A Summer of Flower Power

In my latest book in the Hedgewitch's Little Library, I discuss an amazing little magical resource: flowers. In The Hedgewitch's Little Book of Flower Spells, all types of flora are discussed, from Aconites to Zinnias. I show how flowers can be used within your magical practice and what correspondence they can follow. We often think of the summer months as the key time for when flowers bloom, but in fact, there are flowers all year long (especially in the spring and autumn months). However, I wanted to use this opportunity to discuss some very common summer flowers, such as the rose and poppy, and show how the whole summer can be filled with magic—with a specific flower for each month of this vibrant season.

June: The Rose
We begin with the June Flower, which is the magnificent and very common rose, Rosa. The Flower of Love and Romance is native to Europe and Asia. The rose is the national flower of England, and represents the history of Britain in many ways—from the white rose of Yorkshire to the red rose of Lancashire to the War of the Roses. The many colours of this versatile flower all have different meanings, and were used to convey a plethora of sentiments. However, since ancient times, roses have been closely associated with love. Aphrodite was first equated with them, and the ancient Romans made it common to scatter rose petals for amorous times with loved ones.

Rose Festivals
There are many rose festivals throughout the world, from Morocco through to the USA; the Portland Rose Festival in Oregan is one of the biggest, with over a million visitors each year. Many rose festivals can be found during June, the traditional month of the rose, but some can begin in late May. In the UK, many National Trust houses and properties hold special rose festivals during this time, so make sure to check online. The ancient Romans were probably the first civilization to have a specific rose festival, called Rosalia, which began in May but could last right through to mid-July.

Rose Goddesses
There are many goddesses attached to this wonderful flower; the most common is Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Her love and passion for her lover Adonis was said to have created the first ever red rose. Her husband Ares found out and killed Adonis; as Adonis lay dying, Aphrodite ran to him. She cut her leg on the white roses growing on the ground, and as she bled on them, they became red. Since this moment of Aphrodite running to her dying lover, the red rose has represented passionate love.

Rose Meanings
There are many meanings regarding the rose, and in floriography (the language of flowers) each colour represents a different meaning. Here are the common meanings for each colour of the rose:

• Red Rose: The ultimate flower of romance, passion, and love
• Pink Rose: Sympathy, admiration, joy
• White Rose: Loyalty, new beginnings, hope
• Yellow Rose: Congratulations, happiness
• Purple Rose: Elegance, royalty, opulence
• Orange Rose: Gratitude, friendship
• Peach Rose: Desire, excitement
• Lavendar Rose: Enchantment, splendour, magic
• Blue Rose: Sensitivity, affection, compassion

Lavendar Rose Enchantment Spray
Buy a one or two lavender roses and pick three petals off the rose and place in a spray bottle of water. On the night of the full moon, leave the water with the rose petals in full view of the moon overnight. In the morning, gently shake the rose water and say:
Lavendar rose of summer delight.
Bring to me the gift of sight.
Let love and enchantment forever bloom.
As I spray this rose water in every room.

Hold the bottle in both hands and meditate for a while; imagine the water bringing enchantment and magic into a room every time you spray it, filling the space with love and happiness.

Rose Myths
There are many myths and legends concerned with the rose. They are featured in many fairy stories, from the white rose in Beauty and the Beast to the fairy tale of Snow White and Rose Red.

Rose Uses
The rose has been used for centuries for a great many things, including making jams, marmalades, teas, drinks, perfumes, and even ice cream and cakes. It was Queen Victoria who made it famous for its use in a wedding bouquet, as she had an exquisite wedding bouquet of white roses made when she wed Prince Albert. However, it is not just the flowers that are of use—both the leaves and the rose hips are used in all manner of herbal medicine. Rose hips, which appear in the autumn, are packed with nutritional value and contain vitamin C in large doses. These are particularly beneficial when made in to rose hip syrup and taken throughout the winter months to stave off colds and all manner of viruses.

July: Water Lily
We now turn to the next summer flower, the Water Lily (Nymphaeaceae), the Flower of Pleasure. Although these watery beauties are native to Africa and Asia, they are found across the world.

The water lily is the delicate flower of rivers, ponds, and lakes, and has over seventy different varieties. The water lily is the national flower of many countries, including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and its image is featured on many heraldic flags (such as those of Denmark and Friesland). The water lily comes in many colours and sizes, from the small delicate variety to the gigantic Queen Victoria's water lily native to South America. Its leaves can be up to three metres in diameter and floats on the water like a giant plant boat.

Water Lily Festivals
There are many water lily festivals throughout the world, from the Philippines to the UK, where the Sheffield Water Lily Festival is held every year in between June and July. Another perfect place to see water lilies in full bloom is Monet's house in Giverny in France. Each year in June and July, many people flock to the home of the artist who created famous paintings of water lilies just to see the lily pond where he painted his masterpieces. Many of the lilies that remain are ancestors of the ones in his paintings.

Water Lily Goddesses
There are many goddesses and mystical beings attached to this wonderful flower, the most common of which are the water nymphs after which it is named (its scientific name is Nymphaea). The nymphs of ancient Greece were beautiful women who were viewed as minor nature goddesses and tended to nature both in forests and woods. There were also water nymphs who, while extremely beautiful and seductive, could entice men to their watery death. In other cultures, water lilies are symbols of their goddesses (such as in ancient Egypt; the lily or blue lotus was the symbol of the Queen of the Gods, Isis).

