Kitchen Witch

(Alliurn spp.)

Planet: Mars

Element: Fire

Energies: Protection, physical strength

Lore:

Leeks are steeped in myth and folklore. In twelfth-century Persia they were worn over the left ear to prevent intoxication. Gerarde, who lived in sixteenth-century England, thought they produced nightmares. In his time, a leek was hidden inside a black cloth and placed under the pillow of an ill person to effect a cure.

Leeks were also regarded as solemn protection against fire and lightning.

Magical uses:

Leeks are good protectants, as you might expect from a member of the onion family. Make leek soup or add leeks to a stew for this purpose.
Additionally, they can be eaten for increased physical strength. According to tradition, Welsh soldiers rubbed fresh leeks on their bodies for success and vigour in battle. They also believed that the magic juice would protect them from wounds. The leek is still a national symbol of Wales.

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Energies: Protection

Lore:

Legend has it that Brussel sprouts were created from wild forms of cabbage growing in Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar relied on cabbage to prevent or to cure the hangovers that usually resulted from his fabulous, excessive feasts. He was naturally disturbed that no fresh cabbage was available during the winter.

According to this myth, he ordered his head gardener, Brussel, to devise a method of growing cabbage year-round. By hybridizing, Brussel eventually succeeded in creating today’s Brussel sprouts, which, indeed, are small cabbages and belong to the cabbage family.

Magical uses:

Eat Brussels sprouts as a part of protective diets. Adding a bit of salt to them is fine since salt is also a protective substance, but too much of
anything (especially salt) results in ill health. Ill health leads to a lack of our body’s normal psychic protections. As an alternative to salt, try basil, dill weed, and mustard, all of which are protective flavorings

Humans have eaten bread for at least 8,000 years. We have made it round, oblong, square, and triangular; flat as a pancake or fat as a loaf. Bread has been twisted into a symbol of the winter solstice, spiced, sweetened, garlicked, and filled with fresh vegetables. Though it has been made of every grain, it was the raised wheaten form that first inspired human and divine palates.

Bread has long been worshipped as the “staff of life.” But in the West today, bread is usually encountered in plastic bags, presliced and stripped of nutrients, bran, and wheat germ. It is “fortified” with just enough vitamins to satisfy government standards and may be artificially flavored and preserved.

Perhaps the greatest indignity to which our bread is subjected is being pumped with air. This creates what is known in the grocery trade as “balloon bread.”

Not long ago, bread was a divine substance, directly linked with the goddesses and gods of the earth, lovingly crafted with grain and water. Flat, unleavened breads sustained millions of humans. Due to our forerunner dependence upon bread, these loaves also played important roles in birth celebrations, spirituality, and death.

Before the advent of agriculture, humans gathered wild grains and hunted. This forced them to live nomadic lives in small family groups. Eventually women— who had always gathered grain—discovered agriculture. As fields were planted with grain, people began putting down roots. Life stabilized and civilization began.  Grain, most often eaten in the form of bread or grain paste and soon became far more important than meat.

Earlier European civilizations dedicated grain to state deities: Inanna in Sumer; Ishtar in Babylon; Osiris in Egypt; Indra in India; Demeter in Greece; Spes and Ceres (from whose name we take our word “cereal”) in Rome; Xipe, Cinteotl, and Mayauel in ancient Mexico; and various forms of the corn mother throughout the Americas. Bread, the basic product of grain, was offered to the deities. Ishtar, Shamash,
and Marduk were each given thirty loaves a day in Summer.

The blender and food processor of earlier times, the mortar and pestle are still used by some cooks to crush or to grind herbs and nuts. Prehistoric mortars have been found among the archaeological remains of many peoples dating back to neolithic times. Mortars identical to those used by preconquest Mexican peoples are still used in contemporary Mexico. Many Indian tribes of southern California fashioned mortars by grinding holes into huge rocks. A round stone was used as the pestle. As a child, I often threw acorns into such mortars in the Laguna Mountains near San Diego. I even tried to grind the acorns, as had the Diegueno Indians. Food processors are important tools for many of us, and they do save time. They, or the mortar and pestle, can be used if you wish. Grinding two cups of almonds with a mortar and pestle is a lengthy business, but while doing so we can pour our personal power into the food and concentrate on its eventual use.

