¨°º SeCreT ReCipeS From ~~LOA~~ KITCHEN WITCHERY º°¨

OCEANOS SG

~ KITCHEN WITCHERY 101: ~

Keeping the Sacred In the Mundane

What is Kitchen Witchery?

The term "Kitchen Witch" brings up many different images to people, but the most common idea is that of a Witch who practices her art mainly thru cooking and common household skills. Another image is that of one who uses common everyday items in her art, drawing up memories of the Burning Times, when it was necessary to hide your working tools from those who would persecute you for their possession. While both of these images are certainly true ones, Kitchen Witchery goes far beyond magical cooking or using ordinary items as magical tools. One Kitchen Witch, Mama Rose, defines Kitchen Witchery in the following way: "My spirituality and my priestesshood and my magick are based around the concept that my home is my temple, all in it are consecrated and holy, and each action that I do is a portion of the ritual of my life."

It is my belief that the heart of Kitchen Witchery is a talent for finding the sacred and magical in everyday tasks, a philosophy which "practices the presence of the Goddess" in daily devotion through ordinary actions. The Kitchen Witch makes the ordinary, extraordinary, the mundane magickal and by doing so, acknowledges the presence of the Divine in all things.

Sacred vs. Profane

One way in which Neo-Pagan religions differ in philosophy from the Judeo/Christian/Moslem paradigm is in their recognition of the sacredness in all things. The mainstream paradigm creates a philosophical dichotomy between the Sacred and the Profane (i.e. ordinary/mundane), that which is not "sacred" is, by definition "profane". In Neo-Paganism, ALL things are sacred. No such dichotomy exists.

The Kitchen Witch takes that philosophy to it's extreme logical conclusion and finds ways to acknowledge the sacred within the mundane. How this is done is a matter of personal artistic expression. Most are familiar, of course, with the act of cooking magickally or setting up household altars. But it doesn't stop there. Some Kitchen Witches may clean magically, turning every act of cleaning into a psychic clearing as well. Others may tend magical gardens, care for familiars or raise their children within a magickal world. Kitchen Witchery can extend into actions as mundane and simple as stirring one's coffee clockwise to bless it or remembering to recycle as an act of daily devotion. Not to say that being a Kitchen Witch is restricted to the home! Oh, no! Kitchen Witchery can be practiced anywhere that a Kitchen Witch travels. It can extend to her car, her work and her play, since it acknowledges the divine all around us. Thus, keeping a magickal office can be as much an act of Kitchen Witchery as cooking a magickal meal. Wherever the Divine exists, a Kitchen Witch will find and acknowledge it.

Practicing the Presence of the Goddess

Barbara Ardinger, in her book A Woman's Book of Rituals and Celebrations discusses the concept of "practicing the presence of the Goddess". She describes this practice as a type of mysticism.' In her words;

"Mysticism is not a matter of doing anything special; it's a way of life. It's recognizing that we're related to everone else, even those who don't look like us or talk like us...

Mysticism in the tradition of the Goddess is living an ordinary life, not acting spacy or sanctimonious or as if we were specially 'chosen'. It's making a living, making car payments, disciplining our kids. It's doing regular things but doing them in an attitude that some call mindfulness. This means being aware of what we're doing, reflecting on our thoughts. It's living with raised consciousness." I would expand on that to say that it is also changing your everyday actions when your conscience requires that you do so.

Regardless of what type of personal artistic expression she uses, the Kitchen Witch's goal is to reach this level of 'mindfulness'. To reach the point where "As we live each day on earth, we become more aware each day of the ways She is present in our lives." In leading a mindful life, the Kitchen Witch becomes sensitized to the presence of the Goddess both within and without and interacts with that presence.

OCEANOS SG

Becoming More 'Mindful'

The central core of Kitchen Witchery is learning to live consiously, developing the 'mindfulness' that Dr. Ardinger and others refer to. As Wiccans, we recognize the value of using symbols within ritual to create an altered state of consiousness, but we often forget that the symbols which surround us in everyday life can be used to the same way. They can be used to help us recognize the Sacred in our everyday lives and to assist us to adopt a lifestyle where our consiousness remains open to such change on a daily basis.

