Public - Newsletter

Autumn is upon us. Hurrah! By the time this lands in your inboxes, team Kitchen Witch would have had their annual holiday. We decided to explore Torquay, which is a seaside town in Devon. The weather was kind to us, - warm, dry days with sunshine and cloudless blue skies. We walked a lot - exploring beaches, caves, abbey ruins and many cafes. The evenings were spent in our static caravan holiday home, chatting, divination reading and plotting and planning for 2026.

We have another workshop and ritual in late November, celebrating the winter and the Cailleach and there is lots to look forward to in the early part of next year.

Have a fabulous month.

Ness x

What's Going on in Nature this Month from Ness  

September brought some much needed rain to the UK. The summer was very warm and a lot of our native plants suffered in the heat. I lost a couple of my shrubs that couldn't cope, despite being well watered every evening once the sun had gone down. My rosemary, meanwhile, grew like mad and positively flourished in the heat. As I type this, it is late September and it is still relatively mild for this time of year. Although some leaves have fallen from the trees, I have noticed that there isn't the colour change that we expect from the leaves yet. Most of the trees are still a vibrant green. My lavender has a couple of new flowers on it and my roses are budding. I think Mother Nature is very confused at the moment.

The winter is long enough, so I am enjoying being able to walk along the hedgerows without getting muddy. The blackberries are spent, but the hawthorn berries are shining brightly, as are the rosehips. Fruits like apples, pears, and plums are very overripe now and falling from the trees, if not picked. Thanks to my daughter in law, I have a freezer full of apple, plums, raspberries and blackberries. Lots of warming pies and crumbles for the cooler days ahead.

A lot of the hedgerow plants are starting to die back for the winter - mugwort, burdock, nettle, thistle, cleavers and dock. It doesn't seem that long ago when I was talking about them coming up through the earth. The autumn is a time when other plants start flowering - bay, bristly ox tongue are two examples. Although a lot of plants and flowers die off, there is still some plants to see and observe while out on a winters walk.

Recipe for October by Heather

Pumpkin Cake

We had a charity cake sale at work recently.  One of my colleagues was quite secretive about her donation, until everyone who bought a slice raved about its flavour and texture, then telling us it was a Pumpkin Cake!  She kindly shared the recipe she had used and so I pass this on to you with the added magically seasonal correspondences it contains.

Cake

300g/10.5oz self-raising flour – prosperity, rebirth, abundance, wishes, unity, sustenance, grounding

300g/10.5oz light muscovado sugar – love, protection, attraction, wealth, happiness

3 tsp mixed spice – attraction, wealth, abundance, confidence, love, passion

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda – cleansing, protection, clarity, divination, abundance, growth, energy, magic

175g/6oz sultanas – health, abundance, joy, happiness, conviviality

½ tsp salt – cleansing, purification, cleansing

4 eggs beaten – fertility, creativity, life, growth, expansion, divination, cleansing

200g/7oz butter melted – peace, spirituality, abundance, nourishment, perseverance, clarity, focus

zest 1 orange plus 1 tbsp orange juice – love, happiness, generosity, purification, clarity, energy, loyalty

500g/180z (peeled weight) pumpkin or butternut squash flesh, grated – prosperity, wisdom, healing, wishes, love, protection

Frosting

200g/7oz pack soft cheese – divination, transformation, abundance, prosperity,

85g/3oz butter softened – see above

100g/3.5oz icing sugar sifted – see above

zest 1 orange and juice of half – see above

Method

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line a 30 x 20cm baking or small roasting tin with baking parchment. Put the flour, sugar, spice, bicarbonate of soda, sultanas and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine.

Beat the eggs into the melted butter, stir in the orange zest and juice, then mix with the dry ingredients till combined. Stir in the pumpkin. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and springy to the touch.

To make the frosting, beat together the cheese, butter, icing sugar, orange zest and 1 tsp of the juice till smooth and creamy, then set aside in the fridge. When the cake is done, cool for 5 mins then turn it onto a cooling rack. Prick it all over with a skewer and drizzle with the rest of the orange juice while still warm. Leave to cool completely.

Give the frosting a quick beat to loosen, then, using a palette knife, spread over the top of the cake. If you’re making the cake ahead, keep it in the fridge then take out as many pieces as you want 30 mins or so before serving. Will keep, covered, for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Unfrosted this cake can be stored in the freezer for about a month.

This recipe can be found here -https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/halloween-pumpkin-cake

Goddess for October by Heather

The Cailleach

She is ancient

She is the landscape beneath our feet

She is the mountains and the hills

She is the rock and stone that leads down to the shore

She is wisdom

She is knowledge

She is mysteries

She is the old hag

She is The Cailleach.

From Pagan Portals: The Cailleach by Rachel Patterson

Front cover by Emma Patterson

As soon as I asked Who I should write about this month, the Cailleach appeared immediately!  This is not really surprising, as She is Rachel’s Matron Goddess and likes to keep a watchful eye on all that goes on at HQ! And this is Her time of year!!

