Posset

Posset

2 slices stale bread
Salt
Grated nutmeg
1 dessertspoon castor sugar
1 pint (500ml) milk
1 tablespoon brandy or a measure of ale
Trim off and discard the crusts of the bread and cut the slices into small pieces. Place in a bowl and add a pinch of salt, a pinch of nutmeg and the sugar. Heat the milk (do not boil) and pour over the bread. Cover and leave for 15 minutes. Add the brandy or ale and mix thoroughly.

~Unknown Source~

Seasonal Altar Adornments & Foods

Yule
Decorate Altar with evergreens (pin, rosemary, bay, juniper, and cedar) and Dried leaves. Appropriate Foods include nuts, apples, pears, cakes of caraway's soaks in cider, pork. Serve Wassail,hibiscus, or ginger tea to drink.

Imbolc
Decorate Altar with White flower (representing snowflake), or snow in a crystal container. Orange candle anointed with musk, cinnamon,frankincense, or rosemary oil. Appropriate Foods include all dairy foods. Sour cream dishes. spicy, full-bodied foods in honour of the Sun. Curries and all dishes made with peppers, onions, leeks,
shallots, garlic, or chives. Spiced wines and dishes containing raisins - all foods symbolic of the Sun - are traditional.

Ostara
Decorate Altar with Flowers, buds, and blossoms; cauldron filled with spring water. Appropriate Foods include seeds (sunflower, pumpkin,sesame seeds) pine nuts. Sprouts; leafy, green vegetables. Flower dishes such as stuffed nasturtiums or carnation cupcakes. Fake carnation cupcakes: make spice cupcakes. Frost with pink frosting and place a fresh carnation petal on top of each cupcake. Stuffed
Nasturtium blossoms: stuff the blossoms with a mixture of cream cheese, chopped nuts, chives, and watercress.

Beltane
Decorate Altar area with a small, potted tree inside the Circle. Make flower garland, string of beads, or small bags filled with flowers to hang from the tree in honour of the marriage of god and goddess. Appropriate Foods include dairy and dishes such as marigold custard and vanilla ice cream. Oatmeal cakes.

Litha
Decorate Altar with an herbal petition packet made up of herbs such as lavender, camomile, St. John's wort, vervain, or any other Midsummer herbs. All troubles, problems, and woe should be pored into this herb pouch, and then tied with a red string; to be thrown into the fire during the rite. Appropriate Foods include fresh fruits.

Lughnasadh
Decorate Altar with sheaves of wheat, barley or oats, fruit and breads, perhaps a loaf fashioned in the figure of the Sun or a man to represent the God. Corn dollies, symbolic of the Goddess, can be present as well. Appropriate Foods include bread, blackberries and all berries, acorns (leached of their poisons first), crab apples,
all grains and locally ripe produce. A cake is sometimes baked, and cider is used in place of wine.

Mabon
Decorate Altar with acorns, oak sprigs, pine and cypress cones, ears of corn, wheat stalks and other fruits and nuts. Basket with dried leaves of various colours and kinds. Appropriate Foods include the second harvest's gleanings: grains, fruit, and vegetables (especially corn). Cornbread is traditional, as are beans and baked squash.

Samhain
Decorate Altar with apples, pomegranates, pumpkins, squashes and other late autumn fruits. Autumn flowers like marigolds and mums. Appropriate Foods include beets, turnips, apples, corn, nuts,gingerbread, cider, mulled wines and pumpkin dishes are appropriate,as are meat dishes.

Facial/General Astringent

I just made a fantastic facial and general purpose astringent, so I thought I would share. Not only does it clean and disinfect your skin, but it's wonderfully tingly and it reminded me a little of the Bonne Bell 10-o-6 astringent I used in high school. Anyone else remember that?

Ingredients:

10oz. rubbing alcohol*
2 oz. purified, distilled, spring or reverse osmosis water
15 drops Tea Tree oil

Shake well to blend ingredients, and then shake well before use. Your skin will feel fresh, clean and incredibly soft after using this astringent.


*I just waited until I used up about 1/6th of the bottle, and then added the remaining ingredients into the original bottle.

