Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen (4 page)

Chapter Five

Vegetarianism

M
any magicians are strict vegetarians. They shun meat, poultry, and fish; some even avoid eggs and milk products. They often believe that spiritual advancement and magical ability can only be obtained with such a diet.

There are many kinds of vegetarians. Those who follow a macrobiotic diet eat little more than grains. The more common type, commonly called “vegans,” add fruits, vegetables, and nuts to their diet. Some more broad-based vegetarians also consume milk (usually goat's milk), cheese, and even eggs. A few “vegetarians” will also occasionally eat fish and seafood, or even poultry, but never red meat.

Most vegetarians rigidly adhere to their diets in the face of overwhelming odds. Their degree of adherence is usually determined by their reasons for adopting a vegetarian diet. Many of them see living creatures as our sisters and brothers—of different forms, but from the same source. They make a commitment not to ingest them.

Another rationale for vegetarianism seems to be that meat is a poison. It's true that much of the meat eaten today in the United States is injected with growth hormones and is too fatty for sustaining good health. But meat isn't poison. If it was, the entire world's population would have died out thousands of years ago. As members of a largely affluent society, many of us eat too much meat; but this dietary imbalance can be quickly corrected and need not preclude the ingestion of all meat.

Spirituality is the other major reason for following a strictly vegetarian diet. Some believe that if they eat meat, they're no higher than the animals that do the same thing. Therefore, they feel, they'll never receive true enlightenment. Many vegetarians are also following spiritual teachings or a religion that forbids eating meat.

This is sacred ground to many people. Still, it's a topic that must be discussed in a magical food book. I'm not trying to offend anyone—vegan or not—so don't be offended by the words that follow.

We're all separate, distinct persons, connected with the rest of our fellow creatures and with the universe, and yet apart. No one diet is correct for everyone, just as no single type of haircut, food, or religion is suitable for all.

Opinions vary, but it seems that people of most earlier cultures ate meat. One food scholar
29
states that no exclusively vegetarian society has ever been discovered. Certain members of a society may have avoided eating meat, but theirs wasn't the usual diet. The reason for this may be that a strictly vegetarian people would have disappeared long before they could have left any traces.

Many Westerners point to modern-day India, with its taboos against eating beef, as an example of a vegetarian society. This teaching is said to date back thousands of years. It does, but the Indian avoidance of beef-eating has had a checkered past.

The Brahmins, the highest caste of India, ate beef in about 1000
b.c.e.
††
The religious veneration of the cow began in India around 2,000 years ago, but it wasn't until India's independence in 1949 that cows gained legal protection against slaughter.
29
Vegetarianism among Buddhists is also common worldwide.

But most Buddhists in India do eat dairy products, and the low yields of milk from the scrawny Indian cows provide a major source of protein for the Indians. Even Buddhist priests in Sri Lanka, Thailand, and other Buddhist countries eat meat. Most people of the lower castes in India, many of whom are starving, won't turn down meat when it's offered to them. In some cases, an empty stomach can overrule religious convictions.
29

Still, there have always been vegetarians, and there have also always been omnivores (though most earlier cultures ate far less
meat than we do today). Neither way is more “correct” or “ancient”
or, indeed, spiritual, although many are likely to disagree with this statement.

Those in the West who feel that vegetarianism is necessary for magical and spiritual work are correct—for themselves. If they've made this commitment, it's best that they keep it. No one can make a commitment for another, however, and no one way is satisfying for everyone.

Life feeds on life. Our bodies cannot survive unless something else gives up its existence to sustain us—whether it's plankton, soybeans, or a chicken. This may seem cruel, but it's not. It's the reality of physical existence.

What
you decide to eat or not to eat isn't as important as why you make this decision. If you're vegetarian because you feel that it's the only way in which you can achieve any form of spiritual enlightenment, fine. If you're vegetarian because you've decided that you can't practice magic if you eat meat, again, fine. But others can make alternate decisions. They can decide to be omnivores, achieve spiritual enlightenment, and still successfully practice magic. Neither position, once again, is correct for all.

Personally, I seem to be somewhat eclectic regarding foods—I enjoy different types. Though many of my friends are vegetarians, I'm not. That doesn't mean that I'll periodically run to the kitchen and fry up a steak, or that I'm psychologically addicted to eating meat. It simply means that I haven't made a commitment not to eat it.

I did, indeed, once try a strict vegetarian diet, under the guidance of a long-time vegetarian and ceremonial magician. He taught me how to combine proteins so that I wouldn't undernourished myself. It was an interesting experience avoiding all animal proteins and fat (did you know that lard is an ingredient of Oreo cookies?), but I quickly realized that it wasn't right for me. By the second week of my diet, my head was constantly bumping into the ceiling. Walking became a mystical experience. Colors were brighter, I felt lighter, and my awakened psychic abilities were always present. This was pleasantly surprising, but I soon had an experience that changed my feelings.

I was in a friend's occult supplies shop one night as she was closing. It was just after dark. I stood staring at a painting in my by-now usual “wow, man!” attitude as she turned off the lights. Though plenty of light shone in through the windows from the street, the painting dissolved into blackness. There, where the picture used to be, I saw something that I can't describe. It scared the heck out of me.

My friend's store was under physical and psychic bombardment from an evangelical, fundamentalist Christian organization that occupied an adjoining suite. Someone had recently thrown a brick through her store's window. In the inky painting, I saw an image of all the hatred being sent her way. In my completely opened psychic state (which was a direct result of my strict vegetarian diet), this manifestation of negative energy shocked my entire being. I went outside as soon as I could, shook it off, calmed myself, and went about my business.

