Incense Correspondences for Love and Happiness

Today I’m sharing some magickal incense correspondences for love and happiness.

It’s important to remember that magickal associations are forged through the connections we make with our magickal tools and materials. In other words, they are relationships, and so your correspondences may look quite different to mine.

Of course there are those magickal connections that have been used for thousands of years by multiple practitioners - it’s OK to use those, too!

What plants do you associate with love and happiness? Do they appear on this list?

Fabulous Folklore: Foxgloves

I absolutely ADORE foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea), especially when I see them in the wild. They are one of those really fascinating plants with lots of interesting folklore.

One of the best things about foxgloves is the HUGE amount of local and regional names given to them. In this way they remind me of another magickal thing: wood lice ~ aka cheesy bugs / chiggy wig / granther giggles / grammer zow!

Foxgloves are also known as goblin gloves, witches’ gloves, dead men’s bells, fox fingers, flopdock, cowflop, bunny rabbits, fairy petticoats and fairyweed. 

Have you heard of these names? In what country and region are you in? What do YOU call them?

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Tulip Piskies
NEXT - A History: Midsummer Day (24th June)
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NEXT - Simple Magick: Power Flow for August

Rhododendron Magick: 13 Beautiful Correspondences

Rhododendrons are a large family of evergreen, shade-loving, hardy, spring flowering shrubs; bursting into colour in May through to June. They have a range of colours - pure white to red, purple, and varying shades of pink.

Their name means “rose tree” and they are the national flower of Nepal. My hometown consists of the largest Buddhist community in the UK, due to our treasured Nepalese population; and with rhododendrons flowering abundantly along the roadsides of the area I grew up in, I feel a deep love for them. The leaves of certain varieties are used as incense in Buddhist monasteries and the exotic flowers are used as decoration and given as offerings.

In terms of magickal correspondences it’s good think about their characteristics. They are bright, cheery, tenacious and adaptable. They spread and thrive in the dark months, coming into passionate bloom when they get the first opportunity.

Magickal Correspondences for Rhododendron:
Adaptability
Opportunity
Optimism
Cheerfulness
Joy
Healing
Passion
Strength
Tenacity
Overcoming adversity
Individualism
Resilience
Beauty

‼️ Remember that magickal associations are forged through the connections we have with plants - your list may look quite different to mine. 

NEXT - Blackthorn Magick: 11 Helpful Correspondences
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Wolfsbane
NEXT - Pagan Holidays: Imbolc
NEXT - Strawberry Magick: 20 Fruity Correspondences

Fabulous Folklore: Primroses

The name primrose comes from the Latin “prima rosa” meaning “first rose”, indicating that spring is generally the time for these beautiful plants to flower, although they sometimes open as early as December in mild areas of the U.K.

They’re found across the whole of Britain and Ireland. They are found in woodlands and by hedgerows and thrive in damp shade. 

There are lots of primrose recipes, but it’s illegal to pick or remove them as they’re currently protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Folklore surrounding primroses is mainly associated with faeries, and with life cut short.

Hanging primrose flowers outside your house is an invitation to faeries to come in, and touching a rock with a posy of primroses is a key; supposedly opening the doorway to the faerie realms. To receive a blessing from the faeries, primroses should be placed upon the doorstep, and at Beltane primroses and yellow gorse were often lain across the threshold to celebrate the spring and the encroaching summer. That said, as much energy has been spent trying to protect against faeries over the years as attracting them. In the National Folklore Collection in University College, Dublin, there can be found a piece of verse relating to Beltane and faeries:

“Guard the house with a string of primroses on the first three days of May. The fairies are said not to be able to pass over or under this string.”

In Victorian times it was common to plant primroses on the graves of children. There are definitely primroses dotted about on this cemetery, but I’m not sure if they correspond.

There are other customs related to death and primroses, meaning they provoke a similar feeling to blossom for me: they are representative of the ephemeral nature of life.

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Lesser Celandine

Blackthorn Magick: 11 Helpful Correspondences

The blackthorn is flowering. It usually blooms before the leaves appear around March or April time; making it easily distinguishable from the hawthorn, whose similar flowers appear after its leaves.