The Cailleach is a Goddess of ancestral wisdom, the weather (it is She who determines Winter’s length and harshness!), time, shape-shifting and winter.   She is also believed to have shaped the landscape by dropping boulders from her apron, creating the mountains and valleys as She strode across the land.  She is mostly depicted as a veiled old woman, sometimes with only one eye, Her skin very pale or blue.  In some representations Her teeth are red, and her clothes are ornamented with skulls.

In addition to being associated with winter and creator of landscapes, the Cailleach is also the protector of animals.  Some myths describe Her looking after animals during the long dark winter months, herding deer, and being patron of wolves, indeed  some stories describe the Cailleach shapeshifting into a wolf.

Working with the Cailleach is an experience! She is a straight talking, ‘let’s get on with it now’ Goddess, known to tap Her foot and tut to indicate when you are not doing something properly!  Little is known about how our ancestors worked with Her, the following are Rachel’s suggestions, from years of having a close relationship –

Attributes: Balance, rebirth, cycles, endurance, overcoming hardship, honesty, winter, harvest, autumn, night, wind, seas, nature, storms

Element: Earth

Colours: Grey, blue, black, silver, white, brown

Herbs and Plants: Woodruff, witch hazel, hazel, hazel nuts, rue, patchouli, honeysuckle, holly, elm, elder, pansy, poppy, rose, tansy, yew, clove, pine, St John’s wort, snapdragon, magnolia

Stones: Rough stones, grey agate, turquoise, blue howlite, pebbles, shells, sea glass

Animals: Cats, deer, wolves, owls, cattle, swine, wild boar, goats, ravens, crows

Symbols: Hammers, rocks, snow, hills, wands, deer, mountains, earth, skulls, spirals, the waning moon, falling leaves

Places: Mountains, rivers, lakes, streams, rocky places, megalithic temples, standing stones, wells, the ocean, marshes 

Suggested Offerings: Pebbles, hag stones, shells, feathers, boiled sweets (as Rachel says, She is an old lady, they tend to like boiled sweets)

Here are a few suggestions from Rachel to enable you to connect to the Cailleach –

A hag stone (holey stone), a pebble or a shell – hold one or each of these in your hand, sit for a few moments in silence and connect with the earth energies of the item to bring you balance and connection to the strength of the Cailleach.

Feed the birds in your garden or local park.

Any craft item made with stones, shells or pebbles would be perfect to honour the Cailleach, for example, painting a spiral shape on a large flat pebble. Use small shells and glue them to an old picture frame.

Create a pebble or shell spiral in your garden.

Write inspirational words or affirmations onto pebbles and keep them in a dish in your home.

If you have hag stones (holey stones) thread them onto a ribbon and hang them over a doorway for positive energy and good luck or wear one as a pendant.

If you want to know more about this formidable but caring Goddess, Rachel’s book provides the known history, together with why She is relevant to us today and how to build a supportive relationship with Her.

Craft for October by Heather

Decide on a series of symbols that have meaning for you, the following are a few of my ideas –

Heart for love 

Arrow for Direction

Phone for communication

Wheel for travel

Sun for illumination

Moon for intuition

Star for success

Cross for opportunities

Eye for insight

Elemental symbols = earth for grounding, air for overcoming obstacles, fire for clearing, water for emotions

Once you have decided on your images, go for a walk and collect the number of acorns you need, plus a few as spare and to decorate your altar.

Using a marker pen, draw one of your symbols on each acorn. Place them in a pouch or a bowl.  Hold this in your hands and chant or talk, telling them what you have made them for, here is my idea for a chant –

Acorn messengers with my chosen marks, 

Ignite my intuition with your sparks!

Pick an acorn each day, or turn them all out onto a cloth, read the story that they show you.

Rune of the month from Ness Armstrong

This months rune is Ansuz - also known as Odin's rune. The rune of communication, of divine speech or creative speech.

Are you listening to what the universe is telling you? Reach out to your guides, your deity and ask them for guidance. What can we learn from them?

Working with Ansuz also teaches us to let our voices be heard. If there is something that you are passionate about, shout about it, be proud of your voice. Can you make a difference?

If you feel that you are in the right about something, speak up and ask to be listened to.

Prosperity Hoard Box

To celebrate the release of Rachel's new book - Prosperity Magic, we are pleased to reveal our newest hoard box - the Prosperity Hoard Box. This is a limited edition and not only contains a signed copy of the book by Rachel, but everything that you will need to create some of the prosperity spells that are in the book.

The book will also be available to purchase separately of course and Rachel is hosting a live event on the day of the launch - Saturday 15th November 6pm GMT - to celebrate it's release.

Available from our Kitchen Witch Emporium

Kitchen Witch Online Day Retreat

Join Rachel, Heather and Ness for an ONLINE day retreat

Hosted via Zoom

7th February 2026

10am to 4pm​

Focusing on magical self care we will spend the day working with ritual, magic, meditation and ceremony with some spell crafting too, all designed to help with keeping our inner flame burning brightly.

Held via Zoom we will be online from 10am to 4pm with lots of chat, support and laughter of course!

You can attend via video and audio, just audio if you prefer to keep your camera off or you can just watch and listen and type any questions or responses - it is entirely up to you.

A list of suggested items to have ready will be sent closer to the time, but they will all be easily available.

Early bird price £45

​(KW School students ask about a discount code)

To book https://www.kitchenwitchhearth.net/shop