Rachel Patterson - Kitchen Witchcraft: Crafts of a Kitchen Witch

Winchester, UK
Washington, USA

First published by Moon Books, 2013

Moon Books is an imprint of John Hunt Publishing Ltd., Laurel House, Station Approach, Alresford, Hants, SO24 9JH, UK

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Text copyright: Rachel Patterson 2012

ISBN: 978 1 78099 843 5

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publishers.

The rights of Rachel Patterson as author have been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Design: Stuart Davies

Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY

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CONTENTS

Who Am I?

My craft name is Tansy Firedragon and I have been a witch for many years now, originally studying on my own as a solitary from books and the internet. I then spent a year and a half studying and gaining a Wiccan first degree with an online school. Then I joined another online school for seven years. During that time I worked through the first, second and third Wiccan degrees. I studied with Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone on their Progressive Magick course, passing with a distinction. I have also taken courses on druidry, tarot, pendulums, herbalism, empathy, witches runes and aromatherapy. I have Reiki Level I & II attunement. In 2011 I was made High Priestess and in 2012 ordained as a Minister of the Universal Life Church.

I am a member of the Dorset Grove Druids, as well as being High Priestess in my own coven co-run by my lovely sisters in the craft, The Kitchen Witch Coven of Natural Witchery, which allows me to attend lots of outside rituals in wonderful sacred places within the UK.

I am co-founder and a leadership team member of the online Kitchen Witch School of Natural Witchcraft. We also have a facebook page and a blog.

www.kitchenwitchhearth.com

www.kitchenwitchuk.blogspot.co.uk

www.facebook.com/kitchenwitchuk

I have a personal blog www.tansyfiredragon.blogspot.co.uk and facebook page www.facebook.com/racheltansypatterson

Email: tansyfiredragon@yahoo.com

My craft is a combination of old religion witchcraft, wicca, kitchen witchery, green witchery and hoodoo. My heart is that of a Kitchen Witch. I am blessed with a wonderful husband, lovely children, a fabulous family and good friends.

Introduction

A woman stands hunched over an old wooden table, pestle and mortar in her hands, grinding away at a mixture of ingredients. A large white candle stands on the table beside her, the flame flickering and spluttering. Open in front of her lies a huge leather bound book, the pages well worn and filled with beautifully written spells. Sounds like a scene from medieval times? Actually it could be now; it could be me (or you) in a town house kitchen, or an apartment in the city.

This is a witch at work, same scene, same utensils, and same ingredients now as centuries ago.

A witch works with nature, in tune with the earth, working and living along with the ebb and flow of the seasons. Spring is for cleaning, clearing out clutter, sweeping out the cobwebs and setting new goals. Summer is a time for celebrating the Sun God, for basking in his glow, working on projects, gardening and creating. Autumn is a time to be thankful for the harvest, to give thanks for all that we have and to start storing away for the winter. Winter itself is for reflection, a time to pull up a chair by the fire and think back over what you have achieved. All of these things can be done physically, mentally and spiritually with each turn of the Wheel of the Year.

As a witch you can have all the right equipment wands, athames, pentagrams etc, but you will find a Kitchen Witch tends to prefer to use what is to hand. A finger serves purpose as a wand, a feather for the element of Air, a pebble for the element of earth you get the drift.

A Kitchen Witch will create recipes, crafts, lotions and potions. When a friend is poorly a Kitchen Witch will work a spell to aid, but will also make some homemade soup, putting healing energy into making it, adding healing energy with each vegetable and herb that is added.

To connect with the divine a witch will step outside, take a cup of coffee 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.