Blackthorn is a hermaphrodite, meaning both male and female reproductive parts are found in one flower - the term (according to my tree surgeon husband) is “monoecious.”

Blackthorn is known for its sloe berries and has traditionally been used for making walking sticks, riding sticks, shillelaghs (sail éille), tool handles, and burnt as firewood. Magickally, it has been used for wands, rods, staffs and stangs. Its thorns are often used in baneful and protective magick.

It is said that “an eldern stake and a blackthorn ether, will make a hedge to last for ever” and it is certainly true that blackthorn makes up a lot of hedgerows across the UK.

Another country saying about the blackthorn is “when the sloe tree is white as a sheet, sow your barley whether it be dry or wet.”

Magickal Correspondences for Blackthorn:
Dispelling negativity
Hope during devastation
Exorcisms
Purification
Warding
Protection
Inflicting strife
Release from Fae magick
The Crone
The Morrighan
The Cailleach

Other names for blackthorn are: wishing thorn, Faery tree, sloe, pear hawthorn. 

NEXT - Hellebore Magick: Herbal Lore
NEXT - Pagan Holidays: Yule - Midwinter
NEXT - Winter Magick: Using the Winter Season to Create Change

Hellebore Magick: Herbal Lore

So happy to see these beauties back - lovely hellebores. While everything is still frozen and the trees are bare, it’s exciting to see these wonderful flowers blooming.

Hellebore is poisonous, gloves must be worn when handling it.

In Greek mythology hellebore was used to save one of the kings of Argos’ daughters who suffered from a mental illness that caused them to run naked through the city, wailing at the top of their voices. This hysteria was supposedly induced by Dionysus. The quick thinking of Melampus of Pylos saved the day - he administered a potion made from hellebore which saved the daughters. 

Hellebore is associated with the element of water, and Mars and Saturn. It is used for protection and in exorcisms, and in healing rites where mental health is concerned.

I think baneful plants and flowers are often the most beautiful. What’s your favourite spring flower? 

NEXT - Winter Aconite Magick: Herbal Lore
NEXT - Winter Magick: Using the Winter Season to Create Change

Winter Aconite Magick: Herbal Lore

Winter Aconite - Eranthis hyemalis

These gorgeous little buds are Winter Aconite. They open out to a beautiful flower which looks like a large buttercup (they belong to the buttercup family). They’re not to be confused with lesser celandine, which will flower between March and May, and have a pointy, star-shaped flower. Hyemalis means “wintering flowering.”

When we think of aconites we tend to think of monkshood (highly toxic), also known as wolf’s bane, which is from the same family (Ranunculaceae), which is associated with death, hallucinations and flying ointments, magickally, but I find this sweet little yellow flower much lighter in energy.

As a spring ephemeral plant they remind me of the fleeting beauty of life; and their appearance in the coldest part of the year reminds me that even after tough times, hope should be held in your heart, for abundance will return once more.

‼️ Please note that all parts of this plant are poisonous; cardiac glycosides will stimulate the heart, and even cause cardiac arrest in large quantities. 

NEXT - Wild Garlic Magick: 7 Bear-Related Correspondences
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Ashwell Sacred Spring

Wild Garlic Magick: 7 Bear-Related Correspondences

Wild garlic ~ Allium ursinum

This perennial plant usually grows in large swathes of carpet in damp woodlands, fenlands, and by rivers. You can easily detect wild garlic - often before you see it! - by the smell in the air. It is a wild relative of chives, and is also known as Ramsons, Wood Garlic, Broad Leaved Garlic, and my favourite - Bear Garlic - as described by its binomial name. It has broad, flat leaves, and white star-shaped flowers with six segments.

The English naturalist William Turner in 1548 knew the plant as Ramsey, with the town in Cambridgeshire (just down the road from my mum! ) sharing its name, along with Ramsbottom in Lancashire (where my sister used to live!) meaning “Ramson valley”.

Its leaves have grown up through the ground now, and it will be in full flower in April and May. It is used to make pesto, pancakes, soups, stews, rissoles, and anything else you would use garlic for. Its leaves are delicious in sandwiches, and you can eat the flowers, which are stronger than the leaves.