Understanding and, when necessary, redefining the symbols which surround us is sometimes an important key to developing a higher level of consiousness about your actions. As in ritual, symbolism in everyday life is both a process and a tool in developing the habit of living a mindful life. Becoming more mindful involves recognizing the symbols around us and creating new symbols to create change. Living in the presence of the Goddess demands that we consider our every day actions and adapt those actions to fit our personal values.

The following are simply a few examples of things to do to develop a habit of living more consciously. You may wish to explore one or two and see where they lead.

Develop a daily ritual

Develop a personal daily ritual which creates a conscious connection with your environment. This could be Yoga or a daily meditation or any repetative action which causes you to reflect on the divine. Even the smallest and most common actions can be used as a trigger to remind us of our connection to the web of life. Using those small actions repetatively turn the everyday action into a symbolic ritual.

In her essay, "Running with the Goddess", Arishna WolfMoon talks about making running into a daily ritual and how it has enhanced her life.

Here are some more examples of small daily actions which can be made into rituals:

~ Take 10 minutes to go over your checkbook daily.

~ Think about what you spent and where and what impact it might have on the big picture.

~ Tuck your child in every night. Reflect on what a miracle birth and life are and take time to appreciate your child each time you do so.

~ Sing a chant in the shower each morning to set your mind for the day.

What other actions can you think of which can be made into daily rituals?

Go on a Sacred "Diet"

Develop a personal dietary style which reflects your values. This can be as simple as not eating meat for both dietary reasons and reasons of social conscience and as complex as becoming educated about exactly where all of your food comes from, what steps it has taken to get to you and what impact it had in getting there. For example, in the PBS special "Escape from Affluenza", describes the impact of drinking his morning cup of coffee. In addition to the fact that a portion of the cloud rainforest was destroyed to plant the coffee and migrant workers were exploited to harvest it, he recognizes what system was used to transport it to him, where it was roasted, what forms of energy were used in those processes, even where the water comes from that he uses to brew it. Go as deep as you feel is necessary to develop a higher level of consciousness about what you consume.

What, specifically, you choose to do is not the point. Becoming aware of what you eat and why you have chosen that diet is the important part. Everything you put into your body not only affects you, but also has numerous other connections, to the environment, to other economies and to other social systems. Remember with every bite what you are doing, what it represents and why you have chosen that particular dietary path. Eating consiously is also a good way to bless the food that we eat and to give thanks for it.

The old saying, 'we are what we eat" has a lot of truth to it. Become aware of what you are becoming through your daily dietary habits. Recognize the web of life connecting you and your food and honor it by consciously choosing a diet which supports your personal values and beliefs.

Prepare a Sacred Feast

Cooking is probably the most commonly recognized type of "kitchen witchery". Anytime that you feed people, you are performing a magickal act, nourishing the body and soul. This is why so many of our holiday observances are centered around food. Learning to create magickal foods and to cook magickally simply enhances this experience.

Symbology in food varies as much as any other personal symbol set, but within any cultural or religious group we usually share a great deal of common symbology. This symbology can be used to enhance every meal or to make a meal for ritual more special. When planning a sacred meal you can use your personal symbol set, or you can research more about the common symbolism of foods through resources like The Kitchen Witch's Cookbook.

Remember, it doesn't need to be a ritual meal to be a Sacred Feast. You could also create a weekly sacred meal for your family. Use the time to help you and your family connect to each other and to be mindful of the food that you eat, the value of your family, your special actions to nurture each other,etc. It really makes this activity special if the whole family gets involved in preparing the meal, each member adding their own energy to the feast.

Decorate your home or office

The symbols that are in our everyday surroundings can be used to trigger a change in consciousness, just as they can in ritual. Decorating your home or office with elemental symbols, God and Goddess symbols and elements which remind you of ritual creates and environment which helps you remember your connection with the Divine. Surrounding yourself with items from nature can likewise help remind you of your connection with nature. By using symbols which have personal meaning to decorate with, you can turn your living room or your office cubical into a subtle altar.

While having candles, incense or an athame on your office desk is probably not practical, you can use other symbols which represent the elements to create your office altar. You can even get very creative in your symbology. Being a Techno-Pagan, I think of computers, televisions and radios as symbols of air (communication, thought, ideas), but of course it can be much simpler. What you use should show your own personal style.

