A Simple Spell to Clear and Bless Food

[content warning: in-depth talk of food, food politics/ethics; potential triggers for folks with eating disorders]

***Before I begin I just want to name that my body is pretty "average" sized and that I don't consider myself a target of sizeism; I've also never struggled with an eating disorder. That is my background to consider while reading this. I welcome critiques, call-outs, and call-ins alike if you see anything I write that is questionable.***

So sometimes we don't have the means to buy foods that are organic, local, whole, from places that pay workers a living wage. Sometimes we can't afford it or can't access it and that's okay. I want to share a simple clearing and blessing spell to cleanse the food before you eat it. It won't change the nutritional value, of course, and any pesticides or other things that might be in the food will still be there when you finish it. The goal of this is to help us feel at peace that any energetic things that we can clear, will be be cleansed and we won't be absorbing it. Or if you fall into the category of witches who thinks of spells in terms more grounded in scientific fact, then this spell helps us to feel as if the food has been cleared and blessed, and that as we ingest it, we are ingesting goodness, and can embody the feelings of the blessing. I mean, I was a cultural anthropology major in undergrad, so my familiarity with hard sciences are not as deep as say, my bio anth friends. But I can say for certain that placebo effect works quite frequently.

I mean whatever. I'm not gonna sit here and argue about science stuff because that doesn't necessarily go all the way for me.... Though it is fun for me to make connections... I'll save that for another post.

(I do want to mention that the smoke of smudge sticks are anti-microbial and did you know that the smoke particles bind to bacteria-harboring water particles in the air, make them heavy and sink to the ground, and greatly reduce rates of airborne transmission? That's freaking cool....)

Here we go:

Simple Food Clearing and Blessing (Varieties)

This spell can be modified depending on what you have on hand and what kind of food it is.

You'll need:

• A bowl and smudging stick of sage, juniper, cedar or other "clearing" herb, a bowl or cauldron, and a bowl of salt water OR
• Bells OR Pots/pans, and something to bang on them with and a bowl of salt water OR
• Just a bowl of salt water 

Here is what you'll do with the tools above, respectively:

Smudging method:

• What it's good for: Things that aren't a goopy mess; basically everything but that. The reason for this is that you need to hold it above the smoke. If you are holding a handful of applesauce, shits gonna get messy real fast. You could potentially smudge the bowl but I like the food to be in direct contact with the smoke. Your call.
• Light the smudge stick into a fire safe bowl or cauldron. Pass the food over the smoke, let it float over and around the food item you have. See it penetrating the food and as it does, binding to and absorbing any harmful, negative energies. As the smoke floats up and through it, notice it rising to the heavens to be transformed back into the pure love from which it came. Feel the food become lighter. 
• Notes: Please don't inhale the smoke. Not just for energetic reasons but also to save your lungs and your sinuses. They really don't like smoke that much. Also keep a window open if you can. Some sources say that smudging needs a window to pass through in order to move the energy upwards, while others say that smoking out your room is a bad idea for the whole smoke-harms-your-mucous-membrane-cells reason. One way to circumvent the former thing is to draw an energetic circle as your window. It won't keep your room well ventilated with air though. 
• Next sprinkle your salt water over the food to bless it. Holding your hands around the food, imbue it with your love and care. I do this by raising energy inside of me by visualizing actions of pure love like this:
• Imagine the delicious meal, or snack or whatever you are going to do with it. If you are feeding it to people, imagine your love and blessing going into their bodies. Imagine good health for you and all who eat it. Imagine that, upon eating this food, you are putting your intention to find better foods in the future. That might mean coming upon some extra time (and finding) a local community garden, getting an application for food stamps approved, or anything at all that can help you access foods that you feel better about. I like to dream big and imagine capitalism being crushed and good, healthy food for all, in a loving community where everyone supports one another and contributes what they are able. But that's just me.

Bells/Pots and Pans Method

• What it's good for: Pretty much anything. Especially since with pots/pans you can surround the item with it...
• Both the bells and the pots and pans method use sound vibrations as their mode of energetic cleansing. The idea is simple: as you ring the bell or bang the pots and pans, sound waves penetrate and move energy. The way I envision it is a little different than smudging, and pots and pans differ from bells:
• Bells move energy with grace. They move through the food like a gentle stream of water that then enters an energetic river. If you're into human biology, I liken it to something that moves our lymph and shakes up stagnation. The blood (energy) can be moved through the body, to the liver (cosmic liver?) where waste (negative/toxic energy) is filtered out and dispensed into a place where it becomes fertilizer (love) for other beings!
• Pots and pans feel different to me in that i think that their clashing, banging, harsh sounds tend to neutralize energy on contact. They also move, shake, and reduce stagnation, but they tend to neutralize as well. 
• Note: everyone experiences this stuff differently and whatever visualization works for you is what really matters. 
• Follow instructions for water blessing as detailed in the third bullet point in the "smudging" section.

Salt Water Method

• This blessing is best used for items that can be submerged in water. One time I used it in a bone broth with beef bones I had that I wasn't sure where they came from (well they came from Safeway, but beyond that I had no clue). 
• To use- simply submerge the item and know that the salt water (water of the ocean, the water of the womb) cleanses it thoroughly. Both salt and water have been associated with cleansing for probably millennia. Christians didn't invent baptism, it was an adaptation of a practice of cleansing that is more ancient than probably anyone really knows, and spans cultures and geography. Water washes, salt has powers of preservation. It was from the sea that the first life on earth was born, and from the sea that our ancestors came from. It is the waters of the womb that we all grow from microscopic single-cells, into the complex beings we are now. I'm not sure I can easily articulate how salt water cleanses the way it does, but it does. Consider it a baptism for your food. May it be cleansed and reborn into something that nourishes every one who eats it. Refer to the salt water blessings above for an idea of how to infuse the food with love.

I consider this is a spell for folks living in poverty or in situations where they can't access food that they feel good about. 

For folks who aren't living in poverty and have privilege to make choices around food, an incredibly strong spell you can do to assure that the food you consume nourishes your soul is to use your means to help others gain access to healthy, sustainably grown food, and food that supports workers who make a living wage. Food banks, Food-Not-Bombs, getting involved in community spaces or churches who feed houseless, starving, and struggling folks are all great options too. 

The greatest food magic you can do and be sure that you eat with a clean conscious is knowing that you are doing all you are able to support a world where all can access the food they need and that deeply nourishes.

I offer this spell because I know poverty and I know how much guilt I harbor around certain food choices I have had to make because of poverty. I believe, for myself, that that guilt is a byproduct of intersections of classism, sexism, and ableism. So many things come up around food and it's all very complicated. But being able to eat and feel at peace with your food is something no one should ever have to justify. Part of the equation is making choices where you can. The other part is knowing when we can't and being kind to ourselves anyways, because we are beings worthy of love no matter what.

Go ahead and say it if you feel compelled: "I am a being worthy of love"