Are you a kitchen witch or want to start practicing kitchen witchery? One of the first things we suggest is to set up a kitchen witch altar. Keep in mind an altar is simply a place to focus your magic and energy. For a kitchen witch, this altar should be where? In the kitchen, of course! Here are a few ideas to get you started on your own personal kitchen witch altar.

First, Why Have a Kitchen Altar?

If you spend most of your time in your kitchen, cooking, cleaning and eating, the best place to practice your spirituality and craft might also be in the kitchen. It’s practical and easy to weave your witchcraft into your everyday tasks including brewing coffee and tea, cooking meals, and connecting with your family. So building and maintaining a kitchen witch altar makes it easy to also connect with one’s guides, gods, and ancestors at the same time. Essentially, you’ll make magick and complete your mundane duties simultaneously. In addition, an altar helps us ground and center, commune with the Otherworld, and gives us a place in which to cast spells and charms. Of course, your entire kitchen can also become your altar if you’d like.

Now, Let’s Get Started on Your Kitchen Witch Altar

Before you begin building your sacred kitchen space, set the mood by turning on some relaxing or magical music, burning some incense or lighting some candles. Cleanse your space via your favorite cleansing method i.e. smoke-cleansing, ringing bells, simmer pots, etc. Your space should be free and clear of residual negative energy AND it should be clean. If there’s dishes in your sink, dirt on your kitchen counter, or your kitchen is just messy, clean it up! No sacred space or sanctuary has ever been full of filth.

1. Find a Surface

Every altar needs a flat, sturdy surface. Many witches have altars on tops of tables, buffets, book shelves, and more. In the kitchen, locate a surface that doesn’t get a TON of use, and where people won’t constantly move your sacred tools and items. A good spot would be on a kitchen counter in a corner or on a kitchen shelf or baker’s rack.

2. Kitchen Witch Doll

If you don’t have a kitchen witch doll, now’s the time to buy one or make one yourself! A kitchen witch doll is an old tradition in Eastern Europe and parts of Russia and is exactly how it sounds – a doll that looks like a witch! The kitchen witch doll will protect your kitchen and aid in your magical workings when placed on the kitchen witch altar and given offerings, etc. You can buy vintage kitchen witch dolls online or make one.

3. Candles and Offering Bowls

In addition to your kitchen witch doll, add candles and offering bowls to your kitchen witch altar. Candles can be lit in honor of your kitchen witch, hearth spirits, and ancestors or kitchen gods. They can also be lit for kitchen witch spells and rituals. Offering bowls, cups, and jars will hold your offerings to your gods, spirits, and kitchen witch doll, etc. I prefer to keep a red candle to honor my ancestors’ hearth-fire from centuries past.

4. Kitchen Witch Grimoire

Another thing to keep on your kitchen witch altar is your grimoire or Book of Shadows. A kitchen witch’s grimoire might contain recipes for magical meals and herbal remedies, along with spells, dreams, rituals, sabbat traditions, and more. Have any of your ancestors’ recipes? They should DEFINITELY go in your kitchen witch’s grimoire and then on your altar.

5. Kitchen Witch Tools

Some kitchen witches like having sacred, special tools when casting in the kitchen. These include: decorative wooden spoons, a mortar and pestle, a cauldron (substitutes include the dutch oven and stockpot), tea kettle, tea diffuser, special spoons and glasses, and an athame (substitute a kitchen or chef’s knife). Whatever tools you feel are special and magical, cleanse, charge, and keep on your kitchen witch altar.

6. Herbs and Spices

The kitchen witch no doubt has a love and obsession with herbs and spices. If you feel inclined to do so, keep your most-used herbs and spices on your kitchen witch altar. Use these herbs and spices in your magical meals and spells. Some kitchen herbs and spices for the kitchen witch are: salt, pepper, cinnamon, oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, mint, etc.

7. Kitchen Witch Reference Books

Any kitchen witch worth his or her salt has a myriad of cookbooks and reference books. Place your most-used and beloved kitchen witch reference books on your kitchen witch altar (at the end or under your tools). Some kitchen witch references include: herbal remedy books, tea making books, the magical herb encyclopedia, kitchen witch cookbooks, your ancestors’ cookbooks, your own kitchen grimoire, etc.

8. Decorations

Feel free to decorate your kitchen witch altar however you see fit. I’ve seen kitchen witches decorate with fake fruit, teacups, vintage kitchen towels and mats, vintage and antique kitchen utensils, jars of various shapes and sizes, bottles with oils and honey, representations of the elements, photos of kitchen familiars and gods, etc. There’s no limit to what you include on your kitchen witch altar, as long as it keeps the magic flowing and the cauldron a’bubbling!

9. Live Herbs

Place live herbs in pots in your kitchen windowsill. If you don’t have a sunny spot, consider a small grow light or lamp. Sage, basil, rosemary, thyme, dill, cilantro, and mint are great herbs to grow live in your kitchen. I’m currently growing a venus flytrap in my kitchen to help keep the fruit fly population down in the summer. Plants are representative of mother earth and helpful on a kitchen witch altar.

Read More about Kitchen Magic:

• How to Become a Kitchen Witch
• Kitchen Witch Herbs & Spices
• How to Cook a Magical Meal