K I T C H E N M A G I C K

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)

i truly think soup is a witch’s best friend! it’s eclectic ‘n frugal, makes lots to be shared, and always yearning for herbs + spices. below is my go-to cheddar and cauliflower recipe, perfect for late autumn (and soothing your witchy spirit)🌘🍂 

🍃 INGREDIENTS //  fills ~15 medium bowls

*herbs n spices (below)  *1 head o’ cauliflower 

*1 large onion  *2 large carrots  *1 large russet potato (peeled) 

*1/4c half-n-half (or substitute^)   *2c shredded cheddar cheese^

🍂 HERBS ‘N SPICES // my general correspondences attached, i infuse my intentions into my food along the way ~ make this recipe a sacred ritual for yourself!

*garlic, 5 cloves - divine protection, strength, power

*black peppercorns, generous - protects from negative energy, uncrossing

*cumin seed, large pinch - drives out negative energy, closeness, offering

*dried red chili, to taste but i use 2 bird’s eye chilis or several dashes of chili flake - passion, realization, cleansing

*salt, generous -  lol everything, prosperity, protection, cleansing

*turmeric, several heavy dashes - abundance, menstrual relief, warmth

*dill, two heavy dashes - clarity, good fortunate, growth

*caraway seeds, garnish - memory work, retention, expression

🍃 RECIPE //

-chop vegetables, reserving 2 cups of cauliflower florets to roast in olive oil at 400°F ‘til crisp

-toast cumin seed, garlic, pepper + chili in soup pot then add veggies w/ generous salt and fill with broth (i make homemade veggie broth every week, click for recipe) or water or both until veggies are ¾ covered

-bring to a boil then simmer until soft (~25 minutes) 

-blend ingredients until smooth. stir in cream, cheese, turmeric, and dill

-enjoy with crispy cauliflower + caraway seeds! 

Freyr’s Lore Tome 🌾

To help celebrate this year’s Vetrnætr (Winter-Nights), I’m happy to present Freyr’s lore tome! It currently covers 25 sources with 71 entries—it’s a great way to learn more (and aid research) about him!

Find it here | Need access? Join us!

MAGICK BUTTER CHICKEN FOR GAINING BALANCE AND CONTROL

I feel like everything that is happening in the world current time, has really thrown everyones energies off balance. Being an empath, this makes it hard for me to ground myself, when overwhelmed by so much draining energy and negativity. In times like this, sometimes, we can’t control everything that is happening around us. With this acceptance, sit back, and cook yourself some butter chicken. Because you ~ really deserve it.

Ingredients:

Fresh Produce:

1 medium-sized onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1 tsp fresh grated ginger 

1 ½ pounds cubed chicken breast

Squeeze of lemon

Dairy:

1 cup half and half

¼ cup plain yogurt 

6 tbsp ghee (Angels tips. Ghee is healthier than butter, reduces heart attack risk, and helps with the absorption of magick herbs!)

Pantry:

2 tsp olive oil 

8 oz can tomato sauce

5 tbsp tomato paste

Pinch of sugar

Magick Spices:

1 ½ tsp chili powder ~ warding, hex breaking, good outcomes, spell booster  

1 tsp paprika ~ healing, increases power, comfort

Pinch of cayenne pepper ~ protection, strength, empowerment 

1 tbsp garam masala ~ healing, protection, strength, comfort

Salt and pepper to taste ~ Warding and protection

Directions

In a large deep pan, heat extra virgin olive oil.  Add in garlic, onions, chicken, and ginger. Mix in with all of your spices.

Now melt in ghee, and cook until it is about ¾ of the way done. Cook on medium heat.

Then pour in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, lemon juice, sugar, yogurt and half and half.  Stir to combine fully.  Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes to allow the sauce to reduce.

Taste the sauce, and add whatever you feel suits your taste. You can even add more magickal ingredients to this recipe to fit your magick needs!

Serve over white rice, and garlic naan.

📅 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. 

Earth-Friendly Witchcraft

Whatever religious or spiritual tradition they identify with, most witches agree that there is something sacred about the natural world. We draw our power from the earth beneath our feet, the sky over our heads, and the air in our lungs.

And yet, many of us live in societies that are actively contributing to the destruction of the natural world. Most developed nations have a linear economy, which means resources are extracted and then sent on a one-way trip to consumers who will use them and then throw them away. This leads to overflowing landfills, air and water pollution, and quickly disappearing resources. The World Economic Forum predicts that, if our habits don’t change, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. And I dearly hope that by now we’re all familiar with the reality of climate change and its devastating impact on global ecosystems.