Bright Blessings,
)O( Rhiannon )O(

Pagan Pathways: Kitchen Witch

You will hear this term every once in a while. Basically, this type is one who practices by hearth and home, dealing with the practical side of religion, magick, the earth, and the elements. There are some who groan loudly at this type of terminology, viewing it as degrading or simply inappropriate. Just remember that the Old Religion started somewhere, and most likely the kitchen (or cookfire) was the hub of many charms, spells, healings, and celebrations. After all, where does everyone congregate during the holidays? Grandma's kitchen has always produced magickal memories for humanity; visions of Mother making that something special for a sick child still holds true today for many of us.

Hearth Folklore

For ancient cultures, the hearth was the center of the home. It was the provider of warmth through the harsh winter months, and also provided heat for cooking all meals. It was the gathering place of the household. Fire has a special attraction for all of us. Within its smoke and flame lie the origin of many religions. Fire, the element of transformation, causes change to occur. It can be destructive, but through destruction comes creation. The fire in the house was never allowed to die. It was considered unfortunate if the household fire went out during the night. If this occurred, hot coals would need to be borrowed from neighbors. If the coals died while being transported home, it was an omen that the family would have an unlucky future.

Today, the fireplace is viewed as the heart of the home, as well as an altar to natural forces that shape our work. Because the chimney is regarded as a "magical entrance" to the home, it has been magically guarded. Plants can be utilized for this. Olive branches hung on the chimney serve to ward against lightning strikes. Pine needles scattered in the fireplace work in a similar manner.

Crossing fireplace tools in front of the fireplace is said to prevent sparks from popping out onto the floor. A jar of salt on the hearth can be used during any period of argument or tension: throw a pinch on the flames, and its cleansing powers will bless your home.

Three circles drawn in white chalk on the hearth will ban evil from entering.

According to folklore, fire must have at least thirteen sticks in order to burn properly.

When the fireplace was cold, witches would rake the ashes into a circle, then cast spells within the circle.

A fire is useful for transformative spells, such as those utilizing rosemary or rose petals, which are cast into the flames. Combining this with the proper visualization would bring love to the spell-maker. Nettles thrown into the fire will conquer fear.

The type of wood being burned can affect your spells. Use oak for healing magic, for instance, when someone in the home is sick. This wood helps to draw off the illness and protects the rest of the household. Ash logs promote energy, while pine brings money into the home.

Nine Herbs to Grow on Your Windowsill

Did you know sage can combat carpal tunnel syndrome and oregano is a powerful antioxidant? Many common herbs do more than add flavor toyour meals: they go into overtime to work on asthma, arthritis, andinsomnia.Here's a quick list of nine herbs that are easy to grow, followed by advice on how to get started.

Holly Shimizu, a renowned horticulturist and garden designer, and AllHerb.com's advisor on gardening, gives a green "thumbs up" to these.

Mint
Aromatic spearmint and peppermint do more than add a little zest toyour cup of tea: they are also a traditional treatment for gall stones. The oils of these effective antioxidants ease muscle tightness, and chewing on mint sprigs can relieve an upset stomach.

Rosemary
Distinguished by its narrow, spiky leaves and piney scent, rosemary varies in color from shiny dark green to pale gray-green all over. Known as the herb of remembrance, rosemary contains several antioxidants that help prevent aging in cells and may work against Alzheimer's disease.

Lemon balm
Also known as melissa, lemon balm relieves chronic fatigue syndrome and can be helpful in treating migraines. A tea made with lemon balm can also work as a sedative and a stomach soother. Its bright green heart-shaped leaves give off a lovely lemony scent.

Thyme
Thyme's pungent scent comes from the oil in the small oval leaves. Apply a compress of thyme leaves to the aching muscles in your neck,shoulders, and back if you're prone to tension headaches. A cup ofthyme tea taken up to four times a day may be effective againstbronchitis and whooping cough.

Sage
Available in numerous varieties, sage is a strongly aromatic, bushyplant with spiky purple flowers. Loaded with anti-inflammatory compounds, sage is effective against carpal tunnel syndrome. Steep two teaspoons of dried sage in a cup of boiling water and gargle with it (after it has cooled) to treat mouth and throat inflammations.

