The Real Witches’ Kitchen: Spells, recipes, oils, lotions and potions from the Witches’ Hearth. Kate West
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Название: The Real Witches’ Kitchen: Spells, recipes, oils, lotions and potions from the Witches’ Hearth

Автор: Kate West

Издательство: HarperCollins

Жанр: Эзотерика

Серия:

isbn: 9780007387588

isbn:

СКАЧАТЬ but if the symptoms persist, call on the professionals in case there is a more serious underlying complaint.

      

If using essential oils, make sure that they really are 100 per cent essential oils, not perfumed oils or blended oils. There are many cheap, and not so cheap, fakes on the market, so it is worth taking the extra time and effort to track down the real thing and pay the proper price for it. Perfume oils usually contain chemical scents and will not have the same effects as essential oils and some cheap ones can be positively damaging. Blended oils may contain almost anything in addition to what they own up to on the bottle, and in any case, once an oil has been blended, it will start to deteriorate much faster.

      

Always keep everything spotlessly clean – your hands, your preparation area, any bottles, pans or jars. However, try not to use large quantities of chemicals to clean and sterilize, particularly bleach, as this is quite toxic and will kill off the very properties of the plants you seek to use. Surfaces can be rubbed down with a salt and water paste then rinsed and dried carefully. Hands can be washed with ordinary soap and water, then dried. In both cases it is essential to make sure that the drying cloth is clean, as many of the germs in the kitchen are found on the tea towel! Containers should be of glass, not plastic, and after being thoroughly cleaned can be sterilized by completely immersing them in lightly-salted water and boiling them for ten minutes. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, allow them to dry naturally by standing them on their necks on a clean cloth. Do not eat, drink or smoke whilst making your preparations; the action of raising things to your mouth may contaminate your hands with germs.

      Although the above instructions may look quite daunting at first glance, they are in fact the day-to-day practical precautions which we should take with anything we are going to consume or use on our bodies.

      

      Working sensibly with herbs and plants is very rewarding, not only because of the cures that can be effected, but also because of the knowledge that we are in a position to help ourselves and those we care for. In addition, it is great fun.

       Soaps and Bathing Preparations

       ‘A proper person, properly prepared…’

      An important part of any ritual is preparation, whether that be a Magical ritual or a daily one. For most people, a night out is preceded by a ritual of washing the body and hair, and often applying scents to set the mood. Whilst doing so they think about where they are going, what they will be doing and what they hope will happen. It is no different in the Craft; wherever possible we wash our bodies, or at least our hands, to remove not only the dirt of the day, but also the negative thoughts and feelings of day-to-day life. At the same time we also prepare our minds by thinking through what we are about to do and what we wish to achieve. Of course, this can be done with plain soaps and bathing products, but it can be greatly enhanced by the use of products which we have created, altered and Magically empowered. Here I am going to take a look at ways of creating or, more often, changing existing products to Magically enhance them.

      Whilst it is possible to make soaps, bath foams, shampoos and anointing oils from first principles, it is not really practical for everyone. As a result I am going to talk mainly about how we can take existing products and change them for our purposes.

      

      The use of such enhanced products does not have to be limited to preparation for ritual. Keeping a bar of healing or refreshing soap in the bathroom can help us through daily life. Preparing a bath foam to help encourage sleep can be invaluable for the parent of a young child who refuses to ‘go down’ at night. So, many of the following will not be set aside for Craft work, but will have a place in daily life.

       Abbreviations

      lb

pound

      oz

ounce

      fl oz

fluid ounce

      tbsp

tablespoonful

      (note this is not the same as a serving spoon), should be around 15 fl oz tsp teaspoonful, around 1/4 fl oz

       Soaps

      The basic ingredients for soap are in fact quite caustic, so it is not only easier but also more user-friendly to rework ready-made soap. The best kind to choose is a pure, unscented castille soap, although you can use this method with other kinds of unscented soaps.

      

      First cut up (or grate) about 4 oz (1 cup) of the soap and place in a heatproof non-metallic container.

      

Add about 1/4 cup (2 fl oz) of hot water and 1 tbsp of almond or apricot oil.

      

Leave until cool enough to handle and then mix in with your hands. If the soap is floating on the water you will need to add more soap.

      

Leave for about ten minutes, mixing occasionally, by which time the soap should be soft and mushy. If it is not, place the bowl into a saucepan of boiling water and heat gently.

      

When the soap, water and oil are completely blended, add any dry ingredients.

      

When the mixture is cool, add any essential oils. It is important that the mixture be cool as essential oils evaporate quickly in heat. Note that essential oils should be added until they overcome the original odour of the soap, so how much will depend on the type of soap and oil you use.

      

Blend really thoroughly and divide the mixture into four to six pieces, depending on the size of the soaps you finally require.

      

Now squeeze these soaps, removing as much excess water as possible, into the shape you require – balls, ovals or whatever – and tie in cheesecloth.

      

Hang in a warm dry place until completely hard.

      The soaps can then be used or wrapped in cheesecloth and kept or given away. As an aside, ordinary soap will always last СКАЧАТЬ