Roses in Witchcraft: Magical Uses for Roses
It’s spring in the northern hemisphere, and that means (at least around my parts) that it’s now the perfect time to get out and harvest roses, petals, buds, thorns, and leaves, and to put them to magical use. In this post, you’ll find a collection of spells that anyone can try for themselves. I should note, I am a practitioner of a Regional Traditional Magic and the spells that I’ve written here are either spells that are heavily inspired by the practice I’ve grown up with or spells that come directly from that practice. That being said, none of what is written here is exclusive to that practice, so it can be used by anyone, anywhere without encroaching upon a practice they’re not a part of.
And I know what you’ll be thinking come finishing this read: where are the love spells? Well, you’re right to ask that, as roses are very well known for their presence in many love spells. Don’t worry! Love spells will be included in a separate post! I simply couldn’t fit everything I wanted into one post, so love spells, cleansing spells, curses, and charms using roses will all be coming in another piece. So, too, will healing work and the medicinal uses of roses be available to read in its own post soon. Now, onto the spells!
SPELLS
WISHING
There are a few ways to use roses in wish spells. Roses, known for the sweetness of their scent, are believed to attract goodness and positivity, making them the perfect addition to any wishing or fortune spell. Perhaps their sweet scent will be just the thing to attract the outcome you seek.
Planting the Wish
What you’ll need:
-a rose petal / rose petals
What to do:
Share your wish with a rose petal. You can do this by whispering the wish to the petal, by holding the petal to your chest as you think on the wish, or even by writing the wish upon the petal. Now all you need to do is bury the petal. It’s preferred that you ‘plant’ the rose petal at the base of something growing – a rosebush, a tree, in a bed of flowers. This adds strength to your spell and helps your wish to grow into being.
Casting the Wish
What you’ll need:
-a rose petal / rose petals
What to do:
This spell is to be done on a windy day. Much like the spell above, you can share your wish(es) with your rose petal in whatever way you prefer. Then, hold the rose petal(s) up above your head between your forefinger and your thumb. When you’re ready (and when the wind is blowing), release the petal(s) into the wind and let it carry your wish(es) to fruition.
the Wisher’s Bag
What you’ll need:
-a drawstring bag
-bay leaves
-clover flowers and/or clover leaves
-dandelion flowers and/or dandelion roots
-purple loosestrife petals and/or purple loosestrife flowers
-rose petals, rose buds, and/or rose flowers
-yarrow flowers
What to do:
Fill your drawstring bag (preferably something breathable, like organza) with any, or all, of the above plants. As you fill your bag, think about what you’re wishing for, thinking about it coming true and pouring your hopes into the bag. If the plants were already dried when you put them in the bag, you can go ahead and put the bag in your purse or wear it around your neck, or you can hang the bag up near your door, above your bed, in an area in your home associated with your wish (for example, near your writing desk if your wish is to have a piece published or to be a professional author). If the plants were fresh, hang your bag up where sunlight will hit it to dry the plants – on a porch, in the window, anywhere that gets good sunlight. After the plants have dried, you can put the bag in any of the above listed places, or you can carry the bag with you.
Every now and then, or every day if you like, hold the bag in your hands and think about your wish, filling the bag of plants with your hopeful energy.
the Wisher’s Working Oil & the Wisher’s Jar
The ingredients listed in the Wisher’s Bag spell can also be used with a jar instead of a bag.
What to do:
You can either fill the jar with dried plants to make a Wisher’s Jar, or you put fresh or dried plants into the jar and then fill the jar with an oil of your choosing. Grapeseed oil is commonly used. Now you not only have made a wisher’s jar spell, but you’re also making a Wisher’s Working Oil. You can use this oil as added oomph in any spellwork pertaining to you meeting your goals or obtaining your wishes. You can use it to anoint candles you’re using in the spell, to anoint yourself while working, or to anoint tools used in said spellwork.