The word ‘ramsons’ was a metaphor for bitterness in Irish folklore, but this plant was valued there, where bulbs were planted in the thatch of cottages to deter faeries. Churches were once decorated with wild garlic on the feast day of St. Alphege (19th April), which must have scented the church as it has such a strong smell.

It was once believed that wild garlic scared away venomous creatures such as snakes, and that it could be used medicinally to treat snake bites. Chewing the plant before a race was said to ensure victory, and a similar belief was held for battle.

Considered a great healer by the Celts, it is often used in healing spells, and of course has the protective qualities of any garlic. It is often associated with the magical correspondences of bear medicine due to its name.

Magickal Correspondences for Wild Garlic:
Strength
Wisdom
Healing
Action
Power
Spiritual connection
Familial bonds 

NEXT - Snowdrop Magick: 8 Correspondences for Strength & Hope 

NEXT - Recipe: Wild Garlic Pesto
NEXT - Winter Aconite: Herbal Lore
NEXT - Rhododendron Magick: 13 Beautiful Correspondences

Snowdrop Magick: 8 Correspondences for Strength & Hope

The Snowdrops are out!

Galanthus, or snowdrop, have two linear leaves and a delicate, drooping bell flower. They are affectionately known as “Candlemas Bells” and “the Fair Maid of February” due to their appearance around Imbolc.

“The snowdrop, in purest white arraie,

First rears her hedde on Candlemas daie.

Whilst the crocus hastens to the shrine,

Of primrose lone on St. Valentine.”

~ excerpt from a 19th Century floral calendar.

Most species of snowdrop flower in the winter, usually before the spring equinox. They symbolise hope and life - they are a welcome sight after the darkness of winter. They are the first flower I look forward to seeing each year, and one of our first flowers to bloom - surely a sign that spring is on its way!

There’s mixed folklore surrounding snowdrops.

On Imbolc morning you can carry a bunch of snowdrops from room to room to cleanse it, a popular cleansing ritual; but Victorian superstition states that you should not bring the house for fear of ill-fortune, perhaps even a death in the family within the year. Either way, I think it’s nicer for all to leave them where they belong.

Magickal Correspondences for Snowdrops:

Triumph over adversity
Strength
Tenacity
Hope
Consolation
Eternal Life
Purity
Cleansing 

NEXT - Rose Magick: Correspondences
NEXT - Imbolc Magick: 40 Correspondences
NEXT - Bear Medicine: 5 Bear-Related Correspondences

Rose Magick: Correspondences

Magickal Correspondences for Rose - as taken from Scott Cunningham’s Magical Herbalism: 
Gender: Cold
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Associated Deities: Venus, Hulda, Demeter, Isis, Eros, Cupid, Adonis
Part used: Flowers
Basic powers: Love, Fertility, Clairvoyance
Specific uses: Wash your hands with rose water before mixing up love mixtures (rose water may be purchased commercially in gourmet food shops and herb stores). Bear the buds if you would find a love. Drink of tisane of rose petals to produce clairvoyant drams. Burn the petals in the bedroom prior to sleep and have a completely refreshing, wondrous night. The petals are often added to healing incenses and sachets. Scatter fresh rose petals in the bed chamber on your honeymoon. To really prove you love another, send him or her red roses, the flowers of love.

Remember that it is always best to develop your own relationship with plants, and develop your own magickal associations. Your magickal correspondences for rose may be different to mine, and to Scott Cunningham’s.

Roses were first cultivated in Persia. They appear throughout the ancient world, many myths and legends built around them. It is said by some that roses had no thorns in the beginning, and that they developed over time due to the wickedness of mankind; and due to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden.

In Ancient Greece they were associated with Aphrodite. Aphrodite bled on a rose while trying to heal Adonis, who was mortally injured hunting boar, and as such red roses came to represent love, passion and desire.