I’m not trying to scare you, but I do want to point out the hypocrisy of drawing power from the Earth in our magic while simultaneously contributing to her destruction. If we truly want to consider ourselves spiritual allies of the planet, we need to make an effort to live our lives — and practice our magic — in ways that are less harmful to her.

You don’t have to become an environmentalist or switch to a zero waste lifestyle, but we can all make little changes for a more sustainable life. There’s lots of information out there about how to live a more Earth-friendly lifestyle, so in this post I’ll be focusing on how to apply that same philosophy to your witchcraft.

Steps to a more Earth-Friendly Practice:

Limiting your consumption will automatically lower your negative impact on the planet. Follow my previous guidelines for avoiding consumerism to start shrinking your carbon footprint.

Avoid plastic as much as possible. According to the WEF, 70% of our plastic ends up in a landfill or in the world’s waterways, and according to Julia Watkins, author of Simply Living Well, only 9% of household plastics get recycled. Plastic (unlike glass and metal) cannot be recycled indefinitely — it can only be recycled a handful of times before it becomes too degraded to be repurposed any further. There really is no way to make plastic safer for the planet, so it’s best to just avoid it altogether. Look for tools made of metal, wood, or glass instead of plastics, and try to order things shipped in paper and cardboard when possible.

Create spells that won’t leave leftovers. One of the big contributing factors to our current environmental crisis is that we just produce too much waste. You can avoid this in your magical practice by crafting spells that won’t leave you throwing away a big ball of candle wax, herbs, and paper. Kitchen magic is a no-brainer for this, since kitchen spells are meant to be eaten. If you want to do a candle spell, use small candles that will burn up completely — I find larger candles are more likely to leave leftover wax. Making magical bath salts is another great option for leftover-free spells — just make sure everything you include is safe to go down the drain and won’t contribute to water pollution!

Forage for your own spell materials. One of the best ways to avoid plastic packaging and cut down on emissions from shipping is to use materials from your backyard! Learn about the plants, animals, and minerals native to your area, and take regular nature walks where you can gather what you need. Remember to only take as much as you need and to be careful never to damage the plants you harvest from. Make sure to carefully disinfect any animals bits you pick up — you can do this by burying them in salt for a full moon cycle and/or setting them in the sun/under a UV light for several days. If you find a dead animal and want to strip and clean its bones for use in ritual, this is a much more involved process and will require special research, equipment, and lots of time. And, of course, never eat anything you have foraged unless you happen to have an advanced degree in botany.

Keep a magical garden. Another great way to connect with the planet and shrink your carbon footprint is to grow your own herbs, vegetables, and fruits. You can, of course, grow food for your kitchen if you have space, but even if you live in a tiny apartment you can grow a handful of magical herbs in pots. For a list of common houseplants and their magical associations, check out this post.

Shop for spell materials at a local farmer’s market. Buying local is a great way to avoid the environmental impact of shipping produce, and it allows you to support small farms. Farmer’s markets also typically carry seasonal produce, which can help you align your magical practice with the cycles of nature. Farmer’s markets are a great way to find seasonal fruits and vegetables for kitchen magic, but you can use the produce you find there for other types of spells as well.

Trade paraffin wax candles for beeswax or soy wax. Paraffin, the material used for most cheap candles, is a by-product of crude oil, which is not only highly unsustainable but contains carcinogens (chemicals that may cause cancer). Beeswax is a sustainable alternative, and beeswax candles produce a “clean” burn, meaning it does not negatively affect air quality. Soy wax is a slightly pricier, vegan-friendly sustainable option that also produces a clean burn.

Use undyed, unbleached paper for your written spells. The bleaches and dyes used in most commercially available paper have a toxic effect on the environment. Colored paper cannot be recycled or composted because it will contaminate everything it touches. Use plain, unbleached paper for your written spells, especially if you plan to bury them in the ground or dispose of them outside.

Make sure your essential oils are ethically harvested. Essential oils are tricky — although they are marketed as natural, many of them are produced through unsustainable methods. Because essential oils are concentrated, it may take thousands of pounds of plants to produce a single pound of oil. This can have a devastating impact, especially for endangered plants like white sage or palo santo. Look for ethically-sourced, wild-harvested essential oils — these are oils that are gathered from the wild in ways that don’t hurt the local ecosystem. Mountain Rose Herbs and Eden’s Garden are two brands that are committed to sustainable essential oil production.

