Out of Your Gourd: Pumpkin Magic & More

Cooler temperatures and signs of autumn are everywhere. It’s not just spooky season - it’s pumpkin season! These rotund members of the squash family are all at once delicious, useful, and inspiring. Let’s find out how to get the most out of every pumpkin!
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Make it Magical

For obvious reasons, pumpkins are a can’t-miss symbol of fall and the harvest season. They’re useful in many foods and easy to preserve (more on that below), making them signs of abundance and prosperity, too. Pumpkins correspond to the Moon and the element of Water, along with the many deities associated with those aspects.​

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What can you do to bring these qualities to your home and practice?

• Place tiny pumpkins around your home and on your altar to honor the spirit of the season. Real ones just the size of your hand are easy to carve and use as tea light holder. Figures and carvings are great as well.
• The original use of jack-o-lanterns was to frighten away evil spirits. Carve your pumpkin with the intention of keeping negative energies at bay.
• Preserve the seeds from inside your carved pumpkin to use in fertility, potential, and abundance spells.

In the Kitchen

Pumpkins are more than pretty - they’re delicious and versatile. Even better, they’re full of nutrients we all need to stay healthy. Pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread are everywhere this time of year, but there are many other options.

Whatever you may cook or bake, remember that making food for yourself and others is its own special kind of magic. Charge everything you create using pumpkin with positive energy, and intentions for abundance, blessings, and unity.

More kitchen witchery with pumpkins:

• “Pumpkin spice” is usually a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice. You can choose or create a blend that suits your tastes and magical purposes - cinnamon for protection, love, or prosperity; nutmeg for psychic visions, luck, or for success in legal matters; etc. Search Witchipedia for more details on spice correspondences.
• If you’re feeling adventurous, try roasting pumpkins in your own kitchen. Check out How to Pick a Pumpkin from The Spruce for advice and instructions.
• It’s also just fine to use canned pumpkin from the grocery store in your recipes. Be sure to note the difference: “pumpkin pie filling” means it is pre-sweetened and pre-spiced.
• In addition to pie and bread, look up the other sweet treats you can make with pumpkin: cookies, muffins, ice cream, bars, cobbler, custard...the list is endless!
• Savory dishes abound as well. Pumpkin can be served in casseroles, soups, pasta sauces, lasagna, with other roasted fall vegetables, and much more.

Susan (aka the Dragonfly Charmer) handles the website and blog for Indigo Moons, and is a Tarot reader with over 25 years of experience. See her latest thoughts at instagram.com/thedragonflycharmer, or visit thedragonflycharmer.com to learn more about her.