Had A Realization

Witchin’ In the Kitchen... things you may not think to use in your Magick

Kitchen Magick is Something near and dear to me. And something I enjoy doing damn near every day..A way to make something that you do every day a little more magickal… though I believe cooking and food itself is magickal. It is a gift of earth. but adding in your own magick and intent makes it all the more powerful.

I usually just let my guides…guide me.. I’ll find myself sprinkling in typically unusual things like A pinches of nutmeg and cinnamon along with basil and rosemary in my spaghetti , I stumbled upon the perfect sweet treats for calm composure and memory help with rosemary and lavender sugar cookies,

and todays topic…COCOA . I use it in SO MANY THINGS. Even when I’m not purposefully trying do the Witchin’ . And there are some great magickal and medicinal uses for it!

COCOA 

Latin Name- Theobroma cacao

Feminine 

Elements- 

         milk chococlate - Water, Earth

          dark chocolate-Fire , Earth

Origins-

    The History of chocolate starts In ancient Mesoamerica. Fermented cocoa beverages date back to 350BC, though recent studies have shown it may date back as far as 1400BC. Aztecs believed that Cocoa seeds were a gift from the God Quetzalcoatl who is the God of wisdom , The seeds of cocoa were once so valuable they were even used as a form of currency ! translated , it literally means “ food of the gods”

Medicinal Properties-

The higher the amount of Cocoa, the more beneficial it is for you. Unsweetend cocoa and nibs are the best for this.

~Antioxidant

~Hormonal&Neurological ( it makes you feel better& happy!)

~increases memory

~Longevity and resilience

~lowers cholesterol 

~ reduces risks of stroke

~ strengthens immune system

Magickal properties-

in general chocolate is great for spells for happiness, comfort , love , friendship and feel better.

Dark chocolate is best for sex , romance , love power, prosperity, memory,wisodom, and grounding

Milk chocolate is more suited for friendship, self love, nurturing, love , balance, fun and energy, happiness, and revelry 

Some ways you can use it in kitchen magick 

~ Bake cakes and cookies for your friends or family for happiness , fun , love and to ward of negativity 

~Bake your crush or lover a cake to set the mood and have some BOMB sex( or just to help ease tension and have good energy within your relationship and sex life)

~ meditation cookies or hot cocoa , with herbs and hot milk of your choice , perfect for meditation and divination and right before spell work.

~ make some dark chocolate and rosemary cookies , cake or bark for memory and focus before class or a test or something important , or even to help jump start some creative visions like writing , reading, art etc.

~add some to your incense to invite a warm and happy atmosphere 

~ literally anything made with chocolate , cocoa powder ect can be used in magick along with herbs and other things in kitchen magick.

~you can even leave it as offerings to your fairies, house spirits , ancestors ect.

~ give chocolate bars and baked goods as gifts for various needs like someone in grief who could use some cheering up and calming , a party that needs some lively vibes and even to a student you know who could use some calming , focusing energy , wisdom , and memory help!

the possibilities are endless and feel free to explore them all! 

Ill be posting a list of recipes of different things using chocolate and other things in kitchen witchery soon. keep an eye out for them!

Some notes from my little witch kitchen

- Before cooking I always start with a spritz cleanse with a rose water/moon water blend. Light a candle and make myself a cup of tea. 

- Rock salt for grounding, sea salt before a journey or to get rid of feelings of being stuck in place. 

- I love to cook with the seasons. This one may seem obvious but at times it can be tough to do given the endless year round choice we get in super markets. Each set of seasonal foods matches the energy of that season, helping you to get in sync with the natural rhythms and flows of the year. 

- YOU DON’T ALWAYS NEED FRESH SPECIALITY HERBS TO DO KITCHEN MAGIC. I cannot say this enough, a lot of what goes into the food I make for my family are simple spices and herbs that you can buy for like 50p anywhere. I do have quite a large stock of less common dried herbs but these mostly come out when somebody is sick or needs an elixir rather than going in a casserole unless I’m making something a bit special for a festival or something. 