This particular variety of rose is called “Queen of Sweden” so I’m dedicating this post to my very own Queen of Sweden; @thenordicwolfie 

NEXT - Mistletoe Magick: Herbal Lore
NEXT - Rose Quartz Magick: 8 Ways to Use the Stone of Unconditional Love
NEXT - Flower Magick: Using Flowers in Cooking

Cyclamen Magick: Herbal Lore

Cyclamen are a group of hardy tuberous perennials with white, pink or purple flowers that point upwards, like shuttlecocks. Species are native to the Mediterranean region: Greece, Italy, Cypress, Crete, Turkey, Israel and Lebanon. In the U.K. they flower from late winter through to early spring. They provide a hit of colour in a season where often there is none, unless the mice or squirrels dig them up to eat the tubers! The name cyclamen comes from the Latin "cyclamnos" which in turn comes from the Greek "kuklaminos" and "kuklos" which means cycle, circle, or wheel.

Sacred to Hecate, cyclamen is feminine in nature, and is associated with the element of Water, and the planet Mars.

It is a helpful plant that protects against all sorts of negative feelings and bad vibes. A plant kept in the bedroom is said to guard against nightmares and night terrors, whilst increasing libido, lust and fertility. Where it grows, it is said to prevent negative spells from taking effect. It builds joy, happiness, confidence, self-esteem and self-love; perfect for combining with a pink spell candle for all those self-care spells. The tuber withstands difficult conditions ~ think of its over-wintering success ~ therefore the cyclamen represents deep love and sincere affection. Rather confusingly, cyclamen can also be used in the opposite way; to send away someone whose affections you do not want.

The flowers can be used to ease grief, and it is said that a plant placed in the home will prevent negative spells reaching a member of the household.

CAUTION: Cyclamen should not be used medicinally/therapeutically unless you are a trained herbalist, or have experience with working with plants. It is a very powerful purgative and can cause violent purging if eaten raw. It should not be used (internally or externally) by pregnant women, in any situation, and it is poisonous to cats and fish.

Do you use cyclamen in your practice? Have you seen any this year? Maybe you grow them at home? 

NEXT - Hydrangea Magick: Correspondences
NEXT - Snowdrop Magick: 8 Correspondences For Strength & Hope
NEXT - Flower Magick: 52 Floral Magickal Correspondences 

Hydrangea Magick: Correspondences

Hydrangea is a genus of 70 species of flowering plant native to Asia and the Americas.

“Hydrangea” is derived from Greek and means “water vessel”. Other names for hydrangea include French hydrangea, garden hydrangea and florist’s hydrangea, it may also be referred to as hortensia - the French and Spanish word for hydrangea.

Hydrangea flowers are produced from early spring to late autumn, though most of the ones I’ve seen around are fading now. There are two types of flower formation - “mophead” and “lacecap”. The ones in the picture are mopheads.

Hydrangeas seem to be missed from a lot of magical herbalism books, but generally they seem to be associated with hex-breaking, love-drawing, devotion, friendship, fidelity, binding, and bringing back a lover. They can be used for challenging karmic patterns, protection and redirecting psychic energy and attacks.

Associated with boundary setting they can be used in spells for shielding, and placed around the home they can create an environment where we become better at keeping a healthy balance between the physical and spiritual. Of course there are no set rules with magical correspondences, and so they might mean something altogether to you.

They have a deep connection with water so they can be a good ally to those who are intuitive, emotional, or psychically sensitive.

Magickal Correspondences for Hydrangea:

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Moon (whole plant), Jupiter (root), Neptune

Element: Water

Magickal Uses: Love spells, hex-breaking, redirecting curses, fidelity, understanding, binding, protection, love-drawing, bringing back a lover, devotion, friendship, challenging karmic patterns, psychic awareness, redirecting psychic attacks, boundary setting.

Do you like hydrangeas? Do you use them in your magick? If so, how? 

NEXT - Poppy Magick: Correspondences
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Magickal Hydrangea
NEXT - Summer Solstice Blessings

Poppy Magick: Correspondences

Poppies are a common wildflower in many parts of the world, found in fields as well as gardens, and are available in a number of varieties. Their blooms may be single or double, and can be just about any colour. All parts of the plant are toxic, except for the seeds, which may be eaten.

