Herbs in Witchcraft - Pumpkins

Herbs in witchcraft in October obviously has to explore pumpkins. They're ubiquitous but also delicious and full of metaphysical symbolism. Let's dig into it.

Pumpkin sometimes gets a bad rap from people who think they're cooler than everyone else. Luckily, I don't care what anyone else things. Pumpkins are awesome. They are delicious, packed with nutrients, and full of magick. The possibilites are limitless.

Healing Properties of Pumpkins

Pumpkins may have been cultivated in the Americas since as early as 3500 BCE. Since then, they've spread around the world, though they're probably still most commonly grown and consumed in America. We may associate them with fancy coffee drinks, but they're actually really healthy.

These orange gourds are great for your eyesight with tons of vitamin A. They're high in fiber and low in calories and can help to reduce bad cholesterol. Their beta-carotene, which makes them orange, may help to prevent cancer. They can also be great in skincare, helping to reduce wrinkles.

Pumpkin seeds can also help boost your mood. They contain tryptophan which helps boost serotonin. Pumpkin can also give you a potassium boost after a workout to keep your energy levels up.

Magical Properties of Pumpkins

The primary metaphysical energy of pumpkins is abundance. Think of how big they can grow. And when you cut open a pumpkin, it's absolutely packed with seeds, each representing the possibility of new life and expansion. They can slo be used to represent long term abundance as pumpkins can be kept for a long time before they start to decay. Similarly, they can also be used to call in prosperity and fertility.

With their creeping vines, this plant can also be used for protection.

Pumpkins are associated with the sabbats of Mabon and Samhain, also known as Halloween, since they're in season during these harvest festivals.

Pumpkins were adopted by enslaved peoples and incorporated into their magical practices because they resembled gourds from people's home countries. This orange gourd is sacred to Oshun.

Witchcraft Uses

The most common use for pumpkins is to make jack-o-lanterns. American children carve pumpkins every year with a vague notion that they're connected to spooky Halloween without realizing their history and significance. Pumpkins took the place of turnips which were carved in Ireland at Samhain as a form of protection from spirits who may be present during this season when the veil is thin.

The scary face and the light of a jack-o-lantern serves as a home protection spell to stop any wandering spirits from lingering in your home. Some also say the light helps to lead them back to where they belong.

A pumpkin can also be hollowed out and used as a cauldron or container for spellwork.

Pumpkin Recipes for Kitchen Witches

I absolutely love baking with pumpkin, and I feel no shame in using canned pumpkin puree. I think our ancestors were so exhausted with all the work they had to do just to survive that they'd think we were crazy to not take the help where we can get it.

Here are 13 of my favorite pumpkin recipes to help bring abundance and prosperity into your kitchen this autumn.

• Prosperity Spice aka Pumpkin Spice - this doesn't contain pumpkin, but you can use it to accompany all your pumpkin baking recipes and increase your prosperity power.
• Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Pumpkin Spice Gooey Butter Cake
• Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
• Pumpkin Scones
• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
• Pure Pumpkin Cheesecake
• No-Bake Double Layer Pumpkin Pie
• Pumpkin Spice White Russian
• Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast
• Pumpkin Pancakes
• Pumpkin & Hazelnut Crostini

I hope you've found some new reasons and ways to work with pumpkins. I know I plan to include a pumpkin spell for my Samhain ritual this year. How will you use pumpkins in your practice?

Sources

• Herbalism Roots
• The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft by Judika Illes