Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen - Scott Cunningham 1990
Spices & Herbs
The magic of food
Spices were once more costly than gold. They were imported at great expense from distant lands. China produced cinnamon. Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) grew black pepper. The Molucca Islands were home to cloves. India and Zanzibar produced ginger. Banda exported nutmeg.
In their homelands, spices were liberally used to spark up otherwise drab meals. But the cost of spices in Europe forbade their use in cooking. Instead, these treasured substances were used solely for medicine and for ritual. In Egypt, Greece, and Rome, spices were burned in sacrifice to the deities and were added to remedies. It took hundreds of years and sharp drops in cost before Europeans began flavoring food with spices.
Those bottles of cloves that we find so expensive today (approximately three dollars per ounce, retail) would have at one time started wars. Men§§§ killed and were killed for them.
The bloody history of spices is fraught with political struggles and with slavery. Only in the last fifty or so years have spice plantations been successfully founded in lands near the equator. Crops have increased in volume and prices have fallen.
Though Western nations no longer use these fragrant treasures in religious ceremonies, spices continue to spellbind us.
Herbs
What’s an herb? Few experts can agree. Originally “herb” referred to perennial, woody-stemmed plants. Today it is usually applied to all plants possessing strong fragrances, flavors, and/or medicinal properties.
The first medicines were composed of plants. So, too, were the first offerings to the goddesses and gods that watched over early peoples. Throughout the centuries, the cupboards of village wise women and magicians were crammed with aromatic flowers, leaves, seeds, and barks—the materials of a thousand-and-one mystic rites.
In our times, herbs have largely been limited to the status of luxury items. At one time, every household had a kitchen garden. Today, chefs rush to markets to purchase fresh herbs. The scented products, such as air fresheners, used in our homes usually derive their fragrance from laboratory compositions, not plants. The medicinal properties of plants are synthesized and combined in unnatural formulations.
But the continuing awareness of the value of herbs for healing, ritual, and cooking has brought many of these fragrant plants into the light once again.
Spices and herbs are more than simple flavoring materials. Chosen with care and added with visualization, they can be used to fortify a number of dishes with specific energies related to magical goals.
This chapter examines some versatile herbs, with tips on how they can manifest necessary changes. Here’s a quick guide to incorporating them into magical cooking:
—Use the appropriate herbs and spices for each dish: love herbs and spices in love foods, protective flavorings in protective dishes, etc. Adding, say, horseradish (a protective flavoring) to a love food cancels out the food’s desired effect.
—Herbs and spices should subtly enhance the flavors of foods, not drown or disguise them. Add sparingly to taste.
—If using fresh herbs while making recipes that call for dried herbs, use two and a half times the amount of the fresh herb.
—Before using any dried herb or spice, measure it and pour onto a clean, flat plate or countertop. Visualize strongly. Place the index finger of your projective hand (the hand that you write with) into the middle of the spice. Draw a symbol that represents your goal in the spice while continuing to visualize (see Symbols, page 341). Add to the dish as usual.
Allspice
(Pimenta officinalis)
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Earth
Energies: Money, healing
Magical uses: Allspice is native to the West Indies and to tropical America. Its small, round berries are said to combine the flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Add allspice to money and healing foods.
Anise
(Pimpinella anisum)
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Air
Energies: Love
Magical uses: Use anise to flavor wedding cakes. This helps to ensure continuing love for the couple. Anise cookies (recipes can be found in any cookie cookbook) are also useful for promoting love and establishing relationships.
Basil
(Ocimum basilicum)
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Energies: Love, protection, money
Lore: The magical history of this Indian herb is long and fascinating. As soon as it was introduced into Europe, it was used for magical as well as culinary pursuits.
The famous herbalist Culpeper states that “women in early pregnancy should never smell its [basil’s] scent which could quickly expelleth birth [the fetusl.”56 Another famous belief concerning basil was that smelling it too long might breed a scorpion in the sniffer’s head—perhaps meaning a headache.56
Some Latina women in the United States and in parts of Mexico sprinkle their bodies with powdered basil in an attempt to halt their wandering husbands’ infidelity.101
Magical uses: Basil-flavored foods create loving feelings. Pesto sauce (containing basil and pine nuts, among other ingredients) over noodles (made with wheat, ruled by Venus) is an excellent love food.