- Stir clockwise to manifest & anti clockwise to rid/banish/ other wise tell something to bugger right off. 

- pssst..I don’t make or bake everything from scratch all the time. I’m busy, I have class, I have a job, I have a dog, I’m supposedly a practising artist. I *do not* have time to laminate pastry every time I wanna make a puff pie on a Sunday. 

- An almanac is your best friend for figuring out whats’ in season & if you want a kitchen garden: when, how and what to plant/harvest etc. (it’s also nice to have it all on paper rather than googling every time). 

- I plan ahead as much as possible, I do a weekly meal plan and buy everything on Saturdays. I know my partners’ schedule and by extension, what this household is likely to need throughout a 5 day period. Huge important PhD presentation coming up on Tuesday? great, we’re having pumpkin risotto with bay, basil, black pepper & thyme on Monday night to set you up for confident delivery. Stressful meeting on Friday? No problem, Cumin infused tarka dal with homemade rosemary flatbreads to ease out of the working week and relax. 

- Kitchen crafting for me is all about manifesting love, care and warmth for my loved ones. Building connections & community through the sharing of thoughtfully, *intentionally* prepared food. As an anthropologist, I cannot over-estimate the importance of food/food making/food sharing to how people feel and experience their worlds.

- Cooking is alchemy, it is a vastly undervalued skill (because misogyny) and the ability to take a bunch of raw materials and turn it into a physically and spiritually nourishing feast is magic. 

(Image: cheesy macaroni casserole with nutmeg & tomato, seeded rolls & rainbow salad)

Got some new witchy books yesterday!

💐Picnic witchcraft guide💐

Sandwich correspondences

Fruit correspondences

Vegetable correspondences

Tea correspondences (sun tea, tea in general, floral tea)

Flower correspondences- can be used as decoration, for flower crowns, as a fun nature activity (collecting them respectfully, of course), and edible flowers can be used for deserts, drinks, and salads!

Desserts- here’s some witchy dessert recipes, perfect for any picnic!

(Tiny strawberry pies, cranberry pistachio shortbreads, cardamom pear cake, ginger and fig tart, apricot coconut bites, and lavender tea bread)

Locations- fun witchy locations for picnics include:

🌹a botanical garden, floral garden, or any sort of garden (perfect for fae, floral, air, green, life, spring, and summer witchcraft)

☀️a sunny open field/area (probably has wild flowers!, great for air, sun, floral, and weather witchcraft)

🌙⭐a night picnic under the stars and moon! (Perfect for lunar, nocturnal, and cosmic witchcraft)

🌳a park (great for all witchcraft, very versatile)

🌊💧a beach, pond, lake or near any body of water (perfect for water, sea, and love witchcraft)

👻a cemetery (perfect for death, spirit, medium, and floral witchcraft. Just make sure it’s allowed and you’re respectful of graves)

🌲A forest (perfect for forest, tree, nature, green, earth, and hedge witchcraft, here’s some tree correspondences)

Other witchy picnic ideas:

Stones/crystals to bring- it depends a lot on location and the general theme of the picnic! But a few favorites of mine are:

rose quartz, opalite, any aura quartz, sunstone, agate, tigers eye, and selenite (especially peach selenite)

Scents- I like to focus on scents a lot during picnics. It can make the experience so much more enjoyable! Location once again plays a huge role, but you can always spray your picnic blanket with essential oils, use strongly scented herbs or flowers, use a specific perfume, or even a specific tea that smells good. Some scents I like to focus on during picnics are:

lemon, orange, grapefruit, lemongrass, strawberry, orange blossom, gardenia, rose and lavender

Bring some little spells or offerings with you! A picnic in nature is the perfect time to do a little crafting, especially love, self care, fae, peace and happiness spells. And you can correspond your picnic with the intent of the spell!

It’s also a great time for devotional offerings and any other offerings, especially fae offerings.

Put together a picnic spell- an entire picnic can be a spell! Everything from location, to drinks, to food, and the extra stuff you bring along can be in it.

