The Pagan Heart
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April 2005 Issue
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The Art of the Kitchen Witch
By Anne S.
Kitchen Witchery...Not something I usually think about, but thinking about it, I engage in a lot of it. Its so much a common part of my daily life. I do not call myself a witch, or any other "magical" title. I don't see what I do as anything terribly special. But when I cook I use herbs and ingredients aimed to create certain outcomes, draw to me certain possibilities, enhance certain emotions. I sometimes cook special dishes at specific lunar or solar occurances - drawing into the food the energies in play at the time. I have even been known on the odd occasion to mutter some charm over the pot as I stir away - pictures of MacBeth's witches notwithstanding! So, yes, I practice Kitchen Witchery. Why, then, don't I call myself a Witch? Why don't I attach great significance to this? Why so...lacklustre about it? Well, mainly because it's not a "formal" part of my life, I suppose. I don't observe the Sabbats. I don't call quarters, or cast circles. These, to me, are part of being a witch. Using herb magic in my dinner to enhance the communication and happiness quotient in my home is what I do as a member of my family. It's no different to using my other, more mundane, skills to keep the home happy and safe. I think everyone engages in Kitchen Witchery - everyone that cooks, that is! Think about it. Making a special meal when you bring home a date. Cooking soup for a sick friend. Whipping up a huge meal for the family on a festival day. You weave your energy into the food as you add a bit of this and a dash of that. You focus intently upon the outcome, often following your own "kitchen rituals" in the process - whether it's cleaning the room before starting, or laying out all ingredients and cooking utensils. Personally, I think Kitchen Witchery is enhanced by being informal. The kitchen is often called the heart of the home - the source of love, comfort, and nurturing. It is a place of simple, uncomplicated, yet incredibly strong, energies that hearken back to the ancient past. I think formal ritual, with its focus upon style and method, can reduce the effectiveness of those energies. This is not to deny that formal ritual has its place - I just prefer to work in my homey kitchen, not a restaurant-style metal monstrosity run, dictator-style, by some perfectionist chef.
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