kitchen witch

There’s doubting, that’s normal–but there are also the gifts that appear at your side, the overwhelming joy that fills your being, and the dramatic shifts in energy and opportunity, all for pushing through that doubt. 

patron deities are choice gods that a witch identifies with the most, and relies on for help. patron deities aren’t necessarily gods, but ideas so complex that the only way to describe them is as beings. anyways, here is my step by step

Step 1- familiarize yourself with your options. listen to mythology, read articles, and try and find a few ideas of who your patron deity might be, but don’t commit to any one deity. these deities can be from any mythology or religion, as they are purely symbolic figures.

Step 2- familiarize the deities with yourself. pray to all of the potential possibilities you set out for yourself. this will allow for the exchange to be natural. a deity can’t fully be chosen by the witch. it is something that has to happen on both sides. by drawing attention to yourself via prayer, you are allowing this process to happen.

Step 3- meditate. you need to find your core being, who you are as a person. you need to know who you are, and what your values are, in order to find a god whose principles you can live by.

Step 4- review. take a second look at your list, and now that you are in touch with yourself, narrow the list down further. meditate and repeat until you have found your patron deity.

Now that you have found your patron deity, you must live in their image. get a pendant with their symbol, drink teas of herbs that have similar qualities as your deity. but most importantly, you must adhere to the principles of a deity if you wish to keep them as your patron. for example, my patron deity is Seshat, the egyptian goddess of literature, curiosity, history, and knowledge, and i have to live by these rules. this is why it is so important to have the correct patron deity, because you will have to live by them. in return, these deities bless you within their jurisdiction, as well as charge your spells, as long as the spell aligns with their values. 

Litha/Misummer/Summer Solstice Tea!

Picture 1 is from- Wonder How To, by Yumi Sakugawa

Picture 2 is from- Frenchtoastgirl.com

You will need the following:

Two white candles

Oil of Naiveté (Olive Oil with glitter)

One mirror

Light both candles at the full moon. Sit facing the mirror and speak the ancient truth known to all our ancestors reaching back through the ages:

"Sex is biologically assigned based on the chromosomal pairing that develops the body around the bundle of nerves that is the brain. Any deviation from the norm will be invalidated and cast out of society. Witchcraft is only for womyns, because they bleed from the woom. Only white thoughts, experiences, and values will be upheld. We are the daughters of the witches you couldn't burn."

1. Two girls don traditional wreaths near a bonfire during Ivan Kupala Night celebrations, outside the small town of Turov, Belarus, on July 6, 2016 # Sergei Gapon / AFP / Getty.

This is a very simple spell.

You need a candle either black or white. You’ll have to write as much as you can down on it, such as things that bother you. Light the candle and ask of the salamander spirits to burn all evil that wants to destroy you. (the folklore salamander spirit).

☀️ Lemon Lavender Litha Cookie RECIPE! ☀️

This was highly requested so here we go! I hope you enjoy this recipe, and I also wish all of you a beautiful and bright Litha!

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 cup room temperature butter

• 1 1/4 cup powdered sugar (regular sugar is fine, but powdered is recommended for a fluffier cookie)

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 cups flour (i actually ended up using around a 1/4th of a cup more, but it depends on how wet/dry your dough is)

• Splash of coconut milk

• 1 large lemon’s worth of zest

• Half a lemon squeezed

• 1 1/2 tbs dried lavender

Add your butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and zest to a large mixing bowl. Mix together until smooth.

Gradually add your flour. When it comes together, add in the lavender and kneed dough with your hands until all flour is combined. You’re looking for a soft, pliable dough that’s still moist but dry enough to roll.

Roll the dough into desired thickness, cut out your shapes (i did circles and stars, just because 😊). Bake these yummy cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom. Cool completely and serve with a glaze. I made my glaze with powdered sugar, lemon juice and concentrated lavender tea.

To make this magickal, it’s important to know the key ingredient correspondences!

Lavender is used for calmness, serenity, purification and rest.

Lemon can be used for sun and moon magick, happiness, aura purification, rejuvenation and longevity.

Feel free to add other herbs or spices to make this recipe unique to your practice!

I meditated a lot while making this recipe, and invited my deities to be with me while I worked. I put my personal intentions for rejuvenation, serenity and happiness for the upcoming summer months. I lit some candles, cast a circle before starting and spent some time really focusing on my desired outcome.

So much witchcraft emphasizes how important it is to honor and work with the Earth, but then teaches us spells with ingredients we basically have to import using locations we don’t have access to. It’s rare to find an existing grimoire or guide book that actually works with where we live. We can still use them, but it doesn’t enhance our connection to our local land, which to many can feel important. Here are some tips for localizing your practice and working with the land you actually live on.

See what nature exists around you. Explore your own backyard with a critical eye. What plants can you actually go and pick yourself? What are those plants associated with? Do you have access to a creek or river? What does your local land actually have on it? If magic correspondences for your local plants haven’t been written about, you may have to do your own research. Example: I grow several plants on my back porch which I can potentially use for magic.There are magnolia trees and rhodedendrons on the grounds of my apartment complex. My parent’s neighbors have chickens in the backyard, so I have access to some feathers when they shed. 

Check out local folklore, legends, etc. This is one of my favorite parts, but can also be the hardest. What are the stories of your area, both on a local and cultural scale. Example: A West Virginian may incorporate legends of the Mothman. Everyone says that one building on my old college campus is haunted (and they’re right.) People talk about that liminal-space feeling when you drive down that one road at night.

Find the magic spots. Sometimes the urban legends will tip you off to these (usually in a bad way) but other times you can find them on your own. A place where the energy is just right for some reason. A place you can go to be closer to nature, or a place you could host a ritual if needed. Sometimes it’s just a place where you can feel your mind open a little bit. Example: The shady corner of a public park. The tunnel downtown. That weirdly-perfect circle of trees in the woods behind Wal-Mart.

Meet your land wights. Spirits of the local land. This could be the fair folk, but also house spirits, the spirits of the trees near you, the nature spirits of wherever you are. They’re there. Be good to them and they’ll be good to you! Note: Some spirits and wights will not be interested in working with you, and that’s okay. I generally think it’s good to at least leave a polite offering to just be on general decent terms even if you never work with them more directly beyond that.