🍑Have fun picnic witching! 💐

Homemade pasta is my latest cooking obsession.

From intentionally choosing herbs and veggies to color the dough and get that double whammy of herb and color magick, to mindfully rolling out and cutting/filling/shaping the perfect little pasta pieces- this is basically peak kitchen witchery for me right here. I set aside a couple hours so I can really take my time, pop on some mood music, and lose myself in the happy little rhythm^^

The base recipe I use is;

1 egg + 2 yolks

A few tablespoons of herbs or veggies for color. Could be a bit more or less depending on what I'm using. (For example- it need lots of fresh green herbs to get it green, but barely any beets for a deep pink)

~1 cup flour (more if the dough is too wet/sticky) + extra for dusting countertops

Water (enough to help the dough form a nice ball)

Today I tried out something new- pressing leaves in between the sheets of dough, and rolling it out thin enough that you can clearly see them in the finished pasta.

And thus, Sunny's Lucky Greenie Fettuccine was born!

The color doesn't really come through in these photos, but it is a lovely vibrant green created by using fresh Basil in the dough- and the leaves pressed inside are parsley!

Next time I'll probably do wider strands, or some kind of stuffed pasta, so the shapes of the leaves stay wholly intact. But for a first attempt at this technique I'm pretty pleased! Plus it was damn delicious^^

In the (hopefully near) future I want to experiment with some other herbs and work a few edible flowers into the mix!!! I've seen some genuinely stunning pasta pictures I am dying to try my hand at recreating^^

📅 Weekly Rituals 📅

Monday

🔮 Correspondences: travels, dreams, psychic powers, peace, mystery, healing, home, fertility, emotions, family, divination

✨ Ritual: brew green tea and put all your positive intentions for this week in the tea by stirring it clockwise for good luck. 

–

Tuesday

🔮 Correspondences: bravery, business, courage, strength, war, partnership, passion, protection, sexual intentions, work, victory

✨ Ritual: connect with the strength and bravery of nature by going on a walk outside, a hike, or at least opening your windows wide open and letting the fresh, cold air of the morning in your home. 

–

Wednesday

🔮 Correspondences: art, astrology, communication, focus, creativity, education, excitement, inspiration, wise

✨ Ritual: take a ritual bath or cleansing shower, and repeat the following mantra “I cleanse myself so I may feel light, creative, peaceful and at ease”. 

–

Thursday

🔮 Correspondences: abundance, money, luck, growth, personal development, prosperity, health, expansion, altruism

✨ Ritual: on a bay leaf, write a keyword or sigil representing a wish or dream of yours, focus on it with all your intention, then burn the leaf with a white candle to make it happen. 

–

Friday

🔮 Correspondences: affection, friendship, love, romance, beauty, social interactions, harmony, birth, reconciliation

✨ Ritual: after working or studying, bring harmony to your desk by thoroughly decluttering any unnecessary item, cleaning up the dust and magically cleansing it with sage or Palo Santo. 

–

Saturday

🔮 Correspondences: banishment, spiritual communication, justice, curse, death, cleansing, purification, time, end, debts, home

✨ Ritual: to get rid of a curse or negative energy, fix a black candle in a bowl by letting some wax melt at the bottom of the candle. Then fill up half the bowl with water. Turn on the candle, then focus all your intentions on banishing the curse. When the candle has reached the water, the negativity will be gone. 

–

Sunday

🔮 Correspondences: ambitions, goals, career, growth, beginning, masculinity, health, spirituality, success, prosperity

✨ Ritual: read your tarot by drawing 3 cards (Past, Present, Future) to learn from last week’s mistakes, understand your current mental state and prepare for next week. 

