What is a Hearth Witch?

We all see things differently and this is my way of doing things that I wanted to share as I have no one to pass on what I do to. I am a Solitary and have never belonged to a Coven so everything I have learnt is from books, study and practical experience over the years.

To me being a Hearth Witch is about focusing on honouring the Goddess by taking care of the home. A way of giving sacred meaning to daily household chores using blessings and rituals. To cook with meaning and adding magickal intent to meals. Making items for the home, friends and family that are filled with love and magickal intent.

I will talk about the tools I use and where I got them from or how I made them. You will find Recipes for the Sabbats, Esbats and various Celebrations. I hope that you will enjoy my blog.

A NOTE ON TOOLS

You do not NEED certain tools they are simply nice to have I focus on the practical side of things so use what I have or can make or get that is inexpensive.



Sunday, April 20, 2014

How to create a Magical Kitchen

My Mother always said a clean kitchen is the first place to start and always insisted the kitchen was clean and tidy before and after cooking.
So I have done the same thing with the addition to adding a little extra in the form of magical intent.

So this is what I do always do what feels right to you just because someone else does it does not mean you have to.
I get all my cleaning things together and select a chant that I want to use.

Cleaning products
This is personal you can use store bought bio-degradable products and there are plenty to chose from. Take a look around and you will find them in supermarkets, they can be expensive but a lot safer than the chemical stuff. You can also make your own.

Please be careful as some surfaces do not like vinegar and essential oils tend to build up.I like to use lemon, lime or orange juice  from fresh fruit added to the vinegar rather than essential oils. The vinegar smell goes away after a while but it is far more pleasant then some of the chemical products.


Cleaning Chant
 
I banish Negative energy
Fly now far from me
I send you on your way
You have no home you cannot stay.


Cupboards
 Sort out the cupboards one at a time and decide if you need everything that is there. You will be amazed at how much stuff you have packed away and forgotten about.
 My rule is  if I have not used it in a year I don't need it.
Sort out what you really need and put the rest on one side to be given to a charity shop.

Work Surface
Clear off all the items and scrub the work surface so it is free from stains and grease.
Then clean odd all the items like the Toaster, kettle, or anything else housed on the work surface.

Stove
This is usually a job we all dislike but once it is done it is easy to keep it clean if you wipe up spills on a daily basis.
Fridge Freezer
Don't forget to clean out the fridge of any old food that is really out of date. Defrost the freezer as well and sort out the food as you go along.

Microwave, Crockpot and any other electrical item
These too will need attention and a good cleaning taking care not to immerse them in water.
The same goes for sockets and plugs it is amazing how grubby they can get.

Floor
The floor is gong to be messy by the time you have finished so a good sweep and mopping will be needed.

Sink
I do this last as I will be pouring the water from the floor down it and I like to see a nice clean sparking sink afterwards.

All this will take some time to do so I split it over a week doing a little at a time so my floor gets cleaned a lot.
I have mobility problems so cannot tackle cleaning in one go so I modify things to suit me.

Once this is done I use a Blessing for my Kitchen one that is appropriate to my Kitchen Goddess.

A neat and tidy Drinks Cupboard after my Spring Cleaning ritual.

Herbs Spies and dried goods cupboard
I found this blessing a while back and cannot recall where I found it but is lovely and no doubt you will find more in books or the internet.







Saturday, April 19, 2014

Hearth/Kitchen Deity

I was drawn to Brighid a long time ago and did not realise it at first but then I finally got the message. Every time I looked up things about a Kitchen Goddess there she was so I started to find out more about her.

Goddess Brighid  Her name is pronounced so many ways that you really can not say it wrong. Brigit is a popular way of saying her name and one that is easy to recall as well.

There are many other Goddesses that you  can chose from I always go with the one I am most drawn to have a look here at a selection of Goddesses.
Kitchen Goddesses

I have created a collage that I made and have it on top of my Fridge freezer so she watches over me as I cook.
I chose an image I liked and added some other things like the cross stitch utensils and fire along with the image of the bread and a goblet. I placed them in a picture frame that I felt was appropriate and placed it on the Fridge freezer.
Of course you don't need to do this I just liked the idea of having an image that meant something to me.

I found a great website that is all about Hearth Witchery you can find the link here and to the left in Sites I Use.
Kitchen Magic

I will go into what I do in other posts.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Being a Hearth Witch

Some people are known as Kitchen Witches, Cottage Witch, Hedge Witch and Hearth Witch.
All focus on the home and nature in various ways, they do differ but to me only slightly.
For me being a Hearth Witch means I focus my Craft on the Home and that means everything in the home, cooking, cleaning, sewing, knitting, making my own altar tools, using spells, chants and blessings.

Sounds complicated?
Well I can assure you it is not and I do not believe in making life complicated I like it to be simple, practical and inexpensive. Lets face it we all have to budget these days and it makes sense to create something yourself, it will have your energy in it and that will make it extra special.

Now before you say I am hopeless at sewing or making something I will let you into a secret, I am not great at sewing and everything I make is easy to do, so if I can do it anyone can.
I love knitting and make all sorts of things for Charities as a way of  giving to the community and helping others.
I make things for friends, family and the home along with making items I like to use in my rituals.

Over the years I have changed what I do and have found that I have simplified things and now have tools that I have made or bought from various sources like Charity shops, Market stalls or found when out on day trips.
The reality is we do not need tools for rituals they are there to help us focus on what we do and each person uses the tools they feel most comfortable with.
So feel free to browse my blog and use what you find of interest.