Magick should be simple. When Witches, in the past, practiced, they made use of the things they had available. Witches of today do the same thing. If you feel like you do not have all the necessary ingredients for a magickal working, look no further for inspiration than your cupboard.
Pantry Magick
Here are some simple foods and spices you may find that you can incorporate into your magickal workings.This list isn’t definitive, but it does provide a starting point.
Baking soda—Baking soda is only a small part of a recipe with as little as a ¼ teaspoon in a whole cake, yet the cake rises. Likewise, in spellwork, you can add a little baking soda to raise the energy of a spell. You should only need a pinch or two to punch up your magickal work.
Basil—Use basil in your spells for wealth, prosperity, and good fortune. If you want loads of suggestions for using basil in your magick, check out Basil for Wealth, Prosperity, and Good Fortune.
Bay Leaf—If you have not tried bay leaf magick, it is time to give this powerful bit of spellwork a try! Using a bay leaf and a pen, write one or two words that sum up your intention, such as love, money, confidence, and write that word on the bay leaf. Using a fire-safe pot, light the bay leaf and let it burn while you meditate on your intention. (Please be careful! Note: sometimes you will have to light the bay leaf multiple times before it burns. No worries, the magick is working, but it is telling you that you will need to pay close attention to manifest your intention.)
Bread—You might want to consider incorporating bread into your magick when you need to ground yourself or surround yourself in comfort. It has long been associated with life itself and is the representation of life in many religions. A piece of bread could represent Earth on your altar.
Cheese—Try putting cheese on the menu to raise the energy of a meal. If you are feeling a little low and sluggish, an ounce of cheese might be in order.
Chocolate—Select chocolate for love magick spells and potions. You can also use it in association with happiness and harmonious relationships for yourself or others.
Cinnamon—Cinnamon has many purposes in magick from protection to love. It is a worthy addition to a protection witch’s ball or mojo bag. To spice things up in your bedroom, you will want to add a little cinnamon to your spells for romance. If you wish to perform chime candle protection spell, rub the candle with cinnamon or sprinkle in a deosil (clockwise) direction around the space where you (carefully) burn your candle. The post Chime Candle Magick can give you more ideas for candle magick.
Coffee—Coffee brings energy and vitality to any spell. It is also a great ingredient to use for weight loss spells.
Cookies—If we included bread, then we should throw in cookies, right? I mean, who doesn’t love a yummy cookie? Cookies represent encouragement and comfort. Try not to eat them until you finish your spellwork!
Flour—Utilize flour in any energy work requiring grounding. It comes from the Earth, warmed by the Fire of the Sun, Water to nourish it, and Wind to carry its seeds to the next generation making it a pleasing homage to the elements on your altar.
Garlic—Utilize garlic when you need protection against evil. If you have ever seen an old vampire movie, you know that folks used garlic to keep out the evil forces. You can still tap into that imagery if you have someone in your space who is an energy vampire. You can use a whole bulb, a single clove, or even garlic powder in your spells to keep them from sucking you dry of your personal power.
Ginger—Incorporate ginger for healing, especially nausea. Have you ever had an upset tummy and been told to drink real ginger ale? There is a reason for this. Ginger is medicinally great for tummy upsets. In magick, ginger represents health, healing of digestive issues, and often added to love spells. It is excellent for raising the vibrational energies.
Honey—You will want to incorporate a little honey in any spells to sweeten relationships or make something “stick together.” A jar of the sweet stuff makes an excellent gift for a newly married couple as the honey represents the binding of the two in sweet harmony. It also represents prosperity, and what newlyweds couldn’t use a little prosperity magick on their side? Honey can be used in magick for friendships as well. For a more extended look into the magick behind the bees that make the honey, read Magickal Bees.
Milk—You will want to utilize milk for invoking prosperity, wealth, nurture, and health.
Liquor—Liquor was once known as “firewater,” so you can use it as the representation of the Fire element to add energy to your magickal workings. You can also use it in spells for health. (Be careful if you are using a real flame at any point since liquor is flammable.
Oats—Growing up, adults always told us kids oats would “stick to our ribs,” thus use oats in magick for sustaining powers and also wealth and prosperity.
Olive oil—You can substitute olive oil for any ritual oil. Great for dressing candles! If you want to find out more about dressing a candle, check out 5 Steps to Chime Candle Magic.
Mint—The green color of mint leaves should remind you of money, which makes it an excellent addition to any spell for wealth or prosperity. You can also use it in spells for the protection of travelers.
Pasta—Think about the meaning of the shape. You could use spiral pasta for creativity, spaghetti and linguini for staying the course, and elbow for when the path you are on needs to change.
Pepper— Peppers raise creative energy. Their potent protective properties make them useful additions to spells against evil influences.
Red pepper—Any kind of pepper works for adding spice to your life, but if you want to shake things up and break from present patterns in your life, add red-pepper to you your energy work. Red pepper is especially suitable for protecting against the negative energies of others. Add it to car protection spells if you are driving in lots of heavy traffic.
Rosemary—You can use rosemary as a substitute in for any missing herb you need for a spell! Besides, it smells terrific! For more information on substitutions you can make in a pinch, you will want to read Simple Swaps for the Everyday Witch.
Sage—There are different forms of sage, but this is the kind you find hanging out with your spices. You want to associate sage with any works for cleansing, purifying, or enhancing creative energies.
Salt—One of the best protectors there is! It is also fantastic for grounding and purification. You can use it to represent the element of Earth on your altar. If you would like more information on how to incorporate salt into your magickal workings, read Salt: A Witch’s Friend.
Sugar—You can use sugar in any spell where you are trying to sweeten a relationship, whether between friends, family, lovers, or even co-workers.
Tea—Use tea in your magick when promoting peace and calm.
Vanilla—You will want to incorporate vanilla in magickal workings for comfort and feelings of home.
Vinegar—Vinegar is terrific for protection and cleansings. You can use vinegar in your mop water to cleanse and protect your home from negative energies. It can also be used as a wash on the doors and windows to your home to protect it from negative energies entering. Use one cup of vinegar to one gallon of water.
Your Turn
Hopefully, you now have a better idea of how to use stuff from the pantry in your magick. What are some ways you incorporate food and spices from your cupboard into your magickal work? I would love to hear from you!
Until we meet again,
CJ