Summary

Being a Kitchen Witch involves more than cooking. In the broadest sense, it means living a life which is mindful, becoming conscious of your actions and how they connect or disconnect you with the world around you and the Divine, both within and without. Being a Kitchen Witch is not as much about what you do, but instead about how and why you do it and about doing everything that you do with an aware conscience. It's not as much about doing something special, as about doing things in a way which are special to you and in recognizing the "special"ness (or sacredness) in all that you do.

Now that you've heard the opinion of others, it's time to come up with some examples and ideas on your own. Discuss what "kitchen witchery" means to you and different ways that you can work towards leading a more "mindful" life.

OCEANOS SG

~ A Kitchen Witch Cupboard ~

The first step is to choose which cupboard you will dedicate as
your altar. Cupboard space is usually of short supply in most
kitchens. Some re-arranging of cupboard contents may be at hand.

On the back of the cupboard, you could place a picture of your
deity, a pentacle, or what ever reminds you of Divine Energy. Charge
the object in whatever way feels best for you. With this charged
picture, statuette, or pentacle, Divine Energy will have its direct
pathway into your kitchen.

The next step would be the altar cloth. To make things easier, I
suggest going to a local thrift store and buying cloth napkins. You
could also make your own altar clothes. However, you do it, acquire
more than one of each color. This will make it easier to clean and
cleanse your altar.

Now it's time to dedicate which tools you use most in your kitchen
magicks.

Wooden Spoon: Wand. Remember, most wooden spoons are made of balsa
wood or pine. [There are several publications that list the magickal
properties of different types of wood.]

Bowl: Cauldron, Cup, or Bowl. For this, I prefer glass mixing-bowls.
Glass is easy to clean, and it won't absorb any of the oils, water,
or whatever you are working with. Glass also comes in many different
colors. If you don't want glass, there are also several inexpensive
ceramic/porcelain mixing bowls.

Tea Kettle: Cauldron. I have read that copper tea kettles are best
for magik. I do not use a copper kettle, but one that is porcelain
coated steel. Copper kettles can get expensive and are a high
maintenance item.

Mortar and Pestle: These have been represented as the union of
female and male, or the joining of Divine and Mundane Energies. They
also represent the basic cup and wand. These come in all sorts of
materials. Choose a set that meets both your physical and spiritual
needs. For example: that dainty glass set is extremely pretty. But,
will stand up to repeated use?

Cooking Pot: Cauldron. The nice thing about this correspondence is
that, with a little effort, you can find full sets of cast iron
cookware.

For a broom: You may want to use a small whisk broom, or basting
brush. Even a small broom you have will do.

Cutting board: Altar tile. If you are skilled enough, or know
someone who is, you could have a pentacle carved or etched into a
wooden board. You could also put your creativity to work with paint
and paint a pentacle on a cutting board. How creative you get is up
to you.

Even though I have only listed a few, there may be other mundane
tools that you use in your magickal creations. If you use a tool
frequently enough in your magickal practice, find a place in the
altar for it, bless it and consecrate it. The kitchen is a place of
endless opportunities, and your altar, tools should reflect your
path, choices, and spirituality. Be creative and invite the Divine
into the heart of your home, the kitchen.

OCEANOS SG

Merry Meet To All,

Looking for some unique Recipes to cook for your loved ones & friends? Some tantalising, interesting food with a touch of Magick? Enchanting Witchy Recipes that taste Wonderful? Wants to be a Goddess or God in the Kitchen? Kitchen Witchery & Wizardry of the Old Ways? Everything you need to know is in here, ¨°º SeCreT ReCipeS From ~*~LOA~*~ KITCHEN WITCHERY º°¨!

Witchcraft is not only about Spirituality, Magick, Spells & Potions & so on... It is part of Daily Live, naturally food is an important part of it.

I will share some Old Witchy Recipes in here. Simple & Easy. Food Galore... Cooking just need a little love from One's heart to make it Wonderful. I am sure all can cook if they put a little heart to it. I can cook so can you...

Blessed Be,
Oceanos

OCEANOS SG

To be Updated soon ...