Oregano
The robust taste of oregano comes from its soft, oval leaves that grow in pairs along the stem. Its power punch of antioxidants canhelp maintain the immune function of those who are HIV-positive. Good for arthritis, asthma, and emphysema, oregano also contains seven compounds that lower blood pressure.

Parsley
A rich source of the bone-strengthener flourine, parsley works to prevent osteoporosis. Apply crushed parsley leaves to reduce the black and blue colors of a bruise. Parsley comes in two varieties:curly parsley and the taller, flat-leaf Italian parsley. Eat a sprig for a quick breath freshener and to aid in digestion.

Lavender
Fragrant flowers characterize the spiky leaves and colorful blooms of lavender. Aromatherapists routinely use oil of lavender for pain; mix a few drops of lavender oil with a tablespoon of vegetable oil and massage the painful area. Sprinkle a few drops on your bedsheets to help you sleep, or relax in a warm bath scented with lavender oil.

Catnip
The downy, gray-green leaves of catnip are a favorite of cats, so keep this herb off your windowsill if you don't want your cats playing in your plants. A member of the mint family, catnip has a mild tranquilizing effect on most people. Try a cup of catnip tea about 45 minutes before bedtime to induce sleep.

Note: All these herbs can grow from one to three feet tall, so keep them trimmed. Herbs are safe in moderate doses, but like any medicine, some can be harmful when taken in frequent, large doses. Herbal oils are intended for external use only. Keep such oils away from small children who might be tempted to taste them.

How to Make Flower Essences

Flower essences originated with Paracelsus, the parent of modern alchemy, who collected dew from plants to treat his patients. They were later developed by Edward Bach, adoctor interested in homeopathy (which also uses ideas from alchemy). This method for making essences describes using the Sun, but you can also use the full Moon (and even tweak it by choosing the Moon when it's in a particular sign) or pure starlight (after the Moon has set). Needless to say, you can also use a particular aspect of the Moon's phase to develop an essence that speaks to particular level of consciousness, type of emotion, aspect of the spirit, or type of magick. This describes making an essence of flowers, but you can use the same technique to make an essence of leaves, whole herbs, roots, crystals, etc.

Get a clear glass bowl that has no markings. Since you have to cover the entire surface of the water with flowers, get a smallish bowl. You'll also need some sort of filter (an unbleached coffee filter works well). A funnel is useful for pouring the resulting essence into a small brown bottle (there is lots of discussion which color bottles preserve best--some people insist on using only brown, others recommend using violet or black). You'll need another clean glass container to filter the essence into. The water you use should not be from the faucet but spring water, rain water, or dew. The bottle you pour the essence into should be at least 30 ml.

When you decide what you want to make an essence of, ask the plant if you have permission to use it. You can do this by using your intuition (sit in front of the plant and let it talk to you) or by using a pendulum. On a sunny morning, fill the bowl half full of water. Pick enough flowers to cover the surface, being careful to keep them as whole as possible; some people believe that it is best not to touch the flowers but to cut them so they fall directly into the water. Leave the bowl in full sunlight for three hours. Make sure shadows don't fall on it in that time, and that children and animals don't mess with it. Remove the flowers carefully (you can use your hand or a leaf of the plant you are making an essence of) and filter the water into the clean container. Fill the brown bottle half full with vodka, brandy, Everclear, 151 rum, or wine (wine won't last as long but has its own energy). Top up with the essence. This is the mother essence. Label with the flower and the date. Store in a cool, dark place away from electrical and other energy sources, and it will keep indefinitely.

You can make stock bottles by putting one to seven drops of the mother essence into a bottle filled with either alcohol or a 50/50 mix of alcohol and water. If you are sensitive to alcohol, you can use glycerine or vinegar. In turn, use essence from the stock bottle to make a medicine bottle, adding 2-7 drops of the stock essence to a bottle of alcohol or alcohol/water mix. You can put them in plain water if they are going to be used relatively quickly. With essences, the greater the dilution, the greater the power.

