Not Just for Pickling

Dill drying in my kitchen.


 

Last week at the farmers market, a lady was selling huge bunches of dill for pickling.   Now, I love good homemade pickles as much as the next girl, but there just isn't going to be any of those coming from my kitchen this fall.  To start with, I opted out of the garden this year on grounds that I would be extremely pregnant come harvest time yep, guessed that right and even if I were to have a plethora of cucumbers on hand the flat topped stove in this apartment would not handle my canner.  Still, the dill smelled delicious I tracked the vendor down with my nose and I could just imagine how tasty the wispy little greens would be mixed in with a salad or flavoring my favorite yogurt sauce.  Since I couldn't convince her to sell me just a bunch of greens, I decided to buy an entire bundle and dry the seeds for later use.  My kitchen has smelled amazing ever since. 

Not being extremely familiar with dill other than it's many culinary uses, I had to do a bit of research on this herb.  To start with, it's medicinal properties are pretty blasé.  As a tea it is used to calm stomach upset and its name references that use having been adapted from the old Norse word dilla meaning to lull, but that's the extent of it.  Nutritionally and magically, dill becomes much more exciting. 

As a food, dill is just plain good for you.  It is high in calcium, fiber, iron, and magnesium, as well as in vitamins A and C.  That makes me feel really good about using it in my salads and sandwiches this week.  Superman wasn't crazy about it in the yogurt sauce to go with his falafels, but I thought it was amazing. 

Magically, dill seed is known for protection and love it gives an overall sense of wellbeing and is traditionally hung in children's cradles.  It is also included in protective sachets and used to bless homes and particularly kitchens.  Since I am now the steward of a goodly amount of these seeds, I am sure I will find many ways to incorporate dill into my practice.  A few of my initial plans include a sachet to tuck into the babies bed and including it in a protective incense. 

Where the Witch Lives

Abandoned Home: Moore County, NC

Some times I just have to laugh at the people who insist that a witch is no different than anybody else.  I have read that a witch looks and dresses just like "normal" people and her home is no different than that of the Agnostic or Anglican next door.   Honestly, I just cannot believe that.  

To start with.  Can we define "normal"?  I am not sure how a "normal" person dresses or what an "average" home looks like.  Even when I go out in our relatively small town, I cannot find one style or kind of person to narrow down what is normal.  Everyone of us is slightly different and that difference is expressed in how we present ourselves to the world and the kind of environment we create in our home.  Which leads me to my second point...Since our personal style and homes are expressions of self, it only stands to reason that a witch would have a few quirks about herself and her home that others  might miss. 

I do have to admit that walking into my apartment, there is no shock value.  It looks fairly close to what one would expect when entering a modern home.  Unfortunately, it is not nearly as charming as these lonely old homes I love to photograph.   There are two computers, a great kitchen, and brightly colored baby toys scattered about randomly.  The first "oddity" one might notice would probably be the lack of a television...or maybe the random decorative "skulls" about the room.  Superman and I are both long time collectors of skull emblems and nic-nacs.  Initially, they were just something we liked and maybe a bit of rebellion, but now that we know more about how more primitive cultures view the symbolism of the skull we find them to be fun and encouraging accents to our home.  Around the corner in the kitchen, a few more surprises await.  The shelves above the sink are dotted with 32oz tincture bottles waiting to be filled and on the other end of the room sits my shrine to the Elementals.  Next to the shrine (hidden from first glance by the refrigerator), is probably the biggest shocker in the whole place: a life sized plastic skeleton named Chubbs.  I wanted to buy him for Halloween, but wasn't about to shell out $50.  Superman found him on clearance for $9 around Thanksgiving and brought him home for me.  I couldn't stand the thought of putting him in storage, so he has his own seat year a round.  After that, things look pretty much as expected unless one goes perusing our bookcases or poking around in our magical cabinet.  Our home is a bit quirky, sometimes messy and always busy, but fairly mundane. 

Far more than it's visual appearance, smell seems to be the element that sets this witches home apart from others.  Coming down the stairs into the apartment, the aroma of herbs and incense seem to waft up in greeting.  Besides those that I burn on the shrine, there are always aromatic candles or incense sticks in various parts of the living space accompanied by the scents of whatever herbs I am currently working with.  Underneath all that is the smell of wholesome, made-from-scratch cooking and good, old fresh air from the open windows.  Then, if I have been cleaning, the aroma of vinegar adds a few twangy notes.  Superman often walks in at the end of the day and declares, "This smells like a witche's house!"  It sounds like a lot going on, but it all blends into a warm homey smell that invites you to sit down and chat over a cup of coffee.  To me, that says a lot. 

The final touch that sets my home apart from others is music.  Superman and I both love music and for a good part of everyday there is some kind of lively Pagan music coming through our speakers.  Omina and S.J. Tucker are two of my favorites.  Going about my daily tasks to a good play list, makes the work a lot lighter.  If I am doing divinations or magical art, I create a proper ambiance with more meditative music or nature sounds.  YouTube plays like the radio in this home. 

No, my witchy home is not dramatic like the ones seen on television, but it certainly carries a unique vibe.  It truly speaks of who we are and close attention is paid to keeping a positive energy to the space.  As our refuge and sanctuary, this little apartment does a big job and we are truly grateful to have this place to just be ourselves.