Comforting Tea Spell

If a friend shows up at your doorstep in tears or distraught and is looking for comfort, brew her a witchy cup of tea by imbuing it with your intentions: visualize your friend being warmed and soothed by your cup of tea as she drinks it. As a witch, your intent carries great power through your actions. You perform everyday actions with intent and become more attuned to yourself and the way things work in the world around you. By learning to channel your desires through the spellwork you do, you will manifest happiness, joy, and abundance in your life. 🍵

For the tea blend, you will need:

Lemon Balm

Mint

Chamomile flowers

Lavender

Rosemary

Any additional add-ins you wish to brew into your tea based on your intentions, such as cinnamon for luck, ginger for strength, or sugar for sweetness

For the Spell:

Steep the tea blend in a tea pot or in a loved mug. As it’s steeping, stir the contents with a spoon clockwise and imbue your intent into the tea. Visualize your friend being warmed and soothed by the tea, or imagine her delight when she tastes the tea.

Add any additional spices, herbs, or sugar you’d like to add to the tea now. Consider their magical associations. Add a pinch of cinnamon for luck, or a pinch of ginger for strength, a pinch of thyme for courage, or a pinch of rosemary or salt for protection. Add sugar for sweetness if desired, for both taste and sweetness in mood.

Stir the tea, three times clockwise, one final time and recite: “With tea and spell, and help from above, all is well, light and love.” Then tap your spoon on the mug or teapot three times to seal the spell.

Serve the tea lovingly to your friend or loved one.

Add Some Oomph to Your Spells with Magical Timing

Like herbs, oils, and crystals, you don’t need to work with magical timing for your spell to be successful. You can cast a spell at any time, no matter your intention, and get your desired results. However, working with the energy of the sun, moon, and days of the week can add an extra power boost to your magic.

Think of it this way: certain energies are dominant at certain times. Those energies are easier to connect with because they are closer at hand, so to speak, so you can bring them into your life and your spells more easily and in a more powerful way. That doesn’t mean you can’t call on other energies during these times — it just means that you may not connect to them quite so easily.

If you choose to work with magical timing in your spells, there are several yearly, monthly, weekly, and even daily cycles you can align your spells with.

The Cycle of the Sun: Solstices and Equinoxes

These are the turning points that mark the solar year, and are associated with the relationships between day and night, light and dark, summer and winter. Each solstice or equinox marks the end of one season and the beginning for the next. Because they are so rare and so potent, these days are a great time for your “big picture” spells or for spells that need a big power boost.

Winter Solstice. The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, and falls between December 20 and December 23, depending on the year. In some pagan traditions the winter solstice, or Yule, marks the beginning of the new year — you may choose to set intentions for the coming year on this solstice. After the winter solstice, the nights start getting shorter and the days start getting longer — so spells related to healing and bringing things into the light are especially effective at this time of year. The winter solstice marks the end of the “dark half” of the year and beginning of the “light half” of the year; at this point, our focus turns from inward reflection to outward manifestation. You may choose to think of the time between the winter solstice and spring equinox as a “planning phase,” where you examine yourself and your desires, decide what you want to work on in the next year, and make plans for manifesting what you want.

Spring Equinox. An equinox occurs when the day and the night are exactly the same length, representing a perfect balance between light and dark. The spring equinox marks the beginning of spring and occurs between March 19 and March 22. The Christian holiday of Easter and the pagan holiday of Ostara are both related to the energy of this equinox. At this time of year, the natural world is coming back to life as winter begins to fade. Plants are beginning to grow, and baby animals are being born. This is a powerful time of year for fertility magic and any magic related to new beginnings. You may choose to think of the time between the spring equinox and the summer solstice as a “planting phase,” where you “plant the seed” of the things you want to manifest and begin doing the work to make it happen.

Summer Solstice. This solstice marks the longest day and shortest night of the year. It occurs between June 19 and June 23. As I am writing this post, we are coming up on the summer solstice (June 20, 2020). Life, fertility, and growth are at their peak during this time of year, which makes this solstice a perfect time for big manifestation spells. At the same time, this marks the end of the “light half” and beginning of the “dark half” of the year, so after the summer solstice our energy shifts from outward manifestation to inward contemplation. You may choose to think of the time between the summer solstice and fall equinox as the “harvest phase,” where you reap the results of your hard work and manifest your desires in the physical world.

