One could argue that the most perfect and magical place is the kitchen. The aromatic call to the domestic alchemical laboratory calls many practitioners of the art, and I confess I am one of them. “Love of food is proof of the existence of the soul,” the father of poet Charles Simic told his son once. I am a firm believer in this. Food is the bliss of the palpable, and palatable, Divine. Earthly delights meet with Heavenly pleasure in the Hieros Gamos, or “Sacred Marriage,” of our physical senses and spiritual hunger.  

Food is magic. I can go on wondrous astral journeys of memory when I think back to a pineapple cake my grandmother made. I can do divination equally with pieces of sushi and sashimi during dinner with a friend, or box of chocolates I share with my beloved. Even children can do a powerful prosperity and evocation spell if they leave milk and cookies for Santa.

Cooking itself is a magical process of transformation. The cloistered alchemist and the skilled kitchen witch share a commonality: the transformation of unrefined elements into something greater than themselves. Alchemy is a process of transformation where the base elements mature into their highest potential. When we cook food we take the raw elemental energies of plants, which have undergone their own transformation with photosynthesis; animals, which are living crucibles of metabolism; and minerals, containing raw building blocks of creation, to create something original and new.

Alchemy is based on a body of knowledge we can call Hermetic Wisdom (there are 7 Hermetic laws, of which The Secret only expounds on one). One of these is the “Law of Correspondence," which teaches us that everything has its match in any system. There are many books on esoteric correspondences (see Aleister Crowley’s 777), where basically one set of symbols can be translated into another, with one set used today by many astrologers and other practitioners of the esoteric – the seven classical planets of the ancients.  

To know a system of correspondence is to know the Self, and if the planetary energies are representations of energies within us, then we can balance them with external tools. The ancient priests and philosophers worked with many systems and observed seven major celestial bodies: the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. These heavenly spheres corresponded to the parts of our psyche. For example, the Sun within us is the active, and dynamic, part of our personality. See the list below for a basic correspondence.

Planets and Their Properties

• Sun: Ego, self, vitality
• Moon: Emotions, unconscious
• Mercury: Communication, thought
• Venus: Beauty, comfort
• Mars: Strength, aggression
• Jupiter: Growth, expansion
• Saturn: Structure, boundaries

The esoteric meaning in systems is not confined to backroom occultists scrabbling on massive chalk boards; the food we eat has correspondences as well. Your asparagus can be an analog for the energies of expansive Jupiter; the carrots, we are told, are good for eyesight and lie in the province of Mercury.

In January, I will be featured as a “Shaman Chef” at the Life Force Arts Center. I will be cooking seven different dishes that correspond to the seven classical planets above. I will be preparing a menu of “edible magic.” Two appetizers, Roasted Pumpkin Maki and Bleu Cheese Crab Parcels, will be the carriers of the forces of the Moon and Saturn, respectively. To harness the energies of the Sun, Tandoori Chicken will brim with the vitality of ginger, turmeric, and lemon. As fish are swift like the fabled god Mercury, we will have a salmon dish served with an avocado and dill mousse. Mars is embodied by Spicy Mashed Eggplant, and Jupiter by Sesame Asparagus. To conclude the meal, luxurious Venus shines through a Mango Apricot Cobbler.  

As I write, I am getting very hungry. Is this a hunger solely of my body, or is this a spiritual craving for beauty and happiness?

Before I make myself something to eat, I would leave you with something I learned from my first Reiki teacher. Reiki is the energy of healing that we can be conduits of. My Reiki teacher taught “Reiki-Fusion.” This means that we can combine our intentions of love and healing in all the things we do and make. A jewelry maker can make healing Reiki infused jewelry, or a vocalist can sing a song of healing where the Reiki energies pour forth from her voice. I, your humble Shaman Chef, will be cooking with Reiki. So when your stomach is satisfied, and your taste buds want more, remember that they may be craving more Mango Apricot Cobbler, or simply more healing, love, and joy.

---

Mark Mandrake is an alchemist, tarot reader, chakra healer, channeler, and community builder. He teaches classes using the metaphysical as a tool for personal growth. Mark is passionate for how we each can, through the alchemical process, turn our spiritual lead into gold as individuals and as a community. Contact him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or go to www.ringinganvil.org.