The Pagan Heart
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The Magical Foods We Eat And Their Alternative Uses: Sprouting Green
By Josh Peters
Part One Sprouts...Bean sprouts...not what one usually thinks of when pondering magical food. But over the next few issues that is exactly what we are doing! This issue we'll take a look at the physical properties of the humble sprout. Why should we eat something that, at best, resembles a partially grown weed? Next issue I'll take you on a trip into the magic of the sprout. First and foremost, the sprout is an incredible powerhouse of nutrition - unlike all other food, once plucked and packaged it does not begin to deteriorate but continues to grow and generate further vitamins. Refrigerating your sprouts enables these little plants to continue to grow, albeit slowly, until you chow down on them. They come in a wide array of flavors depending upon which seeds are used - mung, snow pea, and alfalfa are probably the most well-known, but there's mustard, radish, onion, broccoli, and cress to consider too. And I haven't even touched on the herbs or grains! So why is the sprout so good for you? Basically it's because of their "concentrated" nature - the sprout contains a wealth of nutrition designed to power its rapid growth. To give you an idea, a single mung bean sprout contains Vitamin A levels on a par with an entire lemon...and that's not even considering it's banana-levels of niacin, or its avocado-levels of thiamin...imagine what a serving of them could do for your health? Running low on energy? Add mung beans to your salad, sandwiches, soups, and stir fries. Much better for you than popping some extra vitamin pills - your body will absorb exactly what it needs from the beans and not one iota more, plus naturally occurring vitamins are easier to absorb. Sprouts as a whole are probably one of the most concentrated sources of nutrition in the natural world - and better than the manufactured versions. Their levels of enzymes, trace elements, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and proteins surpass those in all other foods. They offer rejuvenating qualities that any spa would be jealous of. And if it's enzymes you're seeking, grab a sprout - certain sprouts offer over 100 times the amount found in fruits and vegetables (every sprout has a minimum of 10 times the enzymes). Sprouts are also a natural medicine chest. Everyone should be using them in the battle against osteoporosis because of their ability to increase bone density. For women there's the added benefit of preventing PMS and reducing symptoms of menopause. Having interested you in sprouts let's talk practicalities. Depending upon variety, they aren't necessarily the cheapest thing to buy at the store - a small bag can range from $1-6 and it's eaten so quickly. But they are relatively cheap to buy (ranging from $4-8 a pound) and very easy to grow. Incredibly easy in fact - put together a plate, some paper towel, water - oh, and the seeds - and 4-6 days later you're eating your own home-grown produce! You can even grow them on a piece of woven material such as hemp. But most sprouters end up with a sprout kit of some sort. I personally like the tray variety - they stack and allow for multiple varieties of sprouts to be grown simultaneously. The simplest way to get going is as follows:
Part Two Last time I discussed the heathful benefits of sprouts - from mung beans to sunflowers and everything in between. This issue I'd like to broach the topic of magic. Using sprouts for their magical properties whether in a spell or within simple kitchen witch-style dishes is easy. The first thing to remember is that a sprout contains all the magical potential of the grown plant. Use sprouts as you would the adult plant and you will tap into the power not only of the plant itself but also of new life. Powerhouses when it comes to nutrition, sprouts are equally so otherwise. They are also metaphysically powerful. Representational of new life, new beginnings, new ideas, sprouts are about reaching for the stars and attaining them. Think of the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, an elemental magical sprout tale if ever there was one. Through the planting of seeds Jack was able to reach beyond his goals and gain great things. Consider the agricultural village dependent upon the growth of its seeds for survival each year. Think of the seed itself - a smooth mysterious case concealing something much greater and more beautiful than that single seed. Using seeds before and during their sprouting time is a wonderful way to focus the mind and bring about personal change. All of this is encapsulated within each sprout. Modern technology has taken this idea and run with it, creating a marketable idea based on the magic bean. Mamederumon - a created Japanese word meaning 'thing which sprouts from a bean' - is a bean seed (usually the Jack bean!) with a single word enscribed on it. The word is usually something such as 'love', 'hope', or 'luck'. As the seed germinates and sprouts the seed case splits revealing the plant and the hidden message. The message drops away (the normal action of the the seed case) and the plant continues to grow, representational of the growth of the message and the positive energy it will bring to your life. Tacky maybe but very much an appropriate use of sprout magic to manifest a desire within your world. This idea of the Mamederumon seed is one worth considering next time you plant seeds in your garden. Why not write words upon them prior to planting so that they can bring their magical energy to work for you as they grow? Jan Fries wrote in his book, Visual Magick, that "a seed is a unit of consciousness that has a body, charge and intelligence and tends to develop into the actual under proper conditions. Seeds are created, transmitted and earthed in order to achieve change - change in one's world, life or identity." Now he's not referring to actual seeds but rather a way of understanding a spell as a seed. That is an action that merely begins the event, not the event in and of itself. And just as a seed is only partially indicative of the end plant, so too the spell. But I find the idea of blending Fries' idea of spell-seed with a real seed to be a very powerful way of creating magical outcomes. Fries talks of sigils (the spell-seed) rather than complex rituals - craft an intent, focus, and release it to grow. Why not use a real seed whose plant corresponds to your intent and infuse it with your spell? Plant it, water it, and let it grow. Or place a number of seeds within a ball of clay, mold it into a shape relevant to your intent, and plant it out in the wild.
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2004-2006