Basics and Background
Every year, usually in the third week of September, one of my most joyful shopping experiences occurs: the day I walk into the local grocery store and spot them—the overflowing abundance of pumpkins! I adore Halloween, and Samhain is my favorite sabbat. Seeing the displays always signals the beginning of my favorite time of the year. As pumpkins have become a staple crop of Halloween and the carved jack o’ lantern can be used as magical protection, they are a perfect example of a seasonal item packed with magical potential that most people buy from the supermarket. After that, at least in the United States, Thanksgiving adds new products and the holiday season lends even more specialty vegetables, fruits, and other items to the usual grocery store inventory. Pick any time of year and the store is chock-full of things particular to that season, most of which a magically minded person can use in their practice to attune to the seasons, celebrate the sabbats, and create change.
In most supermarkets, particularly in the United States, the standard “mainstream” holidays—New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Saint Patrick’s Day, Easter, Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas—are usually represented in some fashion. Decorations, specialty foods, and beverages in colorful, carefully arranged displays (probably meant to encourage maximum impulse buying) fill the aisles and create a sense of continuity. At first glance this purchasing advantage does not seem to be equaled for Witch and Pagan holidays, but with a keen eye and careful shopping, we can find that all of our festivals have representation in the supermarket.
Many people might overlook the local grocery store when seeking magical ingredients, but it is actually a treasure trove of power for both spellwork and holiday celebration. Our modern stores have become international marketplaces that provide spices, herbs, and foods from all over the globe, each of which have magical significance. Exotic, hard-to-find ingredients are not the only ones with power, however; even the most “ordinary” items contain magical potential. And therein lies the strongest virtue of supermarket magic: readily accessible ingredients can provide a complete resource for our spells, holidays, and witchy crafts.
At first glance, it might seem that the creations made from such simple ingredients might not result in powerful magical formulas, but between the basic herbs and spices and the advantage of the special seasonal offerings that become available, powerful concoctions such as Ancestor oil, Faery Dust powder, Fire Dragon oil, Bubbling Love potion, and many more can be made with ease. The sabbats too can find their accoutrements straight from grocery store shelves—oils, powders, potpourris, foods, and a whole host of magical creations are possible for each special day, providing a rich holiday experience all without having to hunt down fabled, rare, or endangered ingredients. An ordinary trip to the supermarket is transformed into a quest for the makings of magic.
Witches and other magical people often try to live in tune with the earth and the seasons, but in the modern world it is often easier said than done. With the incredible resources we have at our disposal in the form of supermarkets, we can still follow the cycle of seasons albeit in a modern capacity. Even though many of us no longer grow the food we eat, we still maintain a connection and dependence on the earth’s yearly agricultural and seasonal cycles. Putting modern industrialized farming practices and importing of produce to maintain yearlong supplies of seasonal foods aside, we can still make a conscious choice to live seasonally as best we can and carry on the traditions of establishing a personal connection with the fruits of the earth. Some of us are blessed with the land and talent to grow our own Witch’s gardens with fragrant herbs and magical delights to enhance our spells and provide us with a firm grounding in the energies of the earth. Even under those circumstances, however, it’s nearly impossible to grow everything a Witch would need for a well-rounded practice.
With the rise of Internet shopping, we now have the opportunity to purchase rare or exotic herbs from all over the world through the magic of a credit card and the click of a mouse. Many of us have chosen this option to stock our herb cupboards with the items needed to craft our oils, powders, and brews both for our spellwork and for our sabbat celebrations. This option can be time-consuming and pricey (especially with shipping and handling charges) and is not really practical as the only source for our magical ingredients. In my personal practice, I have tried to focus almost exclusively on herbs and items that are readily obtainable from supermarkets for four main reasons: gathering ingredients in this way is much less expensive than other options; getting herbs from the supermarket means I am not helping to deplete rare or endangered species of plants in the wild; it is so convenient to have what I need available at most nearby stores; and my magic remains just as successful with these simple ingredients as it has been with rare, exotic herbs, roots, and resins.
Kitchen witchcraft, as it has come to be called, is really an exercise in magical practicality and making the most of what’s available to us at the time. Some of the most powerful magic I have seen has come from Kitchen witchery. Did you know that there is an ancient method of protecting pets and other animals from mischievous or malevolent faeries that can be made from a few simple ingredients? Or that a formula can be cooked up right on your kitchen stove to call forth the presence of sea sprites and even the energy of the mystical mermaid? In one of my previous books, Supermarket Magic, it was my goal to show that magic is everywhere and that we can access rich sources of energy and power right from our local markets, using these tools and ingredients to cast spells and enchantments to achieve specific goals. With this work, it is my intention to demonstrate how easy, practical, and fulfilling it can be to expand the kitchen magic into a broad practice that encompasses the sabbats, esbats, and seasons to create a wonderfully complete spiritual experience.
As in my previous work, there will be lots of things to make and do, so it is sensible to go over the basic preparation methods of these items in this chapter rather than repeat steps over and over throughout the book. In the recipes presented, I have chosen to include in parentheses the reason for the chosen ingredients. Since many herbs and foods have multiple magical correspondences, I thought it might be helpful to clarify what specific energies you will be drawing.
Charging with Intent
In order to properly align and focus the energies within an item or spell ingredient and fill it with your magical goal, it is important to charge it with your intention. Doing this can be as simple as holding the item or placing your hands over it, mentally willing your energy to flow while visualizing that your energy moves over and into the item(s) in a sunwise circular motion as you say this or something similar:
I neutralize any energies not in harmony with me,
And charge this [herb, tool, etc.] with
[state intention] power.
