APRIL 21, 2019 BY ASTREA TAYLOR
I plunder my cupboards for my magical works so much that my “magical spice rack” has become a cliche. It’s a cliche for a good reason, though. My spice rack and tea cabinet always have the perfect ingredients for my spellwork. Do you need a pinch of heat in your magic? Sprinkle in some cayenne pepper. Need some more comforting aspects in your spell? Grab a lavender tea bag, and rip that baby open.
Every seed, leaf, stem, flower, root, bark, and rind have their own properties and magical correspondences. You can take advantage of these powers by creating a magical spice rack. It’s useful in so many ways: in magical works, in your cooking, and it also acts as a bank to store energy, just like an altar.
Shop for Quality Herbs, Spices, and Teas
First, get some great ingredients for your magical spice rack and tea shelf. Buy a little bit of everything–sweet and bitter, spicy and mild, and savory and bland. Buy ingredients for all kinds of cuisine, and get different colors and smells.
My favorite way to get new spices or herbs is to go to the health food store and buy them in bulk. It’s usually cheaper and fresher than buying individual packages from a big store.
Organize Your Magic
I know that a lot of people would love to skip organizing, but trust me–it’s important. My spice rack didn’t become magical until I wasn’t overwhelmed by a mess whenever I opened my cupboard. Before I organized, I had to had to hunt through a old bags and bottles, and I had to sniff the red powders in unlabeled bags to see if it was paprika or chili powder. Now, after putting in an hour of organization, I know what I’m getting every single time.
Get organized by buying some jars and labels, and get to work. I prefer using glass jars because it feels cleaner and more sterile than using plastic, but to each their own.
Bless Your Spice Rack and Tea Shelf
Bless your collection of herbs, spices, and teas to net some extra magic and to create a bank. Stand in front of your spice rack and take a deep breath. Touch the bottles and boxes, and feel the various energies inside of them. Commune with the energy of your special collection. Feel the potential of everything they can do for you. It’s a bank of energy just waiting to be activated with your magical intentions. Call upon a hearth deity for an extra blessing if you wish. Ask for your spice rack to be blessed. It will now act as an altar for your work.
It’s Magic Time! Feel the Energy of Each Spice or Herb
When it comes time to use your spice rack for magic, you could look up the correspondences of every herb and spice in a witchy book, OR you can just feel the energetic essence of each item to see if it corresponds with your will. Your personal opinion and intuition of the spice or herb will likely be just as strong as what’s in a book.
However, don’t assume a spice will feel the same if it’s in two different forms, or from two different locations. Ground cinnamon probably will feel different from whole cinnamon bark. Two brands of ground cinnamon could be two different plant species, and from different parts of the world. This means that the energy will be different, too. When in doubt, feel it out!
Work Your Magic
Select a few spices, herbs, and teas for your work. There are two basic ways to work with these correspondences. You could grab the jars or tea bags and take them with you into your ritual space to work with them there. This is a good method if you want to recite why you’re adding every item to your brew, or if you’re just feeling dramatic and have some time to kill.
The second method is to open the jars and tea bags in your kitchen, sprinkle them into a bowl or a cauldron, and take that into the ritual space. It’s a lot faster, and no less powerful. Either way will work fine.
Use the energies of the herbs and spices in your magic. Feel your will align with the energy of the plants. Of course, write down what you used in your book of shadows so you can see what works best for you.
Stock Up On More Herbs and Spices For Next Time
Buy high quality products whenever possible. Whenever you’re low on an item, write it down on a list so you don’t run out. That’ll also help you combine trips in case you forget one.
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/starlight/2019/04/the-magical-spice-rack/
Replies