Magickal Housekeeping for a Green Witch

I've been busily trying to move all of the useful posts from natural cooking over here and the result has been an awful lot of talking about food. While normally I wouldn't see that as a problem I did want this blog to be about more than just cooking. Another very important aspect of being a kitchen witch is keeping up with the house cleaning. Both the magickal and the mundane.

Hopefully in the next week and a half we'll be moving into our new apartment and I'm going to have to get stocked up on some cleaning supplies. So for your enjoyment and my own information I've compiled a small list of some basic cleaning tools and both their magickal and practical applications.

Besom/Broom- An implement used for sweeping, usually consisting of a bunch of twigs, straw, or bristles bound together and attached to a stick or handle.

Besoms are associated with the Fae and are comprised of both masculine (the phallic handle) and feminine (bristles) components. These can also be used to replace a wand or staff. They are often used for protection and as a traditional tool in pagan handfastings.

Besoms are also often used for clearing out negative energy, next time you sweep the floor visualize all of the negative occurrences that have happened in that space being swept away

Smudge Stick- A wand made of various dried leaves or herbs that produces fragrant smoke when burned, used originally among certain Native American peoples to cleanse places, persons, or objects of negative spiritual energy.

Usually these sticks are made of white sage. Simply light the tip, blow it out and let it smolder. For a basic smudging simply waft the smoke around doorways, corners, and windows. When your done open the windows and allow the smoke to carry the negativity away. On a mundane level it smells nice and I've heard it discourages insects.

Baking Soda- A white crystalline compound, NaHCO3 with a slightly alkaline taste, used in making effervescent salts and beverages, artificial mineral water, pharmaceuticals, and fire extinguishers. Also called bicarbonate of soda, sodium bicarbonate.

From drain cleaning to facials baking soda makes for an effective cleaning and cosmetic agent. Anything with that many uses is going to be an effective tool for a kitchen witch. Not only is it multipurpose and economical it's a natural alternative to many harsh and dangerous chemicals, helping our wallets and mother earth all at the same time.

Essential Oils- A volatile oil, usually having the characteristic odor or flavor of the plant from which it is obtained, used to make perfumes and flavorings.

As long as you're not allergic essential oils can be used for several household applications. They can be added to soap and water used for washing the floor or walls adding a pleasant scent to your whole home. They can be used to make homemade air freshener. Try this recipe from Putting a Little Magick into Your Spring Cleaning: Fill a mister bottle 3/4 full with white vinegar, add 1 teaspoon baking soda and 5-20 drops of your favorite essential oil. Once it has stopped bubbling, cap the bottle and spray away.

This is just a small sampling of the many uses of these four basic cleaning aids. Tomorrow we'll talk about magickal tools for the kitchen. If you'd like to see something added or you'd like to add something yourself drop me a line.