In the U.K. common poppies flower from June to September, so they give me summer and harvest vibes. They will flower in cracks in the pavement, so as well as delicate beauty, they make me think of tenacity and determination, and success against all odds. They’re one of my favourite flowers precisely because of their tenacious nature. I admire their strength and ephemeral beauty.

Poppies are often associated with love, due to the red colour of “traditional” poppies, however the correspondences most associated with them are death and remembrance. The poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McRae references poppies growing between the graves of World War I military personnel, and nods to the sheer brutality of war. The associations with death and remembrance go back a long way - the Egyptians apparently used poppies in their funerary rites some 3000 years ago, and they represented eternal sleep to the Romans. Both cultures also recognised their association with new life: they made garlands of common poppies to celebrate the gods and ensure the fertility of their crops. In Greek mythology, Thanatos, the God of Death, wore a crown of poppies.

Here in the U.K. white poppies are worn - sometimes with the red poppy - which stand for three things: a commitment to peace, remembrance for all victims of war, and as a challenge to those who would celebrate or glamourise war. Purple poppies are worn to remember the animal victims of war. As the wife of a veteran, the poppy is an important symbol in our home.

Magickal Correspondences for Poppy: 

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Magical Associations: love, fertility, death, peace, remembrance, ancestor work, imagination, strength, tenacity, determination, regeneration, success against the odds, summer, the harvest, strength. 

NEXT - Lupin Magick: 12 Correspondences For Growth
NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Meadowsweet
NEXT - Happy Summer Solstice! 

Fabulous Folklore: Wolfsbane

Wolfsbane, also known as aconite, monkshood, mousebane, pops, Cupid’s cap, flapdock, women’s bane, queen of poisons, devil’s helmet and blue rocket, belongs to the plant genus Aconitum; a group of plants which are all poisonous, with wolfsbane being one of the most toxic plants in the UK.

I haven’t managed to spot Aconitum napellus in the wild yet, but I did spy this Chinese aconite (Aconitum carmichaelii) at our local gardens, which I was really surprised to see! Isn’t she beautiful?

Serious poisoning by plants is rare in the UK, but the toxins of wolfsbane can enter the blood if protective clothing is not worn when handling. In 2014, a gardener in Hampshire, UK, died after brushing against it, which is extremely unusual, but shows the amount of care needed when handling these plants.

Aconite, along with other baneful herbs, is said to be a constituent of flying ointment, which is said to have been used by witches from the Late Middle Ages. This hallucinogenic ointment allowed the witches to astrally project; the witch’s consciousness “flying” off rather than their physical body.

Francis Bacon listed the ingredients of flying ointment as wolfsbane, “the fat of children digged out of their graves”, smallage (celery), cinquefoil (potentilla), and fine wheat (wheat flour).

Poisonous ingredients listed in flying ointments, past and present, include belladonna, henbane, mandrake, and hemlock.

Whilst I have a good general plant knowledge, I’m still learning about the baneful aspects of certain plants, and their history. One thing is for certain: baneful plants are absolutely beautiful.

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Magickal Hydrangea

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Witches' Flight

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Werewolves, Werewolfery & The Werewolf Witch Trials

Lupin Magick: 12 Correspondences for Growth

The lupin, or lupine, is a genus of flowering plant in the legume family, with a rich and fascinating history. It was originally named from lupus, meaning wolf, but I have seen several explanations for its name.

Firstly, it has been suggested that it was named after the wolf because of its voracious nature. Secondly, that lupin was named after the wolf, because it was thought that both wolves and lupins kill livestock. Thirdly, because it was believed that lupins “wolfed” minerals and nutrients from the soil, when in actual fact they do the opposite.

It is traditionally used in protection rites and spells, and is said to absorb psychic and magickal energy.

Powder the leaves, roots, seeds, but despite it being used as a culinary plant around the world, please do NOT ingest it, as some lupins contain secondary compounds which can be poisonous.

