Kitchen Witchery

This image was found on Pinterest and I've been unsuccessful in finding the owner of this adorable Kitchen Witch figurine.

          Most of us think that Kitchen Witchcraft is something new or modern, but in reality it goes back thousands of years. Think of your Grandmother or Great Grandmother who would mix up a sour smelling gunk for a cut on your knee, or who would whisper over a boiling pot on her stove. Remember that? That's part (and truly just a small part) of being a Kitchen Witch.

          I've recently had people from my past contact me about Witchcraft (people I hadn't spoken with in three years, if not longer) and it made me realize that I've lost touch with the Craft. Life got hectic, I moved, I lived with family, just a constant back and forth of what can I do, what am I doing, I'm a horrible Witch, blah blah blah.
         
          Regardless of all that, their inquiries (me being the only Witch either of them know) made me realize that there really isn't much solid info on being a Kitchen Witch (that we all could find). Most posts, blogs, whatever, touch on one or two or even three things and that's it. Then another blog will have information about tools and items, while another post talks about herbs, spices, etc. All of this made me realize that I could make a blog with all of it in one spot (to my best abilities, anyway) and hopefully help someone else who's a bit lost.

          Now, back to the topic at hand. Kitchen Witchery. As I mentioned above, most people think of Kitchen Witchcraft as something fairly new and modern, but there are still some of us out there that remember older family members slathering us with smelly goo, gathering herbs with a "special" knife or scissors, and perhaps a little traipsing through the woods for things that made no sense to us at the time.
          Some who think of this as a modern practice believe that you bake, cook, clean house, and that's all there is to it. Hopefully by the end of this article you'll see there's quite a bit more to the practice than just that and you'll also hopefully feel a little less lost.




          The first step to being a Kitchen Witch (also known as a Cottage Witch) is understanding exactly what that entails. Being such a witch, firstly, doesn't mean you can't be another religion. That's important to understand. Witchcraft itself isn't a religion (you might be thinking of Wiccans) and you can practice witchcraft and be a Kitchen/Cottage Witch while still being Christian, Jewish, a Satanist, etc.

          Understand that this article isn't necessarily a How-To list, and you don't have to follow it to a T. You'll get done reading everything and hopefully the right steps will just feel, well, right.

          A clean home is a happy home. That's not just something our Mother's told us to make us clean our rooms. Okay, maybe it was for some of you. But for Witches it's actually quite true. Practicing Witchcraft should be done in a clean (that term is defined by the individual) and cozy environment. You should feel pride in your little corner of the Universe. It doesn't have to look like it belongs on the cover of a magazine, but you should feel comfortable when you walk through your front door. Think of your home as well, your home. It should feel warm and inviting.

          You'll need a garden. If you're like me, your front yard is constantly trampled by children who have no boundaries and the side and back yards are for your dogs to frolick. Despite the inconvenience of the children (the things trampled my onions!), I've still managed to have a little indoor garden. You can take terra cotta pots and line your windowsill, or hang them from the windows in little macrame holders. A favourite idea of mine that I'll be implementing soon is hanging them from your porch. Obviously you'll need a porch for this, but the idea can still work on a smaller scale for a window. I'll make another post and go into detail about the whole thing, but for now I think you get the idea. You need a garden.There's always the possibility that you simply can't have a garden. Sounds fishy, I know, but believe me when I say it's true. I lived in an apartment with only three windows, all facing the same direction, with enough of an overhang that NO natural light filtered into my windows at any point in the day. So if you absolutely can't have a plant, you can always collect dry herbs or purchase them from a farmer's market, or even find them from a reputable place online.

          If you don't already, start getting an attitude of gratitude for your food. I don't just mean festival meals or dinners, but even small snacks or breakfast. You should thank the spirit of the animals and plants that you're consuming and become aware of what they give when you eat/drink. Connect to animals and plants on a level that's more than just thinking of them both as lower life forms. Celebrate them. Communicate with them. I don't mean sit in your garden and ask permission for every basil leaf. But give thanks as you take that leaf and understand the energy they give when you take them for your own consumption. They're more than just things for us to take and consume and should be honored as such.

          Start shifting to a more organic way of life. Reuse what you can, make your own cleaning supplies, move away from the bad chemicals (because everything in life is technically a chemical), move away from excess waste and poisons. It sounds a lot harder than it is and eventually (since this is my first post) there will be other articles helping you out along the way.

          Think magickally in everything you do. Cooking, baking, cleaning, showers and baths, digging in your garden that you may or may not have, etc. Everything we do can be done magickally. Don't just sweep dirt off the floor, sweep away the negative energies that cling to the dirt. You're not just sweeping away dust bunnies and puppy fur, you're sweeping away negative thoughts, negative feelings, and throwing away those as well. Maybe your mother in law, Goddess help you, is coming for a visit and she's.. less than kind. When you're making dinner for that night (because she just has to stay the night), project the emotions you desire for that evening. While you stir the pot (of stew, not drama) imagine the evening going well, imagine your mother in law being.. well, happy is too much  to ask for, isn't it? But imagine the outcome for the evening that you desire. Do this sort of thing in all aspects of your life.

          Like I mentioned before, a garden (or a way to get herbs) is important. I'll dig deeper into the subject later, but for now here are a few magickal herbs you should have around the kitchen.

Sage (for purification, cleansing, wisdom, wishes, etc.),
Lavender (love, healing, sleep, dreams, wisdom, divination, etc.),
Rose (love, protection, psychic awareness, opening the heart, etc.),
Rosemary (sleep, banishing, protection, mental powers, etc.)
Oats (wealth, prosperity, connecting to the Earth, etc.)
Dandelion (divination, wishes, calling spirits, letting go, etc.)

Those are just a few herbs to keep about your kitchen and a bit about what they can be used for. There are dozens more and the uses I listed for the ones here are just a few examples. Any one herb isn't used for just one thing.

You'll also need supplies. Aside from the necessary pots and pans and such for cooking/baking.

A mortar and pestle (preferably ceramic) is a way to keep an older touch to grinding herbs, but a spice grinder or food processor is also good. There's nothing wrong with using an appliance and a mortar and pestle are often still used during ritual after the herbs have been ground with an appliance.

Glass jars and vials. You'll need these things for dried herbs, oils, perfumes, elixirs, tinctures, etc.) They don't have to be a certain shape, size, colour, etc. as long as they properly fit the size of whatever you're stuffing in them. Cobalt and amber bottles are good for things that need to be kept from the sunlight because they offer UV protection.

Strainer.

Cloth pouches for various herbs, sachets, etc.

Small resealable bags. You'll use these for powders and such that you don't have enough of to fill a jar.

Small wooden cutting board.

Special knife that has been Cleansed, Consecrated, and Empowered (CCE) for harvesting herbs and flowers.

          There are many things that you will or won't need, but it really varies on what you find useful in your kitchen. I do hope that this article has been a bit helpful in starting your journey towards being a kitchen witch. Blessed day!