Autumn Equinox. This is the other time of year when the day and night are perfectly balanced. The autumn equinox occurs between September 19 and September 23 and marks the beginning of autumn. This is traditionally the time of year when crops are harvested, and many pagan groups celebrate harvest festivals around this time. Nature is beginning to die or go into hibernation in preparation for the coming winter. This is an especially powerful time of year for shadow work or for magic related to endings and transitions. You may choose to think of the time between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice as the “reflection phase,” when you retreat from the outside world to rest, focus on yourself, and do your inner work and self-healing.

Important Note: This post lists dates for the solstices and equinoxes in the Northern hemisphere. In the Southern hemisphere, the seasons are reversed. If you live in the Southern hemisphere, you would observe the winter solstice in June, the spring equinox in September, the summer solstice in December, and the fall equinox in March.

The Cycle of the Moon: Lunar Phases

If you don’t have time to wait for the appropriate solstice or equinox, you can still connect with the cosmos in your magic. One of the biggest pros of the lunar cycle is that it happens roughly every month — so you never have to wait very long for the next full moon. The moon is also associated with magic and spirituality in several traditions, which makes it an especially powerful astral ally for witches.

New Moon. The new moon is when the moon is completely invisible in the night sky, and is the phase opposite the full moon. The new moon is a powerful time for shadow work (because it deals with things that are hidden) and for magic related to new beginnings.

Waxing Moon. The moon is waxing when it appears to be growing in the night sky; this is the phase between the new moon and full moon. This is a powerful time for any magic that deals with drawing something in, building something up, or strengthening something that already exists.

Full Moon. Many witches believe that the full moon is the most powerful time of month for any kind of magic. This is a good time to cast any spell that needs a serious power boost. The full moon is also an especially powerful time to release what no longer serves you or to work healing magic.

Waning Moon. The moon is waning when it appears to be shrinking in the night sky; this is the phase between the full moon and new moon. This is a powerful time for any magic that deals with sending something away, banishing negative energy, or bringing something to an end.

Dark Moon. The dark moon is the three day period immediately before the new moon. In some traditions, it is believed to be bad luck to cast spells during the dark moon. Other traditions hold that the dark moon is the best point in the lunar cycle for destructive magic, such as curses and hexes. Many modern witches don’t recognize the dark moon as a separate moon phase at all. I personally like to use the dark moon as a time for self reflection, and may focus on shadow work during this time.

Magical Correspondences for the Days of the Week

The days of the week also have their own unique magical energies, and each day is linked to a certain planet and to certain deities.

Sunday. Sunday is, of course, connected to the Sun and solar deities. Sunday is the best day of the week for any manifestation magic that needs an extra boost. Its energy is also associated with healing, personal growth, power, and success.

Monday. Monday is associated with the Moon and lunar deities. Monday is a quiet, introspective day, and can feel very ethereal. It’s the best day for magic related to intuition, nurturing, and shadow work.

Tuesday. Tuesday is associated with Mars and with gods and goddesses of war and action. (It is named for the Norse/Germanic god Tyr/Tiw.) Tuesday is a very “active” day, and is good for magic related to action, activism, victory, or finding courage.

Wednesday. Wednesday is associated with Mercury and with gods and goddesses of wisdom, learning, and communication. (It is named for the Norse/Germanic god Odin/Wodan.) Wednesday is all about mental activity. It’s the best day of the week for magic related to thought, travel, communication (written, spoken, or digital), and learning/study.

Thursday. Thursday is associated with Jupiter and with gods and goddesses of prosperity, wealth, and protection. (It is named after the Norse/Germanic god Thor.) Thursday, like Jupiter in astrology, is all about outward expansion. It’s the best day of the week for magic related to career, prosperity, and wealth.

Friday. Friday is associated with Venus and with gods and goddesses of love, fertility, and sensuality. (It is named after the Norse goddess Freyja, or perhaps the goddess Frigg.) The energy of Friday is fun, lighthearted, and sexy. It’s the best day of the week for magic related to love, beauty, and sex/sexuality.