Flower essences work on a vibrational level to encourage balance. They are not biochemical medicines. Take them two to four drops four times a day. You can put them under your tongue, rub them on your skin, put them in bath water, or mist them into the air. Take ten minutes prior to eating or one hour afterward. You can take them more often if you want. Essences can effect change slowly or quickly, but the change should be subtle--changes in eating, sleeping, dreaming, energy, thinking, feeling, working.

Food Folklore

Apple

Apples have apparently been regarded as sacred or magical in almost every country in which they grow, and from very early times. In ancient Ireland the apple-tree was one of three things which could only be paid for by living objects. To destroy an orchard was in many parts of England almost sacreligious, and it was said that if an orchard was destroyed to make way for another crop, the crop would never prosper. In Yorkshire it was considered unlucky to strip an apple-tree completely, and an apple or two (even deformed or inedible fruit would do) was always left as a gift for the birds (or faeries).

An old Samhain charm was for all the district's unmarried young people to tie an apple onto a piece of string and whirl it around before a fire. The one whose apple fell off first was said to be the first to marry; the last left with an apple was fated to die unmarried. An apple could also be peeled in one long strip and tossed backwards over the left shoulder, and the shape made by the peel was said to show the initial of the future spouse.

An old cure for warts was to cut the apple into as many pieces as there were warts, rub each piece on a wart and then bury the pieces in the earth. A variant of this stated that the apple should be cut in half and each half rubbed on each wart, after which the apple should be tied together and buried.As the fruit rotted, the warts would disappear.

The ancient custom of Wassailing the apple trees was intended to awaken the sleeping tree-spirit, drive away bad luck, and ensure a good harvest. It usually took place around Yule, and involved the farming folk choosing one tree in the orchard to represent all. The people would drink to the tree with cider, throw cider over its roots and put a piece of bread or toast soaked incider into a fork of the tree's branches. Guns were fired through tht top most branches of the trees and much noise was made by blowing cow-horns and beating on pots and pans. Often the trees were danced around, and in most places some variant of the Wassailing Song was sung. Omitting the ritual was thought to bring bad luck and a poor yield of apples that year.

Bread

The making of bread is laden with ancient beliefs and portents. Not only has bread been sacred as the representation of the entire harvest, but it has always had a deep religious significance for Christians because of its associations with communion. At one time it was universally considered to be bad luck to throw away bread, and it was said that whoever did so would live to know hunger.

In some parts of Scotland, it was considered ill-omened to sing while baking bread, or to bake while a dead body lay in the house. Bread must be put into the oven by one person only, as if two people share the task they will quarrel. During the baking, no other bread must be cut or the fresh bread will be spoilt; bread that is required during baking should therefore be broken,not cut. If a loaf of bread comes apart in a girl's hand, she will not be married until the next year; in some places this portends a quarrel in her family. It is ill-omened to put a loaf of bread on the table upside down, to cut it at both ends, or to grab the bread while someone else is cutting it.
Charms and spells in which bread was used often involved healing. In the sixteenth century it was considered to cure toothache if a piece of whitebread marked with a cross was laid against the aching tooth. A piece of bread wrapped in cloth and buried for three days, then dug up and eaten, was supposed to cure whooping-cough in Suffolk.

It is unlucky for anyone to take the last piece of bread and butter from a plate without its being offered first; if an unmarried girl does this, it is said that she will never marry. However, if the last slice is offered it should always be taken, as this is said to guarantee good luck in love and money.

Butter

The making of butter is also surrounded by charms and omens; it was considered that fairies could overlook the dairy and enchant the cream from a distance to prevent it turning to butter and many charms were used to nullify their power. A churn made of rowan wood, or with rowan set about the handle, was considered to protect the cream; in England salt was thrown onto the fire beforehand to neutralise evil, and in Ireland a smouldering turf under the churn was held to purify the butter-making. A silver coin, or three hairs from a black cat's tail, thrown into the cream would also help; plunging a red-hot poker into the cream when the butter would not come was also considered to be effective,burning out the evil. A dairymaid would often murmur a special charm while churning the cream, such as:

Churn, butter, dash
Cow's gone to the marsh
Peter stands at the toll-gate
Begging butter for his cake,
Come, butter, come!