Water Lily Meanings
There are many meanings regarding the water lily, and many are connected to the way it grows. The water lily needs mud to survive; its roots appear to be trapped in the clotted mud, and yet it grows into one of the most exquisite flowers. This transformation from a humble hidden root into something of such beauty is often used as a metaphor for many religions (most commonly Buddhism). In ancient Egypt this flower was used as a symbol of unity, and can often be found adorning ancient tombs, jewellery, and furniture.

Nymph Lotus Oil Shower Gel Spell
Nymphs were renowned for their sensuality and beauty, but they were also known to be full of magic and power. They could instil peace, love, and purity onto those that came under their spell. Harness the power of the nymph in your shower or bath routine by adding three drops of lotus or water lily essential oil to your bottle of shower gel. Then, shake the bottle and as you do say these words:
Nymphs of magic and of peace.
Grace me with beauty to all I meet.
From natures power that will last.
This sensuality spell I cast

Then use your nymph shower gel as normal and step into a powerful day as you enchant everyone you meet. Label the shower gel bottle and keep it separate from the others, as you do not want everyone using it.

Water Lily Myths
There are so many myths and legends connected to this amazing flower. It is revered in Buddhism and is associated with many practices within this religion. Water lilies are grown in many Buddhist gardens and temples as they symbolize the spiritual process of striving for enlightenment.

Water Lily Uses
There are many uses for water lilies. One of the most powerful uses is its ability to purify the water where they live. As they grow, they filter the water and thus help other aquatic plants and life like fish and amphibians. Other uses of water lilies include the edible fruit they can produce; in many places where water lilies grow wild (such as in India), people are known to eat the stems and flowers as well. In other parts of the world, their medicinal properties are celebrated, as their roots have often been used to make teas and oils that can ease coughs, mouth ulcers, and even skin blemishes.

August: The Poppy
The final month of summer has a sadness to it as we approach the autumn with trepidation and knowledge that winter is just round the corner. Rhe flower of August is probably one of the most understated flowers in the world while still holding fascination for many. The flower of August is the Poppy Papaver, The Flower of Remembrance, which is native to Europe and Asia.

This versatile flower comes in array of colours, grows everywhere in the world, and has a wealth of meanings and uses. It is the national flower for remembrance for those who died in the World Wars in the United Kingdom (as such, they have often been given the name of "sacrifice poppies"). Poppies can also be used to represent imagination and dreams. The milk of the poppy has been used since ancient times to ease pain. Red poppies, especially, have often been associated with inducing sleep (who can forget Dorothy falling asleep in the field of poppies conjured by the wicked witch of the west in the wonderful Wizard of Oz?).

Poppy Festivals
There are many poppy festivals throughout the world, and many focus on the remembrance meaning of this special little flower. In the UK every year, millions of artificial poppies are sold for charity by the Royal British Legion to help ex-servicemen and women. One of the most amazing images of the Remembrance Day events was in 2014 when 888,246 ceramic poppies filled the Tower of London's moat as the country remembered the anniversary of the beginning of the First World War in 1914. Each one of the poppies represented a British military fatality during the war.

Poppy Goddesses
There are several goddesses attached to this wonderful flower, including an ancient Minoan figure who is simply called "the poppy goddess." Her figure was found on the island of Crete in the archaeological site of Knossos. However, one of the most famous goddesses attached to the poppy is that of Demeter, the goddess of the harvest and agriculture, who is often depicted with sheaves of wheat and bundles of poppies in her hands.

Poppy Meanings
There are many meanings for poppies, with each colour represents a different meaning in floriography. Here are the common meanings for each colour of the poppy:

• Yellow poppies mean renewal and optimism
• Blue poppies are often used in France as a symbol of remembrance, but can also mean success
• Purple poppies are used to remember animal victims of war and service such as police dogs
• Pink poppies mean imagination and luxury
• White poppies mean eternal rest and peace
• Orange/peach-coloured poppies can mean dreams and creativity

Poppy Power Protection Spell
Poppies have a wealth of meanings, and one of them is for protection. If you feel under threat and need extra protection against a foe, then cast a spell using this highly powerful flower around your home. Hold some poppy seeds in your hand and say:
Poppy power.
Defend my honour
End my strife.
Protect all in my life.
Here in my home,
And wherever I may roam.
Protect forevermore.
Keep harm from my door.

Then proceed to sprinkle the poppy seeds outside your house, especially around the doors and windows,to ensure no negative entities can enter.

Poppy Myths
There are many myths and legends across the ancient world regarding the poppy. Many of the legends are similar, as they all connected poppies with sleep and dreams due to the sedative qualities of the sap/milk of the poppy. The ancient Greeks related the poppy to the god of sleep, Morpheus.

Poppy Uses
One of the main uses of the poppy is as a painkiller; the milk or the sap is opium and has been used for centuries. The opium from the poppy is then used to make the drug morphine (the name for which stems from the god Morpheus, since it induces sleep), which is still used today in medical procedures. Poppy seeds are also used in many recipes around the world and are viewed as a healthy food due since they are high in fibre, protein, and a range of minerals including calcium and magnesium.

I do hope you enjoy the summer and remember that whatever flower you plant and grow, all have a connection to our Mother Earth, who needs our love more than ever.

Blessed be.
Tudorbeth