Kitchen Witch Spoken Charm

I hope it’s ok to ask, if not feel free to just delete, lol, but I was wondering how do you motivate yourself to do things with your craft? I’ve just lately felt comfortable calling myself a witch, but right now it seems like it’s in name only. It’s like I want to do things, but I’m just so tired after work I just sit and watch netflix. :/ Right now isn’t the best time, everyone who can work is over worked, but if you have any tips I’d appreciate it. Thank you for your time! :)

Keep in mind we live exceptional dire times, and cut yourself some slack. I don’t know what it is you are doing, but if you are one of these workers who are forced to be, as they call it, on the front line - whether you are a doctor, a postman, a driver, a cashier, a nurse... - then your mundane life sure must be hectic right now. That being said, if you are a proficient magical practionner as you claim to be, then I suppose you already know separating the mundane and magical parts of yourself and your life is delusional. They will, and they shall, overlap.

When you wake up in the morning, what offerings do you put out for your spirits - be it house spirits, land spirits, gods and allies ? What prayer and hymn do you whisper, what bond do you acknowledge and strengthen ?

What talisman, what jewelry, what oil or what charm do you carry into your purse, pocket, or about your persona ? What for ?

What blessings, what protections, what blastings and curses do you bestow upon yourself, your loved ones, your enemies, when the night is dark and the moon hiding ?

How do you keep your magical hygiene going, how do you keep your senses sharp ? How do you train your eyes to see beyond, in smoke, cards, dreams, bones or mirrors ?

What do you read in your downtime, what podcast do you listen to in the subway, on your way to and back from work, on your lunch break, and before going to bed ? Do you follow any course ? Do you look for the ciphers in the stars, the glyphs in the ground ? What omens do they portent ?

How often do you take a walk in nature, when is the last time a plant or animal taught you something ? When is the last miracle you performed just for the sake of it, just because it’s fun and exhilarating ?

Are you good with your hands, do you craft or create, do you brew, cook, weave, all in attunement with your practice ?

It is about making the time, not because this is something you should do, but because this is something you are. Magic is not always rituals and fireworks, no, it is about constance, it is about kindling and tending an inner Fire. So make sure those embers don’t die out, amidst the ebbs and flows, growths and recessions of power. There is a fine line between laziness and indulgence that we all must learn to walk, so do not coddle your weaknesses. Respect your tides, for we all wane and waxe, but ride them.

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.

Yule Logs

Despite much uncertainty surrounding the initial beginnings of the Yule Log tradition, today, the Yule Log is a way for witches, pagans, and non-practitioners alike to celebrate the winter solstice. What we do know about the traditional Yule Log is that it was a piece of wood burned, at least, for the day/night of the solstice itself (though perhaps for the entirety of Yule, which originally lasted many days) and part of the log was always kept unburned so that it could light next year’s Yule Log, passing the light from one log to another throughout the years. This unburned part was said to bring luck and protection to the home it was kept in throughout the year. These days, we use the Yule Log to light and warm the home, ward off dark and danger, and remind us of both the darkness of the solstice and the soon-coming light. 

Here are a few ways to bring a Yule Log into your solstice celebration this year. 

For a sweeter option you can always bake a Chocolate Yule Log - time consuming, but not overly difficult, a dessert Yule Log can be a fun way to bake alongside family and friends while you warm your home and fill your stomachs.

If you do happen to have a fireplace then choosing, buying, finding, or chopping your own large wooden log or bundle of logs (usually Oak, but many sources vary) is certainly an option if you want the more traditional experience of tending a fire throughout the longest night of the year. 

My favorite option for adopting the tradition of the Yule Log, however, is to decorate a log with ribbons and foraged items and drill holes for candles to burn throughout the night, lighting your home without the need for a small blaze. Here are two sources on how to make one and what they can look like when finished. 

Happy Yule!

Like everyone else, I experience healthy skepticism relating my religious practice. There is one thing, however, that never ceases to impress me and it’s when personal observations (or even more complex UPG) end up being attested and proven through research. Nothing is more validating than reading an academic essay and recognizing something you have experienced firsthand as a worshipper. 

Got some new witchy books yesterday!

