A is for Apple: Thirteen Magical Ways to Use Apples
The almighty apple – so commonplace, yet its uses are endless. It has countless magical correlations and applications around the world. The small, too oft unnoticed apple bears significant religious connotation as well – a fruit that has been historically used in invocational offerings to no less than a dozen deities and has gained symbological infamy. From its use in fertility and romance magic to its association with death and immortality, there seems to be very little the apple cannot do.
DIVINATION
Revealing Your True Love
There are a fair few divinatory practices using apples that are said to reveal one’s true love. Two of these practices are so engrained in Appalachian and Southern folk culture in the United States that people who aren’t magical practitioners of any kind – hell, people who don’t even believe in witchcraft or magic – will have likely taken part in these divination games at some point in their childhood.
METHOD ONE:
By the stem
I have memories of field trips spent eating from sack lunches, in which there was always included an apple. We’d huddle in groups and “play” this game together, everyone taking their turn to learn a little clue about the identity of their soulmate.
To divine the initial of the name of your true love, take hold of the stem of the apple between your forefinger and your thumb. State aloud,
Apple, apple, apple mine
My true love, you will divine.
Then determine, whether aloud or in your mind, whether you wish to learn the first letter of your love’s first or last name. Once you’ve decided on and made clear the answer you’re seeking, twist the apple while reciting the alphabet. Each turn ‘round is the next letter.
The first turn = A;
the second turn = B;
the third turn = C, and so on.
When the stem breaks free of the apple, the last letter spoken is your answer.
METHOD TWO:
By the peel
This practice is one that appears in Scotland, Ireland, England, Wales, and parts of the United States. This practice is similar to the practice above in that we’re divining the initial of our true love’s name. This time, though, we use the peel of the apple and not the stem.
Peeling your apple, try to keep the peel in one piece. Go slowly and carefully ‘round and ‘round the apple. If when you’ve finished peeling the apple and you managed to keep the length of peel intact, you can now divine the initial of your true love’s first name. There are two methods of doing this:
1. Take the length of peel in hand and toss it backward over your left shoulder. The peel will land on the floor behind you. Whichever letter the peel most closely resembles is your answer.
This method is common in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the North-Eastern United States.
2. When you have finished peeling your apple and have your long apple peel still intact, clip it free from the apple and let the peel drop to the floor at your feet. Again, what letter the shape of the peel most closely resembles is the initial of your love’s first name.
This method appears in the Southern United States, as does the method of tossing the peel over your left shoulder. I’ve heard of both practices throughout the south and performed both variations myself with friends, family, or just on my own.
METHOD THREE:
By the seeds
This one is specifically for those who have multiple suitors or romantic interests. Cut and deseed your apple. You take the seeds and wet them. Place a seed upon your face for each suitor you have, each time saying out loud,
“This seed for (insert name here).”
The seeds will fall off over time, and the last seed remaining represents the suitor or romantic interest that is your true intended.
There is another, much more spirited, variation of this practice. It’s a fortune-telling game that was played at many a sleepover in my youth. As with the first method, cut and deseed your apple. This time, you’ll take one seed at a time and touch it to your lips as you say,
“This seed for (insert name here).”
Then place the seed in your mouth, tilt your head back, and spit the seed from your mouth, launching it into the air. If the seed lands on your face and sticks there, then so, too, will the amorous feelings between you and that person stick. If the seed doesn’t land on your face, it isn’t meant to be. And if the seed lands on your face but falls off when you straighten your head once more, there would be nothing more than a fling between you and that person.
SPELLS
Spell to Bring on A Late Period
What you’ll need:
-1 apple, preferably red
-a rosebush
When your period is late, take a whole apple – preferably a red apple, as the red symbolizes blood – to a rosebush and bury it there. You can either bury it at the base of the rosebush or beneath any earth the shadow of the rosebush touches. If the rosebush is in your yard, this is easily enough done. If you don’t have a rosebush in your yard though, fear not. A rosebush at a nearby park or in the yard of a friend or family member will work just as well. If in your practice there is a god or deity associated with fertility or menstrual issues, you can pray to them as you bury apple and use the apple as an offering to them. It is preferred that you bury the apple nearing or at sundown. Then return home. Speak not of your period the rest of the day and night. Your period should return to you within the next three days.
