Tea Witchcraft (That's Not Just Tea)

So, as a witch, my herb collection is severely lacking. I don't have any lavender or bay leaves, really I just have a few kitchen spices and that's it.

I do, however, have an rather large amount of loose leaf teas (mostly herbal).

Really, just a lot of tea.

So I often charge and drink tea as part of my practice. However, I think that tea witchcraft can be used for things other than straight up tea. So here are two things that I did in the past week that involve tea. Hopefully, they will help you form some ideas of your own.

Tea Craft #1: Vanilla Chai Cake

A while ago, my mother told me that I could use teas in baking (or cooking, in theory) by replacing whatever water the recipe called for with tea instead. I tried it out this week because I had company coming over, and decided to make a cake with the intention that people be sweet to each other.

I followed the cake recipe found here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/simple-white-cake/

The recipe calls for milk instead of water, so I decided to use chai since I read that chai is easier to prepare in milk compared to other teas. In addition, chai is delicious and sweet, so I thought that it would definitely add to my intent.

I used a 1/2 cup of  milk like the recipe called for, and added a large teaspoon of the chai I was using. I brought it to a low boil, and simmered it for ten minutes. You have to stir it every so often to prevent a skin from forming on top of the milk.

After the ten minutes, I poured it back into the measuring cup.

Here you can see the color it ended up after steeping, as well as the name of the chai itself. I found that after simmering, a bit of the milk had evaporated, so I added a touch more milk to bring it back up to half a cup.

After I had mixed the rest of the ingredients that the cake called for, I added the chai to the recipe. You can strain the tea leaves out of it, but I decided to leave them in to make the cake a little stronger with the chai flavor.

I stirred it all together, then baked it. After it baked and cooled off a bit, I frosted it with chocolate icing (again, focusing on the sweetness) and topped it with rainbow sprinkles. As I frosted and sprinkle-ed it, I repeated my intent over it several times.

I was so excited to eat it, I forgot to take a picture of it all done! But here's a picture it with some slices out of it.

It ended up being probably the most delicious cake I'd ever eaten, and I will absolutely be making it for lots of events in the future.

Tea Craft #2: Self- Love Bath Salts

My new apartment has a bath tub in it, so I am planning on taking Full Moon bath rituals. This month I wanted to focus on self-love because, a) I think that is something that people can always use, and b) I've been feeling kind of down since the move.

I love this craft because its so easy, and chances are you already have everything you need to make it: some sea or Epsom salt, a jar to keep the finished product, and some loose leaf tea.

I used two different types of herbal teas, and Epsom salt. I would have preferred sea salt, but I had Epsom salt on hand already, so that's what I used. I used a mason jar to store it, again because its what I had.

The teas I used are called Namaste and Really Raspberry. Namaste has small rose buds and chamomile, which are good for self-love and relaxation. Really Raspberry has (you guessed it) raspberry, which is another good loving kind of fruit (in addition to being my favorite), as well as hibiscus.

I also chose these teas because I know they will make a very pretty pink bath.

First. I added the Epsom salt to the jar, a little less than half way. Then I alternated scoops of the two teas on top.

I added the tea so that the total jar contents were about two thirds of the way full.

Finally, I shook it all up to mix the salt and the tea. As I shook I focused on my intent of giving me self- love.

It looks much prettier in person, and hopefully with make a lovely bath.

Both of these crafts were super easy, and I hope it helps you come up with some crafty ideas of your own, whether or not they involve teas.

Thanks for reading!