The Magic of a Toast

Whether you're standing up in a wedding, saying farewell to a workmate, or having made it through another holiday season, a toast is something in our modern society that we will encounter frequently. Toasting is the act of "warming" someone by dedicating a raised glass together in community. In its commonplace form it centers a gathering on unity, a shared experience, and celebration. Within these moments of connection, a deep magic resides that anyone, but especially Witches, can harness and weave into an even more powerful enchantment.

Before starting to cast spells at your usual happy hour, consider first the origins and history of toasting. The regularity with which many of us encounter this act is not surprising, because the custom to drink to health and other good things has happened since humanity could hold goblets. Ancient traditions within Greece, Rome, Egypt, and more include offering a drink to gods and spirits before drinking. Plus, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that the ancient toasting was far more than a social gesture—it was a sacred ritual.

This was particularly true for the people throughout Northern Europe, from the Germanic Tribes to the Nordic mariners. Toasting within these populations was used to honor the gods, ancestors, and spirits. This ritual was called Symbel, which loosely translates to "feast" or "banquet." There has been some speculation by more modern scholars that this ritual's etymology comes from a compounding of common Germanic words that meant "together-ale." In art, accounts of the symbel are preserved in the many surviving stories, from Beowulf to Dream of the Rood, Judith, the Lokasenna, and as well as other Saga stories like that of the Heimskrinla or the Fagrskinna.

We do know that Ancient Greeks drank to the health and welfare of each other. In The Odyssey, Ulysses drank to the health of Achilles. Then the Romans built upon this Greek custom and added toasted bread crumbs to their goblets, which reduces the acidity of less-than-stellar wine. Later, the Romans would decree that all diners must drink to Augustus at every meal. Paul Dickson wrote in the book Toasts: Over 1,500 of the Best Toasts, Sentiments, Blessings and Graces that, "The ancient Hebrews, Persians, and Egyptians were toasters, as were the Saxons, Huns, and other tribes."

Witches particularly understand the importance of words in a magical practice. We use intention through words and create the power of spoken blessings, spells, and invocations for good fortune, health, or prosperity. Toasts work as verbal affirmations, and their connection is easily made into spellwork. Words are spells. Toasts, thereby, are spells. They may not always be intended as spells, but they fit all the specifications as a spell: intention, invoking words, and moving energy all happens with a toast.

If we dig further, we see the symbolism of the cup and drink. The cup as a sacred vessel for ritual and offerings, a symbol of the womb and/or the belly—our internal cauldron, if you will—also comes into play. There's a reason that the cup and cauldron are associated with Witches: we understand the magic and the power within those vessels, not just sympathetically, but energetically.

Then, depending on what is in the cup (say, mead for the Nordic folx or beer for the Germanic/Slavic folx, or even cider for us Americans), the use of those liquids holds its own energy and magic. This is an example of a "layering’ of magic that I speak about in Magic In Your Cup. The energy that the ingredients hold, their physical properties and spiritual correspondences, all add to the magic.

The magic in the toast is held also within the collective energy of the people doing the toasting. You are raising vibrational energy and sharing intentions when you do a toast. Often we're around a table or standing in a circle and holding glasses that are often round. This creates bonds through the act of toasting. Those bonds strengthen the energy being moved.

There are everyday opportunities for magical toasts: celebrations, transitions, and affirmations. Take for instance a morning hydration practice—that's a personal toast, but still a toast and still very much a spell. When running errands, you might get a latte from a local indie coffee spot, and toast to a smooth "get it done" session. After the weekly family call, you might toast, because such socializing can at times be difficult, and so it's a ritual of recognizing that you did your kin-keeping and showed up for those we love. That's some powerful magic.

There is no regulated way to incorporate toasting into your own personal rituals, but the options are innumerable and ripe for your own spirit, intention, and practice. Try it for a moon cycle. Start with something you do every day—morning coffee; afternoon kombucha; that Friday evening nightcap; chocolate milk afterschool with your kiddos; or anywhere you can raise a mug, cup, or glass. You get to choose where you want to drop some magic into your life. Choose your drink, intention, setting, and create a daily spell towards what you want—or don’t want—in your life.

Quick Dos/Don'ts of Toasting
Now, I'm not a Witch who likes to tell people how to do their magic; I simply offer an example and encourage the practitioner to find their own way. But you may be questioning what is appropriate and not appropriate with toasting—and the answer is the simple and oft-frustrating, "It depends." In Spain it’s considered impolite to toast with anything other than spirits (liquor, wine, etc.), but in other places in the world, non-alcoholic drinks are totally toastable. In Germany it's customary to clink glasses—bottom of beer steins and middle of wine glasses. This clinking was used in more ancient times to drive away evil spirits, but today symbolizes the release negativity today (much like a Witch rings a bell). The ritual is then continued by saying Prost (Cheers)! or Zum Wohl (To good health)! Make eye contact (important in Germany), then take a sip. It's customary to wait until everyone has finished their sip before putting your glass down. Don't put your glass down before taking a sip, as it's considered banishing the good spell that just happened with the toast. But, if you're celebrating Oktoberfest in Bavaria, you just may see people change hands with their MassKrug (litre mug)—holding it by the handle while toasting and then switching hands to wrap their hand around the mug through the handle to drink after toasting. Regardless, no one puts their glass down until after the toast is complete, and no one drinks until it's time to toast.

In the United States, where everything seems less formal, you may run across a variety of acceptableness, and that's alright. The biggest tell here is that it's customary that, if the toast is to you specifically, to be gracious and wait to raise your glass until it's time to say, "Cheers." If you're the one offering a toast, keep it short, and often if you're in someone's home, the raising of the glass is enough. (No clinking as it plays havoc on people's glassware.) A quick toast for any occasion, and a spell for goodness is, "May this day lead us to peace, happiness, and joy."

The energy within the cup, the drink, the crowd, the intention, specific words (just like you would craft for the invocation of a spell), and the circle of bonds that all of it creates is certainly magic. If I leave you with anything today I hope it's that you view toasts as more than social gestures—that there is potential for magic in daily life with the ritual of toasting. I invite you to try to mindfully and intentionally toast at future gatherings. Here's one you can riff off of:

(hold up glass)

"Here's to toasting, a fine spellcraft art
We've learned to speak directly from the heart.
Raise your glass, Witches, let's make it clear
To good company, and plenty more cheer!
Huzzah!"