Did you stumble across my website and think, “What the hell is kitchen witchery?” Or maybe you’ve heard the phrase before but you’re not quite sure what it means.
Well, there’s a reason for that. There are a lot of different definitions for the term “kitchen witch.” So, it’s difficult to tell what people are talking about without context.
You’ll find that happens often with witchy concepts because so much of it has been passed down from person to person. And a lot of the knowledge was secretive.
Basically, it’s like a big game of telephone line. No one has Caller ID and everyone starts with a different message.
You can see how it gets confusing.
The kitchen serves as the heart of the home and the most common gathering place for family. To me, kitchen witchery is about infusing magic into your life and making it personal.
But it’s also a practical, down-to-earth practice that’s accessible to anyone. Whether you live in the city or country, have a ton of resources or are on a budget, you can adapt your witchery to make it feel like home to you.
What’s a Kitchen Witch?
I’m not much for labels. But it’s helpful to define things, so we know we’re all on the same page. With that in mind, let’s break down some of the more prevalent definitions.
Kitchen Witch:
- Definition 1: Fun phrase for someone who’s a fantastic cook. While it’s not what we’re talking about here, badassery in the culinary arts can go hand-in-hand with kitchen witchery.
- Definition 2: Someone who infuses magic in their meal prep. Often using natural ingredients, the act of preparing the meal is part of their magical practice.
- Definition 3: A doll/poppet/good luck charm. These cute and sometimes handcrafted kitchen witch dolls are said to carry good luck and to protect the home/person from negative energy.
- Definition 4: Someone who practices magic at home and brings it into their everyday activities. This type of kitchen witch might belong to a specific discipline, like Wicca, or they might be more eclectic, adopting a wide range of practices that they vibe with. Kitchen witches often bring the magic and traditions of their ancestors into their practice.
What Is Kitchen Witchery?
“Kitchen witch” has become something of a catch all term. You probably got that from the many definitions above.
A lot of newer and solitary witches consider themselves kitchen witches, and it’s pretty inclusive. You can be at any stage of your magical journey. In fact, you don’t even really need to be a “witch” to fit into the category.
If the phrase, “I’m not a witch, but I’m witchy” applies to you, this might be your perfect fit.
You don’t need to belong to a coven or practice a set pagan religion. But you can.
You might be a kitchen witch if:
- You use spells, home remedies, and superstitions passed down from your family
- Manifesting is part of your makeup
- You like tarot, psychics, and all things divination
- Your witch’s cabinet is really just an extension of your spice rack
- The witchy work you do can usually be managed with ingredients you have on hand
- You pay attention to cycles of the moon
- Candles and color magic light you up (pardon the pun)
Ways to Practice Kitchen Witchery
It’s probably easier to describe what kitchen witchery is NOT than to describe what it is, because you can customize it to suit your own yearnings and interests.
I usually say that I’m witchy because I’m not technically a pagan. For me, a lot of my practice is about honoring my ancestors. I use old world magic, from both sides of my family.
That old world magic is common in a lot of ethnic backgrounds. It’s about keeping the traditions of your ancestors (who were pagan/witchy) and incorporating those things into your spiritual beliefs. So, you might find people who are Judeo-Christian, but also witchy.
The fun thing about kitchen witchery is that it doesn’t have hard boundaries. You can make do with what you have and practice any way that you’re comfortable.
You don’t need to buy super expensive supplies for your spell cabinet. But you can. Personally, I love splurging on new candles, oils, incense, and other supplies. But you don’t need to do all that.
I don’t need to grow my own spices, for instance. I can, and have, used spices from the grocery store.
Some people use herbs from their own garden and the whole process of planting, growing, maintaining, and picking their herbs becomes part of their magic. It helps them infuse more of their energy into their spells and rituals.
But let’s be real. Not everyone has a garden. Some of us live in cities with a lot of concrete and asphalt. And some of us just have no green thumb.
Let me tell you, I’ve had just as much success with McCormick spices and a dollar candle from Goodwill as I have with beautifully crafted spell candles, and special herbs. I love the pretty supplies, but the main ingredient is your own energy and intention.
Common Practices
It’s hard to break down “rules” because there can be many paths. And they’re not all the same. For instance, some people believe in the Law of Three – everything you put out into the universe comes back to you three-fold.
The three-fold stems from Wicca (Gardner, to be precise). And while it’s pretty well known, it’s not universal. Every witch doesn’t abide by it, nor do they need to. You have to follow the traditions that work for your own practice.
In kitchen witchery, there aren’t a lot of absolutes that you have to do, here are a few common practices:
- Paying attention to the phases of the moon. Different phases correspond to types of spells and certain planetary alignments are really powerful for divination and manifestation.
- Working with herbs and spices. Different ingredients correspond to your purposes and many kitchen witches have favorite ingredients they use often for certain things.
- Candle magic and color magic. Many people correspond the color candle to the intention.
- Attention to the elements. The elements correspond to astrological signs and certain characteristics or purposes. This is why certain moon phases are better for specific types of intentions.
- Using crystals in meditation and spellcasting. And there are so many to choose from.
- Divination tools. Everything from tarot cards to runes to working with spirit guides.
We’ll be talking about all the above, and so much more in upcoming blog posts. Stay tuned for more or let me know what you’d like to see covered.