OCEANOS SG

Witch Bread

3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. salt
3/4 c. corn meal
2 eggs beaten
1 c. buttermilk
3 tsp. melted shortening

Mix first 5 ingredients, add cornmeal combine eggs and buttermilk.
Stir in shortening into mixture. Pour into heated and greased pan or
skillet (cast iron). Bake for 20-25 minutes Oven: 425 degrees
Make during waxing for full moon.

Caste a circle in your kitchen. Make a fire alter on your stove,
water alter near the sink. On your main alter mix the ingredients.

Use any rhyme or chant you desire.

Meditate on the duality of life: sweet, bitter, your personal joy
and sadness. When all the ingredients are in bowl put hands over
bowl and inhale deeply.

Imagine a bright white light enveloping you and your circle. Say
prayers at this time over the bread. Pray for healing, love, power
etc.

While bread is baking, meditate over cauldron. Make a list of all
the things you have messed up in your life, people who upset you,
things that have made me angry etc. Burn paper in cauldron.

Take out bread and give thanks. Open circle.

You can use this bread for any Sabbat or Esbat ritual.

Merry Meet To All,

This is a very simple 1st recipe i am sharing in here. Its really fun to make. Well you can just use this like a normal recipe to make the Bread just make it with good intention is good enough. Free free to use your creativity to add in other ingredients. Happy cooking!

Blessed Be,
Oceanos

scorpboi SG

wow
very interesting thread Very Happy

alexkusu SG

if i recalled correctly

there was a recipe for sweet and sour troll right Laughing

scorpboi SG

hmmm
looks complicated especially the water and fire alter thing
would like to try but no equipment Neutral
but even if i have i will most prob blow up the kitchen Mr. Green

OCEANOS SG

Merry Meet Alex,

Well that is Baked Troll Brains and Eggs From "Joy of Cooking Troll" by Witch Sharune, my friend from New Orleans. Sweet & Sour Troll not her recipe. Anyway thats only for Trolls. What i share here is Authentic Witchy Recipe for tantalising your taste buds, body, mind & spirit.

Blessed Be,
Oceanos

OCEANOS SG

Chocolate Mousse Witches Hats

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
1 cup milk chocolate chips
4 squares (1oz.each) semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 tsp. shortening
1 pkg (4 3/4 oz) chocolate sugar ice cream cones
Halloween sprinkles
12 thin Chocolate wafers (2 1/4 " diameter)

Instructions:

In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup cream to a boil; remove from the heat. Stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

In a mixing bowl, beat the remaining cream until stiff peaks form; fold into the chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate.

In microwave or double-boiler, melt semi-sweet chocolate and shortening. Stir until smooth. Dip pointed tips of ice cream cones a third of the way into melted chocolate; roll in sprinkles. Refrigerate until set.

Just before serving, spoon mousse into cones. Top each with a chocolate wafer. Invert onto a serving platter.

Blessed Be!

Merry Meet To All,

This is a very fun 2nd recipe i am sharing in here. Ok, this isn't exactly a traditional Pagan dish, but I thought the idea was cute.

Blessed Be,
Oceanos

OCEANOS SG

Witchy Summertime Blues Shake

This is 2 servings.

Ingredient:

1 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 (6 - 8 ounce) container blueberry yogurt
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
Whipped cream
1 graham cracker square, broken into pieces

Instruction:

1. Place milk, blueberries, and yogurt in blender and blend until combined.
2. Add ice cream; blend until smooth.
3. Pour into tall glasses; top with whipped cream and graham cracker pieces.

Merry Meet To All,

This is a very refreshing 3rd recipe i am sharing in here. Ok, how nice Desserts can be without a refreshing drink... Hahaha

Blessed Be,
Oceanos

MoonIce SG

*Swipe the recipe here n Went to Kitchen to do*

Laughing

I minus away Altar n Circle Coz ppl walk here n there n i dun have own kitchen Mr. Green

But hmm... hmm... I just think of nice things to put into food can liao...

Ahh.... the joys on cooking... Wonder of Wonders~~~

talking about cokking long time no cooking le must make it a fornightly Habit liao

ladykirvin SG

wow.. interesting leh...
hmm... hehehehe i'm into culinary stuffs recently...
shud try one of these recipes one day.... Mr. Green

OCEANOS SG

Your Horoscope Healthy Foods
~ Inspired by Franco Santoro

Simple Solution

Modern science has recently confirmed that the time of year in which we were born can give us valuable information about our health, and serve as predictors for certain conditions. But ancient wisdom has always known that our sun sign can suggest foods which are best suited to us and that can keep us feeling vital and healthy.