Instead of burying a spell in a jar, bury it in a hollowed-out fruit or vegetable. Many traditions call for spells to be buried in the ground. Items like jar spells and witch bottles are traditionally buried on the witch’s property. The problem with this is that plastic and glass bottles do not biodegrade, and will remain in the ground for years. Instead of putting these materials in the ground, bury your spells in a hollowed-out fruit or vegetable. As a bonus, you can choose this item to support your intention. For example, you might use an apple for a love spell or a spicy pepper for protection. Just make sure everything inside the spell is also biodegradable!

Keep a compost pile as an offering to your local land spirits. Compost is an easy way to reduce food waste, and it gives your garden a boost! Even if you don’t have your own garden, you can give your compost to a fiend who does or look into donating it to a community garden. When composting, it’s important to maintain a balance between carbon-rich “brown” ingredients (leaves, undyed paper, cardboard, etc.) and nitrogen-rich “greens” (fruit and veggie scraps, coffee grounds, egg shells, etc.) — you want about four times as much brown as green in your compost. Start your compost with a layer of brown — preferably twigs or straw to allow good airflow. Alternate layers of green and brown materials as you add to the pile. Every time you add to your compost, verbally express your gratitude to the land spirits. Your compost should be moist, but not soggy — you’ll know it’s ready when it’s dark and crumbly and smells like soil.

Make your own tea blends with loose herbs and a reusable tea strainer instead of buying teabags. Witches and tea go together like peanut butter and chocolate, but the individual wrappers on teabags create a lot of waste. On top of that, since many of these wrappers are dyed, they may not even be recyclable. Keep your teas earth-friendly by buying dried herbs in bulk and blending your own teas. Making your own blends is not only better for the planet, but also allows you to choose each ingredient for a specific magical intention.

Find ways to use your trash in your craft. This one is pretty self-explanatory. Instead of throwing things away, find ways to use them in your magic! Use food scraps from cooking, like carrot greens and potato peels, in spells. Turn an old shoe box into a travel altar. Add your coffee grounds to spells to ground them and manifest results in the physical world. You get the idea. Be creative!

Research different models for Earth-friendly living, like the zero waste/low waste lifestyle, sustainability, and the solarpunk movement. This will give you more ideas for a sustainable lifestyle, as well as a sustainable magical practice.

The funny thing about Earth-friendly living is that, the more time you spend taking care of the planet, the more connected you feel to it. I encourage you to try some of the ideas on this list — you’ll be amazed by how quickly you develop a deeper relationship with the Earth and all her creatures.

Resources:

Of Blood and Bones by Kate Freuler

Simply Living Well by Julia Watkins

“By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans, study says” from The Washington Post

A Sustainable Mind podcast

Practical(ly) Zero Waste podcast

Freya! Ever since I listened to Neil Gaiman's 'Norse Mythology' I've been wanting to draw her really badly- I particularly loved the Freya design created by @irenhorrors on Instagram. Freya is the Norse goddess of love, beauty, fertility, war, and death. She's a total badass who never puts up with Loki's shenanigans even when he's convinced everyone else.

"Call on Freya when you need the push to be bold and embark on an adventure to pursue your heart's desire. - Ann Shen, 'Legendary Ladies'

Midsummer

The summer solstice marks the longest day of the year, the night is shortest and it is the inverse of the cold, dark days of the winter solstice. If the winter solstice is a time for reflection and gathering in the safe warmth of one’s home, then the summer solstice is a time of outdoor celebration to honor the light, the warmth, the green, and all things that are vibrant and alive. You’ve spent the winter months planning, you’ve planted seeds of growth in spring, now at the height of the sun it is the time for action and for celebrating your activeness before you are able to reap the benefits come the autumn harvest. From this day forward the darkness will return slowly and the days will shorten once more and what you prepare in the light of summer will be what you enjoy in the darker months. Use this time to celebrate and to enjoy the process of working towards your goals, uncomfortable though it may be at times. Take pleasure in the living world around you and in those around you whom you care for. Happy Midsummer! 

Litha! June 21st

Hi everyone! Here are some very EASY ways to celebrate midsummer!

Open up the curtains and let some good sunlight cleanse your room.

Open up the window.

Clean cobwebs from the ceiling and other places.

Go on a picnic!

Eat some berries.

Pick flowers.

Light a candle that reminds you of summer or of the sun.

Wear a floral print.

Make a honey and sugar face scrub.

Make a flower crown.

Garden, or water your plants.

Just sit in the sun, relax for once and soak in new beginnings :) -Freya

Jólakötturinn