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

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

Blessed Ostara!

Blessed Ostara, everyone!

May this moment hold you in perfect balance as you prepare to step out of the shadow, and into the light. As we move slowly towards Beltane may the lighter, brighter days bring you passion, energy and enthusiasm.

May the chains hindering your growth be broken. May you welcome the warmth and hope of the season with open arms, and may your desires blossom into abundant reality.

May the Earth nourish you. May love be rekindled and renewed.

A Happy Autumn Equinox to those in the Southern Hemisphere!

Wishing you a lovely day, everyone! What are you doing to celebrate? 

NEXT - Ritual: Ostara Spring Ritual 

NEXT - Imbolc Blessings 

NEXT - Flower Magick: 52 Floral Magickal Correspondences 

NEXT - Pagan Holidays: Beltane

Winter is Still Here

Hey everyone, 

Just a little reminder that we’re still in the depths of winter. It’s ok to need to go at a slower pace. This is a time of regeneration, recuperation and rest. As you take the time to look after yourself with sleep, good food, and all the lovely things that comfort you; your body and soul responds with growth. 

As we travel the Wheel, and get nearer to spring, we will pick up more energy. The Sun will soon melt away, not only the literal ice of the winter; but also our troubles. For it’s easier to tackle things when we have the energy. Work on personal protection, and leave everything else free to evolve in its own sweet way. The spring is a new beginning for everyone, and as we approach it, it will be easier to make the changes we need to.

Have faith in yourself, and your abilities, you’ll feel much better soon! 

Runes:

ᛒ - Berkana 

ᛁ - Isa 

ᛖ - Ehwaz

ᛉ - Elhaz

ᚱ - Raidho

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

Imbolc Blessings!

We start to see the odd blue sky now. The murky grey skies of December and January will soon be behind us.

Yesterday was Imbolc. The Sun has now moved into Aquarius, and this is the cross quarter sabbat marking the midway point between Yule (Winter Solstice) and Ostara (Spring Equinox). It is a festival celebrating the blessings of hearth and home, a festival welcoming the light that was promised to us at the Winter Solstice.

We celebrate the awakening of the Earth, and the potential this awakening has for manifestation. We move away from the slumber of winter, where we focus on rest and regeneration, and look instead to energetic activity and productivity.

Imbolc is a day for weather divination. If the weather is “bad”, it is considered that a “good” summer is on its way. The Cailleach, the divine hag, gathers her firewood for the rest of the year on Imbolc. If she wishes winter to last longer, she will ensure the day is bright and sunny, so that she can gather more wood. If the weather is foul the Cailleach is still sleeping, and winter is nearly over.

Hope you had a blessed Imbolc everyone!

What did you do to celebrate? Do you celebrate Imbolc, or do you hibernate for a bit longer and concentrate on spring celebrations at Ostara?

NEXT - Imbolc Magick: 40 Correspondences 

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Ashwell Sacred Spring 

NEXT - Pagan Holidays: Beltane 

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: The Leicestershire Chambermaid

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

Fabulous Folklore: Spring Blossom

One of the best things about this time of year is the blossom!

Blossom is the flowers of stone fruit trees (genus Prunus), and similar; such as the Apple (Malus). At this time of year they are bursting with flowers, and the loud hum of busy bees collecting pollen.

Apple trees have been grown in U.K. for over a thousand years, and they tend to flower later in the Spring; the last week of April through to May. This blossom is from a cherry, and it has been in flower for a week or so now. Cherries can bloom as early as March if it has been warm - which it hasn’t! There are two native species of cherry in the British Isles; bird cherry and wild cherry. I don’t know enough about cherries to know which type this is, but it is from one of my favourite trees on the cemetery, and I look forward to seeing it every Spring.

I found out yesterday that there are loads of cherries in London! April is Sakura (cherry blossom) Month, and you can see them at Kew Gardens, Kyoto Garden, Greenwich Park, St Paul’s Cathedral and Regent’s Park.

In Japan, cherry blossoms symbolize clouds due to their nature of blooming en masse. Their delicate beauty and grace, and their short lived existence - they last about two weeks - are a metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life, and to many they represent destiny and karma. They represent Spring, and the cycle of life, death and renewal/rebirth. They tie closely into Buddhist themes of mindfulness, mortality, and living in the present.

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: All Hail The Blackberry!

Imbolc Magick: 40 Correspondences

A blessed Imbolc everyone! And to those in the Southern Hemisphere a blessed Lughnasadh.

Imbolc is about half way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, and this fire festival celebrates the very first stirrings of Spring. This period of growth, gestation, and birth makes it a time of new beginnings, and for me personally it often feels like the beginning of the year, trumping Samhain (the Witches New Year) and January 1st.

When I think of Imbolc I think of the blue skies and sunshine that are now (occasionally!) making an appearance, as opposed to grey skies. We have brighter days with a noticeable change in light quality, and with that comes a change of attitude.

It is a time of magic and transformation; and of hope: the return of the light we celebrated at the Winter Solstice is now confirmed. The Sun is returning!

Magickal Correspondences for Imbolc:

Stones:

Amethyst, bloodstone, garnet, onyx, ruby, turquoise

Plants:

Angelica, basil, bay, celandine, crocus, heather, iris, snowdrop

Colours:

Brown, light green, orange, pink, red, white, yellow

Foods:

Cheese, cream, garlic, honey, milk, sunflower seeds, poppyseed cakes, pumpkin seeds, wine

Symbols:

Brigid’s cross, corn dollies, dish of snow, flowers, ploughs, snowdrops, sun wheels 

NEXT - Blessed Ostara! 

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Lesser Celandine 

NEXT - Flower Magick: 52 Floral Magickal Correspondences

Pagan Holidays: Imbolc

A blessed Imbolc everyone!

Imbolc is about half way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox and celebrates the first stirrings of Spring.

This period of growth, gestation, and birth makes it feel like a time of beginnings, and so for me it feels like the beginning of the year, trumping Samhain (the Witches New Year) and January 1st.

I have chosen today’s bright blue sky for my #witchwithme Imbolc submission, as when I think of Imbolc I think of the blue skies and sunshine that are now (occasionally!) making an appearance.
We have brighter days with a noticeable change in light quality, and with that comes a change of attitude, as well as feelings of rebirth and renewal. It is a time of magic and transformation; and of hope: the return of the light we celebrated at the Winter Solstice is now confirmed. The Sun is returning!

NEXT - Imbolc Magick: 40 Correspondences 

NEXT - Imbolc Blessings! 

NEXT - Spell: Cloutie Spell for Justice