Botanical Magic: Plants in Myth and Folklore
Botanical Magic: Plants in Myth and Folklore
By Sara Stewart Martinelli
as printed in Colorado Gardener Magazine May 2020
For as long as humans have been on earth, our lives have been deeply interconnected with the botanical environment. Humans have always depended on plants for a wide range of primary needs, and a deep understanding of nature was fundamental to people’s survival and well-being. Since our earliest origins, people have used plants for all kinds of purposes, including food, medicine, fiber, art, housing, and ritual. Our spiritual connection to plants has led humans to incorporate them into ritual and prayer, weaving the energies of plants into the creation of our cultural identities.
The spiritual or magical power of plants has been cataloged through centuries of observation and use. These botanical allies have been attributed magical properties and purposes as people learned about their habitat and growing conditions, how they can be used medicinally, and have analyzed scents, flavors, and colors. Through time and experience, people have assigned specific energies or qualities to certain plants and both ancient and modern cultures have used plants to attract the positive and repel the negative. People craft amulets, hang poppets or charms, make incenses and perfumes, blend elixirs and potions, and make offerings to deities. From smudging to strewing, people have harnessed the power of plants for protection, health, prosperity, love, wisdom, or any other purpose imaginable.
Here in Colorado, there are endless varieties of plants that can be added to the garden to offer spiritual support, protection, and benefit. Here are 10 easy to grow options and how to incorporate them into a magical lifestyle. They can be placed under a pillow, hung in the home, carried in medicine bags, sewn into sachets, or carried in the pocket. Incorporating the spirit of plants can deepen our connection and relationship to the plants with which we share our gardens and lives.
Borage (Borago officinalis)
Borage is an annual herb that is easy and satisfying to grow. Plant in full sun to part shade, directly in the garden in late spring. The slightly sprawling, 2-3-foot plant will offer delightful star shaped blossoms of bluish purple. These flowers are one of the strongest charms to bring courage, fortitude and protection to anyone who carries them. Harvest and dry a few flowers and place them in a little medicine bag or pouch and carry it when you need inner strength and bravery. Additionally, borage is reputed to enhance psychic abilities when enjoyed as a tea.
Chamomile (Matricaria recutita)
This humble little daisy-like flower is one of nature’s most powerful prosperity herbs. The plant attracts money when the hands are washed in a chamomile infusion, and it’s a time-honored ritual to use before either entering into a business deal or gambling. Small bouquets of chamomile, or chamomile sachets can attract money to a place of business. Chamomile also aids sleep and relaxation when used as tea and is safe and delicious. Easy to grow, plant seeds either in flats or directly in full sun after the last frost. Harvest the blossoms at their peak and dry them quickly to store for tea. Chamomile spreads easily, but it’s a pleasant-smelling addition to a wilder landscape.
Cinquefoil (Potentilla ssp)
The five leaves of potentilla represent love, money, health, power, and wisdom and when carried grants these virtues. Traditionally, it has been hung on doors for protection or used by the bed to provide restful sleep. A sprig with 7 leaflets has been used as a charm when place under the pillow to encourage dreams of a future lover. Potentilla can wash away hexes or curses when used to bathe hands and the forehead. When carried, it’s believed to increase eloquence and enhance the ability to convince people to your point of view, making it a great ally when going to court. Here in Colorado, Potentilla is both a wild and a cultivated plant that thrives in the Colorado climate. This shrub is almost impossible to grow from seed, so a root division or purchase of a plant is your best bet. It can range from a low growing varietal to a woodier shrub.
Mugwort
(Artemisia vulgaris) Mugwort is a robust easy-to-grow herb that grows in large clumps. Best started indoors and transplanted in full sun in the spring, mugwort is a magical plant that opens the third eye, oand our ability to access our deepest intuition. It’s reputed to strengthen psychic abilities, and often used to wash the hands or tools of someone performing divination, such as reading the tarot or using a pendulum. Mugwort is often used in dream pillows to induce lucid dreaming and inspire messages from the universe are received during sleep by placing it under the pillow.
Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium)
This little perennial herb in the mint family grows about 10-12 inches high in sun to shade and is best started indoors and transplanted in late spring. Pennyroyal tends to spread, but not as aggressively as many others in the mint family. Pennyroyal has a long history of being used for protection. Historically it’s been used to protect against the evil eye. Placed in shoe it prevents weariness and increases stamina and carried in the pocket it can smooth the way for fair business deals, and promote peace, compromise, and help to stop fighting.
Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis)
Although rosemary doesn’t overwinter well her in Colorado unless it’s carefully protected, it’s a lovely plant to grow in pots on the patio and it’s many magical qualities make it a must for anyone growing a magic garden. Rosemary is difficult to start from seed, so either propagate from tip cuttings in a rooting hormone or purchase a start from the nursery. Rosemary is one of the oldest incenses has been used traditionally to cleanse and purify a space of any negativity. It protects against nightmares when placed beneath the pillow, and when hung by the door it protects against thieves. When worn on the head, it helps aid in memory, and in fact is used medicinally to awaken the mind and improve circulation. It has strong healing energy, both medically and magically, and has long been used for love potions and elixirs.
Rue (Ruteola gravieolens)
This perennial herb is considered sacred by many cultures and has been used in religious rituals for centuries. Easy to grow but best started indoors and transplanted in late spring, it functions as a natural pesticide in the garden. The flowers are small and yellow, and the plant grows to about 12 inches high. Rue has been used as a healing ally by placing the leaves directly on the area of illness, such as the head for a headache. When smelled, rue clears the mind and improves mental acuity, and has long been used in the bath to break curses or hexes against you. It’s believed that it protects against the evil eye, werewolves, and poisons. As a wash for the home, rue is believed to protect against all ills, and protect those who live within.
Vervain (Verbena hastata)
Blue vervain is our native varietal of this sacred plant and grows with bluish purple flower spikes that bloom from mid to late summer. Seeds can be started indoors and transplanted in late spring in the sun or partial shade. This magical plant dates back to Ancient Rome when it was used to wash the altars to Jupiter, and crowns of vervain were placed upon the heads of Druid initiates. It’s been used for centuries in love spells and potions and was hung in the home to protect against storms and lightning. Vervain brings peace to the home when sprinkled around the house, and when fresh sprigs of vervain are placed on the dinner table, the conversation will remain calm and nonconfrontational. Charms made of vervain are believed to attract money, and when used in a dream pillow, it brings dreamless sleep. The juice of the plant is said to awaken psychic ability, and a sprig placed in the cradle will grant a baby a lifetime of wisdom and happiness. An old myth relates that vervain can determine if a sick person will live or die by placing the plant against the patient and asking them how they feel. A positive answer will lead to a positive outcome, yet a negative answer may lead to a poor one.
White Sage (Salvia apiana) Generally known for it’s uses as a smudging herb, white sage has been drastically over harvested in the wild making it an excellent choice for the magical home gardener. Here in Colorado it’s a tender perennial and will need some care to make it last over the winter. Alternately, it can be grown in pots. Start the seeds indoors after stratifying for about a week, and transplant seedings in a dry, sunny spot in late spring. White sage has been used for hundreds of years by the Native Americans. This sacred burning ritual purifies the air of both spiritual and physical negativity, and can help to lift the spirits, reduce stress, and alleviate anxiety and depression. Dried leaves from your own white sage make an excellent addition to any purifying or protective incense.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Found both in wild areas of Colorado as well as in cultivated gardens, this perennial herb spreads easily and can be sown directly outdoors. The leaves are featherlike, and are also called “chipmunk tail” by the Native Americans. In Ancient China, the dried stalks were used for divination, and the Druids used the stems to forecast the weather. Yarrow is still believed to enhance clairvoyance and psychic powers and when placed under the pillow, it is said that it will bring prophetic dreams of your true love. Yarrow brings courage and strength, and helps to protect against injury during battle.
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Sara Stewart Martinelli is an Herbalist, Professional Tea Blender and owner of Three Leaf Farm in Lafayette, Colorado, on which she and her family grow organic herbs and vegetables for their own local restaurants. Sara teaches workshops about herbal medicine and magic throughout the year. You can learn more about Sara and Three Leaf Farm by visiting online at www.threeleaffarm.com
References:
Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1990
Erichson-Brown, Charlotte. Use of Plants for the Past 500 Years. Breezy Creeks Press, Ontario, Canada, 1979
Hartung, Tammi. Growing 101 Herbs that heal: Gardening Techniques, Recipes, and Remedies. Storey Communications, Vermont, 2000.
Mars, Brigitte. The Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine. Basic Health Publications, Inc. Laguna Beach, CA, 2007.