The Magic of Cooking
And the magic of food
I am cross-posting this magical foodie post to both BlissBlog and EatLikeYouGiveaShit.com. At the Bliss Blog, we learn how to take control of our lives, moods, mental and spiritual health, and we get empowered. At Eat Like You Give a Shit, we learn how to take control of our health and add more years of thriving to our lives.
The Magic of Cooking
There’s a reason Witches are often depicted stirring a bubbling cauldron. Magic began in the kitchen. Herbs and plants have long been parts of folk healing, of midwifery, and of natural magic.
When we eat plants, we ingest more than complete amino acids, more than micronutrients and fiber, more than the carbohydrates on which our brains run. We’re ingesting the energy of a living thing.
Energy is real. Everything that exists is, at its most basic, just energy. Energy can neither be created, nor destroyed, only transformed. Only repurposed.
We are made of energy, and we emit the signal of our energy like radio towers beaming music out into the world. That transmission has a real effect on everything it touches. It’s extremely important that we be aware of and responsible for the energy we’re emitting. It can shift the energy of the world.
It is said (to make a point) that the single beat of a butterfly’s wing can become a hurricane. That’s known as the butterfly effect, and while it isn’t technically accurate, the point it makes is that every action we take and thought we think ripples out into the universe endlessly. Like a stone thrown into water, the ripples only end when the water does.
So with that basic understanding of things, let’s look at the magic of cooking.
Your mood is your energy
Whatever kind of mood you’re in is flowing into the food you cook. Anger and feelings of lack of time, being rushed, tend to make us use too much spice and too much heat. Frustration and depression can make us forget ingredients, spill things, and not mix enough.
But it’s beyond the physical. Our mood itself is an ingredient in whatever we are making. When you enjoy cooking, people will enjoy eating what is cooked. When you bitch about cooking, eating what you’ve cooked will be an unpleasant chore.
I recommend cooking only when you’re in a good mood, and since we have to cook every day, you need to find a good mood every day. Learning to do this will change your life for the better. This is the non-physical part of getting into the best health of your life. Improving your base attitude Raising your default level of happiness way higher than it is currently. This is the work we do at BlissBlog. (I am cross-posting this piece to my food blog, EatLikeYouGiveaShit.com)
Mood Boosters
Because I care about how I feel, and because happiness can only be found in the present moment, and because we attract what we are, I have developed lots of ways to boost my mood when something gets me down.
My top way is music. I almost always have fast, loud, dance-inspiring music playing while I cook. And I dance around the kitchen, and I sing into a celery mic. I often close the exercise ring on my watch while I’m cooking. Nothing can change my mood faster than music. I have several play lists just for cooking!
Cut back on news. News is my addiction. I was better off before the 24 hour news channels existed. I ingest a lot of news. But I feel better when I don’t, and I know it.
Meditate. I know it’s a cliché, but it’s a cliché for a reason. It works. Set a timer for 15 or 20 minutes. Turn off the phone, dim the lights, lock the doors. Take off the bra for Goddess’ sake. Find some white noise—a white noise app, a bubbling fountain, the dryer running, anything that’s soft and boring. Sit comfortably. Close your eyes. Focus on the sound. Inhale, counting slowly to three. Exhale, counting slowly to five. Repeat. When thoughts come, and they will, just let them pass as you gently re-focus on the sound. Notice them, but don’t grab on and start dissecting. Just notice the thought and let it float on. Do this most days. The earlier in the day, the better. It’s how we plug in to update our software. It’s necessary for the mind to run properly.
Exercise. I never feel better than after a short jog or power walk. It’s extremely good for us to get our heart rates up to a healthy, safe, but elevated level, and to keep them there for 20 to 30 minutes a day on most days. It’s also the fastest way to lower your blood pressure without medication. Use an app to calculate your maximum heart rate. Exercise at no more than 80% of that to be safe. Use your head and talk to your doctor.
Stirring the Pot
A note about stirring. Clockwise stirring adds the energy of positivity, of expansion, of increase, to the food, while stirring counterclockwise carries the energy of reversal, reduction, decrease. When you wish to beam positive energy into the food, stir clockwise. When you want to remove bitterness or other unwanted elements, stir counterclockwise.
*Reverse this if you live below the equator.
The Magical Energies of Foods
From Scott Cunningham’s Wicca in the Kitchen
Apple: Love, health, and peace
Avocado: Beauty, love
Banana: Spirituality, love, money
Blackberry: Money, sex
Blueberry: Protection
Grapes/Rasins: Dreams fertility, money
Lemon: Love, happiness, purification
Mango: Protection, sex, love
Orange: Love, purification
Peach: Love, health, happiness, wisdom
Pineapple: Healing, money, protection, love
Strawberry: Love
Watermelon: Healing
Asparagus: Sex
Broccoli & Brussels Sprouts: Protection
Celery: Sex, peace, psychic awareness, weight loss
Cucumber: Peace, healing
Endive: Physical strength, sex
Green Leafies: Associated with the fairies in Scotland and Ireland. In folk magic, associated with money.
Mushrooms: Psychic awareness
Onion: Protection, weight loss
Potato: Protection, compassion
Soy: Protection, psychic awareness, spirituality
Squash: Spirituality
Sweet Potato: Love, sex
Tomato: Health, money, love, protection
These are a few correspondences according to Scott Cunningham’s fabulous book Wicca in the Kitchen. Each of these headings is followed by at least a paragraph about the food item. The book has dozens of foods, a whole section on herbs and spices, and chapters of wonderful information about the association between food and magic throughout history and into today. I would not be without this book. In fact, I’m about to start re-reading it right now!
Complete the Recipe
When we are cooking, the ingredients and instructions are only half the story. Our mood, our attitude, our enjoyment of our task, our passion for vibrant health, all our energy goes into the meal.
Energy is real. It has a real impact on everything it touches. Like ripples in the water, it goes on and on.
Be aware of and responsible for the energy you bring into your cooking. Be the love you want to feel between you and the people you feed. Beam that into your cooking.
Season every dish with love and joy.