Author: A Solitary Pagan

(Helianthus annuus) Planet: Sun Element: Fire Energies: Protection, success Lore: Sunflowers were viewed as symbols of the sun by the ancient Incas of Peru. Gold crowns inspired by this flower were reportedly worn by solar priestesses during rituals. Many Mexican gardens contain sunflowers, since their presence is thought to confer “luck.” Women still eat sunflower seeds for help in conceiving a c...

Planet: Moon Element: Water Energies: Weight loss Lore: Seaweed (more correctly, sea vegetables) are surprisingly nutritious foods that are rarely found in Western diets, except as processed food additives (such as carrageenan). In Cornwall, pieces of a seaweed known as Lady’s Tresses were placed on small stands near the chimney to guard seaside cottages against fire. Seaweed is eaten throughout t...

(Allium cepa) Planet: Mars Element: Fire Energies: Protection, weight loss Lore: The great city of Chicago was named for the local Indians’ word for the wild onions growing in the area—chicago. According to ancient Egyptian incantations, onions were included in charms designed to keep potentially harmful ghosts from children. Celebrants at winter solstice festivals in Egypt wore onions around thei...

Brassica Planet: Moon Element: Water Energies: Protection Magical uses: Eat fresh or cooked cauliflower as part of a protection diet. To increase its effectiveness, cook cauliflower with dill, mustard seeds, or rosemary.

Planet: Venus Element: Earth Lore: Wheat has long played a part in the human diet. After rice, it’s the second-most commonly used grain for human food, and was first cultivated during the Neolithic age. The Egyptians, Sumerians, Babylonians, Hittites, Greeks, and Romans all worshipped harvest deities associated with wheat. Wheat is particularly a symbol of the Mother Goddess. She taught the secret...

(Pucium miliacaeum) Planet: Jupiter Element: Earth Energies: Money Lore: In ancient China, grains of millet were used as a unit of measure: ten millet grains placed end to end constituted one inch, one hundred grains was the measurement of one foot, and so on. Magical uses: If you find it difficult to enjoy this grain, visualize millet as compact, concentrated money energy before eating. An old Ge...

This ancient Celtic festival lives on in the United States and in other countries as Halloween, a degraded version of both the earlier Pagan holiday as well as the later Christian variant—All Hallow’s Eve. The word “eve” in the Christian name reminds us that this festival begins the night before its calendar date. Samhain marks the close of the year. Skies may still be blue, but the wind is chilly...

Pantries were once common to every home. Today, most of us fill cupboards with staples and canned foods. The pantry is ruled by the element of earth and the moon; because it is a container that houses food, it’s intimately linked with the Mother Goddess. For our purposes, your kitchen cabinets constitute a pantry. The magical cook should keep a stock of basic culinary ingredients: salt; sugar(if y...

Lughnasadh is the first harvest—the promise of spring’s planting realized. Sometimes known as the Feast of Bread, Lughnasadh is a time for kneading, baking, slicing, and eating this basic food. Lughnasadh originally marked the first-harvest festivals of earlier European peoples, for whom it didn’t fall on a specific date. Prepare a few whole-grain loaves on this day if you make your own bread. For...

(Lycopersicon spp.) Element: Water Energies: Health, money, love, protection Lore: Known as zictomatl by the Aztecs,the tomato is an ancient food. When it was introduced into Europe in the sixteenth century, the tomato was regarded with suspicion. It is botanically related to nightshade, which is obvious from studying the plant’s leaves, flowers, and even fruit. Everyone assumed that its fruits we...

(Olea europaea) Planet: Sun Element: Air Energies: Spirituality, health, peace, sex Lore: The olive was sacred to Aten in ancient Egypt. Olive oil, which was in great demand in the ancient world, actually led to the downfall of Greece. Farmers began growing olives almost exclusively while ignoring food crops. This began Greece’s dependence on imported foods. When import lines were cut, Greece and ...

(Cucumus sativus) Planet: Moon Element: Water Energies: Peace, healing Lore: Fresh cucumbers were once placed under swooning women’s noses (remember swooning?). The odor was supposed to rouse them from their faint. In Africa, the Nuer sometimes consecrate a small wild cucumber and sacrifice it in place of a treasured ox during important ceremonies. Magical uses: Add cucumbers to peace-inducing die...