July 2025 News
Welcome to our July 2025 Kitchen Witch newsletter.
A very warm welcome ~ and I mean a very warm, hot, sticky, muggy, humid welcome to the Kitchen Witch newsletter for July. The weather in the UK has gone from one extreme to the other in the space of about 48 hours.
It has felt very weird in the Kitchen Witch camp - we haven't seen one another in person this last month, as we have all been very busy. We had a catch up online last week and although we did a couple of our triad readings, we spent the rest of the time nattering, plotting and planning and pinging ideas at one another for future Kitchen Witch shenanigans and events. By the time this newsletter drops in your inboxes though, we will have had a day at KWHQ putting together some rather special things...watch this space!
Ness x
What's Going on in Nature this Month from Ness
Everywhere is just blooming! The turning of the wheel has given us the Summer Solstice and it is the peak of summer. It is hard to believe that from now on, the days will start to get shorter. In nature, there is just so much to see ~ the grasses are high, the barley, wheat and rape are just starting to mature in the fields. They are just at that greeny-golden colour and the recent warm weather will ripen them fast. Bramble flowers have appeared in the hedgerows and I have seen the first green blackberries and there are green berries on the hawthorn. Most of the elderflower has dispersed and the tiny elderberries are just forming. I missed the window for the elderflower as we had a period of rain. Picking the flowers after rain is said to make any cordial that you make bitter. I do believe this to be so, as I harvested some after a rain storm last year and it didn't quite taste the same as previous years. Burdock buds are just about to bloom in places and buds have also appeared on the mugwort and thistle growing around where I live. There is just so much to see at this time of year - Heather and I have been very busy taking photos for our online Herbarium
Recipe for July by Heather
Herb Bread
500g//1lb self-raising flour
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (chives, sage, parsley, basil, thyme – whatever you have growing)
100g/3 ½ ox grated cheddar cheese
28g/1oz butter
1egg, beaten
150ml/5 fl oz water
Method
Preheat the oven to 375F/190C/Gas 5. Grease a 2ib loaf tin.
Mix together the flour, mustard, herbs and cheese.
Melt the butter and add it to the flour mixture. Add the egg and water and mix to a soft dough (it will look slightly wet, like a cake batter).
Turn into the loaf tin and bake for about an hour. It should be well risen and a golden brown.
From Practically Pagan An Alternative Guide to Cooking by Rachel Patterson
Flower for July by Heather
Water Lily
Water lilies are perennials in the Nymphaeaceae family. They come in two varieties: hardy and tropical. Tropical water lilies are larger, more spectacular, and fragrant, available in a wide assortment of colors, and have longer blooms. They have two different blooming habits: day blooming, where flowers open mid-morning and close by late afternoon, and night blooming, where they open at dusk and close the next morning. Hardy water lilies are day blooming. They are an important part of the ecosystem. The plants grow from rhizomes planted in the muddy depths of ponds and lakes, their foliage provides shade which reduces algae growth, they are a food source for fish and wildlife, and they filter the water where they grow.
Historically in Greek legends, nymphs are water protectors, which fits well with them being important within the ecosystem. In one Egyptian legend, the Gods were created from a blue water lily. Later in the medieval period, nuns and monks were known to crush the root of water lilies and use it as an anaphrodisiac. It has also been used as a painkiller, anti-inflammatory, and sedative.
French painter Claude Monet was enchanted by the water lilies in his garden, he spent years painting the flowers, creating more than 200 paintings with water lilies as his subject.
Symbolism and associations
Water lilies, especially the white variety, traditionally symbolize purity, innocence, and chastity.
Pink water lilies signify joy and friendship; red means passion and romance; blue represents calm and wisdom; and yellow symbolizes energy and new beginnings.
In Buddhism and Hinduism, water lilies represent resurrection and rebirth because the flowers open and close daily. Buddhists also believe water lilies symbolize enlightenment because the beautiful flowers emerge from the dark and dirty floor beneath the water’s surface.
Sources –
https://www.petalrepublic.com/
North Wales Pagan Fest by Heather
At the beginning of June, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the first full weekend North Wales Paganfest event. Set in the idyllic Halkyn Woods, a naturally managed site owned by Vanessa and assisted by her fabulous team, the event itself was run by Kate, Mel and their coven members.
The camp was spacious, with I believe 45 traders, two stages, a cosy wild camp kitchen area, as well as so many liminal paths to wander and walk.
The speakers and the workshop hosts were all inspirational. The weekend bubbled with dragon energy, the rituals to connect us all to the land with the dragons within were enchanting and meaningful.
Well done to Kate, Mel, all the coven who worked so hard to make this an event to remember, also to Vanessa and her team for allowing us to enjoy such a beautiful environment.
Looking forward to returning next year for more adventures, walks and connections.
Kitchen Witch Online Workshop and Ritual
Coming up this weekend is our online, FREE open to everyone Summer Solstice workshop and ritual. The event will run for two full hours - an hour workshop all about the summer and the summer solstice, followed by a ritual.
This will be streamed live on our Kitchen Witch YouTube channel for those who don't have Facebook, or if you do, it will be on Rachel's Witch and Author page.
If you'd like to purchase our exclusive summer hoard box you can do so, by scrolling down to the last item on this newsletter, but you can also follow along, if you wish, with items that you have at home.
Link to the replay can be found below
Rune of the month from Ness Armstrong
Perthro is a rune that speaks of chance, of fates. But I also find Perthro comes out in a rune cast when there is a need to go within, to work with your inner being, to retreat, to rest and rejuvenate. Perthro to me, looks like a cave or womb space, a place to feel nurtured, to manifest new beginnings and ideas for yourself, to heal, ready to emerge stronger and with a new focus!
Kitchen Witch Summer Hoard Box
Coming up in July, we are hosting live, online, our Kitchen Witch Summer/Summer Solstice workshop and ritual. This is a 2 hour workshop and ritual with plenty of information and correspondences for the summer solstice and how you can work with it in your magical practice. Our ritual has a craft spell so if you would like to join in, you will need various items. This is where our Summer Hoard Box comes in. There is everything that you will need for the ritual as well as a few extra goodies. It is available to purchase by clicking on the picture above.
