Learn how to craft your own simmer pot spells to fill your home with aromatic magic and level up your kitchen witchery.
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Imagine a cauldron bubbling gently on a hearth, its fragrant steam curling upward in cloudy tendrils, whispering secrets of simpler times. Though we might not all have stone hearths or ancient cast iron cauldrons, the magic of simmer pot spells can still enchant our modern homes. These bewitching brews imbue your space with warmth, intention, and aromatic delight, invoking the magic of herbs, spices, and all that nature and your kitchen have to offer. Since simmer pots give off heat by their very nature, they are an ideal spell format for kitchen witches in the darker half of the year. So, as the wheel turns from the long hot days of Summer towards the refreshing respite of Autumn and the cold dark nights of Winter, dust off your cauldron and kindle your hearthfire, today we’re talking all things simmer pot spells!
What is a Simmer Pot Spell?
Simmer pot spells, often simply referred to as simmer pots, are a timeless technique within kitchen witchery, blending the arts of herbal magic and aromatherapy with the power of intention. At their core, they are simple concoctions of water and various botanicals simmered gently on the stove or over an open fire. As the ingredients (chosen for their magical correspondences and enchanting aromas) release their fragrant essences, they transform the energy of your space, filling it with warmth, positivity, and specific intentions based on the blend you choose. Whether you want to cleanse your home, attract abundance, or invoke joy and harmony, there is a simmer pot recipe waiting to weave its spell.
Simmer Pots: Spells or Potions?
When we think of bubbling cauldrons, most of us tend to think of potions rather than spells. So why do I refer to simmer pots as spells rather than potions?
To my mind, when crafting a potion, the potion itself is meant to be used in some way after it is created. Any magical liquid you consume, such as a magical mocktail, enchanted elixir, or spell-infused smoothie, would by this definition be a potion. I would also think of an enchanted essential oil roller bottle or room spray as a potion —first you make the liquid, then you use it. I would even stretch that to include balms and salves, which are liquid while you’re making them but harden to solid after cooling.
However, potions don’t have to be for personal care or consumption. Compost tea, or even perhaps paint could be potions. What all of these potions have in common is that while the act of potion making may involve spellwork and be a magical process, the point of the process is to create the potion, which will then be used later to pass its magic on to its ultimate purpose.
A simmer pot, however, is not typically meant to be consumed, although if all your ingredients are edible you could consume it as an herbal infusion. And you could certainly argue that spiced cider, mulled wine, bone broth, and kompot are simmer pot spells when brewed with a magical mindset and deliberate intention.
Nevertheless, the point of a simmer pot spell is in the simmering itself, the release of the aromatic steam to disperse your intentions into the air. The infusion that remains in the pot afterwards is merely a byproduct. While you can design a simmer pot spell that produces a usable liquid byproduct (such as kompot, broth, or a dye bath), it is still a simmer pot spell even if the liquid byproduct is totally inedible and otherwise unusable. Even if all you do is compost it. Even if you throw it away.
Since it is the simmering of the simmer pot that is the intention of this magical working, and not anything you do with the simmered liquid afterwards, I personally consider simmer pots to be spells and not potions. You bad think of this differently, and that’s okay, too! But if you keep reading the phrase “simmer pot spell” and wondering why, that’s why!
So now that you know what a simmer pot spell is, you’re probably wondering How do I create and cast my own simmer pot spells? That’s exactly what I’m here to discuss.
How to Create Your Own Simmer Pot Spell
- Choose an intention for your simmer pot spell. This could be anything from energetically cleansing your home to attracting abundance or inviting love. Your chosen intention will guide every other choice you make while crafting your simmer pot spell.
- Optional: invoke spiritual assistance with crafting and casting your simmer pot spell. This might be from deities, ancestors, a house spirit or land spirits, the elements, or another type of spirit you typically work with.
- Choose a vessel to be your cauldron, and fill it with water. This will be the blank canvas for your simmer pot spell.
- Add herbs, spices, and other aromatic or magical botanicals to your simmer pot based on your desired intention for your spell.
- Turn on the heat and bring the spell in your cauldron to a simmer or low boil.
- As the steam begins to rise from your simmer pot, visualize your spell spreading with the steam throughout your kitchen and your home, infusing your own energy and the energy of your space with the intentions of the spell you’ve crafted.
- Add water to keep the spell simmering and prevent burning for as long as you’d like. When you feel the spell is complete, remove the simmer pot from the heat source and allow it to cool.
- Once cool, dispose of the contents. I recommend composting the solids and watering your garden with the liquids to both give back to the earth and add a little magic to your kitchen witch garden. However you dispose of your spent ingredients, be sure to give thanks to the earth and the herbal allies that contributed to your simmer pot spell.
In the rest of this article, we’ll discuss in detail the choices you can make to craft your very own simmer pot spells.
Choosing Your Intention for Your Simmer Pot Spell
Intention isn’t everything, but a spell without a clear intention is hardly a spell at all. As with any spell, the first step is to set your intention. Each element of your simmer pot spell will be selected according to the intention you set.
