Jan 16, 20235 min read

Honoring Fire in our Homes

Updated: Jan 23, 2023

My house has always been a magical place. From the outside, it looks like something you find in a witch living in, in the dark forest of folklore. The spruce siding of my cottage is accented with red and green trim and runes above the door. Once inside there are trappings of my trade everywhere, with crystals statues, wands, flowers, books, and magical symbolism wherever your eyes come to rest. As I said earlier, I have altars everywhere.

Having spent the early years of my adult life as a work-from-home mom, I developed a true understanding of the power of the cookstove. The most important of magical tools to the kitchen witch it not only provides the ability to nourish our family but heal them, through the brewing of medicines. The way we cook; the ingredients used and energy focused, is radially apparent to any of us who take the time to examine it.

Knowing this at a young age, I made a point of having my working altar in my kitchen and began adding magical accouterments to the stove itself. A large triple-moon-goddess symbol made of sheet metal; crafted by an old coven mate, rests on the back of the stove, and a rectangular tree magnet with the words ‘Life Support System’ covers the company name, infusing the stove itself with magical intention. Behind the stove is a large mirror, reflecting the magic of the energy created there into the rest of the house, and reminding me of the energy I am putting into the food.

While these things have been present in my kitchen for many years, it wasn’t until I purposefully engaged with my own health; through working with a spiritual nutritionist, Lisa Mase that I began to truly embrace cooking as a magical art every time I cooked. Before it was something I did when the need arrived; when one of my kids was sick, or when I was baking cookies for a fundraiser. Somehow though, I had totally missed the everyday need for sacredness that the stove provided. With this new awareness, I started actively engaging with the idea of the hearth as the heart of the home, and the fire of the stove representing the warmth experienced in my living space. I started thinking of the goddess Brigid whose fire temple I had visited and the flame I had received in Kildare, Ireland, and my stovetop became a truly enchanted place.

Since changing the way that I see my kitchen and hearth; recognize it as a sacred fire temple, with the ability to provide nourishment and comfort. I have found myself making time for things I would have previously foregone in the business of life; like making big breakfasts, soups and canning. I found these things no longer felt burdensome, offering me satisfaction and comfort once I engaged with them as sacred acts instead of things, I told myself I had to do.

Technique-The magical hearth

Regardless of whether you have a simple hot plate or a full kitchen, the hearth is a magical place. I speak this from experience, having gone three months of winter with only a hot plate and a toaster over, as the fuel company forgot to tell us when they filled our tank in November that the tank was outdated and needed to be replaced before it could be filled again. While this was an inconvenience, I pride myself in being able to make do, and gloss the story up a bit in my mind, turning it into an adventure of true grit and perseverance.

In this exercise, we will be focusing on turning our kitchen stove into a magical workplace. You are free to bring on the witchy-bling to whatever level you feel comfortable. Some witches like to keep their magic to themselves and prefer to keep their magical notions hidden in the nature of innuendo, poking out here and there to make a visitor’s mind question, while others are full on Witchy-poo with their décor. Whatever aesthetic you fall into there are a few basics that go a long way.

YOU WILL NEED- A symbol of your magic that can be placed on or near your stove, remembering that it can be as obvious as you like, a mirror or reflective surface you can place behind your range. If your range is located in the middle of an island, get stainless steel containers to hold your cooking utensils in or a small mirror to place on the counter near the stovetop, a temporary fire altar with your fire working candle, burnable smudge or cleansing incense, and your book of shadows.

This is a simple technique that can be used by anyone regardless of skill level. The biggest focus here is on our intention of creating a sacred working space at our hearth.

1. Starting with a clean kitchen, wipe down your surface a final time with love, and a good natural citrus cleaner. Removing negative buildup and adding a feeling of vitality to the counters and stovetop.

2. Smudge the kitchen with herbs or incense, lighting the bundle or stick off one of the burners if you can.

3. Call in the spirit of fire, asking that your home be filled with its gentle warmth, and protected from its fiery consumption. That your stovetop becomes a place of magic providing nurturing and healing through the work done there.

4. Place the mirror or reflective surface where you will see it often while cooking, so that it may show you the energy you put into your home and spread the love you create throughout the house.

5. Adorn your range with the symbol of symbols you have chosen to represent your magic, knowing you can build upon this as you go.

6. If you do not have a kitchen altar yet, you may want to think about setting up a working altar near your sink or on a window sill, spreading your hearth magic throughout the entire kitchen.

7. Right down your experience in your book of shadows, and consider getting a small journal you can use for the magical recipes you will make in your new space.

The best magic in life is often the simplest. Working spellwork and blessing into the food we cook and the spaces we inhabit daily are vital pieces to living a magical life connected to the elements and the world around us.

spreading love-

salicrow

#firealtar, #thepathofelementalwitchcraft, #spiritspeaker, #homehearth, #sacredfire, #salicrow, #psychicmedium

Excerpt from-

-The Path of ELEMENTAL WITCHCRAFT, a Wyrd Women's Book of Shadows-

Salicrow 2022, Destiny Books/Inner Traditions Publishing

Buy Here

BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY HERE-

Book in hand you have all the information you need to start your journey with Elemental Witchcraft, but not everyone learns the same way; many people do better with hands-on experience and interactive learning. If you are looking to take your learning deeper, and connect with others who are exploring the magical art of Elemental Witchcraft I have designed a series of workshops and retreats to help you do just that, whether you are learning online or in person. I look forward to guiding you on this journey!