The cauldron is one of those images that everybody knows the second they see it. That round-bellied pot, maybe bubbling over with something mysterious, maybe just sitting quietly by a hearth… it’s practically the mascot of witches everywhere. But here’s the fun part ... the cauldron isn’t just a spooky Halloween decoration that comes out only in October. It has some pretty deep roots! Whether you’ve got a cast-iron pot hanging over a fire, or just a little brass cauldron on your altar to hold herbs and incense, you are tapping into thousands of years of myth, magic, and everyday survival. When I look at my cauldron, I don’t just see food simmering or herbs burning. I see a place where endings and beginnings meet. Where something raw goes in and something new comes out.
October practically wraps us in correspondences. It’s not just the cauldron over the fire, it’s the whole season acting like a spell in motion. While the cauldron is certainly our iconic image, I like to think of October as a whole basket of magical correspondences. The apples, the pumpkins, the spices, the firelight, even the shadows creeping earlier each night. They’re all ingredients in the potion of this month. All we really have to do is notice them, honor them, and maybe weave them into a little magic of our own.
