Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen (11 page)

Element:
Fire

Energies:
Strength, money, sex

Lore:
Figs are often depicted on Egyptian tomb paintings and reliefs. At ancient Thebes, Pharaoh Ramses III offered 15,500 measures of figs to Amon-Ra.
23
They were also apparently eaten during certain rituals, such as those in honor of
Thoth.
23

The fig was sacred in ancient Greece and was associated with many deities, including Dionysius and Juno.

A fig isn't actually a fruit; it is a hollow, bud-like object filled with immature flowers and mature seeds.
90

Magical uses:
Eat figs as the Greeks did, to gain both physical strength and energy. Or, add them to money-attracting diets.

Figs can also be eaten to boost sexual desire and fertility. Figs regained their reputation as an erotic food during a scene in the Ken Russell film
Women In Love.

Fig Newtons, the popular, prepackaged food, can be used for any of these purposes.

Grape, Raisin

(Vitis vinifera)

Planet:
Moon

Element:
Water

Energies:
Dreams, fertility, money

Lore:
Most ancient Egyptian tombs were stocked with grapes.
23

On one occasion, Ramses III offered 11,872 jars of raisins, which the Egyptians created by drying grapes in the sun.
23
In Greece and Rome, grapes were sacred to Dionysius and Bacchus, respectively.

Magical uses:
Eat grapes to produce dreams.
22
Grapes are also eaten to encourage physical fertility. When planted in temperate gardens, they strengthen the other plants situated nearby.

Surround a bunch of green grapes with solid silver coins. Hold your hands over the grapes and visualize money coming into your life. Then eat the grapes. Or simply add grape juice or grape jelly to your diet.

Raisins.
Due to the sun-drying process used to create them, raisins are ruled by the sun and by the element of fire. They're eaten to develop the conscious mind.

Grapefruit

(Citrus paradisi)

Planet:
Sun

Element:
Water

Energies:
Purification

Magical uses:
The grapefruit has been cultivated in India and Malaysia for 4,000 years.
53

Drink the juice or enjoy a half grapefruit for purification.

Guava

(Psidium guajava)

Planet:
Venus

Element:
Water

Energies:
Love, purification

Lore:
The guava is native to Mexico, Central America, Brazil, and Peru. Though we often associate guavas with Hawaii, they were introduced there just over a hundred years ago. Still, they have already made their way into Hawaiian folk magic. To purify themselves, Filipino families returning home from funerals in Hawaii often wash their feet with water that has been boiled with guava leaves.
18

Magical uses:
Fresh guavas are rare in most mainland U.S. markets. Other closely related fruits are now appearing here, such as feijoas (but these aren't true guavas). Guavas are, however, occasionally found at farmer's stands, especially near the Mexican border. If you have no luck, guava jelly and guava nectars are readily available. (See
appendix 2
for mail-order sources.)

In Hawaii, many bakeries offer such delicacies as guava chiffon cake—an unforgettable taste sensation. Mexican cooks use guava paste in their culinary efforts.

This is another love food. Drink guava juice or nectar with visualization. The sweetness of the fruit foretells the sweetness of the coming relationship.

Guava nectar is also drunk for internal purification.

Kumquat

(Fortunella
spp.)

Planet:
Sun

Element:
Air

Energies:
Money, “luck”

Lore:
These small, golden-orange fruits are native to China. The Chinese exchange small sprays of kumquat leaves and fruits at their New Year's festivities to ensure good fortune and money during the coming year.

Magical uses:
Add these fruits to diets designed to bring “gold” into your life. Alternately, eat kumquats to stimulate good fortune.

Lemon

(Citrus limon)

Planet:
Moon

Element:
Water

Energies:
Love, happiness, purification

Lore:
Probably native to China, lemons first gained notice in the West when British sailors were given rations of the vitamin C–rich lemon juice to prevent scurvy on long voyages. Later, lime juice (just as effective, but less expensive) replaced the lemon, subjecting these British seamen to the derogatory term “Limeys.”
104

Lemon-flavored foods are used in Wiccan lunar feasts.

Magical uses:
Lemon is a love fruit, but should be mixed with sugar for maximum results. Lemon pies, the British lemon curd, and lemon puddings are all love-inducing. Women once served lemon pies to their husbands to keep them home at night. As the cads ate the dessert, they'd feel their wives' love for them.

Lemon dishes (such as lemon chicken) spread warmth among friends when shared at intimate dinners. They also promote happiness.

For an internal purification, squeeze half a lemon into a glass of water. Sip or drink this straight down. The acidic juice is not only good for you, it will also give you a boost of physical energy as well.

Also, drink this mixture during all rituals designed to banish negative habits and thought patterns.

Lime

(Citrus limetta)

Planet:
Sun

Element:
Fire

Energies:
Love, purification

Lore:
In present-day Peru, shamans use sweetened lime juice in purification rituals.
97

Magical uses:
Lime is used in precisely the same way as lemon—to promote love and purification.

Key lime pie, a traditional Florida dessert, is an evocative love enhancer and one of my personal favorites. If you make this pie, visualize as you mix. You might cut out small hearts from the green portion of lime peel and place these onto the pie before serving.

