Magical Muesli: Summer Spellcraft in a Breakfast Bowl

Magical Muesli: Summer Spellcraft in a Breakfast Bowl June 12, 2013

Oatmeal is one of my comfort foods.

But it’s a cold-weather food, and the heat index in St. Louis was heading for 100. So I made my first batch of muesli.

Being a witch, it was Magical Muesli. Without planning it, the  ingredients I chose have magical and deity correspondences that I needed that day. Practical intuition at work.

Muesli is like granola, but with less sugar. Certainly with less sugar and sodium than packaged granolas or other breakfast cereals. And without any of the other things I don’t want to eat. It usually has dried fruit or grated apples, but as I wanted to make some I could both store and sprinkle over yogurt and fruit, I left out those ingredients.

I started with rolled oats. Oats are one of our earliest domesticated foods. Their ancestors have been found in the Fertile Cresecent’s archeological sites. Like rye, oats likely began as a weed near wheat and barley fields. I like knowing that women who baked cakes for the Queen of Heaven may have used oats and honey to do so. Whether we called her Asherah, Inanna, Ishtar or Astarte, we loved Her and honored Her.

Flash forward a couple thousand years, and the Celts are planting oats on the rocky shores of Britain and Ireland. Oats are high in protein, having one of the best amino acid profiles of any grain. They have a good balance of essential fatty acids, and are a good source of vitamins and minerals. Plus, they thrive in rocky soils that would be the death of a weaker plant.

So in one grain, I have nutrition and a connection to the two holy lands of my personal pantheon—the ancient Near East and the British Isles. Oats can be  used in correspondences for Venus, and to worship or invoke Brigid. I can also attest that my household faeries enjoy it as an offering.

In spellwork, oats could be used for prosperity, abundance, love and sexual magic, or creativity. Given that oats will grow in rocky or unpromising soil, I also think of them as useful for blessing lasting love that will survive the rough patches of life.

The oats were joined by chopped walnuts, sliced almonds and coarse-ground flax seed,  then toasted lightly in butter. Walnuts bring access to divine energy and blessings. Their high manganese content helps heal the nervous system, making them also associated with calming us during transitions. The walnut tree was sacred to Astarte in the Near East, and associated with Aphrodite by the Greeks.

Almonds are associated with the planet Mercury and the air element. The nuts can be used to draw money or luck. Given their association with Mercury/Hermes, that also spells an association with gambling luck to me, or the ability to say the right thing at the right time.

Almonds also can be used in fertility charms by women to encourage the male seed to quicken within. As an erotic massage oil, it would have the same purpose.

Flax seeds can be used to absorb negative energy, and are useful in healing and protection spells. Like almonds, they can be carried in the wallet or purse to attract money. They also have a good omega 3 fatty acid and antioxidant profile. And taste much better than fish oil when sprinkled on yogurt.

The yogurt and butter, I see as belonging to Brigid. I always think of Her in connection to dairy products. As for the strawberries I also ate, I associate them with spring and renewal. Magically, they are associated with love, friendship, sexuality; the planet Venus, of course, and Freya’s Friday.

All in all, I had created a very Venusian dish, with shout-outs to Hermes and Brigid as well. I’ve been feeling creatively blocked around a project having to do with my Irish ancestry. I’m contemplating some trips and home projects that call for a bit more money. And, I was missing my sweetie, as I often do during the week. We live far enough apart that weekday visits are very difficult to schedule.

Some home-made muesli may not fix all those things—but with the energies and correspondences involved, it’s a good start.

What was in the muesli, and how I made it:
2 cups rolled oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill, which are gluten-free)
1/2 cup each chopped walnuts, sliced almonds, coarsely ground flax seeds. (Make sure the flax seeds are ground. We cannot digest whole flax seeds.)
1 Tablespoon butter (I used Kerrygold)

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.  If you like, trace the symbol for Venus or Mercury into the top of the mixture, or think about the issues with which you need Divine and/or magical assistance. Heat half the butter in a cast iron skillet or other heavy pan until bubbling. Pour half dry ingredients into skillet. Turn to coat with butter. Continue toasting, stirring constantly, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until ingredients smell toasty and nuts start to sizzle slightly. Continue to pray or to concentrate on your magical intent. Remove ingredients to another bowl; repeat toasting with remaining butter and dry ingredients. Let cool, then put into airtight container to store. Should keep several weeks.

I used a half-cup of this mixture on one cup of yogurt with spring’s last strawberries sliced into it. Very tasty and filling. And, if you’ve worked mindfully and with magical intent, a good bit of spellcraft as well!


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