The Pagan Heart
Kitchen Witch

April 2005 Issue
   

Kitchen Witchcraft

By Josh P.

   

Index of Spells:

   

   

Honey Jar Spell
Yes, it's a love spell! But this version is not designed to manipulate so much as sweeten the thoughts of another by revealing to them the reality of your own heart. In other words, it won't make them love you, but it will open their eyes to who you really are and encourage communication and closeness bewteen you. It can also be used to reduce tension or conflict, to increase harmony in work and family, and anywhere else you think love needs a helping hand!

  • Raw honey
  • Nice paper and pen
  • Sympathetic herbs
  • Candle
  • Scented oil for the candle
  • An apple

    • Cut off the top of the apple and set aside - this is the lid. Hollow out the apple so it creates a pot into which you can pour the honey. Fill it 3/4 full of honey, place the lid atop it and put the apple aside for now

    Cut or tear your paper to form a square about 4 inches by 4 inches. Write the person's (or people's) name on it three times to create 3 rows. Rotate the paper 90 degrees and repeat with your name - you should have a tic-tac-toe style grid formed from the names. What you have done is called "crossing and covering", and this connects the two people together for the purpose of this spell. Think of your wish (for example "I wish that Jonny Green might look at me with clear sight and see my love and that this might bring to awareness within him any love he might feel for me"). The wish should be very specific, and not manipulative. Remember the two names are intimately connected - the spell you cast binds you both with the same powers. If you try to control another person, it will also control you

    Write this wish out in a circle around the two names. The writing should be cursive, with no spaces or pauses. Do not lift your pen from the paper until the circle is complete and the last letter is connected to the first. If you make an error, start afresh. If your wish is not long enough to go around the names, repeat it. Just make sure that you complete each version of it - you don't want a half completed wish!

    Sprinkle your herbs across the words - maybe red rose petals for love, yellow for friendship, or lavendar for harmony. Use herbs that are related to the wish. Then fold the paper in half towards you while reciting your wish. Turn it 90 degrees and repeat, then turn once more and repeat - you have used a three times three method to strengthen the spell

    Bring your apple towards you and place it atop the paper. Open it up, dip your pointer finger into the honey and lick it clean, saying "Let this sweetness fill my heart, my head, and my soul". Repeat with your index finger and "Let this sweetness fill (insert person's name)'s heart, his/her head, his/her soul". Repeat once more with your ring finger, saying "Let our souls connect and share this sweetness. Let our thoughts and hearts be sweetened towards each other, in as much as we are truly inclined to be"

    Pick up the paper and push it into the honey until it is covered. Place the lid atop the apple once more

    Anoint the candle with 3 drops of the scented oil - make sure the oil is sympathetic to the spell as well. Ylang ylang, for example, is a good relationship and sex oil, while Chamomile is a good one for relaxed communication. To anoint it, simply rub the oil all over the candle (using a colour that matches your intent is also beneficial to the spell. Light the candle and place it beside the apple - let it burn out. Keep the apple for 3 days, and then bury it somewhere it will remain undisturbed. If at all possible, plant a sympathetic plant above it - rose for love, mint for finances, garlic for luck, etc. DO NOT throw it away

    If the spell involves family or close friends, you can alter it slightly - use rice paper and non-toxic ink for the written spell, and then bake the apple in a tray of water. Serve it up with vanilla icecream for the family to eat and take the spell into themselves. This is a powerful form of Kitchen Witchery, and should be done with the agreement of all involved - especially useful to help heal family rifts

    Honey Rites
    Washing the body and mouth with honey water (fresh spring water in which honey has been dissolved) - this purifies the flesh and tongue of all wrong deeds and words, rendering the body and mind pure once more. Using a sprig of thyme, sprinkle the sacred water over the head, limbs and trunk, then wipe the mouth and tongue with the thyme. Lastly, place a drop of honey upon the tongue and let it dissolve - this will sweeten the heart and soul.

    Stir 1 spoonful of honey into warmed milk. Take a sprig of rosemary and stir the honied milk once more. Drink before going to bed - this will bring restful slumber and find lost memories. It will also open the doors of the mind to visions from the gods.

    Stir 1 tablespoon of honey into warmed wine (either white or red) with a cinnamon stick. Use this as the ritual drink in ceremonies that honour the gods.

    Take 1 cup of fine sand and mix with 1/2 cup of honey that has 3 drops of lavendar oil, 3 drops of rose oil, and 2 drops of sandalwood oil stirred through it. Use this to scrub your body in a ritual cleansing before ceremonies. Shower clean and then rub a lotion of 1/2 cup of milk, 2 tablespoons corn starch, 1/4 cup of honey, and the same oil blend over your body. Lightly rinse this off. Finish by pouring a body rinse made of 2 cups warm water mixed with 1/4 cup honey over your skin and hair - do not rinse off (it's not sticky).

    To banish negative energies from a room, or purify an area, use a spray bottle with 4 parts water to 1 part honey and 3 drops of thyme oil.

    In rites performed to remember and honour the dead, offer honey - a symbol of resurrection and rebirth - to those who have died. Leave a bowl of dried beans in honey on the altar that any spirits nearby may partake.

    Happiness Tea
    Bring fresh cold water to a rolling boil and add 2 tablespoons dried mint or 3 sprigs fresh for every cup. Remove from the heat and let the tea steep as the steam infuses the air about you. Pour out the water into cups (straining if necessary).