Sachet Spell for Protection Against Nightmares
What you’ll need:
-a small drawstring bag (preferably black), or a square of cloth (preferably black) and a string
-apple seeds, dried (for protection)
-agrimony, lavender, or chamomile (for sleep)
-star anise, blackberry leaves, or juniper (for banishing)
-peppermint, spearmint, or dried lemon peel (for cleansing)
Add your spell items to your drawstring bag and tie it closed. If you don’t have a drawstring bag to place your items in, you can use a square of fabric by laying it flat, putting your spell items in the center, and then drawing the corners up together and gathering the fabric, closing your fingers around it to form a bag-shape. Wrap and tie a string securely around the “neck” of your bag to close it. Your bag or cloth should preferably be black, as black absorbs negativity and invokes protection and banishing.
Hang your sachet on your bedpost or on the wall above your bed to ward away nightmares and ensure a protected, peaceful sleep.
Spell to Sever Ties
What you’ll need:
-an apple
-a knife
-(optional) a marker
So, you want to cut ties with someone in your life? This spell will aid in severing the bonds between you and that person, as well as cast distance between you. Take your apple and either carve your name into one side of the apple or, if you’d prefer, write your name on one side of the apple using a marker. Then turn the apple to the other side and carve or write the name of the person you wish to separate from. With your name on one side and theirs on the opposite side, take a knife and cut the apple down the middle. This symbolically severs the bonds between you. To cast further distance, bury the apple halves at opposite ends of your yard or on opposite sides of a street to symbolize creating space between you.
Simple Spell for Luck on a Test
What you’ll need:
-an apple, sliced
-agave syrup, maple syrup, peanut butter, or honey
Apples have long been associated with knowledge and wisdom. Their presence in spells for obtaining or retaining knowledge then comes as no surprise. While studying for an upcoming test or exam, or after just having finished studying, partake in an apple as a snack. Cut it into slices and have a sweet, sticky dip – agave syrup, maple syrup, or peanut butter will work very well for my vegan witches, and there is always honey for those of you who are non-vegan. Eating the apple symbolizes taking in and absorbing the knowledge, the wisdom, the information which you study. The sticky dip will ensure that the knowledge sticks in your memory and doesn’t escape you before your test.
Banishing Ghosts and Spirits with Apple Seeds
What you’ll need:
-apple seeds
This one here is super easy. The hardest part of it is the act of accumulating your apple seeds over time, unless you buy your apple seeds in bulk. In any event, apple seeds can be used to banish unwanted ghosts that have appeared before you. This also works with any other kind of seed, rice, and beans, so long as they’re dried.
Keeping a bowl or jar of dried seeds, beans, or rice around, especially in your bedroom, is handy for when unwanted spirits make a sudden appearance. It’s said that if you throw a handful of these items at the spirit, it will cast the spirit out of your presence, at least temporarily.
Bouquet for Prosperity
*Disclaimer: If you have, or suspect you have, an allergy to any of these flowers, do not attempt this spell. Some flowers are not safe to have around pets. This spell is not recommended for those with pets in the home who can gain access to any floral arrangements. These flowers may not be suited for those with asthma.
What you’ll need:
-apple blossom flowers
-hyacinth flowers
-roses
To bring prosperity and monetary gains into the home, keep bouquets of hyacinths, roses, and apple blossoms in the house, preferably in an area you spend a lot of time in or in an area that everyone passes frequently.
Spell for Curing Writer’s Block
or Invoking Creative Inspiration
What you’ll need:
-an apple
-your bed and pillow
If you’re suffering from a creative block, all you need is an apple and a night’s sleep to attempt curing yourself. Before you go to bed, take a whole apple and hold it in both of your hands. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Speak your intentions, either aloud or in your mind – “Ideas are brimming within me. I am full of inspiration. As I sleep tonight, let those ideas flow from my mind into this apple.”
