What is the Kitchen Witchery?

Kitchen Witchery is one of the many branches of magical practice, although I consider it more of an exercise, for reasons I will explain below.

Kitchen Witch, Hearth Witch, Green Witch… What does this mean?

Usually, I am not too keen on boxing the character of the witch, who is brought to experience many practices and traditions. Rather than speak of “way”, I would prefer to use the term of disposition, or aptitude. Very often, the Kitchen Witch is referred to as the Hearth Witch, or practitioner of Green Witch, a tradition close to nature, which maintains the fire of knowledge in the heart of a sacred place, assimilated to his house … But in the end, that’s just what we call a witch period, right? You cannot be Kitchen Witch without being Hearth Witch or Green Witch, and vice versa, since these three refer to the three sides of the same triangle …

This is why I think that talking about the Kitchen Witch is an easy way to distinguish the many trends in witchcraft that are current in our time. But in fact, the Kitchen / Hearth / Green Witch refers to this the same character of a solitary witch, who knows and uses the materials and energies of the first source of power: Nature. Neo-paganism put tons of Whatsoever-Witchery into circulation; I will speak of Kitchen Witchery for practical purposes, but in my mind, there is only one way: that of feeling or not concerned by the heritage of witchcraft, which is both unique and multiple to it. alone.

 

Kitchen Witch: an aspect of magic practice

But what exactly are Kitchen Witch’s faculties? Well, as the name suggests, in the realm of food. We can be a follower of many practices, reiki, mediumnity, hypnosis … if we do not eat, or not well, it is the end of us. The Kitchen Witch thus refers to a fundamental human need: eat to live.

The difference is that she elevates this practice to the rank of magical arts. We will often hear that the Kitchen Witch integrates spells into the preparation of dishes, ruminating magical intentions throughout the preparation. That she will use ingredients corresponding to a specific area: love, money, assertiveness … Yes … and no. Why? I explain to you.

The desire to cook is already in itself a “magic” job: we must know the ingredients, their virtues, the harmony they have together, then we work them, we transform them, we make them pass from a given state. to a new state that can take many forms… Creams, soups, jams, roasts, grills, salads, cold or hot, crunchy or soft, we infuse our food with our own will. Also, cooking requires a great deal of concentration, patience, a certain amount of error to be corrected without delay … Now, isn’t that the witch’s job? Know inside out the strengths she uses and their virtues? Concentrate on her work to give it the shape of her will?

This is why the Kitchen Witchery is, in my opinion, a very good exercise in magical practice. Because it calls for skills that are important to have when aspiring to magical work: concentration, intimate knowledge of what you are using, patience, acceptance of mistakes, desire to improve.

 

Kitchen Witchery Practice Keys

Use seasonal ingredients

It sounds trite, but it’s the most important aspect. Align with Nature’s normal cycles, checking what grows at a particular time: fruits, vegetables, aromatic herbs… There are also seasons for fish and meats. Whenever possible, use local products that grow at home. The more extreme would say that you should only practice with local ingredients. This is another debate. I am not in favor of the massive importation of exotic products, but I find it unfortunate to be closed to the flavors of the world. The key is to select your producers. In the city, it is particularly difficult to access regional products, as traceability is generally quite difficult to trace …

There are many seasonal calendars available and easy to find to get your bearings. I use this one, which is quite practical:

VEGETABLE GARDEN SEASONAL CALENDAR

Use the rawest ingredients possible

Ready-made tomato sauces, mashed potatoes … Okay, we know or we don’t know, but it’s worth a try. It’s a bit the same as using someone else’s spells. Know as much as possible what is in your dish. One aspect of Kitchen Witchery is rooting in practice, a kind of creation at the source, where we master the ingredients that make up our preparation. It’s always better to know exactly what you’re using. And much more rewarding.

Know the virtues of the ingredients

Foods, it is well known, each has beneficial virtues for the body. You have to learn what is good for what. The magical tradition ready with the ingredients of the particular correspondences, for the money, the confidence, the love… This is the symbolic aspect of the Kitchen Witchery, it is always good to know them to give more meaning to your dish. But for my part, I like to know better the medicinal virtues of food, to know what they stimulate in us. Very often, their medical virtues overlap with their symbolic virtues.

Experiment

Don’t be afraid to innovate, to blend flavors, to add aromatic herbs, sometimes essential oils, to create unique dishes.

Know who you’re cooking for

For you, for your loved ones, for an offering… Cooking is in itself an act of sharing and devotion. Unless you want to poison your family, there is always love in the act of cooking. We often say that you have to breathe love into your meal, for those with whom you will share it. But in my opinion, cooking is in itself a show of love. So, whether to mix the dough clockwise or not, what matters is that you do it right, and it tastes good. You can share a little of what you are preparing by putting it on your windowsill, for traveling spirits … or at least for the little sparrows who are cold!

The tools of Kitchen Witchery

Do not be fooled by those who tell you to buy a cauldron, an athame, measuring spoons in the shape of a fairy, a chalice … You have pans, you have bowls, knives, spoons… If this is not the case, choose wood or metal materials, plastic does not handle temperature differences well, and then it’s just ugly. Above all, you need things that are practical and manageable, and that are unlikely to spoil or dissolve their glaze in your dish.

Scrupulously write down your recipes

So, a word of advice, do not keep your beautiful grimoire in your kitchen, it may be expensive. But always have a piece of paper on hand in addition to the recipe you are following; there are always small variations that you end up making, it is better to be able to note them immediately, even if it means copying them cleanly afterward.

Small testimony of conclusion

Practicing the Kitchen Witchery is as varied an experience as there are characters. Some may prefer to invest in affect, by “loading” their kitchen with their intentions, or with the magical virtues of the ingredients they use. Others will prefer to focus on the seasons above all, using regional ingredients that anchor their creation in tradition (like the pickers and healers of yesteryear who could only act with what they had underhand).

For me, the different festivals of the year are those that regulate my practice, my way of celebrating Nature which dies and is constantly reborn. In autumn-winter, when there are few fruits and vegetables, play with the spices added to hot wines and ciders, jams and sauces, to give flavor to the eternal pumpkins/potatoes/leeks/cabbage and similar that we eat from November to March. In spring and summer, play with the harmonies of fresh herbs added to fruit salads, cheeses, and grilled meats. This is the reason why my recipes are classified by Sabbaths, in reference to these times of the year.

The main thing, for me, is to be the simplest in its practice. We often imagine that the practice of magic should be loaded with trinkets, weird mumbles, and symbols … For me, it comes just from the sincerity of the heart, which is expressed when you cook for others … but also for yourself. Because we too often forget to take care of this little altar that is our body.

 

original french article by Lucrezia Vesperale: Qu’est-ce que la Kitchen Witchery?