Eggs
From teeny tiny quails eggs up to huge ostrich eggs they come in all sorts of shapes, the delicate outer casing containing the yolk and the white. Boiled, scrambled, fried, poached or sunny side up…how do you like yours?
An egg is a complete neat package of life and is very symbolic of fertility, new life, new beginnings and creation itself. Within they also symbolise long life and immortality.
Eggs were considered sacred in many cultures for centuries and a hardboiled egg was seen as magic in the Middle Ages.
Very symbolic at Ostara the egg more often in its chocolate form has become a part of spring celebrations as a representation of new life and new beginnings.
In legend faeries would consume eggs of mythical birds such as the phoenix.
Throughout history people have eaten eggs for lots of different reasons, some to absorb the magical properties by eating them, others to ensure fertility.
In the Slavonic and Germanic lands people also smeared eggs onto their hoes to ensure fertility for the soil.
In Iran brides and grooms exchange eggs for fertility.
In 17th century France, a bride would break an egg when she entered her new home for the first time.
Eggs were often used for divination. This stemmed from the belief that eggs symbolised life and particularly life in the future. One method involved painting the eggs, boiling them and reading the patterns in their cracks. Another method involved tossing the eggs and divining the future, a system of divination known as oomancy. Egg white can also be used, by dripping it into a bowl of water and reading the shapes that it makes.
In Egypt eggs were hung in the temples to bring fertility, for birth and renewal.
The Hindu description of the beginning of the world saw it as a cosmic egg.
The yolk in the centre of the egg has also been used to represent the Sun.
I have put the gender as both masculine and feminine, in Chinese culture the egg as a flavour is seen as yang which is masculine but I see the egg as very feminine because of it being literally a baby chick.
The egg is a complete set of elements in one handy pack: The shell represents Earth, the inner membrane represents Air, the yolk is Fire and the white is Water.
Eggs Magical Properties:
Fertility, creation, life, new beginnings, divination
Element – Water, Earth, Air, Fire
Gender – Masculine/Feminine
Information from: A Kitchen Witch's World of Magical Food by Rachel Patterson
ISBN-978-1-78279-854-5
Publication 26th June 2015
Food is magical, not just because of the amazing tastes, flavours and aromas but also for the magical properties it holds. The magic starts with the choice of food to use, be added in whilst you are preparing and cooking then the magic unfolds as people enjoy your food. Dishes can be created for specific intents, moon phases, and rituals, to celebrate sabbats or just to bring the magic into your family meal. Many food ingredients can also be used very successfully in magical workings in the form of offerings, medicine pouches, witches bottles and poppets. Let's work magic into your cooking...
