The Ritualist

Spells, guidance, musings & more.

Grounding and Centering Around the Winter Solstice

No. 003

The Winter Solstice is a harbinger, a blessing, and a candle in the cold night. Bringing the beginning of winter and Capricorn season, solstice beckons the daylight from its December shadows. After the winter solstice, days again begin to lengthen, and the wheel turns toward spring, slowly. 

The etymology of solstice comes from Latin, meaning the sun standing still. And yet, amongst this stillness, this inner peace, these winter wishes, the holiday season that unfolds can bring its own set of challenges. 

Calling on ritual during the solstice season can be a powerful way to ground, center, and regroup in the festivities and chaos of the time. 

The Ritual

This simple ritual can be done in just a few minutes for the busiest of all holiday ritualists (amidst family, friends, hosting, and visiting). Find a moment where you can be alone, wherever you can (bathroom, bedroom, pantry). 

Take three deep clearing and cleansing breaths. 

As you breathe in and out, in and out, feel your feet (or sit bones) grounding into the earth. Imagine the earth absorbing any energy that doesn’t belong to you, knowing it belongs to the season's chaos, as it runs out of your body and into the ground. 

The earth is a beautiful alchemist and can transform this energy on your behalf as all that doesn’t belong to you leaves you. 

Now, put your hand either on your belly or your heart. Imagine that you call all your energy back, all the power that belongs to you  (from conversations, discussions, tasks, and to-do lists). Imagine your inherent wholeness and peace, supported by the season of solstice, new beginnings, and stillness, like the sacred sun. 

Speak this affirmation aloud, or repeat it in your head three times…

I affirm that I am whole and that all that belongs to me brings me peace, allowing me to remain present. I affirm that all that doesn’t belong to me returns to the earth, becoming seeds for the spring to transform into our planet's sacred trees and blooms. I am serene, supported, and centered, and I celebrate myself and those I love. I am a blessed candle in the window of this divine time.
no. 002
Food for the Soul
Nourishment is ritual. Food is grown under the sunlight, moonlight, and stars, tended to, harvested, baked, cooked, stewed, and arranged into meals in our communities, cultures, and homes. Certain dishes remind us of ancestors who have passed through the veil, a specific memory, or a time in our lives. They may be indicative of a holiday we celebrate with loved ones. The very scent of a spice can transport us. This is the definition of magic.

Kitchen witchery is the practice of preparing food with the foundational belief that food is medicine, food can be imbued with intention, and food can heal. Try practicing Kitchen Witchery by speaking healing intentions over a dish as you prepare the food, singing over the food, or humming healing notes.

Another way to connect with food as medicine is to practice presence while eating, focusing on each bite and savoring all the delicious work that goes into your food. Kitchen Witches also cook with specific healing culinary herbs such as garlic, rosemary, sage, thyme, and more for healing magic in your meals.

Saying thank you is always a spell. To practice gratitude, you can bless the meal before eating, sing a song of thanks, or pray to the sun, moon, and farmers.

Kitchen witchery is the practice of preparing food with the foundational belief that food is medicine, food can be imbued with intention, and food can heal.

A Recipe for Gathering: Vegan Pumpkin Pie

During the holidays at the end of the Gregorian year, there are many gatherings and blessings to be celebrated and honored, as well as grounded practices to be implemented amongst the chaos of the time. 

Try crafting a recipe to share with your loved ones, practicing a little Kitchen Witchery. Speak a spell of the season into this Vegan Pumpkin Pie, sending love and Winter Solstice blessings into the crust. Share abundantly! 

This vegan pumpkin pie recipe comes from For Love and Lemons here. For this recipe, you’ll need three cups of Canned Pumpkin Puree, 13.5 fl oz Coconut Cream, ¾ cup Brown Sugar, ¼ cup Cornstarch, one tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice, two teaspoons Vanilla Extract, ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt, and one Vegan Pie Crust.  

Place the pumpkin puree, coconut cream, brown sugar, cornstarch, pumpkin spice, vanilla, and salt in a blender. Blend until smooth.  Next, assemble the pie. Pour the filling into the chilled pie crust, and use a spatula to smooth the top. Then, bake. Place the pie on a baking sheet. Bake on a low oven rack in a 350°F oven for about an hour until the crust is golden brown, and cracks form in the filling. The middle of the filling will still look jiggly. That’s ok! Finally, let the pie set up. Allow it to cool to room temperature before covering it with foil or a kitchen towel and transferring it to the fridge. Chill for at least four hours or overnight before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

Art: Irving Penn's "The Empty Plate," 1949.

The Sacred Pendant

No. 001
Five Ways to Connect with Spirit Through Rituals of Adornment 

There's something magical about clasping your lucky necklace and letting it fall against your chest before leaving the house. Practices of adornment and rituals of wearing jewelry are time-honored traditions, and the use of ritual jewelry goes back thousands of years. Ancient people have been discovered buried with their sacred jewelry pieces in every culture.

Rituals of adornment are not solely for the past, as jewelry can be imbued with spells, worked with in rituals, and called upon for healing in modern life. Perhaps you are already working with jewelry ritually subconsciously, or maybe you are already ritually minded, casting spells with your sacred and favorite pieces. Here are five ways to connect with spirit through rituals of adornment. 

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