For protection, eat basil-flavored foods prepared with the proper visualization. Also add to money foods.
Use fresh basil for the strongest effects. (Most supermarkets contain a section of fresh herbs. Ask in the produce department.) The dried herb can be used in a pinch, but will be less effective.
Bay
(Laurus nobilis)
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Energies: Protection, psychic awareness, healing, purification.
Lore: Long associated with Greek and Roman deities, bay (laurel) leaves were used to crown Olympic victors. Bay was dedicated to many deities in the classical world.
In the United States, any diner who received a bay leaf in her or his bowl of food made a wish. The bay leaf made the wish come true.46
Magical uses: Bay leaves are just as powerful today as they were in the past. Sparingly add the dried leaves to protection, psychic awareness, healing, and purification foods.
Black Pepper
(Piper nigrum)
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Energies: Protection, purification
Lore: Though you may casually ask the waiter to add a few grinds of black pepper to your salad, or sprinkle some of the spice onto your food without a second thought, black pepper is an ancient plant with a long history.
Used medicinally in Greece as early as 500 B.C.E.,104 the most common food flavoring of our times was used there for gynecological problems.104 Pepper has been in use for cooking and medicine in Asia for over 4,000 years. It just took us awhile to catch up with the rest of the world.
As soon as I learned something of black pepper’s history, I became fascinated by it. I finally had the pleasure of seeing a living black pepper vine in 1984 at Foster’s Botanical Gardens in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Black pepper isn’t related to chili peppers.
Magical uses: Add black pepper to protective foods, such as chili, tomato juice, and nachos. Sprinkle with visualization. Naturally, freshly ground pepper is best.
Black pepper is also used in purification diets. It’s powerful. Don’t overuse this or any other spice.
Caraway
(Carum carvi)
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Energies: Sex, love
Lore: The remains of caraway seeds were found in the prehistoric lake dwellings of Switzerland, proving that this commonplace herb has been in use for thousands of years. In about 500 C.E., Persians sometimes paid taxes with bags of the most sought after currency: caraway.56
Magical uses: Caraway fruits (commonly misnamed “seeds”) have long been celebrated as promoting the desire for sex. Chew them or add to food to create the effect. Naturally, expectation of the caraway producing the result you desire comes into play. But if used with visualization, caraway might bring you what you need. Also add to love foods.
Remember that giving someone a food laced with caraway seeds won’t make them jump into bed with you—unless the person already wanted to do so.
Cardamom
(Elletaria cardamom)
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Energies: Love, sex
Lore: Greece imported cardamom seeds from the East as early as 400 B.C.E. Later, in spite of its high cost, cardamom became the most popular spice in Rome.71 Today, cardamom seeds are still expensive. They’re the third costliest spice, after saffron and vanilla.71
Magical uses: When crushed, cardamom seeds emit an exquisite scent. Long linked with love and sex, the spice is useful in promoting both. Flavor coffee or herbal tea with a few cardamom seeds. Or, bake cardamom cookies for a tasty love and lust treat.
Chickweed
(Stellaria media)
Planet: Moon
Element: Water
Energies: Weight loss
Magical uses: This simple, common herb is said to “discourage obesity.”90 Add small amounts to foods if you wish to slim your body. An ideal way to do this is to place a few leaves into a salad and enjoy.
Though the plant isn’t available in markets, it spreads itself over disturbed ground all across the country. Get an herb or plant identification handbook and go hunting!
Chicory
(Chicoriurn intybus)
Planet: Sun
Element: Air
Energies: Love
Magical uses: Many who have tasted chicory coffee have developed a fondness for it. The brew—a mixture of coffee beans and ground, roasted chicory root—is useful for love.
