Practically Pagan - An Introduction to Alternative Guides to Living

Introduction

There are lots of good books on Paganism, on who Pagans are, on the variety of their beliefs and on how to live a certain Pagan lifestyle. A generation ago such a lifestyle would have been characterised as alternative, a step away from modern industrial life and a step back towards nature and a more natural way of self-expression. These days our common values and beliefs have become somewhat blurred. Veganism was strange, now it’s accepted… the environment was a resource to exploit, now it’s our mothership and we know we must engender nurturing thoughts and actions towards her for the sake of our own survival. political coloring was red and blue, now it’s green, or fast becoming so.

Practically Pagan is a series of books designed to help facilitate the continuing journey of Pagan ideas into the mainstream, to help develop our new understanding and to spread the message that Pagan ways of thought are not only good but necessary. The Practically Pagan series doesn’t include books about theology or philosophy, they are books about life, yours and mine and the everyday things with which they are filled, cooking, gardening, staying healthy and living magical yet environmentally responsible lives.

They are written by Pagans for everyone and they offer different ways to do familiar things. Try one of our recipes, preferably including some ingredients harvested from your garden. but make sure you’re dancing in the kitchen while you cook it! Look after yourself and administer some self care. but extend that compassion to the planet as well. And in the end, well, who knew. you’re practically Pagan!

The main writers to this Introductory ebook are the authors of the books in the series; Rachel Patterson writes on cooking and kitchen witchery, Elen Sentier brings us decades of gardening experience, Maria DeBlassie offers us a magical-filled bruja look at life, Irisanya Moon, with compassion and consideration shows us ways to promote our health and well-being and Mabh Savage writes on how we can be a force for good as we care for the planet.

As the Practically Pagan project has developed, we have created an online community of members who regularly share their thoughts, ideas and knowledge. When we decided to do an introductory book some of the community members offered to join in and so this book is added to immensely by the contributions of Thea Prothero, Diane Perazzo, Candice Bernes, Sylvia Rose, Angela Paine, Andrea Grünbaum, Alicia Leary, Rebecca Bird, Lucya Starza, Jill Earlam, Steve Spellane, Scott Irvine, Corinne McLavy and Shawna Weidenbach. Thanks to everyone who has contributed.

The Books

Practically Pagan - An Alternative Guide to.

Cooking

Health & Well-being

Magical Living

Gardening

Planet Friendly Living

Other books are planned for the series. Lucya Starza is compiling an esoteric travel guide to London and Debi Gregory is combining with Mabh Savage to produce a guide to parenting. But we’re always looking to do more. If you have an idea that you’d like to explore don’t hesitate to get in touch.

The community

Knowledge is pointless unless you share it. So, one of the first things the Practically Pagan team did was form a like-minded community. It’s online, it’s simple to join and if you do. you’ll never be short of a recipe or a craft idea again! Here’s the link… come and join us.

Cooking & Kitchen Witchery

Kitchen Witchcraft

Rachel Patterson

Kitchen Witchcraft is not only an ancient practice but quite possibly something that everyone does without even knowing it. The kitchen would originally have been the focus of any household even going back to mud huts, when the fire would have been used for heat and for cooking. The idea of Kitchen Witchcraft conjures up someone in the kitchen creating bottles and jars of lotions and potions and that does cover part of it but it is also a witch that works with ingredients on all sorts of levels from medicinal to magical to culinary, the plants often being grown in their own garden or foraged from the hedgerows.

To connect with the divine a Witch will step outside, take a cup of tea and sit in the garden, to be outside with nature… that is where the connection is. Feel the wind in your hair, the sun on your face, feel the grass beneath your feet, the free and wild feeling of being at one with nature, Mother Earth and her bounty. A Kitchen Witch will also get that connection in the kitchen, working with herbs, spices, plants and produce. Everything a Kitchen Witch makes is made with love, affection and a little bit of magic.

A Kitchen Witch will also bring magic into their food via cooking. Food is magical, not just because of the amazing tastes, flavours and aromas but also for the magical properties it holds. The magic starts with the choice of food to use and it can then be added in whilst you are preparing and cooking then the magic unfolds as people enjoy your food. Dishes can be created for specific intents, moon phases, and rituals, to celebrate sabbats or just to bring the magic into your family meal. Every herb, every spice and every ingredient has magical properties and these can be brought into meals and recipes. Just the art of cooking itself has magic, stirring the pot deosil (clockwise) brings in positive energy, peeling onions can be releasing and washing dirt from vegetables can be cleansing and purifying.

You can bring intent into any meal with very little effort think about the ingredients you use and what magical properties you believe them to have. There are the traditional ones such as oysters and asparagus adding a bit of va va voom to your love life but there are spices, herbs and foods for every intent. Just by adding a few ingredients into a dish will bring in the magical properties, help them along by giving them a power charge with your intent before you throw them in the pot. Purely by cooking, heating, frying and baking something you add in a boost of fiery energy.

Go with your own instinct and intuition but for starters try adding a sprinkle of cinnamon for love and success, a dash of pepper for protection and don’t forget your fruit and veg, it isn’t just healthy but carrots bring the magical properties of fertility and passion (a dangerous combination.), pears bring prosperity and luck and if you are a meat eater then you bring the element of fire onto your plate along with the magical properties of the animal you use. If you sprinkle cheese on top, you also add in success and happiness. because everything is made better with a sprinkling of cheese except maybe cake but that in itself has the magical powers of happiness and celebration.

A Kitchen Witch doesn’t tend to use fancy tools although we usually have a few because hey we like pretty things too. A Kitchen Witch will use whatever is to hand; a finger or a wooden spoon becomes a wand and an old casserole dish creates a useful cauldron. We also work very intuitively preferring to use magical ingredients because they ‘feel right’ rather than checking a list and if we don’t have what we need, we substitute from our kitchen cupboard. But my kitchen serves not only as a place to bake cakes and make meals