Mabon marks the second harvest. The bounty of nature is dwindling. Earth begins to pull her fertility from the land. Humans and wild animals alike scramble to gather as much food as possible in preparation for the hard winter ahead.

Grains are appropriate for Mabon—particularly corn. Corn chowder, boiled ears of corn, and creamed corn fit Mabon symbolism well.

Beans, squash, and all other fall vegetables are also perfect for this festival

Ostara, the spring solstice, marks the astronomical start of spring. This was a time of joyous celebration, for the killing months of winter were over. Plants sprang from the ground in ways that seemed miraculous to our ancestors.

Because the burgeoning growth hasn’t yet fruited, sprouts are very appropriate. Seeds of any kind (including pine nuts, sesame, poppy, sunflower, and pumpkin) and green, leafy vegetables also vibrate with the season’s energies.

Flower dishes are also traditional. Rose, mustard, squash blossom, nasturtium, carnation—all can be added to more conventional dishes to bring the flavour and energies of the season into your diet. Never use flowers that have been sprayed with pesticides.

Eggs are a welcome addition to the diet. If you wish, colour them red, yellow, and gold in honour of the sun. Flavour foods with sage for good health.

(Spinacea oleracea)

Planet: Jupiter

Element: Earth

Energies: Money

Lore:

In the United States, spinach is remembered as the favorite food of a popular cartoon character, upon whom it magically bestowed great physical strength. This green, leafy vegetable seems to have been introduced from Persia (present-day Iran) to Europe in the fifteenth century; it was soon used on fasting days.

Magical uses:

Steam spinach and eat as a part of prosperity diets. Flavour with sesame seeds or nutmeg for added power.

(Lactuca sativa)

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Energies: Peace, money, celibacy

Lore:
Lettuce was sacred to the god Min in ancient Egypt. Min, whose graphic depictions as a phallic god were deemed obscene a hundred years ago, also ruled over vegetation of all kinds.

Lettuce seems to have been his favorite due to its greenness and the fact that the core, when squeezed, exudes a milky sap that was probably associated with semen. Lettuce was naturally related to the act of procreation and to fertility. It was commonly stocked in tombs and offered to Min.

At least one Roman emperor was so enamored with this vegetable’s restorative properties that he had an altar, complete with a statue, built to the plant.

Magical uses:

A Mexican woman once told me that when her young children were “crybabyish” or hyperactive, she’d simply put them in a bathtub with
lettuce leaves. This calmed them. Wild lettuce contains opiates and the juice was once drunk to bring on natural sleep. Today, lettuce is eaten with visualization for peace and tranquillity, even though the common head lettuce found in grocery stores contains virtually no opiates.
Like other salad greens, lettuce is added to money-attracting diets. Use in a salad with fresh dill weed for increased money. Lettuce is also eaten (in direct contrast to most other foods) to cool sexual desire and, curiously enough, to prevent seasickness

(Anthriscus cerefolium)

Planet: Mercury

Element: Air

Energies: Weight Loss

Lore:

Folk magicians once boiled chervil with pennyroyal. The resulting brewwas thought to cause its drinker to see double.

The plant was named cerefolium to honour its ancient use in festivities directed to Ceres, the goddess of grain and vegetation.

In earlier, rougher times, many died from combat wounds due to infection. In the 1500s, wounded men were given chervil juice to drink. If they kept it down the chervil predicted that they would live. If they “cast it up,” the wound was mortal.

Magical uses:

Chervil can be hard to find, but is well worth seeking, especially as it can be of help when trying to lose weight. Juice a bit of this plant every day, visualize, and drink to maintain or to regain your desired figure. For added power, eat in a salad with chickweed.

(Phaseolus spp.)

Planet: Mercury

Element: Air

Energies: Money, sex

Lore:

Beans were a major part of the diets of many Mesoamerican cultures,including the Maya and the Aztecs. They’re still an important food throughout Latin America. Plutarch states that beans were given in sacrifice to Harpocrates (the GraecoRoman deity) in the month of Mesore. Apollo was also offered beans in sacrifice. The Egyptian king Ramses III offered 11,998 jars of shelled beans to the deities on one occasion.

