In the United States, we are preparing to observe Thanksgiving, a secular holiday with a focus on food. No matter where you’re celebrating—in snowy New England or sunny Florida—your family’s feast probably includes some sort of pie. As you prepare to gather with loved ones, use this opportunity to turn your family’s delicious dessert into a powerful magical working—one aimed at bringing you closer together through these months of introspection and growth.

Apple pie is a particular favorite in my family. Something about the scent of sweetened apples, flaky dough, and warming spices immediately makes me think of holidays spent with friends and family sitting around the kitchen table. Magickally, this makes sense, too. All of the ingredients in apple pie work together to promote love, healing, and peace. I’ve included a basic recipe below. While this is not my family’s favorite pie recipe, it is a good recipe for the purposes described here and easily adaptable. Cinnamon (used for love and prosperity) is doubly powerful when combined with apples (for love, health, and peace). Likewise, lemon (for happiness) and sugar (more love) can be mixed together for greater effect. Feel free to make adjustments to suit your purposes (I like to add cranberries to my pies for protection), or make a different sort of pie altogether. Whatever you choose, make sure that the ingredients and your actions support your intentions.

When making magick pies, there are a few important things to keep in mind…

Start with your goal in mind, and choose your ingredients with care.

I recommend Scott Cunningham’s Wicca in the Kitchen for a comprehensive listing of food correspondences and properties.

Let every member of the family help.

Let older children cut up the fruit. Younger children will love dumping the ingredients into the bowl and mixing them together. Stir your ingredients together clockwise to bring them all together in harmony. Every member of the family should have a hand in the work—even if all your spouse does is stick the pie in the oven, everyone should be involved.

Do the work with purpose.

Mark the crust of your pie with a pentacle or other magickal symbols. Don’t want your delicious dessert to look like it came from an occult shop? Draw the symbols in milk (used to strengthen the ability to give and receive love), or lightly cut your symbols on the bottom crust. Visualize your intent as you add these to your working.

The shape of your pie is important, too. Magically, round pies typically pertain to spiritual purposes, whereas square pies are for prosperity. Choose the shape best suited to your purposes. A bit of fun trivia, in Europe pies were typically made in very deep square pans. When the colonists came to the United States times were lean. They literally cut the corners off of pies and made them in shallow pans to reduce the amount of fruit needed.

Use the time to reconnect.

As your family works together, discuss your desires. All workings are made manifest through clear intentions and strengthened by time spent working with a common purpose.

Enjoy the many blessings of this wonderful season.

Love and Light,

Lady Ashlen

Basic Apple Pie

Prepare the crust as follows:

• 1 cup butter, unsalted (chilled)
• 3 cups flour, all-purpose
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• ⅓ cup ice water

Combine flour and sugar in bowl. Cut butter into small pieces and add it. Use a pastry blender to combine. Stir and pour in cold water. Stop stirring when dough begins to clump. Knead dough until it forms a ball. Divide in two parts, flatten into round disks. Chill for 30 minutes, then roll. Line pan with bottom crust.

Prepare pie filling as follows:

• ¾ c. white sugar
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp. lemon zest
• 7 c. thinly sliced apples
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 4 Tbsp. milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon peel in large mixing bowl.

Layer ⅓ cut apples in pie crust.

Sprinkle with sugar mixture.

Sprinkle with lemon juice and dot with butter.

Cover with pie crust and flute edges. Cut vents in top crust and brush with milk. Bake at 425 for 40-50 minutes.