Simmer pot spells are great for parties or any time you have company over, and they can be used to enchant your home with a joyous and convivial atmosphere, as well as fill your home with delicious smells to delight your guests. Or you could make a simmer pot spell to help your household get along, featuring one ingredient to represent each member of the household. Need to get some work done? Craft a simmer pot spell for focus. Deep cleaning your kitchen? Purify its energy while you’re at it with an energy cleansing simmer pot.
Simmer pot spells can be invoked for inviting opportunities for love, opening your energy to receive prosperity and abundance, clearing a streak of bad luck, or just about anything you can dream up, so examine your needs and determine what intention best suits your purposes. Once you have settled on an intention, you can begin to craft your simmer pot spell.
Invoking Spiritual Assistance with Simmer Pot Spells
Before you begin to add ingredients, if you work with any particular deities or spirits (including ancestors, house spirits, elementals, etc) who seem appropriate to involve in this working, you may want to invoke them with your regular method (perhaps by lighting a candle, speaking a prayer, or perhaps even simply by asking) and request their assistance with this spell. You could request that they guide your intuition and your hand as you select your ingredients, or that they empower your spell with their divine, ancestral, or elemental blessing.
If elemental work is a part of your practice, you may want to invoke the elements at certain points throughout your spell. Invoke the element of water before you fill your cauldron with water; invoke the element of earth as you add your chosen botanical ingredients; invoke the element of fire as you light the fire or turn on the heat beneath your simmer pot; and invoke the element of air as the steam begins to rise.
If you work with plant spirits, you may want to verbally request the assistance of the spirit of each botanical ingredient you add to your simmer pot spell.
If you work with deities or ancestors or spirits who are closely associated with a particular botanical, you may want to add that ingredient to your simmer pot spell when requesting their involvement regardless of whether or not the ingredient specifically corresponds to your chosen spell intention.
For example, I work most closely with Venus these days, so I might add rose petals to any simmer pot with which I was requesting her assistance, even if it wasn’t for a love spell or protection spell. Or if I wanted to invoke Guan Yin, I would be sure to add a few leaves of Tie Guan Yin oolong (a type of tea purported to be a gift from Guan Yin herself). If your ancestors respond to offerings of tobacco, consider adding a pinch of tobacco to your simmer pot spell if you desire their assistance.
From Crockpots to Cauldrons: Selecting the Vessel for Your Simmer Pot Spell
To create your own simmer pot spell, begin by selecting an appropriate vessel to contain the magic. If you happen to have inherited your great grandmother’s cast iron cooking pot, or if you have in your collection a magnificent copper cauldron, this is definitely their moment to shine! However, a trusty crockpot or humble saucepan will also suffice.
Using what you might think of as a mere mundane piece of everyday cookware will not detract from the magic of the spell—in fact, you may find that after being used for one or two simmer pot spells, such a pot starts to feel considerably more magical regardless of its humble origins. What kind of pots you have or what your kitchen looks like do not determine how much magic you can make in it. What matters is that you the magic-maker can tap into the magic that flows through your veins and hides in your spice cabinet.
As you delve deeper into the world of kitchen witchery, however, you may feel called to acquire an assortment of items that help you tap into your own innate magic more easily. Beautiful cookware and sacred kitchen decor can help with this and is certainly fun to collect. If you do have a collection, you may even find that you prefer particular pieces for certain types of magic—copper for love and money magic, for example, or cast iron for strength and protection, or ceramic for grounding. Perhaps you find a crockpot with a beautiful design on it, or a decorative and symbolic wrap you can apply to an existing crockpot.
The possibilities are endless, but the true requirements are minimal. It is better to start making magic in a kitchen you’re not totally in love with and let the magic you make infuse the space over time, inspiring you to gradually craft your ideal apothecary as you manifest each perfect piece individually, than to let a less-than-ideal kitchen keep you from making the very magic that could begin to transform it according to your desires, and even transform your entire life!
Magic in the Water: The First Ingredient
Once you’ve got your chosen cauldron, fill it with water at least halfway. Water, the universal solvent, will serve as the blank canvas for your simmer pot spell, into which all your other ingredients release their vital essences.
If you have some and it feels appropriate, you could use or supplement with moon water, sun water, water charged under the moon in a particular star sign, spring water, rain water, snowmelt, or even snow or ice.
A simmer pot intended to get energy moving in an area of your life that feels stuck may benefit from the addition of some snow or ice. As the ice melts, visualize the relevant area of your life becoming unstuck. Taurus moon water could help with love or abundance spells, or Scorpio moon water could help with divination, protection, or sex magic. Sun water could help with luck, prosperity, cleansing, and purification. Rain water would also be great for cleansing and purification, or for encouraging growth in an area of your life. As with many things in magic, the possibilities are truly endless.
