Magical Kitchen Workplace
By: Gerina Dunwich

It does not take a lot of work, time, or money to transform an
ordinary kitchen into a magical workplace. To begin with, there are
many simple, yet effective, charms (such as a rope of garlic, a sun-
catcher, or pentagram symbols) that can be placed in the kitchen for
protection.

A sunny kitchen windowsill filled with pots of magical plants not
only looks good, but releases magical energies into the room. Even
common culinary herbs that are found in the cabinets or nearly every
kitchen possess strong magical properties. For instance, basil is
traditionally used for exorcism, love, protection, and purification.
Parsley is used for fertility, passion, and protection. Sage is used
for healing, protection, and prosperity; and thyme is used for
clairvoyance, courage, and love.

Hang a "kitchen Witch" doll for good luck, and add magic to your
cooking by drawing an invisible pentagram inside your pots and pans
with a wand or athame. (A wooden spoon, fork, or knife can also be
used.)

A well-stocked Witch's kitchen should contain herbs, essential oils,
a mortar and pestle (for grinding dried herbs and other magical
things), candles, incense, an up-to-date lunar calendar, and cauldron
for brewing
potions.

Smudge your kitchen with a sage bundle if you sense negativity.
Anoint utensils and appliances with essential oils to bless and
charge them with powerful vibrations. Editor's Note: never ingest
essential oils. If you choose to anoint kitchen tools, either anoint
the parts of the tool that do not come into direct contact with food,
or make sure that there is no way that the oil will transfer from the
tool to your food. Always stir food in a clockwise direction, and be
sure to invite the Goddess and God into your new magical workplace.

A WITCH'S KITCHEN BLESSING
Blessed be this Kitchen of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. Be warmed by
the sacred light of the Goddess and the Horned One. May all that is
created here by means both magical and mundane bring nourishment,
healing, and sustenance, and cause harm to none. With love and peace,
with joy and magic, be now and always filled. So mote it be!

KITCHEN DEITIES
Throughout the world many cultures have believed in and worshipped
various kitchen gods and goddesses. These deities are generally
regarded as benevolent, and their presence is said to offer
protection against kitchen accidents, fires, and food poisoning; to
keep negativity, ghosts, and evil
influences out of the kitchen; and to bless all foods that are
prepared.

The Hindu god Annamurti (a form of the god Vishnu) is the patron
deity of kitchens and food. Offerings of payasa (sweetened milk and
rice) are traditionally placed before his bronze image at his shrine
in southern
India.

In Japan, the god and goddess of kitchens are Oki-Tsu-Hiko- No-Kami
and his
consort Oki-Tsu-Hime- No-Kami. They are the children of the harvest
god, and their main duty is to look after the cauldron in which water
is boiled.
Another Japanese deity associated with the kitchen is Hettsui-No-
Kami. She is the goddess of the kitchen range. Each year on the
eighth day of November she is honored in Japan with a Shinto festival
called the Fuigo Matsuri.

The Chinese god of the stove was a deity who was greatly respected,
for he possessed the power to bestow a family with good health,
wealth, and prosperity. To keep him from being offended, all family
members would take great care not to sing, swear, cry, or kiss in
front of the stove. To chop onions on or near the stove was also
regarded as disrespectful and was forbidden.

THE FOUR ELEMENTS
In addition to the Pagan gods and goddesses of the kitchen, the
spirits of the four ancient elements are strongly connected to, and
make their presence well known in, the Witch's kitchen.

The refrigerator is an appliance dedicated to air. Air is also linked
to the steam given off by hot foods and boiling liquids. Fire (the
source of heat and symbol of transformation) dwells within stove and
hearth. Water rules
over the kitchen sink as well as the liquids used in the preparation
and cooking of foods and potions. Vegetables, fruits, nuts, herbs and
spices, and even meats and poultry are all gifts from our blessed
planetary Mother.
These foods that nourish and sustain us are, of course, ruled by the
earth element.

The elemental spirits of air, fire, water, and earth can be invoked
at any time in the kitchen for protection, empowerment, magical aid,
and so forth.
It is through the use of these four basic elements that kitchen magic
is created.

KITCHEN OMENS AND SUPERSTITIONS
The reading of omens is an art and practice dating back to antiquity.
Omens reveal many things and are all around us, if we permit
ourselves to be aware of them. They can be quite beneficial,
especially in warning us of dangerous
situations ahead of time. The trick is knowing how to correctly
interpret the omen.

The kitchen is one place in which many omens manifest. For instance,
a rainstorm is portended by the repeated boiling over of a coffeepot
and also by the accidental spilling of water on a tablecloth. Other
omens include the
following:

* Money will soon come your way if any of the following things should
occur:
bubbles appear in a cup of coffee, you accidentally knock over a
sugar bowl, rice forms a ring around the edge of a pot, or tea leaves
float to the top of the cup.

* Trouble is indicted by the accidental omission of spices from a
recipe or by the spilling of salt. Be prepared for an argument with
someone if you should happen to spill pepper on the kitchen table or
floor. (According to
occult tradition, these bad omens can be remedied by simply adding
the spices, and by tossing a pinch of salt or pepper over your left
shoulder, respectively. ) It is also said that if two persons stir
the
same boiling pot or sit together on a table, they will soon find
themselves involved in a
quarrel.

* If your apron comes untied by itself and falls off while you are
working in the kitchen, this is generally seen as a sign that someone
is thinking about you. Some say that it means your sweetheart is
having romantic thoughts about you at that moment.

* It is believed by many to be an omen of good news when baked apples
burst while in the oven, or when the salt and sugar are accidentally
mixed up.

* If a fork accidentally falls onto the floor, a woman will soon
knock on your door; a spoon indicates the arrival of a gentleman. (In
some parts of the world, the fork means a man, and the spoon a
woman.) Unexpected or
unwelcome visitors are also presaged by the dropping of a knife that
sticks in the ground and by cracks that form on the shells of eggs
boiling in a pot of water.

* If you are engaged or wish to get married, according to an old
belief once common in England, you should take care to never sit on a
kitchen table, for this will break the engagement and also prevent
you from ever being wed.

* There are also numerous kitchen omens concerning bread. It is
considered unlucky in certain countries to wash a bread-knife on a
Sunday, cut both ends of a loaf of bread, leave a knife stuck in the
loaf, or take the last
slice of bread. Accidentally dropping a slice of bread with the
buttered side down is also said to be a bad omen; however, it is a
good sign if the dropped bread lands with the buttered side up. If
you and another person
reach for the same slice of bread at the same time, an unexpected
visitor will soon appear.