An Introduction to Kitchen Witch Goddesses
Working with Goddesses for Hearth, Home and Kitchen
Jun 27, 2009
Kitchen witches honor the everyday chores, from cooking to cleaning, finding sacred meaning in their work in honor of the Goddess. Many kitchen witches choose to honor one goddess in particular, usually one closely associated with hearth and home, or a related element such as grain, harvest or fire.
Choosing a Kitchen Goddess
When it comes to choosing a kitchen goddess, a witch might already have one in mind that she has worked with before, or could research different goddesses until finding one that most appeals.
Selecting a kitchen goddess does not restrict the witch to working exclusively with them. Many other goddesses can also be honored, depending on the seasons, the magic and the food or chore involved. Here is a selection of possible goddesses to get started with.
Goddesses Associated with Hearth and Home
- Brighid (Celtic)
- Chantico (Aztec)
- Dugnai (Slavic)
- Hestia (Greek)
- Vesta (Roman)
Goddesses Associated with Grain and Harvest
- Ashnan (Babylonian)
- Ceres (Roman)
- Chicomecoatz (Aztec)
- Corn Mother
- Demeter (Greek)
- Pirua (Peruvian)
Goddesses Associated with Fire
- Agnayi (Hindu)
- Ida (Hindu)
- Kamui-Fuchi (Japanese)
- Li (Chinese)
- Pele (Hawaiian)
- Sekhmet (Egyptian)
Goddesses Associated with Kitchens, Cooking, Food & Domesticity
- Annapurna (Hindu)
- Baba Yaga (Slavic)
- Cerridwen (Celtic)
- Fornax (Roman)
- Freya (Norse)
- Frigg (Norse)
- Hehsui-no-kami (Japanese)
- Huixtocihuatl (Aztec goddess of salt)
- Ivenopae (Indonesian goddess of rice)
- Mama Occlo (Inca)
- Okitsu-hime (Japanese)
- Pomona (Roman goddess of orchards and fruit)
Other Goddesses Associated with Kitchen Witchery
Kitchen witchery also usually involves a talent for crafts, so goddesses of weaving and other traditional crafts, as well as inspiration and creativity, are also appropriate. Prosperity, plentiful abundance and protection are key elements, as the kitchen witch will strive to take care of her home and family through her kitchen rituals and work. Finally, goddesses associated with the earth (sacred for growing food), life and health are also equally appropriate.
- Athena (Greek goddess of weaving)
- Gaia (Mother Earth)
- Lakshmi (Hindu goddess of plenty)
- Nehallennia (Norse goddess of abundance)
- Ops (Roman goddess of earth)
- Sarasvati (Hindu goddess of creativity)
- Vasudhara (Hindu goddess of abundance)
Kitchen Gods for the Kitchen Witch
Some witches might like to have a kitchen god as well as goddess. Some appropriate ones would include:
- Bes (Egyptian god of household protection)
- Hyang kehen (Indonesian god of hearth fire)
- Oki-Tsu-Hiko-no-Kami (Japanese child of the Harvest God)
- Oki-Tsi-Hime-no-Kami (Japanese child of the Harvest God)
- Tsao Wang (Japanese god of hearth and kitchen)
- Sanpo Kojin (Japanese god of hearth and kitchen)
- Saule (Slavic god of hearth fire)
- Zao Jun (Chinese kitchen god)
Honoring the Kitchen Goddess
Once a goddess has been chosen, the kitchen witch can honor her by placing artwork, a statue or other imagery on the kitchen altar. Creative witches might even make a figure out of salt dough or clay, cross-stitch a picture or weave a tapestry representing their goddess.
The kitchen witch will work closely with her chosen goddess, leaving seasonal offerings of harvest, herbs, incense or flowers upon the altar. The witch will ask for blessings and assistance in cooking, chores and magic, invoke the goddess for ritual, and meditate with her for insight or healing.
Working with a chosen goddess can bring inspiration, sacredness and spirituality into the kitchen. Whether invoking the goddess for ritual or simply to assist with the chores, the work of the kitchen witch is deeply enhanced and blessed by her presence.
Sources:
Greenwitch, Shayleah. "Choosing a Kitchen Goddess". A Kitchen Witch's Book of Shadows. 1999
Lurker, Manfred. "The Routledge Dictionary of Gods, Goddesses, Devils and Demons". Routledge, 2004
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