The Astrologer's Guide to Pantry Herbs & Spices

There are many ways to combine astrology and cooking. You can cook for your sun sign. Eat for your moon sign. Plan a dinner to celebrate the new or full moon. Or you can strengthen a planetary energy by eating more of a food that resonates with that planet. One other way you can use astrology in the kitchen is through setting intentions. Here, you cook up a meal using herbs and spices that correspond to what you want to bring more of into your life, preferably under a waxing moon in a compatible sign. Below is a basic list of herbs and some of their traditional associations.

Now, this is not the be-all, end-all of astrological cooking, but it’s a great starting place. The best guide is your creativity, imagination, and intuition. The cornerstone of astrological cooking is setting an intention about what you want to accomplish or bring into your life. As long as you keep that in the forefront of your mind while cooking and creating food, you are on the right track.

Allspice – Mars energy. Traditional used to set intentions around health, love, money, and bringing in some good luck. A strong kick of flavor used in sweet or savory dishes, it pairs well with winter spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Basil – Mars & Scorpio energy. It’s uses include intentions surrounding more wealth, money, love, luck, harmony, protection, peace, or happiness. Delicate green leaves with a slightly peppery taste. Make into pesto, use on pizza or pair with Mozarella.

Bay Leaf – Sun & Leo energy. Use it to boost the power of intention, and bring more vitality to your life. It’s said to be calming and can be used to enhance your intentions around luck, wisdom, strength, victory, power, healing, creativity, spirituality, psychic powers, and protection. A hardy herb, used to flavor stews and soups, bay leaves are removed before consuming.

Black Pepper – Mars energy. Used for intentions surrounding fearlessness, motivation, strength, and confidence. A common pantry herb with a little kick to it, it can be added to almost anything.

Caraway – Mercury energy. Traditionally used as an aid to digestion. Caraway seeds can be added to baked goods for a distinctly savory taste.

Cardamom – Venus energy. Cardamom is a spice which can be used when your looking to add a little heat, love, passion, clarity, or enthusiasm to your life. An assertive herb that comes in pod form and is used in a variety of ways including soups, curries and even baked goods. Try it in a Shirley Temple.

Chili peppers – Mars energy. Chili’s spice up your life and bring the heat. Use it to increase your intentions around power, energy, creativity, or energy. Coming in varieties from super-hot to mild, chilis can bring passion to life.

Chives – Mars energy. Traditionally said to aid in toning the digestive system. Use it during a waning moon to break bad habits. A kinder, gentler onion flavor, versatile chives add a little heat and some freshness to a dish.

Chocolate – Mars energy. Most notably connected with the power of love, chocolate contains serotonin and gives you a feeling of euphoria. It pairs well with vanilla, cinnamon, and even chilis, if you’re looking to spice up your love life.

Cinnamon – Sun energy. Cinnamon is a versatile spice used for all kinds of intentions inculing sharpening your focus and concentration or adding strength and courage. Also helpful in setting intentions around success, healing, power, love, focus, spirituality, changes, manifesting or energy. A warming herb, great for those cold winter months. Bake it in a pie or pair it with coffee.

Coriander/Cilantro – Mars energy. Traditional uses include setting intentions around enhancing your beauty, enthusiasm, healing, peace, love, release, wealth and longevity. Both the leaves and seeds are used with the leaves having a bright fresh flavor, and the seeds lend a distinctly floral note. Use the leaves in salsa, or to add a garnish of freshness to quesadillas, burritos or curries.

Cumin – Mars energy. A staple in salsas, some traditional correspondences include using it for fidelity, peace, love, abundance and success. An earthy and mildly assertive spice, good in curries and Latin dishes.

Dill – Mercury energy. Use during a waxing moon to set a goal of bring more good fortune, mental concentration, clarity or money into your life. Pairs well with salmon, cucumber and a staple of eastern European food, dill is pungent and strong.

Garlic – Mars energy. Folklore has it that garlic can be used as protection against vampires. While you may not be worried about the blood sucking variety, energy vampires can just as easily leave you feeling drained. So turn to garlic when you need a boost of protection, strength, courage, power or just to heat things up. A mainstay of the kitchen pantry, garlic lends flavor to a variety of savory dishes.