Nuts

Nuts are ancient symbols of fertility, and have therefore been used as fertility charms, intended to promote healthy childbirth, in wedding rituals in many cultures. In France they were once thrown at weddings as rice or confetti are today; in ancient Rome and in some parts of England they were offered to a bride and groom as they left the church after marrying. In Britain a good crop of nuts in a district is said to herald a large number of births there during the next year; an old country saying states 'Good nutting year, plenty of boy-babies'.

Nuts have often been used in charms and fortune-telling. One old love-divination was for a girl to take two hazelnuts, name one for herself and one for her lover, and set them both on the grate of the fire. If the nuts burned together their love would last, but if they failed to burn, or flew apart, her lover would not be true. A way to tell whether a wish would be granted was to toss a nut onto the fire; if it flared up and burned the wish would be granted.

A nut with two kernels in a single shell was always a lucky sign. An old charm to gain the love, friendship or favour of someone was to offer them one of the kernels of a double-kernelled nut; if they ate it and the giver ate the other at the same time, both in silence, the charm would succeed. The double-kernelled nut could also be wished on by eating one kernel and tossing the other over the left shoulder while wishing; this had to be done in silence,and silence must be kept until the wisher was asked a question to which he or she could answer 'yes'.

Onions

A raw onion carried in the hand is supposedly a preventative against snakes,who are commonly believed to dislike their smell. A peeled onion was supposed to attract germs, and therefore they were often left about in a house to prevent everything from plague to the common cold (although in the latter caseeating the onion would have been more effective!) Another cure involved peeling an onion in a house where a sick person lay, and then burying the onion far from the house; it was believed that the onion would draw germs and diseases into itself and then carry them from the house. Onions are still usedin poultices for chilblains; they were also used in cough syrups, and even as hangover remedies.

Peas

An old cure for warts involved taking a pod with nine peas in it, rub it on the warts and then throw it away, saying 'Wart, wart, dry away'. Another wart remedy was to touch each wart with a different pea on the first day of the new moon, wrap the peas in a cloth and throw it away backwards, or to wrap each pea separately in a piece of paper and bury it. As each pea decayed, the wart it had touched would disappear.

When shelling peas it is considered good luck to find a pod containing just a single pea, or a very large number of peas, and a pod with nine perfect peas in it is by far the luckiest pod.

Salt

Since it is incorruptible and also preserves other things from decay, salt is a symbol of immortality and eternal life, and also means the creating of bonds. To eat another person's salt was to forge a mythical bond between guest and host which was always binding; in Scotland the First Foot, who is the first person to enter a house in the New Year, usually carries salt with him. One of the first things carried into a new home was often a plate of salt,along with a piece of coal and loaf of bread; they represent prosperity and health, warmth and plenty. Salt was also amongst the first gifts given to a newborn baby, and was frequently carried in the pocket as a protective charm.

Spilling salt is a bad omen, and many people today will still throw a pinch of salt over their left shoulder if they spill it. An old saying states that a tear will fall for every grain spilt, and a salt-shaker that overturns between two friends means they will quarrel.

13 Kitchen Tips

13 Kitchen Tips

1. A quartz crystal placed on or near the stove when cooking makes food taste better.

2. A pot of basil herb grown in your kitchen keeps the area safe from evil forces and negative spirits.

3. Candles keep their shape better and longer when chilled thoroughly in the refrigerator.

4. A witch's kitchen should never be without a lunar calender or chart showing the phases of the moon and its movement through the wheel of the zodiac.

5. A full moon increases extrasensory perception and is the ideal time to prepare and use potions that increase the psychic abilities.

6. Love potions and aphrodisiacs should always be prepared during the waxing of the moon.

7. The best time to plant an herb or vegetable gardens when the moon is in Cancer, Scorpio, Libra or Pisces.

8. Homemade magickal incenses, sachets and potpourris become more fragrant if aged several months before used.

9. Homemade incense always should be stored in tightly capped or corked jars.

10. Unlucky influences should be kept away from the when cooking or preparing magickal recipes, and this is accomplished by stirring in a clockwise direction.