Cinnamon
(Cinnamomum zeylanicum)
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Energies: Love, psychic awareness, money
Lore: The ancient Egyptians used cinnamon in medicine and religion as early as 1450 B.C.E.104 Ramses III presented many offerings of this fragrant spice to the deities in 1200 B.C.E. In Greece, it played a part in processions to Dionysius.24
Most cinnamon sold in the United States, no matter how it’s labeled, is actually cassia. Cassia is a dark spice, usually reddish brown, while true cinnamon is actually tan-colored.71 However, there’s virtually no difference between the taste and magical effects of cinnamon and cassia.
Cinnamon is a love spice. When added to apples, it is doubly powerful. Applesauce flavored with cinnamon is a good love food. So, too, is cinnamon-rich apple pie.
For a morning love-enhancer, fill a teaspoon with ground cinnamon. Carefully pour a bit of the spice in the shape of a heart on a toasted piece of bread. While visualizing, spread it out with a knife and eat.
Or, add cinnamon to money or psychic foods.
Cloves
(Syzygium aromaticum; Caryophyllus aromaticus)
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Fire
Energies: Love, money, protection
Magical uses: Cloves lend a wonderfully spicy flavor if added sparingly to protective foods. They’re also useful in love and money foods. Eat small amounts.
Coriander
(Coriandrum sativum)
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Energies: Love, sex
Lore: A sprig of fresh cilantro (coriander leaves) is placed in many Central American kitchens to guard against “evil.”
Magical uses: Coriander is a love herb. The fruits (misnamed seeds) are added to appropriate foods with appropriate visualization. The powdered fruits are placed in warm wine and drunk to stimulate the desire for sexual activity.
Cumin
(Cuminum cyminum)
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Energies: Peace, happiness
Lore: Cumin was a favorite of Egyptian deities; at least that’s what many pharaohs thought while they sacrificed tons of the herb.237 In Greece, it was worn around the neck as a protection against negative magic. Cumin is one of the most popular Mexican culinary spices.
Magical uses: Add cumin to foods of peace and happiness.
Dandelion
(Taraxum officinale)
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Air
Energies: Psychic awareness
Lore: The ground, dried, and roasted roots of dandelions were once brewed and drunk as a substitute for Chinese tea. Many still favor this drink as an alternative to coffee.
Drink dandelion tea with visualization to promote psychic awareness.
Dill
(Anethum graveolens)
Planet: Mercury
Element: Fire
Energies: Conscious mind, money, weight loss, love
Lore: To those of us familiar with dill only in the form of pickles, its history may come as a surprise. The Egyptians knew of it and considered dill sacred to Amsety, one of Horus’ four sons who guarded the canopic jars in which a mummified person’s internal organs were kept.23 The ancient Greeks used dill fruits (seeds) as money.56 To fortify themselves prior to battle, Roman gladiators rubbed their bodies with dill-scented oil,94 while emperors placed crowns of dill on their heads to ensure lengthy and successful reigns.56
Europeans have long used dill in spells and rites. In France, dill was a strong protectant against “evil.” Spaniards wore snippets of dill on their clothing to drive away demons, and brides in Germany carried wedding bouquets that contained dill for “good luck.”56
Though a Mediterranean plant, dill has travelled around the world. Fresh stalks of dill are still sold in India for both culinary and protective use.56
A few generations ago, cranky children were fed dill water to cause them to fall asleep. In herbal medicine of the Renaissance, dill was prescribed for exactly the same purposes. It was chewed, eaten, or worn to bed for this purpose.56, 94
Magical uses: Dill’s strong, fresh scent was probably responsible for its constant use in folk magic and religion throughout the ages. Its powers have not yet faded from the mind: eating pickles before sleep is said to create strange dreams, and pregnant women sometimes crave dill-flavored pickles.
Fish cooked with dill leaves is said to “exhilarate” the brain, leading to increased mental faculties.56 This may be true for two reasons: the effects of the herb itself and the fact that such a meal would be less of a digestive burden than others.
Ruled by Mercury, the planet of intelligence, dill “seed” (actually fruits) or “weed” (leaves) may be added to diets designed to increase the ability to use the conscious mind.
