Witches' Brew

“The magic power of a witches’ brew is more a part of the literature and folklore of sorcery than of historical witchcraft” writes Rossell Hope Robbins in The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft & Demonology (1959). Witchcraft has changed a lot since the 1950s, let alone the Burning Times. The ways in which modern witches take part in magic is inspired by, but vastly different from, historical witchcraft.

In the 17th century we see recordings of potions and ointments made of hemlock, juice of aconite, poplar leaves, soot; Water hemlock, sweet flag, cinquefoil, bat’s blood, belladonna, oil; Baby’s fat, juice of water hemlock, aconite, cinquefoil, belladonna, soot. Today, we see oils and lotions sold as potions, usually with the intention of being used for self-care or in ritual. Yet, we often underestimate the most obvious contenders for potioncraft: coffee and tea. The historical aspects of these beverages are as varied and complex as witchcraft itself, but coffee and tea today are powerful elixirs with countless possibilities and uses.

Every fall, I think about the ubiquitous pumpkin spice latte. I drink my fair share, too. In October 2019 I was on Basic Witches (one of the best witchy podcasts out there) and I briefly discussed how pumpkin spice lattes are one of the perfect self-love potions. Now, in 2020 I’ve also realized how equally perfect it is for heart opening. This doesn’t just go for the P.S.L. The intoxicating blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger hold so much magic, and the kind of magic that is much needed in this time.

The components of Pumpkin Spice Lattes (and why they’re magical)

The contents of Pumpkin Spice Lattes vary from place to place, but if you were to make them at home, these are some of the main spices you’ll see. You see the same spices in a lot of other hot beverages (such as a nice spiced chai). You could achieve similar magical results by baking gingersnaps or a pumpkin pie if hot beverages aren’t your thing.

Cinnamon: A magical spice. Cinnamon is strongly linked to spirituality, having been used in all kinds of ancient rituals. Cinnamon raises vibrations, and stimulates psychic powers while also being protective. It’s also a spice strongly linked to love. A lot of warming spices can warm your heart.

Ginger: Allegedly, eating ginger before performing spells can strengthen the spell, as you are ‘heating up’ before creating the magic or ritual. This is supposed to be especially true for love spells.

Nutmeg: A lot of magical herbs and spices can be connected to fidelity, which is fine. However, a lot of old, old, magic didn’t understand the concept of free will or consent, so there’s some things that elude to casting spells on people to make them faithful. I don’t think I need to get into why this is problematic, especially when mixed with other ingredients that are traditionally used for love or lust. So, how can nutmeg fit in? The real purpose is trust. To trust yourself, to trust your feelings, to trust in others.

Allspice: Traditionally used to promote healing, allspice can help mend broken or emotionally injured hearts. Collectively, we have been coping with a lot of fear, trauma, and anxiety because of COVID, and practically everything that has been going on in the world. It will take more than allspice to heal from it, but maybe it can at least help soothe our hurting hearts.

Cloves: When burned in an incense, cloves drive away hostile or negative forces, and helps clear an area or space. Similar to cinnamon, cloves help produce and raise spiritual vibrations. Cloves can stop or prevent gossip, and bring comfort to the bereaved. It is heart healing, comforting, and grounding.

When you mix all of these together, especially combined with symbols of the harvest and Samhain (i.e., pumpkin), you get a powerful elixir, that when charged or paired with other magix, can be healing and heart opening. This potion invites you to love yourself, share love, remind others that they are loved. I’m writing this on November 4th 2020 (the day that the ballots for the US presidential election are being counted, and everyone is in the throes of anxiety and fear), and all I can think of is how I wish I could share this spicy warmth with everyone who needs it right now. When I was working at a stressful job that made me ache, made me cry, made me hate, I would occasionally stop at Starbucks on my way to work and get a pumpkin spice latte or a dirty chai latte, and mix a little bit of black pepper into the mix. Black pepper is protective, and it was that little boost that I needed. Coupled with some staves and sigils drawn on the cup, and the black tourmaline in my pocket, it was enough to help me get through the day.

Starbucks Magic?

You don’t have to drink at Starbucks to use the following information. But, I think we can all agree that we can picture what Starbucks looks like. It’s a white coffee cup, with all kinds of spices and herbs and mysterious things mixed into a delightfully sugary treat. It’s the start to your day. It’s time spent writing at the coffee shop. What kind of magical possibilities do these drinks offer? How can we build magic and ritual into our lives when we’re on the go and busy and stressed?

We choose with intention. We stir our coffee in a particular way to make a wish and cast a spell. We breathe deep into the rich steam and manifest our desires through every sip.

This list takes drinks from the Starbucks menu, and is created with the intention of sharing the magical uses and purposes behind some of the things we see in coffee based drinks, and how we can craft hot drinks to match our intentions.

Black Coffee (Knight of Pentac: Conjures the elements of fire and earth, and brings us focus and offers direction. Roasted over fire, coffee can stir passion and literally offers us energy. Black coffee’s relationship with the plant that it comes from, and the earth it grew in, offers us grounding energy.

