Public - Newsletter

Welcome to our July 2026 Kitchen Witch newsletter

Well, here we are in July already! This year is speeding on by and by the time you read this, we would have had the Summer Solstice and it was a very warm one here in the South of the UK. 

Rachel, Heather and I have been very busy but we managed to slot a KWHQ day in a couple of weeks ago. After our wonderful pottery day in Southsea, the making of creations with clay hadn't waned. Rachel bought a huge block of air dry clay, with a packet of various carving tools, so we spent most of the day - after demolishing a delicious breakfast at her local cafe - making altar bowls, altar tiles, runes and other Norse and Anglo Saxon inspired items. I have had an interest in the Norse tradition for a few years, but there has been a wyrd chain of events recently over the course of a few months that has led the 3 of us on a very similar pathway. It has been exciting, mildly baffling, but we trust the universe and the web of wyrd and look forward to seeing where all this will lead us. 

We have a Waffling Witches chat on Friday 10th July, and a ritual for Belisama on Saturday 25th July. Details for the ritual are below. We are also planning a day jolly to Glastonbury. I haven't been in a long time, and there is a lovely list of shops that will require my attention. 

Until next month, have a fabulous July

Ness x

 Online Open Ritual for Belisama

Our next open online ritual is on the 25th July at 6pm. 

It will be streamed on our Kitchen Witch YouTube channel, as well as Rachel's YouTube channel.

Rune for July by Ness

The rune for this month is Thurisaz or Thurs - the rune of defense and of compromised boundaries. 

This is a month for speaking up for yourself, to set your boundaries and not be pushed into a corner. Having someone push you to the limits is not a comfortable feeling. Learn to take back your control and politely say "no" once in a while. 

It is all about taking care of yourself, learning to stand firm for what you believe in and what you will and will not accept from others. 

Keep practising setting your boundaries, even if it sometimes makes you feel uncomfortable. It will get easier!

What's Going on in Nature this Month from Ness  

This month has been fabulous for spotting all kinds of flowers, shrubs and plants in nature. The Green Man and Mother Earth have been extremely busy. I was very pleased to discover Self Heal in my front lawn last week. I shall be adding that to our Kitchen Witch online Herbarium. 

I have spotted hawberries, blackberries and sloe berries - all small, green and hard, but we know that the summer sun will be doing her work over the next couple of months, and they will start to ripen. 

Dock and Nettles are well over 6 feet tall in some places and Burdock is also flourishing. I have yet to see any blooms on these yet, but the buds have appeared. Chamomile, Pineapple Weed, Queen Anne's Lace, Mugwort - the list goes on and the footpaths that I walk on are getting skinnier with the green growth along them. 

The early crops of rapeseed are starting to ripen and the wheat, although still lush and green, will also start to ripen over the next couple of months. 

Although the wheel has turned and the days will get slowly shorter again, we still have another 3 months of warm sunny weather, before my favourite season is upon us.

My Goddess of the Month by Ness

Way back when I was a Kitchen Witch student, I took the Arc of the Goddess course which meant working with a particular Goddess each month for a whole year. I found this course to be very enjoyable and it allowed me to work with many Goddesses during that year that I had not worked with before. There was a title to go with each month's meditation and July's was 'keeper of the flame'

I made a felt dolly to represent each of the Goddesses that I connected with and added to them, what I was gifted from them in my meditation. I found the Goddesses tucked away in a box, while I was looking for something, so have decided to show you one each month with a paragraph or three about them, how I worked with each Goddess and their correspondences.

July - Badb

The month of July gave me Badb (pronounced Bav) - a Celtic and Irish deity who is one of the Morrigan when she is in her Triple Goddess aspect. I remember having an interest in her around the time of this course for her connection with Crows. 

It is most odd, but the work that I had written about her has disappeared from my file - I only have the felt dolly and her gift of a piece of coal. So I am going to have to revisit her so that I can hopefully recall what she taught me for that month. 

Her name is said to mean 'crow' or 'battle crow' and she was a Goddess of War. She brought war in all its aspects of rage and violence, but she also brought the other side of war - compassion, peace, and wisdom. I always think of dark deities as having two sides to them.

I do remember the details of my meditation - she handed me the coal and said it was to light my own internal fire, to keep it burning. Not to give up on my own dreams, wishes and goals. To have faith in my abilities and to fight against the negativity and self doubt in my own head. I felt that she definitely came to me to help me fight my own battles with confidence and self esteem. 

I read a fascinating piece on her by Mabh Savage which was published in Naming the Goddess - a collection of works by different authors on various deities around the world. The book is published by Moon Books if you wanted to investigate further.

 Sigyn by Heather

Loki and Sigyn" (1863) by Mårten Eskil Winge.

Sigyn is Loki’s wife. Mention of Her in the sagas is sparse, but She is always described as being devoted and loyal, together they had two sons, Nari and Vali

Sigyn’s most famous story is Her role in Loki’s punishment after he caused the death of Baldur. The Gods captured Loki, Vali was transformed into a wolf and killed his brother Nari.  The Gods then used Nari’s entrails to bind Loki, placing a venomous snake above His head, to drip poison onto Him. Sigyn stayed by Loki, holding a bowl to catch the venom, to protect Him as much as possible.  When she had to move away to empty the bowl, drops would fall on Loki, causing him to writhe in agony, which made the earth shake. 