Or, eat dill-flavored foods to bring money into your life, to help your business prosper, and to ensure that the money you do receive is spent wisely. Dill pickles are perfect for this use.
What other miracles have been attributed to dill? For centuries, dill has been used to lose weight. Dill tea or pickles are both said to be helpful in achieving this common goal. Just don’t sprinkle dill onto a hot-fudge sundae and expect it to work weight-loss magic.
Dill is also added to love foods.
Fennel
(Foeniculum vulgare)
Planet: Mercury
Element: Fire
Energies: Physical strength, weight loss, protection
Magical uses: Add these fragrant seeds to dishes designed to promote physical strength. Fennel has been used for this purpose for hundreds of years.
Additionally, use fennel as part of a weight-reducing diet. The seeds are also added to protective dishes.
Garlic
(Allium sativum)
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Energies: Protection, health
Lore: In antiquity, garlic was given to insane persons in the belief that it would cure them.23 The conquering Romans spread garlic throughout their newly acquired lands, and Roman soldiers ate garlic for courage in battle.
Around the Mediterranean, and particularly in Italy, garlic is considered an excellent protection against “evil.” The power of the smelly bulb against vampires is another example of this belief from Eastern Europe.
In 1597, an Englishman wrote: “If a woman cannot smell the savor of Garlike being set by her bedside in the night, she is undoubtedly with childe.”56
Garlic was once also thought to keep rats and mice from fruit-bearing trees.
Magical uses: The intensity of the smell and taste of fresh garlic make it useful in protective diets. If you enjoy garlic, by all means add it to a diet designed to guard yourself.
Some experts say that we should eat a clove of fresh garlic every day for good health. This presents no problem to garlic lovers (who even enjoy garlic ice cream). If you’re not ready for a daily clove, simply add some garlic to your food every day for continuing good health. Visualize as you cook and eat. Use only fresh garlic. No freeze-dried, dehydrated, or bottled garlic!
Ginger
(Zingiber officinalis)
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Energies: Love, money
Lore: Ginger is native to Asia and seems to have been introduced to the West by Alexander the Great in about 340 B.C.E.56 The Chinese placed ginger in tombs to feed the dead, and hung portions of the root over doorways to guard mother and baby during childbirth. They also saw in the spicy plant a tool for communicating with their deities. Ginger was and still is an important part of religious offerings throughout China and in Hong Kong.19
Pacific Islanders chewed fresh ginger rhizome¶¶¶ during healing rituals and, while at sea, spat the masticated spice at oncoming storms to stop their progress.
Since this is a book about food, I feel compelled to write that a dime-sized piece of crystallized ginger is one of the best remedies for an upset stomach. So, too, is ginger tea, made by pouring hot water over sliced fresh ginger.
Magical uses: Ginger is rarely used in Western cooking, which is a shame because it’s so versatile. If used, it must be sparingly added, however, due to its intense flavor.
Gingerbread and ginger ale—when they’re made with real ginger—are both love-inducing foods. Ginger can be added to other dishes of this nature. The easiest way to add ginger to your diet is to simply chew a very small piece of crystallized (candied) ginger while visualizing. Though you may fear the ginger will burn you tongue, it won’t. It is hot, yes, but not as hot as chili pepper. Eat no more than a dime-sized piece.
Ginger-flavored dishes are also excellent for increasing income. Visualize as you cook and eat, of course.
Horseradish
(Cochleria armoracia)
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Energies: Purification, protection
Magical uses: American folklore states that the best horseradish is made from roots that are dug at the Full Moon (this is when they’re at their tangiest).46 Add prepared horseradish sauce to purification and protection diets. Eat it only if you enjoy its curiously strong taste.
