Pagan Portals - Kitchen Witchcraft: Crafts of a Kitchen Witch

This book held up to it's promise. It gives us a glimpse into Kitchen Witchcraft. There is an overview of the Sabbats, moon correspondences, days of the week correspondences, elemental correspondences, flower and herb correspondences etc. There are a few simple candle spells that you can use for different reasons as well. Simple crafts that you can craft with magical intent, and even some meditations. I liked the section on gardening. I wish that it would have went into a little more detail with the potted plants though.The author is well known in the pagan community, and she is a respected person. I don't find any major flaws in her writing style, and think that this little book was full of useful information. Just what I was looking for. Short, and sweet but to the point.I would recommend it to anyone interested in Kitchen Witchery. There are others out there, possibly better, but this one is well worth the $3.00 price tag. Not a cookbook type book though.

I think it is great book for the beginner pagan. Lots of easy to understand information. I even ordered one for a gift. Last night with the full moon some friends and I made Witch-Bottles. Had much fun and thinking of doing it with a bigger group.

Though not many pages in this book and each section is rather brief it was good read and a book I will refer back to from time to time.

As a beginner I find this book extremely helpful! The writing style is clear and enjoyable. Wonderful book! Thanks so much! Proud to have it on my shelf.

Firstly, I read it all within 30 minutes. That's not too bad considering it's labeled as a "Portal" and I've honestly shelved any expectations for books with that label now. But still, 30 minutes is less than I would expect from a book in general.That aside, the formatting and tone, like with most self published books, was atrocious. I get that it's not a professional book vetted and edited by a team of skilled and specialized people who have likely been in the book industry for a while now... But there used to be standards for writing. It seems we as authors have flushed those down the toilet with the advent of self publishing- and this book appears to be no exception to that in all honesty; between the smiley faces doting it here and there (I'm not joking), the questionable formatting, highly informal tone, and the mishmash word-vomit-esque way in which it was written, I could barley stand to read it in the best circumstances.But my main problem isn't with any of that. My main problem is with the content itself.This book isn't really about Kitchencraft in the slightest; the first few sections undoubtedly focus on the Kitchen, sure. But the further you get into the book, the more the subject devolves and becomes unclear... By the quarter mark the author has left Kitchencraft behind entirely and the book becomes less a "portal" primer for any sort of magic, and more a hapdash grimoire of mostly Cottage based spells (with a healthy dose of appropriation thrown in for good measure).And at $3 a copy for the Kindle version... There is nothing new in this book; the tables, the information, everything is a watered down version of the exact same thing that you could get anywhere else on the internet- and it does it all with the same Neo-Wiccan, Goddess focused flavor as pretty much most things you'll encounter about Witchcraft.If you actually like Neo-Wicca, have a basic grasp of its ideology, and are a complete beginner to Cottage Magics (because it is, in all honesty, far more oriented in Cottagecraft in general despite its title)? Then this might be a decent enough primer to get you started in the most disturbingly bare bones way possible.... But I really don't see this genuinely helping anyone except those who have been spoon fed the typical Neo-Wiccan information that saturates the market enough already. Even then, what informative (non spell) information it contains is paltry at best, and I've seen more in depth (and better) information available on online blogs for free.

One of the best books that I have read. Very straight to the point. The author gets right to the point. Excellent started guide for one starting out in the craft or just courious. Can not wait for the second book to come out.

Easy read and informative. Only about 80 or so pages though which I wish I would've know before purchase given the cost. Had I realized this I would have bought the Kindle version.

It covered pretty much everything I needed to know as a beginner. Great suggestions and informative. I'd reccomend this to anyone wanting to get in touch with nature, the moon's energy, and the elements. Witch or not!

I am actually good friends with Rachel and work alongside her at Kitchen Witch school. But while you may think that would make me biased, I think that would make me her biggest critic.Reading the book is honestly how she would talk to you over a cup of peppermint tea and a slice of cake. The book is down to earth, uncomplicated and in all honesty a breath of fresh compared to other witchcraft books. I really wish there was something like this when I first began my journey into witchcraft. A lot of the books around then tended to preach and tell you the way it should be rather than gently guiding you and giving you ideas as Rachel does in this book.I also like the simplicity too. You don't need to rush out and buy expensive herbs (which you will probably never use) and all the sparkly tools. You can use whatever is to hand. This makes witchcraft accessible to everyone.Kitchen Witchcraft will not only teach you the foundations of the craft but will also teach you to trust your intuition because after all that's what being a witch us all about.