Several ancient religions forbade priests and priestesses to eat beans. The Romans offered beans to the dead at certain festivals. The Greeks and Romans also used beans for ballots: white beans for yes, black beans for no. Apollo was offered beans in sacrifice. Beans were long thought to promote sexual desire if eaten. The famous English herbalist Culpeper recommended them for this purpose, while a father
of the Church, Saint Jerome, forbade nuns to eat beans because they “tickled the genitals.”

In England, insanity was thought to be the result of sleeping overnight in a bean field.

The white flowered beans, however, have long been sacred to the Goddess and were revered by many peoples.

Colonists learned the art of cooking Boston baked beans from American Indians.

Magical uses:

Add beans to diets designed to increase wealth. If you make your own baked beans, add a touch of ginger, maple syrup, and other money attracting foods during their preparation, and visualize as you mix and cook. Or, eat beans with the appropriate visualization to increase your interest in sexual activity. Hot chili with beans is a protective dish.

Plates were probably used before bowls. The first plates were flat pieces of wood or stiff leaves, which came in handy for holding and slightly cooling cooked food prior to eating. Plates are ruled by the sun and the element of earth. Generally speaking, they represent the physical world, money, and abundance. Any plate made of natural materials can be used for magic

When preparing foods for specific magical purposes, cook with purpose and care. Keep your goal in mind. Know that the food contains the energies that you require.—

Always stir clockwise. The clockwise motion is thought to be in harmony with the apparent movement of the sun in the sky, and has been linked with life, health, and success.—

Cut foods into shapes symbolic of your magical goal; i.e., hearts, stars, or circles .—

If you’re cooking food that will be consumed by others as well as by yourself, don’t load the whole dish with energy. Prepare it as you normally would. Then, just before you eat, charge your own portion with visualization. Failing to separate your empowered share is treading on the dangerous ground of manipulative magic.—

Cook with love.

Planet: Sun

Element: Fire

Energies: Spirituality, protection

Lore:

Tortillas are a standard Mexican food. They are still made in the same way as they were during Aztec times. Round, containing sacred corn, tortillas are an indispensable part of the Latino diet. The Huichols of Mexico also offer tortillas to their deities. Tortillas made of yellow corn are believed to be more satisfying and to give more energy to the body than those of other colours.

Magical uses:

Corn tortillas are best. Wheat tortillas, which were first made in northern Mexico, simply don’t have the same symbolism or energies as corn
tortillas. If you buy tortillas prepackaged, check the label. Choose only those that contain no artificial preservatives. They can be made at home or, in many U.S. towns, can be purchased at tortillerias.

Warm tortillas, with butter or cheese, are wonderful foods at any time, but are particularly satisfying after intense magical workings. They instantly nourish the body and refuel it. Round tortillas can also be added to spirituality diets. Warmed and spread with garlic butter, corn tortillas are a delicious part of a protective diet.

1/4 watermelon, diced into bite-sized chunks
1/2 cucumber
2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (I like to leave the feta in rather large chunks: personal preference)
1 lime
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (I beg of you, break out the good stuff: it makes all the difference)
4-5 fresh mint leaves, chiffonade
salt and pepper

Slice the half cucumber down the middle and then cut each half so that you have a pile of half-moons about a half-inch wide. Toss the cucumber and the diced melon in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle the cheese on top, and season with salt and black pepper. Drizzle the olive oil and the juice of the lime over the top. Sprinkle the chiffonade of mint leaves on top of the salad as a garnish.

The colors of the salad look best before tossing, so if you’re making this for company, I recommend serving like this and tossing at the table. Alternatively, you can toss the watermelon and cucumber with the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper and then add the cheese and mint at the end.

Though they are commonly found in Western tables today, forks were once used solely for noneating purposes such as spearing fish, working with hay, and digging. The first fork was probably a forked stick. Until late in the seventeenth century, most Western peoples ate with their fingers. Though the fork was introduced into Europe in the eleventh century, it took five hundred years for it to gain widespread use.