Licorice
(Glycyrrhiza glabra)
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Energies: Love, sex
Lore: The Roman Pliny wrote that keeping a piece of licorice root in the mouth staved off hunger and thirst.59
In American folk magic, a cross made by tying together two pieces of licorice root with red yarn is carried for protection against injury and negativity.101
Magical uses: Licorice, and the candy after which it is named, has long been linked with love and sexuality. Licorice created from artificial flavors possesses no special energies, but black licorice made from true licorice extract can still occasionally be found, and can be chewed for love. Check for it in health-food stores. Failing this, chew on a piece of licorice root while visualizing love or enhanced sexual activities.
Mace
(Myristica fragrans)
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Earth
Energies: Psychic awareness
Magical uses: Mace is the bright red aril (covering) removed from nutmegs. It is added in small amounts to foods in order to strengthen psychic awareness.
Marigold
(Calendula officinalis)
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Energies: Happiness, protection
Lore: Several centuries ago, the marigold was as common as dill or sage. Its bright orange petals were used in making custards and were added to soups and stews. The color and vibrancy of the flowers make them perfect for garnishing autumn and winter foods.
The flowers of this true marigold (not to be confused with the Mexican variety, Tagetes spp.) were dried and made into a tea which was drunk for happiness.
Magical uses: Add fresh marigold petals to foods to promote happiness. Or, add to protective foods to boost their energies.
Marjoram
(Origanum marjorana)
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Energies: Love, peace
Lore: According to Pliny, a species of this plant (gold marjoram) was grown in Roman and Greek gardens. If it flourished, the gardener was guaranteed plentiful money. If it died, however, the owner faced ruin. This belief survived until the 1400s in Venice.56
Magical uses: Use marjoram in love foods. Drink tea made of one teaspoon mixed marjoram and thyme steeped in a cup of water. Sweeten with honey, visualize. Marjoram is also used in peaceful foods.
Mustard
(Brassica spp.)
Planet: Mars
Element: Fire
Energies: Protection, courage
Lore: The Greeks believed that Aesculepius discovered this plant. American folklore states that carrying mustard seeds while on journeys guards you from accidents.46
Magical uses: The seeds of this plant are used to make the familiar spicy mustard sauce. Mustard is wonderful for promoting protection and courage, if it’s eaten with visualization. Large amounts aren’t necessary; simply use a bit of the prepared mustard, or add a few seeds to other foods.
Nutmeg
(Myristica fragrans)
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Fire
Energies: Psychic awareness
Magical uses: This powerful spice can be added in small amounts to psychic-awareness foods. Sprinkle some onto a glass of eggnog. While visualizing, drink to open your psychic awareness.
Eating large amounts of nutmeg will produce vomiting, so the tiniest fraction of a teaspoon will do.
Oregano
(Origanum vulgare)
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Energies: Peace
Magical uses: This common Italian culinary herb is a wonderful peace-inducer. Sprinkle onto foods, especially cheese pizza, to give them a peaceful energy. (Using oregano on a pizza that contains meat will cancel its effect.)
Parsley
(Petroselinum sativum)
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Energies: Protection, sex, money
Lore: Parsley has long been linked with the mystic arts. Even today, Mexicans wear a sprig of the herb over an ear to cure a headache.115 Gardeners in Europe are still told that, to ensure proper germination, curses should be sown into the soil with parsley seed.
Magical uses: Why do chefs still place sprigs of parsley onto plates of food? Today, this is done for decoration. But at one time, the herb guarded food from contamination by “evil” before the meal could be eaten.
Parsley is a nutritious as well as a protective herb. Grow or buy fresh parsley and munch a small amount every day to strengthen your own natural psychic armor. Or, add the fresh (or dried) herb to protective foods to strengthen their powers.
In France, parsley has a reputation for stimulating sexual desire. This idea dates back to the time of Dioscorides, who stated in his ancient Greek herbal that parsley “provokes venery and bodily lust.”
Contemporary magical practitioners in Louisiana prescribe magical parsley baths to attract money.67 Place about two cups of fresh parsley (or three-quarters cup dried parsley) into a large square of doubled cheesecloth. Tie the cloth tightly to trap the herb inside and add to the bath. Visualize as you soak.