11. An aloe vera plant should be kept on the kitchen, as its juices are an instant cure for minor kitchen burns.

12. Herbal preparations should never be boiled in aluminum vessels, but in only copper, earthenware or pyrex to avoid contamination of the medicines.

13. Before casting spells or preparing potions, always keep in mind the Wiccan Rede: "Do what ye will an' harm none."

Goddesses of the Zodiac

1. Aries = Athena, The Morrigan, Minerva
2. Taurus = Hathor, Isis, Io, Venus, Selene
3. Gemini = Kali, Parvati, Tefnut, Leda
4. Cancer = Ix Chel, Ida, Senene, Luna
5. Leo = Arinna, Cybele, Neshto, Juno
6. Virgo = Kwan Yin, Bel, Inanna, Diana, Ishtar
7. Libra = Ishtar, Aphrodite, Dike, Themis
8. Scorpio = Pele, Tiamat, Ishara, Selket
9. Sagittarius = Artemis, Diana, Pingala
10. Capricorn = Awehai, Ida, Amalthea, Vesta
11. Aquarius = Mawu, Cybele, Sophia, Iris, Juno
12. Pisces = Nammu, Anuit, Aphrodite, Dione

Kitchen Tips/Kitchen Folklore

Kitchen Tips Hints & Other Magical Stuff
Various Sources

All purpose sifted flour is excellent for attracting money. Take a little pinch and spread it somewhere dark...under your kitchen counter, in the back of a cupboard, or under the sink.

Running out of salt supposedly foretells a loss of health or wealth. Always keep an extra box of salt that you never use on a high shelf to help ensure good fortune.

Fill a small jar with alfalfa and deposit it in the food cupboard. As long as it remains there, the family will never know hunger.

Use buttons, change, safety pins, or toothpicks in a jar to work on abundance and prosperity spells. Add an item each day to increase your prosperity.

Olive oil is a good substitute for any kind of anointing of candles and great for mixing with oils and powders to bless and anoint surfaces.

A clove of garlic sitting on the sink board draws illness away from the family. Don't eat it; instead throw it away every month and replace it with a new one.

Braids of garlic, onions, or peppers make a lovely decoration for your kitchen and also ward off negativity.

An onion on your kitchen windowsill will absorb ill will. When it starts to decay, replace it and throw it away. Do not eat it under any circumstances!

Leaded-glass crystal sun-catchers hung in a sunny kitchen window are excellent protective devices.

Chili pepper seeds are wonderful for protective magick and repelling. Wash them, let them dry out, an d then place them in a little glass jar with a lid. Bless your seeds in any way you wish. You can even make a label for your jar that reads "Magickal Pepper Seeds" or whatever you like. You can use the seeds to banish negativity from your home whenever you feel the need.
There are two methods for this:
1. Sprinkle a few seeds around your kitchen or home and then vacuum or sweep them out the back door.
2. Place some seeds in a mortar and ground them to a powder.
Sprinkle the powder where needed and the proceed to vacuum or sweep up. Discard out your back door.

When sweeping, remember to do so towards the fireplace, if you have one. If not, sweep in any direction except towards the front door. If you ignore this warning, you might remove your house's luck.

Take two needles, make an equal-armed cross with them and place the cross in a broom. Stand the broom behind a door and it will guard your home. When standing a broom in the corner, put its bristles up, handle to the floor. This not only ensures that the bristles will last longer, it also brings good luck.

All household work--from scrubbing stains in the kitchen sink to swabbing the floor with a mop to polishing wood furniture--should be done with clockwise motions. This practice imbues your work, and the object you're cleaning, with positive energy.

Next time it rains, hang one of your dishrags outside to receive the liquid blessings. Or, bury one outdoors by the light of the full moon. Both actions are thought to be lucky.

Salt water left out in the center of a room all night will absorb negativity.

Wash it away with flowing water the next morning. If you are on a septic tank, either pour the water into the woods or into a body of running water.

When cooking any type of food, add magick to your cooking by drawing an invisible pentagram inside your pots and pans with you finger, a wooden spoon or another utensil. This guards the pan and the food, ensuring its wholesomeness.