Coconut Cascara Latte (The Hermit) : Coconut is associated with the moon, and has long been used in protection spells and rituals. You can also conjure this magic by having drinks made with coconut milk.

Apple Oat Flat White (High Priestess) : Oats are used in prosperity and money spells. Apples are one of the witchiest of fruits. When you cut them horizontally, they reveal a five pointed star, a symbol of witches. Apples are a fruit used in love spells and love divination. Apples are healing, while simultaneously being connected to the underworld. They are a symbol of the dead, and a symbol of immortality. You can use apple cider in place of blood when an old spell recipe calls for it. Eating apples gives you immortality through wisdom. When mixed together in a beverage (or in a delicious cobbler), oats and apples offer prosperity, growth, old magic, and a self love spell.

Almond Honey Flat White (Three of Cups) : Like oats, almonds can be used in prosperity and money spells. What’s nice about prosperity spells is the intention is generally a bit more focused than an abundance spell. Abundance just means to have a lot of something. You can have an abundance of dirty socks. However, casting spells for prosperity is to ask for success, well-being, good fortune. Then we have honey, one of the most magical things that exists on this planet, and created by our beautiful friends, the bees. Honey preserves, and heals. Honey sticks things together, so it can be used in binding spells, or to attract something you want. Really, the almond honey white is a pretty attractive prosperity spell. You can also accomplish this magic by adding almond milk to your coffee, and adding honey for sweetness.

Hazelnut Latte (The Empress) : The hazel tree is one of the sacred trees, having connections to healing, the fae, and protection, as well as offering knowledge and wish granting. The nut has been used for good luck and good fortune, and is eaten prior to divination to help gain wisdom. Hazel is also associated with fertility, which doesn’t necessarily need to be viewed from the lens of procreation; fertility can also be viewed from the lens of harvest, growth, or even creativity. Wands made from hazel are a good, practical, all-purpose wand.

Vanilla Latte (The Lovers) : Vanilla is a type of fermented orchid. You can make your own vanilla by leaving vanilla beans in a container of hard alcohol (such as vodka) for at least two months. In magic, vanilla is connected to love. The vanilla bean can be used in love sachets, or infuse other foods with loving vibrations. Love spells and sachets don’t need to be used towards other people; a love spell can be used to remind us that we are worthy of love, remind us to love ourselves, or to strengthen a relationship that already exists. Never manipulate others with a love spell, and be sure to have consent if you are wanting to introduce love-strengthening spells into your relationship.

Hot Drinks As An Act of Self-Care

Not all of us like baths. There, I said it. Sometimes, ritual baths aren’t in the cards, or we just don’t like them. If you’re like me, and you’d rather drink your magic than soak in it, developing a self-care practice around hot beverages can be a great option. I never considered my morning coffee or my afternoon tea to be an act of self-care. Yet, these are my rituals. Pre-COVID, I would get a coffee and walk around a book store after a doctors appointment or a therapy session. I make tea to calm myself. I brew a pot of tea when a friend is coming over, and fill it with intentions of love and care. These are all magical acts. For magical self-care, you can incorporate a lot of similar things into tea or coffee as you would a ritual bath. Except the salt… but you can always add a pinch of salt for clearing and protection!

Hot drinks are soothing. They are comforting elixirs, often connected to particular memories (and hopefully good ones). A magical beverage, a potion, an elixir, can be protective, calming, encouraging, energizing. The beverage of choice doesn’t even have to be hot. One of my favourite potions is one I learned in Everyday Magic by Semra Haksever and modified for my own needs; placing quartz with a sprig of rosemary in water. The result is a powerful blend that helps defend against psychic vampires, and just helps protect your energy. I opted to use smoky quartz, black tourmaline, or shungite. I put everything in a water bottle and would drink my magical elixir all day long.

A spell to protect your energy but keep your heart open

Prepare your favourite black coffee. I usually prepare my grounds in a french press, and then I add all of the other ingredients on top before I add my hot water.

Add cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves (pumpkin pie blend, if you have it pre-mixed) to taste. Add chaga (medicinal mushroom powder). Add a pinch of salt, a dash of black pepper. Put a few drops of your favourite flower or gem essence in the mix. Add vanilla.

Make the coffee as you would. Brew, and pour into a favourite mug with anything else you might like to add to your coffee, like cream or sugar or milk.

You can modify this spell to make with tea or hot chocolate if you’re not a coffee fan. You can even make a little satchel of spices to carry with you. Magic is fluid, and you can do what you need to carry your magic with you. I just like to drink mine, because the care that I can put into making coffee for myself and my husband is already a magical act.

Sources:

Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (Cunningham, Scott. 1985)

The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft & Demonology (Robbins, Rossell Hope. 1959)

Everyday Magic: Rituals, Spells & Potions To Live Your Best Life (Haksever, Semra. 2018)