Recently I joined, and then became an admin of a group on Facebook called Teaching the Ways of the Witch. It’s been a lot of fun, and a great privilege, to participate in witchy discussions. With everything happening this year, I have been seriously missing my group rituals and divination parties, and general witchy debauchery so participating in this online group has helped fill that void a bit.
One question I frequently see asked is about how to make everyday life a bit more magical. Even under normal circumstances, it can be challenging to find the time for magical practice. Planning and writing a ritual from scratch is a time-consuming process that happens in natural stages over time. Very few people can sit down and write an entire ritual from start to finish in the half hour of free time they have that day, in between school, work, friends, and family. At the end of the day, witchcraft is, as the name implies, a craft which requires dedication and practice, whether that is taking time out of your day regularly for divination, tarot, meditation, or any other activities through which the gift can manifest.
On the other hand, I hardly think that someone is “less of a witch” because there are periods in their life when they can not dedicate a lot of time to their practice. Unfortunately, even though that is my true belief, there are moments when I myself feel like “less than a witch” simply because I haven’t done anything I consider witchy in a while. I know that there must be many other witches out there that have felt the same.
That inspired me to think about what type of everyday activities or practices are, could be, or were at one time considered witchcraft. Historically speaking, many things that we don’t even think twice about today were considered witchcraft in the past (like for example, growing tomatoes in 1500s Europe). Today’s post is about salt and fermentation.
So, what is fermentation anyway?
It is the knowledge and practice of how to use salt to preserve food. The most common form is lacto-fermentation, a process by which lactic acid bacteria convert sugars into lactic acid which acts as a preservative. Salt plays a crucial role by creating the right conditions for lactic acid bacteria, and preventing the growth of other harmful organisms[1].
Salt is an ingredient everyone, but especially witches, are familiar with. The most well-known and common magical use of salt is for protection, and the strength of that power is believed to vary based on the type of salt the practitioner uses: table salt, sea salt, pink salt, and black salt all have slightly different properties, with black salt being the most powerful when it comes to protection and barrier magic.
Salt was also incredibly important to ancient alchemists in the Middle East and Europe. Salt exists either in ocean water, or as a sedimentary layer under the earth. In both cases, it is not a pure ready to use item. In order to actually make salt in the form that we are used to it today, it must first be totally dissolved, purified, and then reconstituted. This process was analogous to the soul work of alchemy: breaking the soul down to nothing, letting go of and releasing all impurities, sins, vices, and other negative attributes, and then being reborn as a pure and divine entity[2] (for a longer read on the alchemical properties of salt, go here).
The belief in the magical properties of salt is even older than medieval alchemy. Ancient peoples also believed that salt had mystical and spiritual properties. Most people have heard the phrase “salting the earth”, and in actuality, this practice was part beneficial magic and part curse. Ancient Assyrian texts speak of the practice of ceremonially spreading salt (and other plants and minerals) over towns and cities that have been conquered by their military. The practice of spreading salt was believed to purify a destroyed city, and also curse anyone who would attempt to rebuilt it.[3]
Salt has been used for its healing and restorative properties throughout the ancient world.[4] Fermented foods were also believed to have beneficial healing properties, a theory that has been supported by contemporary research. In fact, not only is easing fermented foods considered to have positive health benefits for your digestive system, but scientists and doctors are also discovering the ways that it affects the mind as well.[5]
Salt is an incredibly powerful and important substance, not just for witchcraft, but also for human survival. If you think about it, the ability of salt to preserve food contributed to the rise of human civilizations. Not only did it allow for the safe storage of foods throughout the winter, which decreased ancient cultures dependency on seasonal foods for survival, but it also encouraged exploration by making it possible to travel and transport food over long distances. That’s probably one of the reasons that fermentation practices exist all around the world, with the earliest records of fermentation dating back to 6000 BCE[6]. This amazing study provides information about global fermentation practices, and provides a good opportunity for each witch to explore their ancestral and cultural history through fermentation.
