Author: A Solitary Pagan
Kitchen Witch: Yule
Yule—the winter solstice—is an old solar ritual that has been preserved in the Christian observance of Christmas. Its origins lie deep in the past, in the Mediterranean lands of the sun. The birthday of Mithras, an ancient solar deity, was celebrated on the winter solstice. Later, this holiday was brought to Europe, and an astonishing collection of folk rituals became associated with it. Yule occu...
CLEAVERS
Cleavers, or Galium aparine, is a plant that weaves itself into the very fabric of folklore, herbalism, and magic. Its slender, square stems—bristling with tiny hooked hairs—cling to everything they touch, earning it a host of folk names: “sticky willy,” “goosegrass,” and “catchweed.” In the wild, you’ll find cleavers sprawling across hedgerows, woodland edges, and meadows, its narrow, lance-shape...
Plants and Mythology
The magical plant or herb of immortality sought by Gilgamesh, the hero of ancient Mesopotamian mythology, provides one example of how myths use plants as symbols of life and of the healing power of nature. However, because some plants yield poisons and some die in winter, plants can also represent death and decay. Various trees, shrubs, herbs, grains, flowers, and fruit appear in myths and legends...
The Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth is one of the most famous and symbolic structures. The word “Labyrinth” (Greek: labyrinthos) means a complicated maze. The most well-known Labyrinth was built on the island of Crete. According to legend, King Minos of Crete asked the skilled craftsman Daedalus to design and build this complex maze at his palace in Knossos. The main purpose of the Labyrinth was to ...
A Life with Natural Magick
The natural world is a powerhouse of magickal energy that can be used to amplify our own personal psychic powers and daily lives even if we do not have the time or inclination for a spell. Well, all possess these abilities but they can get blunted by modern life. Working with nature rapidly restores the instinctive connection with our own inner self and you may find as a bonus that you are more in...
Kitchen Witch: Artichoke
(Cynara scolymus) Planet: Mars Element: Fire Energies: Protection Lore: Greek legend states that the first artichoke was originally a beautiful woman. Some angry god (frankly, I don’t know which) was so jealous of her beauty that he transformed her into an artichoke. The artichoke seems to have originated in the Medi-terranean region and in the Canary Islands. This vegetable was enjoyed in ancient...
Food Magick: The Oven
The oven is another symbol of the divine. It encloses, performs a transformative process (cooking), and is warm and bright. Humans have used many types of ovens, from the mud-brick ovens of the Middle East to the earthen ovens used in both North America and Polynesia. Some cultures honoured an oven goddess, such as Fornacalia of ancient Rome. Others, like the Chinese, see a male deity within...
Food Magick: Cups, Bowls, and Pots 1.2
Pottery was invented by women, and pottery remained a feminine craft among virtually all culturally unadvanced early peoples. One of the hallmarks of “advanced” culture was the forced transference of this women’s art to men. Throughout the world, pots have been used for magical purposes. In Panama, a pot shaped like a human being was placed on the roof of a house for protection. In West Africa, sh...
Food Magick: Can not be Evil
Visualization is the most advanced magical technique necessary for the successful practice of food magic. Food magic consists of choosing foods, cooking or preparing them with a purpose, and eating them. Since we all have to eat to survive, why shouldn’t we make our meals more than nourishment rituals? It’s obvious that the energies involved in magic aren’t supernatural. On the contrary, they’re t...
Food Magick: A Source of Power
The practice of folk magic utilizes a variety of tools to empower simple rituals. These tools include visualization, candles, colours, words, affirmations, herbs, essential oils, stones, and metals. Other tools, fashioned by our hands, are also used, but these are merely power-directors. They contain little energy save that which is provided by the magician. Another magical tool is at our disposal...
Kitchen Witch: Pumpkin
(Curcurbita spp.) Planet: Moon Element: Earth Energies: Healing, money Lore: According to early American lore, if half a pumpkin is left exposed in the kitchen, negative energies will arrive to spoil the cooking. The pumpkins carved with faces and lit with candles on the last night of October in the United States are related to the similarly prepared turnips carried by children in the U.K. They ar...
HERB LORE: (HERBALISM)
It seems that on every part of the globe where humans have lived, there has developed a body of herbal knowledge, something which has led to a special relationship developing between herbs and people. The foundation for this relationship is the fact that apart from herbs being acknowledged for their nutritional value, there has been a longstanding recognition that they also possess a variety of cu...