Andor's Tome of Stuff : )

Cottage Witchery- revisited

Cottage witchery is a way of encouraging you to bring both the beauty and the charm of nature into your home with simple enchantments and down-to-earth magick.  

No matter where you live, in the city or a rural area, cottage witchery can successfully be employed to create a little enchantment in your home. 

Applying the subject of natural magick to your home is a great opportunity to get in touch with your sense of enchantment and to link back to nature to celebrate the cycles of the earth, the moon, and the seasons. 

The kitchen is at the heart of cottage witchery, this is the room which holds all your witchy paraphernalia, your herbs, candles, and a wooden spoon which doubles for a wand you are all setup to do some natural magic in the kitchen. Various common kitchen spices, extracts, and seasonings pack a wallop of magickal power when worked into charms and spells. You'd be amazed at what kinds of enchantments you can create just by working with common kitchen spices, seasonings, and cooking herbs. Clean out a small section of kitchen cupboard, up and out of reach of young children. Then arrange a few natural magick supplies like candles, crystals, and herbs in there. 

Though you don't need to use all the fancy witchcraft tools, you can make use with what you already have in the kitchen. Instead of using an athame, use a simple kitchen knife. Instead of Altar cloth use a nice bed sheet. I am not saying, don't buy the proper tools, I'm just saying you don't need them. Be inventive, create your own tools, make them from natural items or look through charity shops/thrift stores and buy things second hand. 

Even the appliances in the kitchen can be used, if you have had a heated argument with your lover, place a photo of you both together in the freezer overnight, this will help 'cool off' the relationship. 

One item I would suggest is an Altar, this is a small space set aside where you sit and meditate, honour the deities, cast spells and keep all your magical goodies. You don't need a huge ornate table with wiccan symbols and ornaments, it can just be a small space you set aside for your magical workings, such as a coffee table.  

I have three altars set aside in my home, one in the garden, one the kitchen and a larger setting in a spare room. This one I do most my work, however for kitchen witchery I use the one in the kitchen. How you set up your altar is really up to you, just do what feels right. 

There are many small things that a kitchen witch can do around the home, such as using lemon scented cleaning products, this will dispel bad vibes and negativity. When dusting away with your broom, focus on cleaning out bad energies and vibes. If you want to cleanse and freshen things up a bit, add a couple drops lavender oil to your cleaning products. You should also light incense when cleaning, this will help remove negative energy and bring in a fresh vibe. 

If you wanted to attract love into your life, anoint a red candle with rose essence focusing on drawing a new lover into your life, light the candle and leave it to burn. You can put out the candle and relight it later and it will still have desired effect. 

To protect your home from bad spirits, sprinkle a small dash of salt in each corner of your home. lighting a blue candle or painting the front door blue is also a great way to keeping negative energies away.  

Doorways are in between places. Therefore, they are considered to be magickal. By enchanting the threshold to your home, visitors will feel a warm welcoming or a feeling of warning or unease to intruders. 

Add plants by the doorway to your home, or perhaps herbs, magical symbols, flowers or a seasonal wreath. Bless these items with prosperity and protection. All these items add to the magical welcoming. If you cannot decorate outside your front door, decorate the inside instead, it will still have a good affect.