Peppermint
(Mentha piperita)
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Energies: Sex, purification, healing
Magical uses: Peppermint tea seems to have been used since the days of ancient Greece for stimulating interest in sexual activity. While many feel that it has more of a cooling effect, it’s certainly worth a try.
Peppermint tea is drunk as part of personal purification rituals. Put one teaspoon of the dried herb into a teacup while visualizing purification. Add nearly boiling water, steep for thirteen minutes, and drink. The same tea can be used for healing.
Spearmint (that bright green herb that is usually sold simply as “mint”) can be substituted for peppermint.
Poppy
(Papaver spp.)
Planet: Moon
Element: Water
Energies: Fertility, love
Lore: Poppies were known to humans as far back as the Stone Age. They seem to have been sacred to the Cretan mother goddess and they certainly were sacred to Demeter, Ceres, and Spes.78 In Europe, poppy seeds were once used to create invisibility. Did it work? I don’t know—those who tried it dropped out of sight.
It takes 900,000 of the tiny black seeds to make one pound.71
Magical uses: Though abuse of the latex extracted from ripening poppy seed pods (which is used to create opium, morphine, and heroin, among other drugs) continues, black poppy seeds are standard culinary and magical substances. Since the latex never reaches the seeds, they’re neither illegal or narcotic.
If physical fertility is a concern, eat poppy-seed buns or other poppy-flavored foods with visualization. For love, add the tiny, round seeds to your favorite love-inducing foods. Or make a poppy-seed cake.
Rose
(Rosa spp.)
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Energies: Love, happiness, psychic awareness
Lore: In India, a few wandering tribes of mystics are said to live solely on roses, abstaining from all other foods except the queen of flowers.15 Roses have been eaten for thousands of years, and rose water is still an important part of Middle Eastern cooking.
Magical uses: Eat roses as a part of love diets. For a tasty treat, fresh rose petals can be sprinkled onto vanilla ice cream. Or, add rose water to dishes such as whipped cream, apple pie, and other appropriate foods. Rose water is available in gourmet cooking shops and a few grocery stores. Make sure that it is genuine rose water, not an artificially scented water.
Roses can also be eaten to induce happiness. Crystallized roses are fine for this purpose. Eat rose-flavored foods for psychic awareness.
Never eat flowers that have been sprayed with pesticides or that show insect damage! Check before you munch.
Rosemary
(Rosemarinus officinalis)
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Energies: Protection, conscious mind, healing, love
Lore: Rosemary, which thrives to this day on Mediterranean shores, was sacred to Venus and to many other goddesses. It was considered the flower of Mount Olympus. Rosemary was used in many ancient religious and magical ceremonies.
Magical uses: Add rosemary to protective foods, especially those utilizing tomatoes. Drink the tea or use in dishes designed to increase mental alertness and the ability to think clearly. If you’re having trouble following a recipe, smell fresh rosemary.
Rosemary is also useful in diets designed to maintain good health and to stimulate the body’s natural healing abilities. This tasty herb is also added to a variety of love-inducing foods.
Saffron
(Crocus sativus)
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Energies: Happiness, spirituality
Lore: In the ancient world, saffron was a sacred flower. Phoenicians baked saffron-flavored crescent cakes in honor of Ashtoreth. The tiny red inner portions (stigmas) of the flowers were used to dye garments and to flavor foods for the tables of the very rich.
Today, saffron is still the most expensive spice traded. Each flower produces only three stigmas, and it takes 13,000 of them to make up an ounce of the spice.71 Fortunately, only small amounts are ever needed for use in cooking. Saffron foods are perfect for Wiccan ritual feasts, particularly those linked with the sun.
Magical uses: Eat saffron-flavored foods (such as paella) to induce happiness. The saffron rice recipe given in chapter 26 is another fine happiness food. Saffron also induces spirituality.
Sage
(Saivia officinalis)
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Air
Energies: Longevity, health
Lore: Dedicated to Zeus by the Greeks and to Jupiter by the Romans, sage has been used in cooking, medicine, and magic for at least 2,000 years. The Latin name derives from the word salvus, “safe,” due to its healing qualities.