Ginger – Mars energy. You may think of ginger as a winter spice, but it can be used all year round to help you set an intention for abundance, courage, healing, power, love, luck, prosperity or success. A warming spice, that has a little kick of heat, you can use it to give a little boost to a dish for other intentions.

Marjoram. Mercury energy. Traditional uses include bringing in more comfort, love, joy or healing. Similar to Oregano, but slightly less assertive, great on pasta or pizza.

Mint. Venus energy. Cooling and soothes digestion. A useful herb for when your need to calm down an overassertive Mars. Also corresponds with intentions around communication, inspiration, money, good fortune, luck, success, fertility, healing, protection, cleansing or calming. If you have too much fire, passion or drama in your life, you may want to balance it out with the cooling properties of mint.

Mustard. Mars & Aries energy. Traditionally used to aid digestion, enhance courage, clarity, psychic abilities, protection, astral travel, faith, fertility, and success. Another warming herb, with a distinctive tang to it. Use it in blue cheese dressing or Dungeness Crab Mac and Cheese to give some depth of flavor.

Nutmeg – Jupiter energy. Add just a pinch of nutmeg to your pasta when you need a little luck, or to increase your optimisml. Traditionally used to bring in friendship, money, or fidelity. A decidedly strong spice, a little goes a long way.

Onion powder – Mars energy. Another pantry staple, use it to bring some passion to your intention without the aggressive heat of chilis.

Oregano – Mercury energy. Said to restores the appetite, and traditionally used for energy, dreams, joy, legal issues, strength or vitality. A more pronounced flavor than Marjoram, can cut through the creaminess of cheese, so works well on pizza or in a pasta dish.

Paprika – Mars energy. Resonates with intentions around increased creativity, enthusiasm, passion or energy. Like a mild and sometimes smoky chili, gives some depth of flavor to chicken or fish.

Parsley – Mercury energy. Said to be a mild diuretic. Traditionally used to enhance beauty, power, purification and romance. A welcome burst of freshness on a plate. Generally used in small amounts as a garnish or pair it with another fresh herb to enhance the flavor.

Rosemary – Sun & Aries energy. Reported to treat mildly upset stomachs and aid memory. Rosemary is an herb traditionally used to enhance your intentions around wisdom, beauty, protection, communication, love and healing. Woody freshness that can be paired with garlic and used in recipes to enhance your self-confidence like Sunny Rosemary Lemon Chicken.

Saffron – Sun & Leo energy. Said to calm anxiety, its yellow color is reminiscent of sunshine and is said to give a burst of happiness, energy, renewal and vitality. The world’s most expensive spice, a little goes a long way.

Sage – Jupiter energy. Said to aid the memory and provide protection, wisdom, wishes, longevity, luck, prosperity, abundance, and success. Sage is used in rituals in many cultures to clear out old and negative energy that builds up over time. As a culinary herb, sage is used to flavor poultry dishes and is often associated with the American holiday of Thanksgiving.

Salt – Saturn energy. Capricorn. Salt is used for intentions around cleansing, healing, purification and protection. All-purpose flavor enhancer, which is also said to dispel negative energy.

Star Anise – Jupiter energy. One of just a handful of Jupiter herbs, star anise is traditionally used for intentions around love, luck, psychic powers, sleep and dreams. An assertive almost licorice-flavored herb used in dishes such as Pho.

Thyme – Venus energy. Said to aid the lungs. Use thyme for your intentions around attraction, love, and beauty. Another poultry seasoning great for celebrating. Thyme comes in a variety of favors including Lemon, Lavender, Oregano and even Coconut. Very delicate leaves that pack a punch of flavor.

Turmeric – Mars energy. Traditionally used for intentions around beauty, purification, communication, protection, healing, and peace. A warming herb with complex flavor and yellow coloring perfect for earthy curries.

Vanilla – Venus energy. Set intentions for more creativity, passion, love, affection, comfort, and trust. A baking staple, used to enhance the flavor of cookies, cakes, bars or add a touch to chocolate.