Magickal Correspondences for Lupin:

Protection

Balancing 

Otherworld communication 

Absorbing psychic “messes” 

Admiration 

Creativity

Animal healing, in particular dogs 

Imagination 

Happiness 

Strength recovering from trauma 

New opportunities found via a positive outlook 

Corresponds with the third eye chakra 

NEXT - Chamomile Magick: 9 Protective Correspondences 

NEXT - Flower Magick: Using Flowers in Cooking 

NEXT - Cancer the Crab: Magickal Correspondences 

Simple Magick: Experiencing the Land Wights

I’ve spoken before about land wights, the unique spirits that reside in natural things such as mineral, animal, herb, rock, plant, and stone. Collectively they form the genius loci, the spirit of a place.

Land wights are definitely the spirits that communicate with me most, and something which has developed as I have got older. I felt an instant connection to this place when I moved here ~ a later DNA test would reveal to me that many of my ancestors actually came from this area ~ and the longer I have spent time treading the land, the more information the land wights have passed to me.

It begun as information about the landscape, and moved on to the identification of plants. My plant knowledge has always been quite good, but it has sped up since I moved here. I feel like the land ~ the spirits residing within the land ~ are slowly revealing themselves to me, furthering my knowledge. They will say “I am an X” and when I go home and research, I find they are right.

It’s not just the identification of plants, it’s also their personalities. I get a certain feeling when I approach, spend time with, think about, or use a plant. These are distinct feelings or emotions that I simply have no human words for. They are very specific, and differ hugely from plant to plant. I suppose you could say it is their “essence”.

There is clearly more work to be done with this. There are hundreds of plants yet to be identified, and personalities to understand; and that’s before we get into the realm of using them magickally. What’s interesting is that as someone who has terrible cognitive issues ~ especially a terrible memory ~ one thing I CAN remember is the names of all these friends.

Have you ever felt instantly connected to a place? Did it reveal its secrets to you? Have you experienced what I am?

NEXT - Simple Magick: 9 Uses For Graveyard Dirt
NEXT - Simple Magick: Horse Brasses
NEXT - Natural Remedies: Stinging Nettle & Rosemary Hair Rinse

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Foxgloves

Fabulous Folklore: Leicestershire & Rutland Leechcraft

Whilst there are many parts of Leicestershire folklore that are also found in other parts of the country; some recorded folklore is specific to Leicestershire and the immediate district. Some of my favourite Leicestershire folklore is the wonderful, and often bizarre, leechcraft: healing or medical “cures.”

Rub a wart three times with the rind of stolen bacon. Nail the rind up on some outside wall, and, as it dries up, the wart will dry up also.

Charm against drunkenness: “Take the lungs of an hog; roast it; whosoever eateth thereof fasting shall not be drunk that day, how liberally soever hee takes his drinks.”

Swallowing shot will remedy “raisin’ o’ the loights” (heart-burn).

Get a black snail, rub it on the wart, then stick it on a thorn until it dies.

To cure whooping cough seat the patient on a donkey, with his face towards its tail. Give him a roast mouse to eat. He must not know what he's eating.

The Churchyard Mould Cure for rheumatism: bury the patient in the earth for two to three hours, naked, his face only uncovered. Repeat daily until the rheumatism is cured.

To cure a wart travel to an ash tree with some fresh pins. Stick a pin through the bark, and then into the wart until it produces pain. Take it out and stick it into the tree. Use a different pin for each wart. The warts will disappear in about six weeks.

Charming for whooping-cough and fits: the operator, generally an old woman, draws a circle round the sufferer’s face nine times with her fore-finger, pausing each time at the centre of the forehead and the chin, her lips moving silently during the performance. (It is believed the words of the charm were probably transmitted from mother to daughter as a treasure to be secretly guarded, and may now be irrecoverably lost).

When stung with a nettle find a dock leaf and beat the sting with the leaves, repeating the words "in dock, out nettle " — a word with every blow.

Sources: 

Leicestershire Legends, Folklore & Dialect 

County Folklore: Leicestershire & Rutland

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Horses

Fabulous Folklore: Primrose

Primrose (Primula vulgaris)

The name primrose comes from the Latin “prima rosa” meaning “first rose”, indicating that spring is generally the time for these beautiful plants to flower, although they sometimes open as early as December in the mildest areas of the U.K.