The fork is ruled by Mars and the element of fire. As a tool for eating, it has been regarded as sacred, and bent forks played a role in European protective rituals. They were buried in gardens or placed inside walls to ward off negativity.

Many witches are strict vegetarians. They shun meat, poultry, and fish; some even avoid eggs and milk products. They often believe that spiritual advancement and magical ability can only be obtained with such a diet.

There are many kinds of vegetarians. Those who follow a macrobiotic diet eat little more than grains. The more common type commonly called “vegans,” add fruits, vegetables, and nuts to their diet. Some more broad-based vegetarians also consume milk (usually goat’s milk), cheese, and even eggs. A few “vegetarians” will also occasionally eat fish and seafood, or even poultry, but never red meat.

Most vegetarians rigidly adhere to their diets in the face of overwhelming odds. Their degree of adherence is usually determined by their reasons for adopting a vegetarian diet. Many of them see living creatures as our sisters and brothers—of different forms, but from the same source. They make a commitment not to ingest them.

(Helianthus annuus)

Planet: Sun

Element: Fire

Energies: Protection, success

Lore:

Sunflowers were viewed as symbols of the sun by the ancient Incas of Peru. Gold crowns inspired by this flower were reportedly worn by solar priestesses during rituals.

Many Mexican gardens contain sunflowers, since their presence is thought to confer “luck.” Women still eat sunflower seeds for help in conceiving a child. In the United States, the seeds are gathered at sunset and eaten to gain a wish.

Magical uses:

Hold your hands over a small bowl of roasted sunflower seeds. Visualize them bursting with the energies of the sun—protection, success,
triumph. Then eat them to bring these powers inside yourself. Or, add toprotective salads and other dishes.

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Energies: Weight loss

Lore:

Seaweed (more correctly, sea vegetables) are surprisingly nutritious foods that are rarely found in Western diets, except as processed food
additives (such as carrageenan). In Cornwall, pieces of a seaweed known as Lady’s Tresses were placed on small stands near the chimney to guard seaside cottages against fire.

Seaweed is eaten throughout the year by the Japanese, who also serve it on their lunar New Year for happiness.

Magical uses:

Add seaweed to your diet if you wish to lose weight. Seaweed has been prescribed for this purpose since ancient times. Dried kelp (a generic
term for seaweed) is available in all health-food stores.

(Allium cepa)

Planet: Mars

Element: Fire

Energies: Protection, weight loss

Lore:

The great city of Chicago was named for the local Indians’ word for the wild onions growing in the area—chicago.

According to ancient Egyptian incantations, onions were included in charms designed to keep potentially harmful ghosts from children.

Celebrants at winter solstice festivals in Egypt wore onions around their necks.

Onions also played a role in the mummification process.

Though it has often been written that the pyramids were built by onion-and garlic-fed slaves, all Egyptians ate onions in those days. Onions, bread, and beer made up the basic ancient Egyptian diet.

In old Rome, the naturalist Pliny wrote that runners should eat onions daily for speed and endurance.

About 1394, an Arab writer recommended onions boiled together with green peas and spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, and ginger to create sexual desire.

Three hundred years later, the English herbalist Gerarde prescribed the use of onions in weight-loss diets; their low caloric content makes them ideal for this. Even if they are well boiled, he states, onions will not lose their “attenuating” quality.

In contemporary Guatemala, men eat onions to retain virility and to procreate children, even into advanced age.

Magical uses:

This sharply scented plant has long been revered and utilized in magical ritual. In general, onions are eaten to boost our protective armour,
which is created by a flow of energy from the body. They can be used in any form whatsoever for this purpose; the sharper the taste, the more effective the onion will be. Onions have long been kept in the kitchen, halved, to absorb
evil. Or, as Gerarde recommended, eat onions daily as part of a weight-loss plan

Brassica spp.)

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Energies: Protection

Magical uses:

Eat fresh or cooked cauliflower as part of a protection diet. To increase its effectiveness, cook cauliflower with dill, mustard seeds, or
rosemary.