Kitchen Witchery
The photo above was taken in my kitchen in April, the weekend of the 16th. The day before we had experienced an odd switch in temperature and had gotten a day of snow and roaring cold north winds. I had raced around, bringing in my plants and covering everything else I couldn't take into the house. I actually enjoyed sharing my space with the pretty flowers and pots of herbs. The small cauldron contains the mysterious remains of a candle spell, waiting for the appropriate time to be discarded in a particular way-- all very mysterious and wytchy, quaint and cottagy. I like it like that.
Magickal Herbs In this month's newsletter, we're going to be taking a look at herbs that can be used both as culinary herbs in the kitchen and magickal herbs in the cauldron. I'm sure that most of you will be able to find at least some of the herbs on this list in your own cupboards or gardens-- and it's the spontaneity of being able to scrounge in your kitchen and garden and come up with the magickal supplies you need that give Kitchen Witchery its charm. Below are herbs hanging from my kitchen ceiling to dry.
The following list of twenty herbs are herbs that I've personally used; and these herbs can be found in my own kitchen cupboards, flowerpots, or herb garden.
sage: purification, exorcism, protection, longevity rosemary: protection, love, lust, mental powers, exorcism, purification,healing, sleep, youth/beauty coriander: love, health, healing cardamom: lust, love anise: protection, purification, youth fennel: protection, healing, purification marjoram: protection, love, health, happiness, money ginger: love, money, success, power basil: love, exorcism, wealth, protection dill: protection, money, lust, love oregano: exorcism, protection allspice: money, luck, healing cinnamon: spirituality, success, healing, power, psychic powers, lust, protection, love cloves: protection, exorcism, love, money bay: protection, psychic powers, healing, purification, strength licorice root: lust, love, fidelity cumin: protection, fidelity, exorcism, protection against theft garlic: protection, purification, exorcism mint: money, good fortune, prosperity
Mint You can carry a leaf of mint in your wallet, where your money lay, allowing it to soak up the energy for prosperity. I carry a mojo bag in my purse containing mint, patchouli, a stone-- aventurine, and a gold coin.
Ginger You can add a pinch of ginger to whatever spell you are doing in order to speed the magick up. Think of it as the fast forward button of magickal herbs.
Sage Sage is such a standard herb in the practice of witchcraft. Use it for cleansing and purification by smudging with it. The cleansing smoke of sage will clear the air of negative energy, unwanted entities, and any other spiritual/emotional/psychological 'grime'.
Bay You can write your wish on a whole bay leaf, wrap it in a small white cloth, and keep it carefullyl tucked away until your wish comes true...then burn it in the flame of a candle and scatter the ashes to the wind.
Rosemary Rosemary is a cleansing herb, almost as popular as sage, but in a different way. Where sage is mysterious and ancient and conjures up pictures of shamans and rituals, rosemary is the practical old washerwoman, down on her knees with her chapped red hands, scrubbing away the dirt. And you will take advantage of this aspect of rosemary by adding a pinch of this herb to your wash water when mopping the floor. You'll be washing away much more than the physical dirt.
Cloves I think that one of the most popular uses for cloves is to shut the big fat mouth of an obnoxious gossip. If it were me-- and it may have been *smile*-- I'd make a poppet of this offensive creature, as much to the likeness as possible, and I'd stuff it's mouth *full* of cloves.
Cardamom This herb wreaks of Love Energy, and you can sprinkle it, every so subtly, into a cup of tea to serve to the one that you desire. Before you hand this cup to the target, take a sip of tea yourself.
Oregano Use this herb for the smudging properties of the smoke. Oregano will keep your in-laws away. All you have to do is smudge their photo along with every single entrance into your home. It works-- believe me. :)
These are just a few ideas for the magickal use our herbs. I'm sure that the creative witches out there will come up with even more inventive ways of tapping into this natural magick.
Spell of the Month The following spell is an excerpt from a "The Book of Magick"
(Making Magickal Tinctures)
For a spouse: To a bottle of red wine add a pinch of nutmeg, a dash of Commanding Oil, a stone of red jasper, and one of your spouse’s pubic hairs-- then spit in the bottle. Anoint the target directly with this little tincture when the opportunity presents itself, just a touch of the finger to their forearm or back, wherever. It can be done very discreetly so that they won’t even know. You can also dab some on their clothes, sprinkle some over their photo or add a single drop to whatever they are drinking. For your boss: To a bottle of spring water add a dash of Commanding Oil, a pinch of salt, a stone of apache tear, and personal effects from the target-- if you can’t get your hands on anything, include a tiny strip of paper with the target’s name on it. Spit in the bottle and seal it up. This tincture can be sprinkled in the target’s space, or poured upon the soil of their property, touched to their body or clothing, or sprinkled over their photo. If all else fails, be a good employee and fetch your boss a cup of coffee.
