Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen - Scott Cunningham 1990

The Practice of Food Magic
The magic in your kitchen

As with any art, food magic should be practiced according to a few basic principles. My system of food magic, however, isn’t rigid; it can be altered to fit your own lifestyle and changed for various occasions (i.e., eating in restaurants; eating with others; eating while camping; and so on). Following the basic structure presented here will produce the maximum results.

Though some of this material may seem to repeat parts of chapter 2, it is of such importance that I felt it deserved its own section. Chapter 2 discussed magic in general, with food as an example. This chapter is a practical guide to practicing food magic in particular. Additionally, putting all this information into one chapter makes it easier to find if you should need to reread it.

Here is the step-by-step process of food magic.

—Decide what you wish to change about yourself. This can be a minor problem, such as temporary depression, whose magical treatment can vary from meal to meal. If you need, however, to make a more important change, you should probably put yourself on a magical diet (see the introduction to part three for more information). This major change may be one of the following (but is certainly not limited to this list):

As you can see, most of these are changes of ourselves. They don’t affect others; in fact, food magic should never be used to affect others without their permission. Don’t serve lust foods to an unsuspecting date with the purpose of coercing him or her to have sex with you. This probably won’t be effective, since your belusted one isn’t prepared to receive these energies. Such practices are manipulative and contrary to the very nature of magic, and they’re a waste of time and energy. Seduction has its own form of magic that doesn’t rely on food.

You can do many things to create these changes, and your magical work be backed up by conscious effort and physical or mental exertion on your part. Telling your food what to do, eating it, and then expecting it to change your life isn’t enough. You must involve yourself in the process.

—Select foods that contain energies suitable to your desired change. This book mentions many such correspondences. For quick reference, glance through chapter 22—31. Read chapter 8—20 for other ideas, or check the index under the appropriate heading.

—Choose foods that you enjoy. Why eat foods that you dislike or even detest just for their magical value? Still, you should eat a balanced diet. We can’t perform effective magic if we’re fueling our bodies with nothing but junk food.

—Prepare the food with visualization. Preparation may mean simply peeling a carrot or picking fruit from a tree. It may also involve chopping, slicing, and cooking However the food is prepared, use your visualization to awaken the needed energies within yourself and those within the food. Charge food with your purpose through the powers of your mind.

—Attune with all food prior to eating. This prepares it and you for the transformative process. This can be accomplished through prayer or with a simple awareness of the food’s energies.

—Visualize as you eat. Even if you’re carrying on a conversation with someone else, keep in mind what you’re trying to accomplish. If necessary, draw a small picture of your goal and glance at it while eating.

—Accept the energy that the food offers to you. Make it a part of yourself.

—Give the food time to do its work. We didn’t create our problems overnight, so we can’t expect them to disappear overnight. Eat foods linked with your magical change for at least a week until they’ve had time to take effect.^‡‡

That’s about it. Every food at every meal doesn’t have to be geared toward your magical goal. As long as you eat with purpose and visualization, magic will be at work.