Skills For Kitchen Witches

1) Basic Cooking : This is probably pretty obvious and most people interested in kitchen witchcraft know at least the basics. But if you don’t - learn. You can do kitchen magic without even turning on a stove (sandwiches, salads, etc) 

2 ) Cooking From Scratch : Start with basics and get more complicated. Basic things can include - Soups, Sauces, Marinated or Seasoned Meat, Potato Dishes. 

3 ) Baking and Baking From Scratch : Baking from a box is perfectly valid. you can add things like fruit or nuts, you can make frostings or fillings, you can decorate. But baking from scratch is also a good skill. Pies, Pastries, Cakes, Etc. Also remember savory baking (like bread, meat pies, etc)

4 ) “Drink Potions” : Any drink really. Coffee, Tea, Juice, Milkshakes, Etc 

5 ) Canning, Pickling, Preserving : I have limited experience in this, but there are lots of recipes for “Freezer Jam” or “Refrigerator Pickles” and im going to start with them. 

6 ) Cheese Making, Yogurt Making : Another thing i have no experience in, but you can buy kits online for a decent price. 

If you go for a walk in the forest, remember these ten things:

If you pass by a ring of mushrooms, don’t step in the circle, but do tell the mushrooms your dreams. They love to hear stories.

If you see large, foreboding pawprints in the middle of the trail, do not follow them; the path leads only to sorrow and despair.

If you hear the lull of a flute by the bubbling of a river, you may listen, but not for long; if you linger, you can never leave.

Be sure to keep any items you bring secured in your rucksack, with a few seashells hanging from it; the crashing waves from the shells will scare off thieves.

Return home before night falls. You never know what might appear when the forest is cloaked in darkness.

If you do stay after sundown, do not look at the stars. They are temptresses in their beauty, but can bring death and destruction.

If you come across wildlife, avoid eye contact. Some creatures may steal your soul if you stare long enough.

Never pass under a gnarled, curling tree, for you may enter a world that looks like your own, but is different still.

If you find a jar of honey or jam resting upon a boulder, ignore it. There are those who would tempt you with sweet nothings; don’t accept their gifts.

Mark a trail from your starting point with plain yarn. If you cut the trees, they’ll come for you. If you tie a ribbon on branches, they’ll capture you.

Be wary of the forest and all of its inhabitants. It is beautiful and wondrous, but can be frightful and merciless.

I tend to stay away from anything related to fertility (rocks, herbs, sabbaths, etc) because I *really* don’t wanna get pregnant, but then sometimes I think “maybe there’s another meaning for fertility, like, fertile ground for plants”. Is it safe to do things related w fertility (like celebrating imbolc) if I don’t want a baby?

A fair question! Firstly, I’ll say that celebrating sabbats is always good fun and there’s no real risk of encouraging your own fertility just by feasting and dancing on May Day (unless you round off the festivities with unprotected, penetrative sex of course). Secondly, your inclination is correct - fertility has so many other meanings than the literal sense of pregnancy (in fact in terms of the sabbats we’re often celebrating the fertility of the land to promote growth for harvest, as you say, and our harvest gods are our fertility gods for that same reason). But you can absolutely make use of symbols of fertility for celebrating growth and fecundity in all its iterations - growing ideas and projects, growing plants and new life in that way, growing yourself and even reparenting yourself, etc. - there are a lot of possibilities and as long as you’re not working any magic to expressly become pregnant then simply incorporating obejcts/rituals/deities of fertility into your practice won’t put you in danger of that. 

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! 

This is probably the witch advice you didn’t ask for, but I’ve found it’s much easier to remember to do general periodic maintenance that’s otherwise easily forgotten or put off when tied to milestones such as solstices, equinox, new, or full moons. 

For example: Stow your winter blankets or clothes on the Vernal Equinox and take them out again on the Autumnal Equinox. Replace your air and water filters on solstices and equinoxes (every 90 days). Begin new 30-day challenges or do reset/cleaning of your living space on the new moon (every month). 

Living cyclically breaks life down into manageable little blocks of time and helps us live in the moment by paying attention to the ebb and flow of the Earth.

Khaire 💫💀🖤