Magical uses: Use sage in your cooking to enjoy a long life. This stems from an ancient belief as summed up in the words:
“Eat sage in May
and live for aye” [ever]
Sage is also an important part of healing diets. Visualize as you cook and eat. Rather strangely, one authority states that drinking sage tea reduces the desire for sex.101
Thyme
(Thymus vulgaris)
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Energies: Love, psychic awareness, purification
Magical uses: Since the days in which it was used to cleanse Greek temples, thyme has always played a role in spirituality and religion. It was and is a popular seasoning as well.
Place one teaspoon of mixed thyme and marjoram into a tea cup. Add one cup hot water. As it brews, visualize yourself enjoying a satisfying, two-sided relationship. Sweeten with honey if desired and drink the tea, continuing to visualize. Add thyme to psychic foods or drink the tea to gain control over your psychic awareness. Thyme is also used in purification diets.
Turmeric
(Curcurma domestica)
Planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Energies: Purification
Lore: Hawaiians use turmeric in purification ceremonies. It is mixed with sea water and flicked around the area with leaves.77
In India, turmeric is burned to detect the presence of demons, who are said to detest the smell. If a demon (in the disguise of a human being) is in the room, she or he will leave when turmeric is burned.61
Magical uses: We know turmeric from its use as a coloring agent in dill pickles, which it turns a greenish-yellow color (artificial colors are also used for this today). Pickling spices usually include turmeric.
For internal purification, eat a pickle with visualization. Or, add a small amount of turmeric (no more than one-eighth of a teaspoon) to your favorite nonsweet purification food.
Vanilla
(Vanilla planiflora)
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Energies: Love, sexuality
Lore: Vanilla is one of Mexico’s gifts to the world. The cured fruit of an orchid, vanilla was created long ago by a divine act.
In the distant past, when goddesses and gods still walked the Earth, Zanat, the young daughter of the fertility goddess, furiously loved a Totonac youth. Unable to marry him due to her divine nature, she transformed herself into a plant that would provide pleasure and happiness. Xanat became the vanilla orchid so that She could forever belong to her human love and to his people.91
This beautiful legend speaks of the respect that early Mexicans gave to this orchid and to its fermented fruit, which we know as the vanilla bean. The Totonac Indians may yet celebrate the Vanilla Festival in late spring with dances and feasts. Among them, the flower of the vanilla orchid is still known as xanat.91
Native to Central America, the plant is now grown in Mexico and other parts of the world.
The vanilla is the only orchid that is regularly used for food purposes.71 The Aztecs, who knew it as tlixochitl, used it to flavor their chocolate, which they imbibed in the form of a spicy, unsweetened liquid.94 Vanillin—an artificial form of vanilla—is still used to flavor chocolate by American confectioners.
Vanilla was introduced to Europe via Spain in the late 1500s. Soon the French were using it to flavor chocolate and to scent tobacco. Eventually, it won out over rose as the favored flavoring material and became widely popular.104
Magical uses: Because vanilla is linked in Totonac mythology with love, and due to its pleasant smell and taste, it follows that it is one of the prime love flavorings. Vanilla ice cream, vanilla pudding, and all foods that are flavored with vanilla are fine for use in love-expanding diets. For a simple vanilla-charged sweetener, place a whole vanilla bean in a sugar jar or canister. Let it sit until the sugar has absorbed the scent of the vanilla. Add to love foods.
Though the story of Xanat isn’t widely known, it’s curious that American woman once dabbed vanilla extract behind their ears as a magical love perfume to attract men.
Sexual activity in a loving relationship may also be enhanced by the addition of vanilla-flavored foods to the diet.
As much as I love Mexico, I must give one warning: do not use the “vainilla” extract commonly sold there at extremely low prices. This is made from tonka beans (Dipteryx odorata), not vanilla, and is toxic. Do not take internally!
Additionally, only real vanilla extract (or the beans them selves) should be used in magical cooking. Artificial vanilla extract, which may cost all of a dollar or two less, is magically inert and will have no effect.