Saturday. Saturday is associated with Saturn and with time and wisdom. (The day and the planet are both named after the Roman god Saturn.) Saturday is practical and wise, but it does have a little bit of a dark side. It’s the best day of the week for magic related to banishing and protection.

Magical Times of Day

Okay, so you’d like to start working with magical timing, but what about emergency magic and last-minute spells? What if you don’t have time to wait for the next full moon, or even the next Sunday? You can still align your spell with magical timing! There are several moments of power each day, and each has its own magical associations.

Sunrise. Sunrise is, of course, the birth of the new day. This makes it the perfect time for spells related to new beginnings or expanded possibilities.

Noon. This is the peak or high point of the day. This is a powerful time for healing magic.

Sunset. Sunset is the end of the day, and forms a gateway between light and dark. This is a great time for spells related to accepting endings, releasing that which does not serve, and moving on from the past.

Midnight. If noon is the peak of the day, then midnight is the peak of the night. Midnight has a very ethereal, transformational energy. Like with the full moon, some witches believe that any spell will be more powerful if cast at midnight. This is a powerful time for both banishing and attraction magic.

Resources:

You Are Magical by Tess Whitehurst

Green Witchcraft by Paige Vanderbeck

Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin [specifically the chapter on the sabbats]

Qabalah Made Easy by David Wells [Note: Qabalah is based on an appropriation of Jewish mysticism, and I am NOT endorsing its practice. However, much of the magical timing associations used in modern witchcraft is shared with Qabalah and other forms of ceremonial magic, which is why it’s referenced here.]

Witchcraft for the Home: Herbs and Spices

Kitchen and Cottage witchcraft is really what I focus on and I love to do little things to encorperate little things into my every day practice and a great way to do that is in the kitchen. So I’m going to list some of my go to herbs and spices that I use. A page straight from my Book of Shadows DISCLAIMER: NOT ALL HERBS FROM YOUR LOCAL WITCH SHOP ARE FOOD GRADE. MAKE SURE TO ASK FIRST. USING HERBS THAT AREN’T FOOD GRADE TASTE AWFUL AT THE LEAST AND CAN MAKE YOU SICK AT THE WORST.

Basil- Good for Protection. A favorite for pasta dishes. Use pesto as a good way to incorporate it. It’s also really good in soups.

Bay Lead- My favorite use for Bayleaf is healing, but not really physical wellbeing. I use it motly for emotional and spiritual healing. Really great after a long, stressful day. Cooks best in slow cooker meals like soups, stews, and pulled meats

Cinnamon- Protection and passion. I always find that it always brings a sense of warmth to whatever I’m making. I use it in a lot of sweets or whenever I’m making Chai.

Clove- Brings in warmth and casts out negativity. Clove is my favorite spice so I’ll add it to just about anything that’s “spicy”

Nutmeg- Strengthens divination. Nutmeg is really good in fall flavored baking and warm flavored stews, like those with a tomato base.

Pepper- Used for protection. I like to think of it as sort of a ‘bite’ at the things you need protection from. Actively expelling instead of putting up a “wall” like cinnamon.

Poppy seeds- Prosperity. Lemon poppy seed muffins are an amazing good luck charm to use before a a big test or meetings.

Rosemary- Purification, intellectual protection. Rosemary is a sort of go all herb. It goes great in roasts and traditional English and American cooking. Use a spring of rosemary on roast veggies, chicken, or steaks.  It’s also good in homemade bread and can be used during Sabbats and Holidays as part of the feast.

Thyme- Divination and clarity. This is another sort of ‘old school’ herb. You can find it in a lot of simplistic cooking (three or four ingrediant meals) and in a lot of italian food. It pairs great with marinara, eggplants, and peppers. Roasted egg plant with olive oil and thyme is one of my favorites.

Vanilla- Love. I put a drop of vanilla in my coffee almost every morning to try and bring love into my day. It works great if you have a stressful job you need to remember to stay caring and level headed at (childcare, health care, support lines). I also like to use it in small short bread or sugar cookies and use those as offerings (particularly to Aphrodite)