time to put meals together from the basic ingredients, you have a magical opportunity at hand. You can infuse every dish with intent and will. A meal can stop being something you dump out of a can, and start being a ritual in and of itself. When you take time to prepare something with your own hands, that lends it sacredness, and will make you want to spend time savoring it with your family, rather than just snarfing it down on your way out the door to soccer practice. By changing the way you view food, its preparation and its consumption, you can craft some practical magic at its simplest level.

How To Bring Magic Into the Kitchen:

 

As you become more aware of what it's like to live magickally, and more in tune with your own actions and activities, you may at some point realize that your kitchen is a magickal one. The following are some ways you can enhance the magickal atmosphere of your kitchen.

• Have a kitchen altar. The stove top is today's equivalent of the hearth fires of old, and it's where most food preparation is done. Create a small altar with items that can be moved as needed -- add a statue of a home or hearth goddess, a cauldron, or a candle. If you like, paint a trivet with symbols of your tradition.
• Make sure your herbs are readily accessible. If you cook with them, display them in decorative jars. Make sure that they're not sitting in direct sunlight, though, or they'll lose their potency. If possible, have live plants in pots to use during the year. Keep fresh vegetables on hand as well.
• Read up on practices like Feng Shui so you can optimize your work space for maximum efficiency, both spiritual and practical.
• Keep the space clean. Much like any other sacred space, physical cleanliness maintains spiritual cleanliness. It's hard to find balance in a place that is cluttered and chaotic. Make sure counter tops are wiped down after each meal, keep the sink free of dirty dishes, and organize cupboards and shelves so they are easy to use.
• Paint the walls in colors that are comforting and happy. If your house still has the 1970's metallic flecked wallpaper in the kitchen, it's time to get it out of there. Choose a color that makes you and your family feel good -- earth tones are soothing, yellows are happy and bright, and greens bring prosperity and abundance.
• Keep cookbooks and recipes organized where you can find them. You might even want to have a special book of magical recipes that you keep separate from your regular Book of Shadows.

You can also incorporate magical practices into your cooking. Consider some of these:

• When stirring a recipe, stir in a deosil or widdershins direction, depending on the goal you wish to achieve.
• If you're making a sandwich, spread condiments like mustard in a sigil for your purpose.
• When you bake bread, add herbs or spices that correspond to your magical needs.

Although kitchen witchery is rapidly becoming a popular term, it's hardly a new concept. Get your kitchen clean and organized, and you'll be well on your way to a successful path as a kitchen witch!