For good of all and by land, sky, and sea,
The energy is fixed; as I will, so mote it be.
The tools or ingredients can now be used in your magical workings.
Preparing Simmering Potpourris
These are made by simmering the mixture of herbs and water in a pot on the stove so that the rising steam scents the air to creates the appropriate atmosphere. Grind the herbs together in a bowl and mentally charge them with your energy and magical intention before adding them to the pot of water. Simmer on the stove so that the mixture begins a light boil and starts to release steam. You could also use a slow cooker instead of a pot on the stove for a longer effect.
Preparing Brews
Double, double, toil and trouble! This process is quite easy. Hold the individual herbs in your hands and charge them with your intent, then put them in a pot (a cauldron is ideal), pour the necessary amount of water over them and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes or so until bubbles form at the bottom of the pot and steam is rising; the water should not reach a rolling boil. Next, remove the potion from the heat, cover, and allow it to cool for about another 10 to 15minutes. When cooled, strain and sweeten if necessary or desired. The potion is then ready.
Preparing Incenses
In my previous work, I chose to omit incense recipes, feeling that in a book aimed at using ingredients exclusively from the supermarket, it didn’t make sense to include raw incense formulas that would need to be burned on the specialty charcoals that cannot be found in a grocery store. For this book, however, I am reversing my opinion on the matter; cauldrons, chalices, athames, and wands aren’t usually found at these stores either, but I am still recommending their use. The proper charcoals can of course be purchased online, at Witch shops, or in many religious bookstores.
To create the incenses, simply grind each herb, charge with your intent, and combine them together. Next, add whatever liquid ingredients are called for in the recipe (if any), charge the completed mixture once more, allow to air dry if needed, and bottle for use.
To begin, gather the ingredients and a pot, spoon, strainer, and bottle for the finished product. Grind the herbs in a small bowl with your fingers (or use a mortar and pestle if necessary), mentally pouring your magical intention for the completed oil into the herbs to charge them. Once the herbs are charged, sprinkle them into the pot. Then pour the proper amount of oil (amounts are given in each recipe) over them and swirl the pot to blend the mixture. Warm the oil over very low heat, stirring slowly until you can smell the scent of the herbs in the air. At this point, remove the oil from the heat, and allow it to cool. When it has cooled, strain the oil into a jar. This is the basic procedure. Any alterations (if needed) will be given within that recipe.
Preparing Powders
To create a magical powder, all that’s required is to grind each individual herb with your hands, a mortar and pestle, or a coffee grinder (preferably not one you use for your daily pot of joe!) and then place them in a bowl. When all the herbs have been added, mix them together with your fingers, charge the completed powder, and bottle for use.
Preparing Vinegars
This is a simple process of charging the chosen herbs with your intention and adding them to the vinegar, bottling the mixture, and keeping it in a cool dark place for about a week to infuse the essence of the plant materials into the acidic vinegar. The bottle can be swirled or lightly shaken on a daily basis to help the process along.
Any of the other magical creations will have their instructions listed individually since their methods will vary.
Magical Essentials
It is safe to assume that anyone drawn to this book has an understanding of magic, but since magical practices can be so varied, I will include some of the basics as I have come to understand them. The first two components of successful magic are intent and feeling.
Intent
This is the clearly focused vision of what you are trying to accomplish; the magical goal. When working positive magic, it is best to have a fully formed concept of what you wish the outcome to be while at the same time not dwelling on the process of how you might think the goal “should” be reached. Thinking about the process can delay manifestation of your intent by placing unnecessary conditions upon it; focusing only on the goal allows for greater freedom of action.
Feeling
The most vital factor in magic as far as I am concerned is infusing into your intent the way you wish to feel when the goal is reached. Doing so channels the energy in such a way as to manifest your goal without undue stress or problems and helps to eliminate that “be careful what you wish for” problem.
Working for the Good
Another method of minimizing potential magical mishaps is making sure that all your workings are done with the idea that the magic occurs “according to free will” and/or “for the good of all” or “for the highest good” or “with harm to none”. This will include in the magical intent the condition that when the goal is reached, it will not be because of any coercion, manipulation, unfortunate incidents, or harmful situations. This can be stated at the end of spells or merely held in the mind as an underlying concept. It is a given that the spells in this book meant to affect another should be used with this guideline in mind.
Shifting Consciousness
In order to summon, charge, and release the magical energy, it is usually necessary for the mind to be in an altered state of consciousness; usually a light trance state of alpha brainwave activity. This is easily accomplished through virtually any form of meditation or even by closing your eyes for a few minutes while concentrating on your goal. After this, you can proceed with the rest of the working.
Projection
It is important to remember that magic involves the movement of energy. It is not just visualization or affirmation, though those techniques usually have their roles to play in the overall process. The single thing that separates magic from positive thinking, daydreaming, or wishing is the
conscious, deliberate movement of energy, so it is vital to the work to remember to project the power toward the goal. Mentally send it out to the goal (or the focus such as a candle, herb, or charm) using visualization, feeling, and sheer force of will. Release the energy and it will begin to effect change.
Now that the basics have been covered, we can delve into the good stuff; the actual magic. Since the calendar year begins on January 1, the place to start our journey is that powerful season of winter.