This little book does exactly what it says in the title. The author I know as 'Tansy Firedragon' having seen extensive writings & work on the Kitchen Witch School Of Natural Witchcraft, having been a part of some celebrations.Viewing the Table of Content just took my breath away it is truly packed with all the things you need to get started & the author has such writing ability it is as if she is in the room with you with sense of humor shining all around & drawing your attention to everyday things all around that can be used. You don't need to spend lots of £££. Witchy workings in the kitchen makes perfect sense & fun,by getting rid of pent up emotion while chop chop chopping. along with creating a sacred kitchen & The Crafts this little book has given me more understanding because it comes from a true professional who has creativity,passion, belief & above all the ability to communicate to all even those of us who aren't witches,but have a longing or curiosity to find out more.My disappointment was the last page................It finished : (

The phrase 'Kitchen Witchcraft' conjures up brewing potions and hanging herbs, and while this of course can be the case, the experienced witch knows the kitchen can be the beating heart of their home, where the material and the mystical meld to create magic.Rachel approaches this topic with just such a theory in mind, and makes no assumptions about the level of skill or experience of the reader. It's important to bear in mind that as part of the Pagan Portals series, this book is intended as a brief introduction to Kitchen Witchcraft. Having said that, for such a slim volume, Rachel manages to pack in a great deal of info.She starts by introducing the idea behind kitchen witchcraft, and giving an overview of things that may be needed; tools, ingredients and attitude. Even for the experienced, this is a good reminder and also interesting to gain an insight into what another experienced witch has in their own cupboards, physical and otherwise.The eight big seasonal pagan festivals are discussed with particular focus on what kitchen crafts can be used to celebrate them. In here are correspondences, incenses and many more hands on ways to get your worship on. She also talks about how the differing phases of the moon can affect one's workings, and while this section is a little simplistic for those experienced in moon magic, again, it is a great point of reference and a good reminder of the roots of many more complex types of moon magic. She looks at working with energy, and how to utilise candle magic, from the very simple to the more convoluted spells that can be worked.One of my favourite sections of the book is the meditations in the final chapter. Each one is a different journey for a different purpose, and while each is written as a detailed journey, there is plenty of scope to make the journey your own. Unlike the narrative style which is direct and almost chatty, these written meditations have a wonderful dream like quality which is just perfect for getting you in the right frame of mind for approaching this type of working.Rachel's style is very accessible and conversational. Despite being almost a reference book at times, this short volume is a complete page turner as it is a real pleasure to read. It is as if she is in the room with you, talking you through the ideas that she is obviously passionate about. This is a very modern way of writing about a subject as old as the hills, and will make the subject easy to absorb even for the complete novice. Yet she manages this while making it a perfect refresher for the experienced witch, by including lists, correspondences and ideas from many paths.This could be my favourite point of the book, that Rachel does not assume that you are Wiccan, or indeed of any particular religion at all. Most of the practical tasks in the book could be completed by someone of no religious beliefs at all, as the main focus is on a connection to nature, the world, and one's self.There is no limit to who would enjoy this volume. The only downside is that it is so short, however as an introductory piece, as it is intended, it is absolutely ideal. I will definitely be getting a hold of her larger volume, Grimoire of a Kitchen Witch, to see if the style and themes are expanded upon. Highly enjoyable, and it has inspired me to get back in the kitchen- not something I say every day!

My brother likes to call my mother a kitchen witch (though not to her face - she wouldn't appreciate it!), but that's largely because she instinctively reaches for herbal remedies whenever anyone is unwell. This volume will help with that, and so much more. While I didn't particularly need most of the info on the sabbats and elements, having been a practising pagan for many years now, I did find ht helpful to have the seasonal correspondences all in one place.This slim volume packs a lot of useful ideas into its short length, and I'm just in the process of implementing one now. My personal poppet won't look anything like me - I'm using one of my power animals as a model instead - but I'm hoping it will serve its purpose of giving me a helping hand with several life challenges. And this is only the first of the many projects this book has inspired ...

This book is a good introduction to kitchen witchery - Patterson gives us her background and her own perspective on this path, explains terminology, gives lists of colours, herbs, spices and the like alongside their magical uses. She also includes basic safety tips and the simple information that some more high-level books don't bother to explain, like simple ways to cast a circle, a purification rite for your home, rituals and offerings that a solitary witch can do at home without a twenty-page script and a troupe of assistants! This is a good book to add to your library when you're reading around paganism initially, although more advanced practitioners might find parts of it a bit 'old hat'.