Mango

(Mangifera indica)

Planet:
Mars

Element:
Fire

Energies:
Protection, sex, love

Lore:
The mango is native to India and Malaysia and has been cultivated in those countries for 4,000 years.
58
Around 600
b.c.e.
, in India, a special mango grove was presented to Buddha as a quiet place for meditation. Vedic magicians used mangos in preparing love philtres.
106
Today, Hindus use mango leaves as symbols of prosperity and happiness in various religious festivals.
58

The mango is extremely popular in Central America and Mexico. In Guatemala, women eat the juicy, fleshy fruits to promote sexual excitement. In Hawaii, dreams filled with the fruit indicate prosperous times ahead.
102

Eating this gooey fruit involves all the senses: the texture of the peel and the meat; the golden-reddish color of the flesh; the scent of the juice; the sound of the fruit squishing between your teeth; and the delicious taste. I've often ended up completely drenched with mango juice after a particularly satisfying encounter with this sacred fruit of India.

Magical uses:
Mangos are useful in protection diets. It is a, however, member of the poison ivy and poison sumac family; some people develop rashes when touching the sap in the fruit's skin. Never eat the skin! Simply peel and enjoy.

Eat fresh mangos to stimulate the desire for sex, or to promote love. Recall the importance of visualization in food magic. Simply eating mangos with no visualization won't create sexual desire within the diner. The visualization is what causes the magical change. Yes, it's safe to serve mangos to young children!

May Apple

(Podophyllum petaltum)

Planet:
Mercury

Element:
Fire

Energies:
Love, money

Lore:
The may apple is also known as the American mandrake. It grows wild throughout the eastern and midwestern states.

In my files I have recipes for may apple pie and may apple jam. Although the fruits are safe, the root is poisonous and should never be taken internally. May apple roots were used in suicide teas among the Huron and Iroquois Indian tribes.

Magical uses:
Eat the “apples” for love and money.

Melon

Planet:
Moon

Element:
Water

Energies:
Healing, purification

Lore:
The honeydew and cantaloupe were being eaten as early as 2000
b.c.e.
Melons are native to Africa and India.
53
Egyptians are believed to have been eating honeydew melons in 2400
b.c.e.
53
Among continental Gypsies, melons were used as love-inducing foods.
14

Magical uses:
In general, melons are added to health-bestowing diets. Eat fresh melons once a day with the proper visualization. Any kind can be used—crenshaw, musk (also known as cantaloupe), honeydew, cassava, and so on. Melons are also eaten for purification, especially when trying to break a negative habit or way of thinking. See also the entry for
Watermelon
in this chapter.

Mulberry

(Morus rubra)

Planet:
Mercury

Element:
Air

Energies:
Wisdom, fertility, psychic awareness

Lore:
These curious, tree-borne berries were once thought to be sacred to Minerva.
90
Ray T. Malbrough, in an unpublished paper on Cajun herbal medicine and magic, states that mulberries are eaten before acts of divination for better glimpses of the future. They're also used for fertility.
67

Magical uses:
Eat ripe mulberries to gain wisdom, or as a part of fertility diets. Also, add mulberries to diets designed to increase psychic awareness.

Nectarine

(Prunus
spp.)

Planet:
Venus

Element:
Water

Energies:
Love

Magical uses:
The name of this fruit has its origins in the Greek word
nekter,
the drink of the gods.
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The nectarine is actually a smooth-skinned peach.

Add fresh nectarines to diets that promote love.

Orange

(Citrus sinensis)

Planet:
Sun

Element:
Fire

Energies:
Love, purification

Lore:
Probably native to China, the orange was used in imperial sacrifices to the deities. Oranges are exchanged at the Chinese New Year to spread happiness and prosperity
.3

Oranges were once eaten to prevent drunkenness. It is curious that a slice of fresh orange is still added to many mixed drinks.

Magical uses:
Those who have seen orange blossoms used at weddings won't be surprised to learn that this fruit is an age-old love stimulator. It can be added to love diets; however, the juice, when taken internally, is thought to “hinder lust.” Orange juice and the fruit itself produce spiritual love, like that shared by friends and family.

For a quick internal purification, drink orange juice every morning while visualizing the refreshing juice cleaning your system from the inside out. Fresh-squeezed juice is best.

Orange flower water can be used in desserts for love. Flavor whipped cream with orange flower water; stir a bit into vanilla ice cream; or add to all types of food. Use only genuine orange flower water (check gourmet stores).

Papaya

(Papya carica)

Planet:
Moon

Element:
Water

Energies:
Love

Lore:
Papaya seems to be native to the tropical Americas. The Incas and Mayas ate it, and it is still a popular fruit in Mexico.
85
It was introduced to Hawaii about one hundred years ago and quickly became a standard food there as well.

Papayas taste like flowers. Many dislike the aroma of the fruit, but this has never been a problem to me. Papaya contains the digestive enzyme papain. Skindivers and bathers in Hawaii use it (or meat tenderizers consisting largely of papain) to remove the pain of Portuguese man-of-war stings. In Guatemala, men eat papaya as an aphrodisiac. Women use the mango.

Magical uses:
Eat the fruit or drink the juice (usually in the form of sugared “nectars”) for love. Use papaya-seed dressing on salads to further stimulate love.

Passion Fruit

(Passiflora edulis)

Planet:
Moon

Element:
Water

Energies:
Love, peace

Lore:
This vine is a native of Brazil.
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Christian folklore associates the unusual flowers of this tropical vine with the crucifixion. This is curious, since the plant doesn't grow in biblical lands.

The Cajuns, among others, use passion fruit to calm anger and to promote friendships.
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