Our horoscope can also explain some of those odd food cravings that we sometimes get! (For example, Caits son has craved grapes, cucumbers, and black olives since he was little. Can you guess his sign?)

Find out which foods are perfect for your horoscope sign, here:

Aries, March 21-April 19: Red fruits and vegetables, garlic, ginger, leeks, onion, radish, rhubarb, tea

Taurus, April 20-May 21: Almond, apple, apricot, beet, cherry, ginger, peach, pear, plum, rhubarb, spinach, strawberry

Gemini, May 22-June 20: Celery, endive, ginger, mushroom, pomegranate, tangerine, seeds

Cancer, June 21-July 22: Cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, endive, grape, lemon, lentil, lettuce, melon, mushroom, olive, papaya, potato, pumpkin, seaweed, turnip, watermelon

Leo, July 23- Aug 22: Almond, chestnut, corn, date, ginseng, grape, grapefruit, lemon, olive, orange, pineapple, rice, walnut

Virgo, Aug 23-Sept 22: Almond, barley, beans, celery, fig, hazelnut, millet, oat, pecan, peanut, pistachio, pomegranate

Libra, Sept 23-Oct 22: Almond, apple, apricot, artichoke, asparagus, beans, cherry, chestnut, chickpea, fig, grape, lentil, parsnip, peach, pear, pea, plum, pomegranate, rhubarb, strawberry, wheat

Scorpio, Oct 23-Nov 21: Artichoke, asparagus, carrot, garlic, ginger, leek, onion, pepper, pimento, pomegranate, pumpkin, shallot

Sagittarius, Nov 22-Dec 21: Almond, apricot, asparagus, buckwheat, chestnut, endive, leek, lime, olive, rhubarb, spinach, strawberry, tomato

Capricorn, Dec 22-Jan 19: Barley, beet, potato, spinach, root vegetables

Aquarius, Jan 20-Feb 18: Almond, beans, endive, hazelnut, pecan, pistachio

Pisces, Feb 19-March 20: Coffee, mushroom, seaweed

Helpful Hints

Because we are such unique individuals, it is possible to be allergic to one of your sun-sign foods. If you are, avoid eating it!

marzguy SG

Capricorn, Dec 22-Jan 19: Barley, beet, potato, spinach, root vegetables

hmmm, should try them out root veges, speaking of food make me hungry Thanks OCEANOS bro, nice recipes and tips

chokolatte SG

Scorpio, Oct 23-Nov 21: Artichoke, asparagus, carrot, garlic, ginger, leek, onion, pepper, pimento, pomegranate, pumpkin, shallot

ew~~ i dun like garlic, ginger, shallot and leek!
btw, what is a pimento?

OCEANOS SG

Originally posted by chokolatte:
[b]Scorpio, Oct 23-Nov 21: Artichoke, asparagus, carrot, garlic, ginger, leek, onion, pepper, pimento, pomegranate, pumpkin, shallot

ew~~ i dun like garlic, ginger, shallot and leek!
btw, what is a pimento?[/b]

Merry Meet chokolatte,

Welcome to my haven, hope you will enjoy your stay in here.

Well that is only a Reference for your Sun Sign Influenced Food. Pimento is a variety of large, red, heart-shaped chile pepper, a kind of Capsicum. Thanks.

Blessed Be,
Oceanos

OCEANOS SG

Originally posted by marzguy:
[b]Capricorn, Dec 22-Jan 19: Barley, beet, potato, spinach, root vegetables

hmmm, should try them out root veges, speaking of food make me hungry Thanks OCEANOS bro, nice recipes and tips[/b]

Merry Meet Silly Boy,

Most Welcome... Hope to see more of you in here...

Blessed Be,
Oceanos

MoonIce SG

Virgo, Aug 23-Sept 22: Almond, barley, beans, celery, fig, hazelnut, millet, oat, pecan, peanut, pistachio, pomegranate

No wonder i buy chocolate always look out for hazelnut ones...

as for celery akakekkekeke.... i drink celery+orange juice at least once a week Mr. Green
all in all... i eaten everything except for millet n fig...