They’re found across the whole of Britain and Ireland, and are considered a favourite by many, including the many little creatures that depend on them for food, nectar and pollination. They are found in woodlands and by hedgerows and thrive in damp shade. 

There are lots of primrose recipes, but it’s illegal to pick or remove them from the wild as they’re currently protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Folklore surrounding primroses is mainly associated with faeries, and with life cut short.

Hanging primrose flowers outside your house is an invitation to faeries to come in, and touching a rock with a posy of primroses is a key; supposedly opening the doorway to the faerie realms. To receive a blessing from the faeries, primroses should be placed upon the doorstep, and at Beltane primroses and yellow gorse were often lain across the threshold to celebrate the spring and the encroaching summer. That said, as much energy has been spent trying to protect against faeries over the years as attracting them. In the National Folklore Collection in University College, Dublin, there can be found a piece of verse relating to Beltane and faeries:

“Guard the house with a string of primroses on the first three days of May. The fairies are said not to be able
to pass over or under this string.”

In Flora Britannica, Richard Mabel notes that in Victorian times it was common to plant primroses on the graves of children. There are definitely primroses dotted about on this cemetery, but I’m not sure if they correspond.

There are other customs related to death and primroses, meaning they provoke a similar feeling to blossom for me: they are representative of the ephemeral nature of life. 

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Yew 

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Oak Galls

Fabulous Folklore: Midland Hawthorn

We’ve just been for a walk in a beautiful ancient woodland full of flowers and I spotted this hawthorn.

It’s a type of hawthorn called a Midland hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata), also known as Woodland hawthorn, which is a bit different to the Common hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna). Its leaves are more shallow lobed, and it has creamy-white to sometimes pinky-red flowers as opposed to the white flowers of the common hawthorn.

Midland hawthorns were actually more prevalent than the common hawthorn in the Middle Ages, but they are much harder to find now. They are native to western and central Europe, and they are most common in central - I’m guessing where the name comes from - and southern England, most notably in Leicestershire and Rutland. They grow in ancient woodland and love clay soil.

In the past the Midland hawthorn was incorrectly known as Crataegus oxyacantha, and in 1753 this name was used to cover several species of hawthorn. In 1775 the Midland and Common species were separated out, and in 1946 it was finally shown that a different plant was actually Crataegus oxyacantha. Because of the confusion, this name is still used occasionally for the Midland hawthorn.

Hawthorn has highly scented blossom, but when the flowers are cut they are said to have reminded medieval people of the Great Plague, such is their foul smell - but I have not tested this theory! Hawthorn was never taken inside the home, it was believed that illness and death would occur soon after.

In my family we don’t consider the summer having started until the hawthorn flowers; which has been really late (in our area) this year. Summer is finally here!

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Primroses

Flower Magick: 52 Floral Magickal Correspondences

For hundreds of years flowers have been used in magic. Now that Spring is here (at least in the UK!) many flowers are blooming, or are about to bloom.

You can mix up flowers and create a magical combination, depending on your purpose and intent. Here are some flower magic correspondences.

Magickal Correspondences for Flowers

Apple Blossom:
Associated with immortality.

Crocus:
New love, good for enhancing visions and intuitive dreaming.

Lesser Celandine:
Psychic ability. Associated with the Sun, Artemis and Scorpio.

Daffodil:
Strong connection to love. Associated with fertility, luck, and abundance. Also connected to Hades and death.

Hellebore:
For spells/rituals for healing mental or emotional issues. Banishing, exorcisms. For intelligence, protection, and invisibility spells.

Dandelion:
Positive change, divination, drawing good energy in.

Hyacinth:
Abundance, luxury, attracting gifts, charm, irresistibility, glamour, influence, granting wishes, and chasing away bad dreams.

Lilac:
Flirtation, new love, short-term attractions. Banishing, getting rid of negative energies. For jump-starting your life or a project.

Pansy:
Attract new love, and strengthen and deepen existing love. Aids focus, helps you find direction. Use it in rain spells. Rebirth, love, divination, curses.

Tulip:
Prosperity, offers flexibility by using in colour magic. 

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