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Showing posts with label kitchen tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kitchen tips. Show all posts

2.08.2009

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.

2.01.2009

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.

1.30.2009

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."

1.29.2009

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