Soon, I went back to my normal diet. Even though I'd been receiving the proper amount of protein, even though I'd been taking vitamin and mineral supplements, even though my food intake was being closely monitored by a vegetarian who'd followed a similar regimen for over fifteen years, the diet left me so spiritually and psychically open that I couldn't handle it.

Many naturally psychic persons have the same problem. They have years to learn ways to protect themselves. Taken completely by surprise, I had about fifteen seconds.

Despite my harrowing journey into vegetarianism, this book's main focus is on grains, vegetables, and fruits. Vegetarians can use the information contained within it to good effect. If you don't eat fish, choose other foods with similar energies. The same is true if you avoid dairy products.

Meat is rarely mentioned in this book for three reasons. First, meat was and still is scarce in many parts of the world. Most earlier people's daily diets revolved around dairy products, grains, fruit, and vegetables. Meat was usually reserved for special occasions and was not part of the normal diet.

Secondly, there's less ritual and magical information available regarding meat. In researching this book, I've found hundreds of references to corn, rice, beer, apples, and many other foods, but few concerning meat.

Also, many of us involved in magic are vegetarians, and I wanted this book to be useful to all. Therefore, save for a few isolated references (in parts three and four), this is a wholly nonmeat book.

To close this chapter, I'll tell you a story I heard from Carl Weschcke, president of Llewellyn Worldwide. When I was visiting his home in Minnesota several years ago, he told me of a frantic phone call he'd received. A woman called him at the office screaming that she was under “psychic attack.” Someone had cast an evil spell on her. She couldn't sleep, she was losing weight, and she could feel evil energies surrounding her. The curse had disrupted her entire life. She was weak and could do nothing to stop it. Wouldn't he help her?

Carl Weschcke asked the woman if she was a vegetarian. Surprised, she answered that she was. He promptly suggested that she eat a hamburger. The woman, desperate to end this attack, went to a fast-food restaurant, bought a hamburger, and ate it. The meat made her sick to her stomach, but it also ended the “psychic attack.” She was fine after that and returned to her normal vegetarian diet.

Her problem may have been a lack of protein, which could have diminished her body's natural defenses. It might also have been a complete lack of grounding (connection with the physical world), or simply the product of an overactive imagination. In any case, the meat acted not only as a purgative but also as a shock to her system. Her problem—whatever its cause—vanished.

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Chapter Six

The Practice of Food Magic

A
s with any art, food magic should be practiced according to a few basic principles. My system of food magic, however, isn't rigid; it can be altered to fit your own lifestyle and changed for various occasions (i.e., eating in restaurants; eating with others; eating while camping; and so on). Following the basic structure presented here will produce the maximum results.

Though some of this material may seem to repeat parts of
chapter 2
, it is of such importance that I felt it deserved its own section. Chapter 2 discussed magic in general, with food as an example. This chapter is a practical guide to practicing food magic in particular. Additionally, putting all this information into one chapter makes it easier to find if you should need to reread it.

Here is the step-by-step process of food magic.

—Decide what you wish to change about yourself.
This can be a minor problem, such as temporary depression, whose magical treatment can vary from meal to meal. If you need, however, to make a more important change, you should probably put yourself on a magical diet (see the introduction to
part three
for more information). This major change may be one of the following (but is certainly not limited to this list):

As you can see, most of these are changes of ourselves. They don't affect others; in fact, food magic should never be used to affect others
without their permission.
Don't serve lust foods to an unsuspecting date with the purpose of coercing him or her to have sex with you. This probably won't be effective, since your belusted one isn't prepared to receive these energies. Such practices are manipulative and contrary to the very nature of magic, and they're a waste of time and energy. Seduction has its own form of magic that doesn't rely on food.

You can do many things to create these changes, and your magical work be backed up by conscious effort and physical or mental exertion on your part. Telling your food what to do, eating it, and then expecting it to change your life isn't enough. You must involve yourself in the process.

—Select foods that contain energies suitable to your desired change.
This book mentions many such correspondences. For quick reference, glance through
chapter 22
–31
. Read
chapter 8
–20
for other ideas, or check the index under the appropriate heading.

—Choose foods that you enjoy.
Why eat foods that you dislike or even detest just for their magical value? Still, you should eat a balanced diet. We can't perform effective magic if we're fueling our bodies with nothing but junk food.

—Prepare the food with visualization.
Preparation may mean simply peeling a carrot or picking fruit from a tree. It may also involve chopping, slicing, and cooking However the food is prepared, use your visualization to awaken the needed energies within yourself and those within the food. Charge food with your purpose through the powers of your mind.

—Attune with all food prior to eating.
This prepares it and you for the transformative process. This can be accomplished through prayer or with a simple awareness of the food's energies.

—Visualize as you eat.
Even if you're carrying on a conversation with someone else, keep in mind what you're trying to accomplish. If necessary, draw a small picture of your goal and glance at it while eating.

—Accept the energy that the food offers to you.
Make it a part of yourself.

—Give the food time to do its work.
We didn't create our problems overnight, so we can't expect them to disappear overnight. Eat foods linked with your magical change for at least a week until they've had time to take effect.
‡‡

That's about it. Every food at every meal doesn't have to be geared toward your magical goal. As long as you eat with purpose and visualization, magic will be at work.

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