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Kitchen Witchery: The Magick of Everyday Things, by Laurel Woodward

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

When I first came to magick and started walking a Pagan path, I was often paralyzed into non-action by trying to write the perfect ritual with a specific list of ingredients set to the energy of the moon, day, and hour. And while there is a time and a place for these big rituals, it wasn't until I embraced the magick of everyday things that my day-to-day life became truly magickal.

I came to understand that magick isn't found only in a moonlit ritual, but waits to be acknowledged in the everyday-moments of our lives. The secret to finding it is to be present. When I face the world awake and aware, magick happens. The small things I took for granted gained the power to fill me with joy and wonder: The spicy-sweet scent of a rose, the hummingbird dropping down mid-flight to buzz around me, the sunlight in my eyes warming my skin. A simple shift of attention turns brief exchanges into intense, expanding, magickal moments that allows me to find my place within the natural world, a place where I may commune and interact with the world around me, where I am not alone but part of a great thrumming web, and suddenly everything becomes so much more.

It is in these small but precious moments, as perception sharpens and swells, and we become fully engaged, that the mundane takes on an enchantment of its own. We become aware of the whispers and stirring around us and become a witness to the transformative power of everyday magick. When we turn off our electronic devices, quiet our minds, and greet the world with expectation it responds and begins to speak in a language of signs, symbols, and synchronicities that when recognized, stimulates our intuition creating radiant glimpses of insight and Divine inspiration. Messages come in the playing card you find on the walk, in the butterfly that lands on your wrist, in a repeating song or number. Intuition finds its voice and as we begin to listen to it our perception expands so that we become aware of this cosmic interaction. Each day becomes an adventure as curiosity blooms and everyday routines fill with mystery, magick, and wonder.

The Universe is sentient and it is brimming with energy; you only have to be present to witness it. Magickal energy is all around us. It is in the plants at our feet, the feather of the bluebird lying on the sidewalk, the shell on the beach, and it is also in every single ingredient in our kitchen cupboards. Each and every ingredient has a magickal correspondence that can be applied to work magick to charm, sweeten, heal, nurture, comfort, and even compel.

Through the application of intention, focus, action, and will, Kitchen Witchery turns the act of preparing food and serving it into alchemy. With thought we shape the energy. With our breath, our words, with emotions, with our voices, with our movements by mixing, stirring, kneading, and chopping we raise the energy as the focus of our will channels it to manifest the work. We can do this every time we create, no matter the medium. Each time we consciously create, fixing intention and linking our thoughts with the magnetic/vibrant energy of the earth, immersing our creation process in our thoughts, emotions, and actions, the results are a change in structure. This act of conscious creation is magick and can be applied to every aspect of our lives.

It is when we embrace mindfulness that magick happens. When we treat something as sacred, it becomes so. Our efforts go from half-hearted to conscious acts of creation. Bring mindfulness into the kitchen and our cooking takes on a whole new level of meaning. Garden favorites become a source of magickal energy waiting to be tapped into. Take for example the common pepper and tomato. Both hold energy to stimulate creativity and inspire affection—which means a spicy dish of salsa can be made to refresh thought, encourage creative inspiration, or arouse a lover's affections.

Like any magickal ritual it begins with an intention and a recipe.

Taqueria-Style Salsa with Chili de Arbol
The heat of this creamy delicious salsa can be reduced or amped up by decreasing or increasing the number of chili peppers and the amount of pepper seeds. You may want to wear food handler's gloves when handling the peppers, as chili oil can cause skin irritation.

You will need:

• 2 tomatoes
• 1 small to medium onion
• 2 or 3 chili de arbol
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• a blender or food processor
• salt

While half the magick comes from the ingredients, the other half comes from you. Tell each ingredient what you want it to do. Voice your intention or simply hold it in your mind as you cut each tomato and onion into four sections and peel the garlic. Take each pepper and cut off the stem. Remove the seeds and discard.

In a sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Put the tomato and onion pieces into the pan and cook for 5 minutes turning the slices so each side browns. Add the garlic and roast for 2 minutes. And lastly add the chilies. Cook only until they begin to brown. This happens quickly. Be careful not to burn or the flavor will become bitter. Spoon the cooked ingredients into a food processor and whiz. Pause and add two more tablespoons of oil and whiz until creamy. Season with salt and serve warm or cold. This salsa thickens as it cools. It will stay fresh for several days in the fridge.

Serve with tacos to spice up the meal. Serve with chips at a meeting to inspire a flow of fresh ideas. Serve at a friendly lunch to loosen tongues and encourage conversation. Serve to a date to rouse affection.

Five Tips to Empower Your Food Magick

1. If you are trying out a recipe you haven't made before, read it through completely before you begin. Then gather and prep all of the ingredients. One factor that brings together a successful recipe is timing, so if the recipe calls for an ingredient to be chopped, grated, peeled, etc. do this before you begin.
2. Be mindful of the foods you choose to eat. Your body is the vehicle you live in until the day you die. And just like an expensive sports car, your magick skeleton needs to be fueled with quality fuel for optimal performance. When you choose to eat whole foods your body is supplied with the nutrients it needs and food prep becomes a vehicle to restore wellness.
3. Eat foods that are in-season. Seasonal foods are at the height of their flavor and peak nutrition. If we put our energy into eating seasonal foods, the awareness becomes a bridge to sync our rhythms to the turning of the seasons.
4. Try to buy local. Food produced locally does not travel long distances to get to your table. It doesn't spend time in cold storage. Locally produced foods are fresh. There is amazing energy in fresh fruits and vegetables that come right from the field or garden. Buying locally grown produce also supports your local economy. For inspiration check out a Farmer's Market.
5. Lastly, be grateful. Gratitude goes a long way in magick practices. It is important that we remember to be thankful for the food we eat. You can thank your personal deity, your ancestors, the spirit of your home, the spirit of the land, or even the plants that grew the food you are about to eat. Offer the first portion to the spirit you are thanking. When we feed our household spirits and give them our attention, we strengthen our relationship and give them power. Hold gratitude in your heart as you eat.