© "The Book of Magick" Amythyst Raine 2011
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The photo above is my boy, Salem,
Credits Some of the information above may have "The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells" by Jukika Illes All images found on these newsletters that are not personally Lady Amythyst's have been obtained at photobucket. If you have claim to any image found here & do not want it used, or you want credit for it, email Lady Amythyst, with verification of ownership, and the image will promptly be removed or credit given. All personal photos & text on this site belong (All Rights Reserved)  |
Katz
(Salem & Pixie, sitting in *their* spot at the livingroom windows, watching birds & squirrels at the feeders.)
We have six cats, or Katz, in our house, and each one is a unique creature that stands out from all the others with a staunch individualism that only cats can carry off successfully. There's Salem, the sleek black prince of the house, who enjoys a great deal of affection, and can't seem to wait until 5:30am, the time my husband normally rises for work, to come greet us in bed with morning nips to the fingers, purring, chirping, and carrying on. Unfortunately, Salem seems to think that *every* morning must begin this early and in this way...whether the alarm goes off or not. At the other extreme is our brown tabby cat, Basil. Basil was born with the soul of an irrascible old man. He doesn't want to be touched, he doesn't really like it when you talk to him, and he puts a lot of effort into pretending not to listen. He doesn't even like you to get too close, and goddess forbid, don't make eye contact. And just like some crabby old man, he spends a lot of time growling, hissing, and complaining.
(Basil, napping on the back porch.)
Bast is the 'Mama' of the group, both figuratively and literally-- she's Basil's mother. She also runs our cat community with an iron fist, and if anyone gets out of line-- either cat or human-- she puts them back into place by giving them a good swift slap to the face. Apparently this system works very well for her. So far no one has questioned her authority or tried to usurp her position in the pecking order.
(Mama Bast)
Pixie, also known as "Mistress Pixie Paws", is just plain weird. She's known around the house as 'Spook', for the unnerving habit of calmly watching us out of glassy gold-green eyes when we least expect it, and then blinking complacently when we're startled. She is a sprite, a magickal creature, one of the elves or nymphs come to spy on us humans. Her actions are usually slow and deliberate, occasionally totally off the wall and unexpected, and always entertaining. This cat also has the ability to fall asleep anywhere in almost any position-- occasionally even when she's sitting up, human style.
(Pixie, sleeping on the arm of the couch, where she had fallen asleep sitting bolt upright in a human position, and then gradually slid to the right.)
Pyewacket defies explanation. He's a beautiful black angora that is very affectionate, likes to do a little 'head-bumping' greeting he has, and absolutely refuses to use a litter box-- no way, no how. Wintering with him in the house is hell. He is banished to the laundry room, with the entire floor laid in newspapers. I defy you to pick up one square of newspaper, because if you do, out of this entire room-- and it's big-- he will choose that one bare spot of floor to do his business. We've decided that, lovable and affectionate as he is, Pyewacket basically has the heart of an outdoor cat.
(Pyewacket, snoozing in his food bowl on the back porch.)
Baby, aka Duchess, is my ham. Where the camera is, you'll find Baby. She winds up in more of my photos, and photos that I'll use for particular purposes, more often than any of the other cats. She also has two names, as you can see. She is quiet, sort of out in a zone all on her own. This cat also obviously interacts with beings or entities that only she can see. We sat and watched her one day in the middle of the livingroom floor, as she circled an unseen being, her hair standing straight on end. It must have been about the same size as herself, and as she circled it, all puffed up, she would reach inside this space, trying to sniff whatever it was. Suddenly, it must have startled her, for she leaped backwards, all four paws off the floor. And then it was gone. I'm grateful that I had wittnesses to this extraordinary display.
Cats are lazy, plain and simple. That's the truth. They spend their time eating or sleeping, with a little bit of play and shenanigans inbetween. But mostly, they sleep...
Sometimes they like to share their space...
A Personal Journey I'm slowly working my way through the Motherpeace Tarot Deck, and I'm posting this journey at my Wordpress blog as I go. I may do a card a day, or several cards a day; or I may only touch on two or three cards a week. This is indeed a personal journey, and I'm taking it at my own pace, for my own convenience.
This is a fascinating tarot deck, geared to the the Goddess and the Feminine. It makes for an extremely insightful look at, not only the cards, but myself as well.
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