Selecting Herbs, Spices, and Other Ingredients for Your Simmer Pot Spell
Then, add ingredients that align with your desired outcome. Consider not only the traditional magical correspondences of each ingredient (which can be researched online or in books such as those recommended at the end of this post), but also your own personal associations with the ingredients and their smells. You may also want to consider how each individual ingredient will intermingle with the others, and craft a combination of ingredients that harmonize energetically and play well together aromatically.
For a cleansing spell, consider the purifying power of lemon or grapefruit, rosemary, and spearmint. Need to add an element of protection? Consider adding a few black peppercorns or a home grown rose with the thorns attached.
To invite love, stir in the sweetness of rose petals, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, and vanilla. Want to add a little heat to the equation? Consider nutmeg or ginger.
Fresh or Dried? Sliced or Diced? Ingredient Formats in Simmer Pot Spells
With citrus, you can slice the fruit into coins or wedges (coin shapes are ideal for workings centered around prosperity and abundance) and simmer the whole thing, or you can juice and/or zest it for another recipe first and save the peels and remnants for your next simmer pot. Fresh ginger could even be sliced into coins and then cut into heart shapes for a love spell.
With herbs, fresh is best, but can get expensive if you don’t grow them yourself. Dried herbs should work just fine, if that’s what you have (but any excuse to start an herb garden is a good excuse to start an herb garden!). Additionally, any botanical you don’t have in fresh or dried form can be substituted with a high quality version of its corresponding essential oil. Essential oils will generally offer a more powerful aroma than fresh or dried plant matter, but may evanesce more quickly–and as much as I truly adore them, even I have to admit they offer nothing to the visual aspect of a simmer pot spell.
Curious about Oil Magic? Click here to learn all about making magic with essential oils.
If you’re not up for sacrificing an entire vanilla bean — though sacrifice can be an effective element of magic — the pure genuine extract should work just as well, or you could use a few drops of Vanilla oleoresin.
You can also add some unconventional ingredients if they suit your purposes. For example, gold leaf flakes or mica powder for a prosperity and abundance simmer pot spell. Or you may want to create a magical dye bath using plant dyes such as onion skins for protection, pomegranate skins for divination or prosperity, or avocado peels for love magic.
Finally, light the fire (or turn on the heat) beneath the concoction in your cauldron, and let the spell slowly come to heat.
As it does so, visually imagine the energy inherent in the fire or heating element transferring into the water in your cauldron, and then into your botanical ingredients. Imagine the heat activating and awakening the power that lies dormant in your chosen herbs, spices, etc, and distributing their power throughout the water in your cauldron, and eventually rising into the air.
Magic in the Air: Simmering, Steam, & Sorcery
As your spell begins to bubble, gaze into the simmering pot or the rising clouds of steam and focus on your intention. Visualize the tendrils of scented steam carrying your wishes into every corner of your home, infusing it with the magic you have crafted. As you inhale the aroma of your simmering spell, envision the magic infusing your veins, its power penetrating into the very essence of your being.
Once the spell has successfully spread throughout your home, if your intentions reach out beyond your home, you may want to crack a window or open a door (even if only briefly) to encourage some of the spell to spread out into the great wide world beyond and work its magic there. Take a moment to visualize this — even if you can’t see it physically happening, the air carrying your intentions is dispersing (in a good way).
Simmering Down & Finishing Up: Completing Your Simmer Pot Spell
As the water level in your cauldron falls, you can add more water to keep it going longer if you want to. (You don’t want to keep simmering when there’s too little water, or you’ll end up burning your ingredients and could potentially even start a fire.) When you feel ready to bring the spell to an end, remove the cauldron from the heat or turn off the burner.
Then, dispose of the remaining liquid and plant matter. If you have a compost pile or compost tumbler, composting is my favorite way to dispose of spent plant matter, as then the remnants of the magic I make today can feed and fertilize the ingredients I grow tomorrow! If you don’t have a composting system, you can throw away the solids and pour the liquid into some plants to give back to the earth, or if absolutely necessary, down the drain. Either way, be sure to give thanks for the contributions made by each constituent of your spell.
Further Resources for Simmer Pot Spells
Recommended Reading
- Essential Oil Magic: Natural Spells for the Green Witch by Vervain Helsdottir
- Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Wicca In the Kitchen by Scott Cunningham
- My Blog Posts on Magical Correspondences
Your Cauldron Is Your Canvas
As you bring your simmer pot spell to a close, take a moment to reflect on the power you’ve just infused into your space. Whether for love, protection, abundance, or peace, each ingredient and each moment of focused attention has contributed to the synergistic spell you’ve created. Remember, the beauty of simmer pot spells lies in their simplicity and adaptability—there are no strict rules, only your intuition and personal touch. Now that you’ve learned the process, trust yourself to craft your own spells, experimenting with spices, herbs, and intentions that call to you. With your cauldron as your canvas and intuition as your guide, you can now venture forth confident in your ability to manifest the magic you seek.
Until we meet again – be well, seek beauty, and leave a little magic wherever you go.
Blessings,