    Use your hand to draw the steam towards you as you breathe it in and recite: "Spirit of mint, Spirit of air, banish my sorrows, banish my cares."

    Trickle in a little honey in a circular motion, saying: "Blood of the sun, fruit of the bee, bless this cup of fresh mint tea."

    Drink it with happiness!

    Honey and Strawberry Beauty Spell

  • 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, pureed
  • 2 tablespoons plain full-fat yoghurt (with live cultures)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/8 tsp. essential Lavender oil

    • Combine the ingredients above into a paste. As you mix recite:
    "Aphrodite, Isis, Astarte, and Brigit
    Bless this potion with your breath
    Let it be a mirror pure
    Of the soul within the face"

    Apply to your face and neck in gentle circular motions. Relax for 20 minutes and then rinse off with warm water and pat dry.

    You can also double the ingredients, replace the cornstarch with oatmeal, and mix in in the bath. Sprinkle in a handful of rose petals, and soak for half an hour.

    Strawberry Love Spell #1
    The magic of the simple Strawberry goes far beyond its divine flavor!
    Keep an image of your lover in mind as you do the following - this potion will not cause anyone to fall in love with you, but it may awaken sleeping urges and initiate a night of passion!
    Take fourteen strawberries and wash and hull them. In a bowl mix 1 teaspoon of orange flower honey and 1 tablespoon fresh water until the honey is dissolved. Stir in 1 sprig of fresh mint, finely diced. Add strawberries and lightly toss to coat. Chill for an hour or two and then serve in two portions of seven berries each, topped with fresh whipped cream. Take turns feeding each other.

    Midsummer Madness
    This cordial is best made on the Eve of the Midsummer Solstice, but anytime within the six months of summer will work.

    • 1.5 cups of ripe strawberries
    • 1 cup of unbruised rose petals
    • .5 cup of fresh mint leaves
    • 1 teaspoon of lavendar (flower heads, fresh picked are best, otherwise dried)
    • 3 cups of brandy
    • .75 cup of sugar syrup

    Sugar syrup:

    • Dissolve 1 cup sugar in 1/2 cup boiling water for 2/3 cup of syrup.

    For those who blend their witchcraft with religious observation, prepare your workspace - clean and sanctify it. Ask the relevant deities into the area and ask their blessings upon your labors.

    Wash the fruit, petals, and fresh herbs and let dry on a tea towel. While they are drying, go outside and sit in the sun. Feel his warmth and power wash over you - draw it in.

    Lightly crush the fruit, petals, and herbs and stir into the brandy. Place your hands over the mixture and let the energy you gathered from the sun pour into it. If you are religiously inclined, you might wish to recite an empowerment cantrip and dedicate the mixture to the Great Goddess and Great God. Ask them to fill the mixture with their passion, their love, their joy, and fertility for the coming year. At this point you should specify what type of fertility you want - physical, mental, artistic, etc.

    Pour the mixture into a jar and seal closed. Store in a cool and dark place for 4 weeks.

    Strain the liquid out, pressing out all juice from the fruits and herbs. Rebottle with the sugar syrup and extra herbs if desired (these herbs would be chosen based upon what sphere of influence the cordial is dedicated to). Store an additional 6 weeks.

    When you first open the syrup and decant it into its bottle for future use, reserve a teaspoon to offer to the gods (if you involved the gods in your spell initially.

    Summer Bliss Tea
    This is the drink my Gran always made for me when I'd had a bad day, or the winter gloom got me down. She seemed to have pounds of sugared petals stored away. Rose, violets, lavender, and marigolds were her favourites. You can mix this recipe up with lavender, or make an Autumn Tea with blackberries and violets.

    • 2 tablespoons lime juice
    • 4 tablespoons light flavored honey
    • 1 sprig fresh mint
    • 1 quart washed, hulled strawberries
    • 1/4 cup fresh rose petals
    • 1/4 cup sugar and a little water
    • 1 bottle sparkling grape juice or apple cider

    A drink to bring joy to the heart and remind us of childhood's carefree summer days. Open the windows and let the summer inside (even if it's hot) or work outside on a balcony. I don't worry about ritual with this spell - it's a light and bright one, where the impromptu qualikty seems to enhance the magic. I might call to Puck or Robin Goodfellow and offer him a libation, but that's about it. While you are working, think about those summer holidays - what you did, how you felt, what the best part was. Mix the water into the sugar until the sugar becomes a paste - you don't want a liquid.

    Gently fold the rose petals in and coat them thoroughly. Take your time. You are folding in memories of summertime happiness. Leave the petals to soak for ten minutes or so, and then pick out a few to use in the drink now. Set the rest on a wire rack for a few days to fully dry out. They are great on cakes and in summer fruit drinks. You can store them in an airtight jar in a cool cupboard indefinately if they are left to fully dry out. Summer memories for wintertime!

    Back to the drink. In a blender mix the juice, honey, mint, and strawberries into a fine pulp. Stir into the sparkling cider/juice, garnish with a sprig of mint and a few sugared rose petals. Drink and munch with delight.

       

    Return to the Index of articles for Kitchen Witch   

    Return to the Index of articles for Magical Food   

    Main Index of Articles   


    Magazine Archive Page