Given the importance of salt and fermentation to the ancient world, it is no surprise that ancient peoples worshiped deities associated with fermentation.[7]’
Deities Associated with Fermentation and Preservation of Foods
Rugutis (alt spelling: Rūgutis, Ruguczis, Ragutis, or Raugupatis)
Before the rise of Christianity if the Baltic, Lithuanian people believed in a rich pantheon of gods and lesser deities. Rugutis was believed to be a demi-god of fermentation and sour foods, specifically of grain. Rugutis would breathe into the grain and turn it into sourdough bread and beer. This deity was traditionally honored around the Autumnal Equinox for his gift of food preservation and intoxication.[8]
Aristaeus
A minor Greek God worshiped predominantly in Athens, Aristaeus was the son of Apollo and Cyrene. He is the God of many useful skills, trades, and arts. He is the patron God of fruit trees and vegetables and the art of food preservation, including fermenting, pickling, brining, curing, smoking, and drying of foods.[9]
Japan
Kayatsu-jinja Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Japan that is known as the “birthplace of pickles” and also the place where the “god of pickles” is enshrined. According to legend, the villagers would offer vegetables as a gift to the gods in this shrine, and started adding salt to them to prevent the vegetables from rotting. When this turned into delicious pickles, the villagers believed that it was a gift from the Gods. The shrine even contains a Konomonoden, a hall of pickles.
Another legend states that the mythical hero Prince Yamatotakeru stopped by this shrine on the way to the battlefield and was blessed by the gifts of pickles given to him by the villagers. August 21st is a day of celebration and pickle making where according to tradition vegetables are placed into pots of salt and placed in the shine for fermentation. When they are ready in the fall, they are brought and presented to the Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya, where Prince Yamatotakeru is enshrined.[10][11]
There are also folk stories which feature pickles, like this French Canadian folk tale about St Nicolas rescuing some children from being pickled and fed to a giant who loves pickled children. Another version of that story is also the inspiration of the lesser known American tradition of a Christmas Pickle, where a pickle shaped ornament is hidden in a tree bringing good fortune in the upcoming year to the person who finds it.
Is there a story about fermented foods or a deity that you know about that I missed? Please reach out and let me know in the comments!
Next time you are feeling like doing something witchy, but you don’t have the time or energy to dance naked under the full moon, try making some delicious fermented foods!
Many vegetables like cucumbers, beets, cabbage, peppers and radishes can be fermented and eaten straight out of the jar. The key is to make a brine which is between 3-5% salt by weight, which comes out to 1-3 Tablespoons of salt per quart of water. Discovering the perfect vegetable to salt to water ratio takes a little experimentation, intuition and dare I say it, prayer to a fermentation deity. Fermentation can take anywhere from 2 weeks to as long as you can wait!
You can also make fermented sauces by fermenting peppers with onions, garlic, and other herbs and spices. Simply strain the brine out, blend the veg, and add your brine back in a tablespoon at a time to get the right consistency. If you don’t have a fancy blender the consistency might be closer to salsa. If you want it to be closer to a sauce you can pass your blended veg through a sieve, just make sure you press it out really well.
You can add some extra witchiness to your fermentation cauldron by using dried herbs and spices to invoke specific seasons or intentions.
I like to use bay leaves, rosemary, garlic, and black peppercorn for protection.
To invoke little elemental fire energy, I would use spicy peppers, pink peppercorn, cumin, and paprika.
For a blend that invokes a cozy, warm sensation of being loved and supported I would use star anise, coriander, and bay leaf.
There is an endless number of combinations and blends to try. Let your intuition and palate be your guide.
[1] https://foodandnutrition.org/winter-2012/history-health-benefits-fermented-food/
[2] https://www.learnreligions.com/alchemical-sulfur-mercury-and-salt-96036
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salting_the_earth
[4] http://www.tribunes.com/tribune/sel/worm.htm
[5] https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/09/gut-feeling
[6] https://foodandnutrition.org/winter-2012/history-health-benefits-fermented-food/
[7] For this post I am focusing specifically on deities of fermented foods, not alcohol. There are many great articles about Gods of boozey drinks
[8] http://lnkc.lt/eknygos/eka/mythology/relmyth.html
[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristaeus
[10] https://japan-highlightstravel.com/en/travel/nagoya/120136/
[11] https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2010/08/28/national/god-of-pickles-aichi-shrine-blesses-veggies-soaked-in-brine/#.XzRGejV7k2w