If you are interested in learning more about the art of food magick, pick up my book, Kitchen Witchery, a cookbook filled with recipes, and the history, lore, magickal correspondences, and suggested uses for each culinary ingredient.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2021. All rights reserved.

I live alone. Between 12 and 48 seconds after turning off my bedroom light for sleep, I feel a cat-like scratching at the foot of my bed. This is immediately followed by what feels like a light-weight spirit stepping upon the bed. After eight months, I began to feel two small, light-weight spirits on my bed: one at my feet and one at shoulder level. Four months later, there were three. This went on for three months. I was scared at first but now I'd miss them if they left! I have lupus and should be sick often but I am not and the doctor can't figure out why. I haven't had even a cold in over ten years. I am wondering if perhaps these spirits are guardians or are helping me in some way. Since the spirits have been in my life, I have been happier, calmer, and more relaxed. I sleep like a rock at night. These spirits do not talk to me and I have never seen them - thank God! I hang out at a New Age book store a lot. I don't drink or do drugs. Whatever is on my bed feels kind of like a cat, but it doesn't walk as a cat would. The spirits have never gotten cuddly or frisky with me either. Have you ever heard of spirits like this before? Thank you so much.

Cameron

Susyn:

Your experience is very intriguing. I wanted to know more, so I employed my psychic senses to see just what type of creatures these might be. When I envisioned these spirits, I saw something that looked more like a rabbit than a cat. Rabbit spirits often embody the energy of healing and peace; their gentle natures can remind us to move through life in peaceful, loving ways.

I feel that you are sensing some animal spirit guides who have adopted you and work nightly to help you heal. We all have special guides. Some come in the form of people, and some in the form of animals. They have a way of appearing just when we need them. Though your rabbit spirit guides appear in an unusual way, the sensations you experience as they walk on your bed or scratch are simply them letting you know they are near.

Though rabbit spirits are sometimes associated with fear, I believe that they help us to face and conquer our fears, and encourage us to summon spiritual intervention with our problems. Rabbits are quiet creatures that live a simple life with trust that they will be taken care of. As such, they encourage us to look within for healing and to align with well-being by living peacefully in the now.

I think these are the perfect spirit guides for someone who suffers from lupus, for they generate a calming of the nervous system, which naturally helps you to heal. They are protecting and strengthening your immune system and allowing you to live a happier, calmer and more relaxed existence these days.

Though we tend to think of rabbits as animals that hop rather than walk, they can move in ways similar to a cat. They also have claws that they use to scratch - not in an aggressive way, but to get our attention. They are known for their high reproductive rate, hence your experience that one became two and then three.

There is no reason to fear these spirit guides; in fact, you will want to embrace them and thank them for their presence. At the New Age book store you frequent, you can learn more about the special energy and gifts they have to offer you.

These fluffy little spirit guides act as your sentries by surrounding you with spiritual protection both day and night. To honor and thank them for their healing presence, you may want to start collecting rabbit icons like rabbit statues and pictures.

*****

Oceania:

Lupus is a systemic disease wherein an overactive autoimmune system mistakenly attacks the body, resulting in inflammation and a variety of symptoms ranging from mild to severe. As my mother has lupus, Iím very familiar with the most common symptoms: fatigue, joint pain, shortness of breath, mouth sores, dry eyes, cold fingers and toes, easy bruising, memory loss, anxiety and depression. Not only do you not suffer from these, you havenít had a cold in a decade. That is really unusual!

Spirit helpers come in many forms. I think it's wonderful that you are open to yours and appreciative of their quiet service. That you first noticed them when you moved to your new apartment suggests that moving into this particular home launched a life chapter of extraordinary solitude and serenity for you.

You seem to be in something of an energetic cocoon at this time in your life. This combined with your high sensitivity made it possible for you to notice these subtle presences. During your waking hours, you don't sense these gentle sentinels. Because they show up at bedtime, they do seem to be keepers of your rest, renewal and healing.

You are physically healthy and experience emotional well-being. You describe yourself as happy, calm, and relaxed, and I do sense a profound peace about you. I think we can attribute this primarily to your efforts to take good care of yourself.

You are clear in that you do not use or abuse substances. In hanging out at the New Age bookstore, you are no doubt absorbing ideas related to self-awareness, personal evolution, empowerment, compassion, holistic health, care for the environment and other earthlings, sustainability, community and the pursuit of meaning.

Are these tiny nocturnal spirits basking in your wellspring of energy, are they there to protect you, or are they simply loving companions? I do sense mutual enjoyment much like I feel with MY feline friends, who also settle softly on my bed at night.

Is it possible these are spirits of cats or pets you knew in the past? Some animal spirits choose to hang out in familiar places after theyíve passed or with their former human companions. While it's great to bask in the blanket of their benevolence, donít let their comforting presence keep you from seeking human companionship when the time is right.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.