Mortar and Pestle

A Pestle and Mortar is a device used since ancient times to prepare ingredients or substances by crushing and grinding them into a fine paste or powder. The mortar is a bowl, typically made of hard wood, ceramic or stone. The pestle is a heavy club-shaped object, the end of which is used for crushing and grinding. The substance to be ground is placed in the mortar and ground, crushed or mixed using the pestle.

Mortars and pestles have been used in cooking up to the present day; they are frequently also associated with the profession of pharmacy due to their historical use in preparing medicines. They can also be used in masonry and in other types of construction.

Molcajete

A Molcajete (from Nahuatl mulcazitl) is a stone tool, the traditional Mexican version of the mortar and pestle, similar to the South American batan, used for grinding various food products. The molcajete (also known as an El Pestle) was used by pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican cultures, including the Aztec and Maya, stretching back several thousand years. Traditionally carved out of a single block of vesicular basalt, molcajetes are typically round in shape and supported by three short legs. They are frequently decorated with the carved head of an animal on the outside edge of the bowl, giving the molcajete the appearance of a short, stout, three-legged animal. The pig is the most common animal head used for decoration of this type. The matching hand-held grinding tool, known as a tejolote (from Nahuatl texolotl), is also made of the same basalt material.

Molcajetes are used to crush and grind spices, and prepare salsas and guacamole. The rough surface of the basalt stone creates a superb grinding surface that maintains itself over time as tiny bubbles in the basalt are ground down, replenishing the textured surface.

The new basalt molcajete needs to be “broken in” because small grains of basalt can be loosened from the surface when it is first used and this will give an unpleasant gritty texture to the first few items prepared in it. A simple way to do the initial “seasoning” is to grind white rice in the molcajete, a handful at a time. When the crushed rice flour has no visible grains of basalt in it, the molcajete is ready to use. Some rice flour may remain ground into the surface of the molcajete; this will cause no problem.

Wiccan

The mortar and pestle set is a handy tool that many Pagans – and other folks – use for grinding and blending herbs and dried ingredients together during a magical working. The set consists of two pieces – the mortar, which is typically a bowl, although it can be flat as well, and the pestle, which is held in the hand.

Using the other, hold the pestle. By pressing the pestle down into the mortar, and moving it back and forth, you can grind and blend the herbs or other items for spellwork. This is a great tool to use if you’re using dried herbs which may be in large pieces. It also works nicely with fresh herbs, because the grinding motion of the pestle will help release essential oils from the leaves.

Mortar and pestle sets come in a variety of materials, and you can usually find one in your local kitchen supply store. They are available in porcelain, wood, marble, and even metal. In South America, a large porous stone called a molcajete is used to grind grain and vegetables – if you’re working with large items such as corn or wheat, consider using one of these instead of the smaller mortar and pestle.

To activate your Mortar for magical purposes place your pestle into the mortar and move in a clockwise direction saying:

• seed to earth
• earth to root
• root to sprout
• sprout to leaf
• leaf to bud
• bud to flower
• flower to fruit
• fruit to seed
• seed to earth

Now hold the Mortar between your hands and say:

• womb at the center of all things,
• shaper, transformer, and birther of all,
• hold or free spirits that come to the call,
• life-giver, death-taker,
• stone carver, dream maker,
• I turn the wheel, then to show
• and what I spin, it now is so.

To activate the pestle, set it upright in the mortar speak these words:

• tree at the center of all things,
• tower from where enchantment sings,
• thresher, dream churner, joiner of all,
• sound for the spirits to come at my call.

The Lost Bearded White Brother