She is associated with faithfulness, endurance, strength, resilience and loyalty, all qualities that were greatly valued in Norse society. 

Today we can call on Sigyn to assist us in our workings for –

Strength, loyalty, reliability, devotion, love, honour, endurance, perseverance, resilience, determination, patience, tolerance, protection, courage, trust, commitment, change, challenges.

 Recipe for the Month by Heather

Honey Biscuits

 These can be used as an offering to Sigyn, as well as being simple make and exceedingly morish!

1 cup/150g butter softened

1 cup/150g sugar 

2 tablespoon honey

1 egg yolk

2 cups/300g self-raising flour

Pre-heat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line two trays with baking paper.

Place the softened butter and sugar into a bowl and beat until pale and creamy. Add the honey, egg yolk and self-raising flour and mix until a dough forms.

Use a dessert spoon to scoop up the mixture and shape into a small ball with your hands. Place onto the baking tray and repeat until all of the mixture has been used.

Gently press on the top of the biscuits with the back of a fork to slightly flatten before placing into your pre-heated oven and baking for 12 – 15 minutes or until they begin to turn golden.

Carefully remove from the oven and allow the biscuits to cool on the baking tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from https://bakeplaysmile.com/honey-biscuits

The Rollright Stones by Ness

This last weekend, Rachel, Heather and I spent a couple of days in Oxford as Rachel was one of the speakers at the Pagan Tribal Gathering which was held in Cropredy. This was a new home for the Gathering which is run by Pia, Rowan and her team. A wonderful event which attracts Pagans and other like-minded folk from all over the country. 

On the Friday, we decided to explore the area and while doing some research, we came across the Rollright Stones, so decided to investigate. It was a very hot day, but we were unperturbed, as they were something that intrigued us all. 

I expected one stone circle, but was surprised to learn that there was also a singular stone and a smaller group of a bunch of standing stones together. 

We walked towards the stone circle, which is named The King's Men Stone Circle. There are around 70 stones in the circle and the stones are made of oolitic limestone. They were erected around 2,500 bc. They are very corroded and many of them have holes in them - I thought very much that they looked like giant hag stones. 

The circle looks a bit irregular, but it is thought that there were once more stones in the circle, but that they were removed to make bridges etc. When they were first protected, the owner was reported to have replaced some of  the missing stones. Looking at the positions of the original stones, it once was an accurate circle.

The Whispering Knights Dolmen is even older - around 3,800 - 3,500 BC and is a portal burial chamber. These stones have a protective fence around them. One of the stones fascinated me, as I walked around the enclosed stones, one of them looked like a stone man. You could make out an arm, his chin, nose, eye and his head.

The monument got their name as part of a legend about the King and his Army who were outwitted by a witch and turned to stone. The stones look to be leaning towards one another, as if they are conspiring. 

There is also a protected King Stone, which sits just below a crest of a lose rise, which was said to prevent the King seeing Long Compton. After turning the King and his men into stone, the witch was turned into an Elder and if it is cut down, then the stones will come back to life. 

Rachel, Heather and I walked around the outside of the stone circle clockwise and not one of us felt that we could walk inside the circle. We also noticed that a couple of other visitors to the stones also walked clockwise around them.

The Whispering Knights stones had the most energy - not surprising as there were excavations of cremated remains and skeletons found in the area. I also felt that these stones were mostly ignored in favour of the circle. The King Stone felt very regal and despite its position, it was close to a beautiful view of the surrounding countryside. 

If you want further and extensive information on these wonderful stones and their history and folklore, take a look at rollrightstones.co.uk

Spell for Strength by Heather

Whether you’re facing a difficult challenge, recovering from heartache, or stepping onto a new path in your life, Sigyn can help summon the inner power you need to endure and thrive. 

What You’ll Need:

A white, red or black candle (for power and endurance) or another colour of your choice

A small stone or crystal (such as a pebble, rose quartz, amethyst, hematite, tiger’s eye, or onyx)

Offering - bread, honey, or a flower

Herbs or incense optional – lavender or chamomile for calm and stability

A piece of paper and a pen

Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Cast a protective circle if you wish or take a moment to ground and centre yourself. Cleanse the space with your herbs or incense.

Light the candle, its flame represents the fire of your inner strength, then say –

"Sigyn, I call upon your presence.

Guide and support me on this journey,

Reveal my inner strengths, 

How to move forward with resilience and love."

Take your pen and paper, write affirmations that describe the qualities you wish to embody.  Place this on your altar as a symbolic offering to Sigyn.

Make your offering to Sigyn by placing it on your altar and say –

"Sigyn, I offer this to demonstrate my gratitude for the strength you embody and the love you inspire.

May your unwavering energy guide my heart and ground me through the challenges and changes ahead."

Sit comfortably before the altar and focus on the flame of the candle.

Visualise Sigyn’s calming energy encircling you in a gentle embrace, calming your thoughts and grounding your spirit.  Reflect on the balance Her energy can bring and receive Her messages to inspire patience and love in your life.

When you are ready to close this spell working, extinguish the candle, knowing that Sigyn’s energy will remain within you, say -

"Sigyn, I honour Your strength, thank You for Your presence and guidance.

May your energy remain with me, inspiring love and resilience in all I do."