Place the apple beneath your pillow and sleep on it. Alternatively, you can also place the apple underneath your bed, but under the pillow is believed to work best. When you wake in the morning, before you leave your room at all, take the apple out from under your pillow and take a big bite out of it. You can have the rest of the apple for breakfast if you like or eat the whole apple then and there. But you must take a bite out of it before doing anything else that day. This is believed to get the creative juices flowing again.
A Pair of Love Spells
What you’ll need:
-an apple, preferably a red one (for the first and second spells)
-a knife (for the first and second spells)
-a string or ribbon, preferably red or pink (for the second spell)
-a candle, preferably red or pink (for the second spell)
It is said that the apple represents the human heart. If that is so, then the easiest love spell is to share an apple thereby ensuring you’ll share a heart or a romantic future. Cut your apple in half and offer one half to your hopeful love.
There is another easy love spell using an apple, a knife, a string/ribbon, and a candle. Cut your apple in half and carve your name or initials into one half. Carve the other person’s name or initials into the other half. Then tie the two halves back together tightly with your string or ribbon. Place your apple on your altar or on a table in front of your candle, somewhere safe that pets cannot access and that it won’t be knocked over. Light the candle and leave it to burn down, the energy from the candle’s flame flowing into your love spell.
Lucky Star Spell for Changing Your Fortune
What you’ll need:
-an apple, preferably green or golden
-red clover
-mistletoe
-cinnamon
Take your apple and cut it in half, but instead of cutting it the “normal” way (from top to bottom), turn the apple on its side and cut it down the middle that way. You should now see holes in the middle with the apple seeds inside. This usually forms the shape of a five-pointed star. As apples and stars are both a symbol of good luck, this is the perfect base to build our luck spell on.
Next, take your ingredients (the red clover, mistletoe, and cinnamon) and press them into the apple around the star. You should do this with both halves of the apple. Leave the apple to sit on a windowsill or porch rail to soak up the sun’s light for the rest of the day. If you like, you can bury the apple at sundown or the next morning as a means of “discarding” your spell. Remember, you’ve already done the work, these are just what’s left of the tools you used in doing so.
Sip o’ Spell for Fertility
*Disclaimer: Always check your medications to ensure that there won’t be any interactions between your medication and any herbal or floral ingredients. Interactions between rosehips/rose petals and medications, especially blook thinners or antidepressants, can occur, so it is important that you check for any interactions regarding your medications before you attempt this spell. If you are unsure of how to do this, you can also check with your physician.
Adding rose to your diet may also cause problems for those with certain health conditions, so consult your physician before doing so. Do not prepare this spell if you have, or suspect you have, any allergy to roses or any other ingredient used.
What you’ll need:
-a saucepan
-dried apple slices
-1 pomegranate, quartered
-rose petals (pesticide free)
*you can buy rose petals pre-dried from many tea stores online
or you can harvest them yourself, just make sure that they are completely
pesticide free
-agave syrup, sugar, or honey to sweeten (optional)
-4 ½ - 5 cups of water
-First, you’ll want to clean your rose petals. You can do this by adding them to a colander and rinsing them well. Rinse your pomegranate as well before quartering it. You can use either fresh or dried rose petals for this recipe.
-Place your apple slices and pomegranate quarters in your saucepan.
-Add 4 ½ - 5 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer
-Simmer for about 5 minutes and then add your rose petals.
-Simmer for another 10 minutes or until the water has become colorful. Your kitchen should be wonderfully fragrant by now.
-Let your brew cool a bit before straining. You’ll be keeping the liquid. That’s our sip o’ spell.
-Pour yourself a cup of this fertility tea and sweeten to taste with agave syrup, sugar, or honey (dealer’s choice).
Rose, apple, and pomegranate are all associated with fertility and have been used for ages in fertility magic around the world. As you sip on this brew, let yourself be calmed. Do not be discouraged or doubtful. Open your mind and heart as you think on your hopes and set your intentions. Be optimistic in this moment. Be not filled with worries, but with love and with faith.
Disclaimer: Each of the Crowsbone writers and guest bloggers has their own magical background, beliefs, traditions and practices. These post represent the opinions, research and beliefs of the individual writers. We do not believe that they represent beliefs and rules associated with all magical practice or witchcraft; nor do they represent the beliefs and opinions of all of the Crowsbone community.