Floromancy for the Flower Moon: The Origin of the Rose
When considering the gardens of folklore and myth, there is one flower that blooms within more often than the rest.
The Rose.
Sensual and chthonic, Witches and Goddess will cultivate this flower for spells of unfurling, blooming, and becoming. According to Roman myth, the goddess Venus adorned herself with scented rose petals and painted this flower's story, and the the pentagram, into the starry sky. In some tales, the Goddess of Love and Beauty is also credited as the mother of the rose. In one story, Aphrodite cries a river of white roses when Adonis, her mortal lover, is fatally injured by a boar while hunting, From Aphrodite's watery eyes, the roses mingle with the mortal's blood, and mysteriously, all the white flowers turn scarlet. Through Adonis's loss of life and Venus's loss of love, the red rose is born.
Another origin story suggests that it was not Adonis but Cupid that turned the white rose red. In this version, he also has something to do with this flower's prickly, pokey thorns…
The details are a little murky, but allegedly, Cupid was on his way to share some nectar with the gods when he spilled it – accidentally creating a bed of white roses! Delighted, Cupid celebrated by shooting arrows into the air. As they fell around his feet, the bees became aggravated. The bees were focused on work, not play, so to shoo away the young god, they swarmed and stung Cupid!
Cupid ran off to tell his mother, but Venus arrived in the grove shortly after he'd left. While she was gathering a bouquet from the curious new garden, she stepped on one of Cupid's arrows. From a single drop of Venus's celestial blood, the entire bed of flowers bloomed red.
Another version of this tale says that when Cupid discovered his first rose garden, a pesky bee stung the divine archer. Cupid cried to his mother, who took pity on him and gifted her son his most-prized possession – his bow and enchanted arrows!Cupid took his new weapon and waged war against the hive who'd injured his pride. However, since Cupid was still learning how to aim his bow, the young god missed all of the bees. As fate would have it, he did manage to impale a few roses, which is how this alluring flower received its thorns.
Floromancy & Flower Divination
As the Wheel of the Year turns, spring gives way to summer, and roses return to the gardens and wild places, some Witches and Pagans engage with flower magick. The realm of flower magick can be a beautiful maze, for the options are endless. Flower divination is known as Floromancy, and even if we're new to the craft, we've probably been hearing about it since childhood - remember finding a flower and announcing, 'they love me, they love me not,' each time you removed a petal? This game is a form of Floromany, as it only ends when you got down to the last petal and you discovered how your crush feels about you - according to the flower.
Spotting specific flowers on certain days of the week is also a form of flower divination. Just like animals and birds, in the old world, people saw flowers as oracles.
In the Victorian Era, flower scrying or flower gazing was also a common form of divination. With flower scrying, people would meditate on a flower's image and interpret shapes, patterns, and peculiarities before divining a message from the plant. Another form of flower scrying involves sprinkling a handful of petals into a bowl of water. Then, beneath a soft light (the moon, a candle), we can introduce ourselves and our intentions, indirectly gaze into the bowl of flowers, and intuit messages as they arise.
Today, we understand that flowers possess unique, subtle vibrations that interact with humans on a cellular level. When it comes to working with these plants, Flormancy can be as simple as inviting flowers indoors to encourage our seasonal unfolding alongside theirs.
However, whether we're planting new flower beds, adding blossoms to our cauldrons, or alchemizing botanical potions large or small – May is a beautiful time to work with flowers. Just ask the moon.
Nicknamed the Flower Moon, Planting Moon, Budding Moon, and Egg Laying Moon, traditionally, this month is dedicated to blossoming plants and the humans who care for them. May's moon is also known as Mother Moon, and this year, the Full Flower Moon coincides with a lunar eclipse (in Scorpio!)
From last year's Sowing Dreams Beneath the Flower Moon:
In much of the Northern Hemisphere, wildflowers are springing up, seeds sown, and gardens kept. We're reminded that, like the garden, our growth does not follow a linear path but a 'spiral dance.' In the words of Starhawk, the use of language to shape consciousness is an important branch of magick.
During this month, the Month of Flowers, it might be helpful to take note of how you care for what's rooted in the outside world but also internally. Do we speak in flowers or thistles? Are our thorns in need of trimming and boundaries redrawn?
Beneath the light of this Flower Moon,
may we recognize that we are more than our to-do lists, job titles,
and our capitalist responsibilities.
Like Mother Earth and her flowers, we are infinite, fruitful beings,
with the capacity to bloom again and again.
On the subject of all that's blooming - what wonderful writings are you dreaming up right now?
Maybe something for our Spooky Spring challenge? Here is a submission we've fallen in love with beneath this full Mother Moon - check out more word witchery on the blog!
Calling all poets, storytellers, and literary witches - would you like to cast a spell with us?
Hosted by Pointy Hat Press, our Spooky Spring Series was inspired by haunted hearts, spectral travelers, and confessional poetry. To join in on the Spooky Spring challenge, submit an original poem, song, sonnet, illustration, or short essay (500 words or less) about ghosts, ghouls, witches, or whatever haunted chambers you're exploring this spring. Share the post to your feed, tag @pointyhatpress and @littlewitchbooks, and use the hashtag #spookyspring. You can also email us your submission at hello@pointyhatpress.com
One lucky writer will receive a custom fine art print of their work designed by our in-house Art Witch, created and delivered at no cost to them!
Pointy Hat Press's Spooky Spring contest runs from April 5th - June 1st, 2023. The Winner will be chosen by Pointy Hat Press founders, Kristin and Caitlyn, and announced at 12 pm EST on the Full Flower Moon, June 4th, 2023. Learn more here. Good luck spooky friends!
Enjoy the Flower Moon!