For good luck hang a "kitchen witch" doll in your kitchen to oversee and bless you! r magick al workings. You can purchase one or make your own.

Turn a ladder into steps for success by painting the ladder in bright colours and adding plants as decorative objects. Paint magickal symbols under the rungs to help your prosperity (and plants) grow. As the plants grows, so does your prosperity.

Grow an aloe plant in your kitchen. To soothe burns and scrapes, gently cut off a mature, fleshy stalk, thanking the plant for its sacrifice, and squeeze the gel from inside the leaf onto the wounded area. The aloe plant has magickal properties as well--it also guards the cook against food preparation accidents that can be very nasty. When using aloe gel in the kitchen, dab some onto major appliances, windows, doors, and tools to safeguard them as well.

When you purchase fresh herbs or gather them from your garden, cut the bottoms off and place the herbs in a nice vase in your kitchen. This not only brightens up the room, it adds fragrance, keeps the fresh herbs longer, and has the added benefit of reminding you to use them in your dishes.

If you are having trouble following a recipe or are feeling generally "out of it," take a whiff of rosemary. This herb helps to promote mental clarity and improve memory.

Sew herbs and magickal powders into the lining of your drapes. Place packets of herbs or powders under throw rugs.

A quartz crystal placed on or near the stove when cooking makes food taste better.

Copper molds can be hung on the kitchen walls to lend their rich colours.

Since copper is ruled by Venus, the planet of love, these molds also bring love vibrations into the kitchen.

Wash all the dishes every night if you work with faerie magick. The fairies don't like dirt and they won't let you sleep peacefully until the kitchen is clean!

Bells or wind chimes hung from the doors guard against intruders and stagnant energy. Hang them where the air currents can ring them. They will s! et up mo vement in the air and clear the psychic energy of your home.

Sieves, sifters, and colanders hung or placed around the kitchen for protective purposes will keep the kitchen secure.

A kitchen witch bottle can be constructed to protect your food from contamination. Put three needles, three nails, and three pins into a jar. Fill the jar with salt, seal it tightly, vigorously shake nine times and drip red candle wax over the seal. Then place it in the cupboard where it won't be seen.

If you wish to perfect your execution of a recipe, copy it in red ink. Lay this on a flat surface in the kitchen. On top, place a red candle in a holder and light the candle. Let it burn down completely before you try the recipe. As it burns visualize yourself cooking the dish successfully.

When you burn food, cut yourself, drop pots and pans, or experience a rash of accidents in your kitchen, this could indicate the need for a cleansing.

Before eating, place your hands on either side of the food and send energy to the food through visualization. Receive its energy back and then enjoy.

In setting the table, put the salt on first, and take it off last thing after the meal. The salt will guard the food and the diners. While dining with others, pass the salt with a smile.

Pass items clockwise around the table to bless them with positive vibrations and ensure that they are healthy.

Prior to eating any liquid with a spoon (such as soup or porridge), stir the bowl's contents clockwise three times, then withdraw the spoon and enjoy.

Turn your beverage glass clockwise three times before drinking to bless the contents.

Whenever you make a toast, be sure that the glasses clink. If not, the toast won't be heard by the higher forces.

Always leave a morsel or two on your plate, for tradition says that they who clean their plates will know only poverty.

The first time you use a new set of silverware, make a wish. Visualize the wish every time you lift a fork or spoon and the wish may come true.

For unity, have all those sharing the meal drink from the same cup.

Decorate foods and beverages with unique toothpicks, umbrellas, stirrers, and the like whose colour or imagery represents your goal; the item can then be carried later as an amulet or charm to keep that energy going.

Choose a bowl, plate, or placemat whose colour or imagery represents your magickal goal.
Arrange the food on the plate or platter in the form of a symbol to which you can relate while eating, such as a smile for joy.

Cut food into a symbolic image, such as a toast house that you consume while looking for a new residence.

Everyone manages to collect plastic grocery bags. Instead of stuffing them in a crowded drawer, fold and pack them into an empty tissue box covered in pretty self-stick paper. Then pull out as needed.

Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream preceeds the goal.

~Pamela Vaull Starr
www.themorningrose.com