GLAMORS & BEAUTY
Rosewater & Rose Oil
Rosewater can be used in a number of magical ways as part of any glamor or spell to amplify attraction or beauty. It can be used as a facial toner, can be used to anoint mirrors and beauty application tools, can be sprayed upon clothing or fabric, can be used to wash hair, and has many other uses and applications. If you wish to use rosewater in any food or drink, be sure to use petals from edible rose variations. Older heirloom varieties are said to be best for cooking with and for rosehip teas. Lady of Shallot, Rosa Blanc Double de Coubert, Rosa Centifolia, Rosa Damascena, Rosa Gallica are popular varieties to use for cooking and teas, as are Wild Roses. And remember, the more fragrant the rose, the stronger the flavor. You can always food-safe purchase dried rosehips, leaves, and petals from tea stores, and, when collecting hips and petals yourself, always be sure that you’re not using anything that’s been exposed to pesticides or herbicides.
Making rosewater can be incredibly easy as well! You’ll find a few methods of making rosewater here, and of making rose oil here.
It’s said that dabbing a bit of rose oil or rosewater behind your ears magically enhances your beauty, making your best features stand out to those around you and giving you a vibrant, effortless glow that attracts people to you.
Rosewater, rose petals, and/or rose oil are all also a great foundation to build a beautifying bath spell on.
Color Me Pretty Sympathetic Magic
Here’s a little ditty from my childhood. As in my piece on apple magic, – 13 Magical Ways to Use Apples – this spell is one that wasn’t at all odd to come across in a schoolyard or classroom. It’s something that us wee ones partook in before we were really old enough to understand or realize that we were practicing sympathetic magic, which is a fairly common method of magic where I’m from. This was something that we used to do during recess and at sleepovers or camps as a ‘game’.
What you’ll need:
-Paper
-Drawing/painting utensils (pencil, pen, crayon, paint, marker, charcoal, etc.)
-Rose petals – they must be red or dark or bright pink
What to do:
Draw a picture of yourself – it can be a simple picture, but you should include identifying details (freckles, haircut, standout features). Then, take the rose petal(s) and smear it upon the paper to add color to the cheeks (and lips, if you want to). It’s as simple as that, folks. We used to fold the pictures up and tuck them away somewhere. At sleepovers, we’d sleep with them under our pillows. Sometimes we’d just hang the picture up in our rooms or on the refrigerator. The beautifying effects of this easy spell aren’t meant to last too long, nor is it intended to drastically change anything about your appearance; it’s just to give you that glow, an added oomph to your already and always present natural beauty.
PROTECTION, BANISHING, & BINDING
Door Warding for Protection of the Home
*Disclaimer: If you have cats or other pets that will swat at something hanging or try to chew on something hanging on your wall or door, this is not the spell for you. The rose thorns may cause injury.
What you’ll need:
-Rose thorns
-Yarn or ribbon (red or black, or both)
-Bells (optional) -Nails (optional)
What to do:
-Cut good, long lengths of yarn or ribbon (red and black are great colors to use for protection, warding, and banishing work). You’ll need at least 9 for this spell, but you can add (in multiples of three) as many as you’d like.
-With your yarn or ribbon all cut roughly the same length, separate them into groups of three.
-Braid each group of yarn or ribbon using a simple three-strand braid technique.
-Gather the top of the braids together in one hand and secure a knot, tying all of your braids together. You’ll end up with something that sort of resembles the end of a cat of nine tails now. You can either leave your braids like this or you can braid each of the braids together until you’ve formed one thick braided cable.
-Whether you’ve chosen to keep your braids separate or braid them together, now is the time to add your rose thorns. Taking care not to poke yourself, you want to pierce the braids with the sharp end of the rose thorns. You want to push it in far enough that your rose thorns are secure and will not fall out. If you like, you can push it far enough in that the sharp end of the thorns poke out the other side of the braid.
-If you want, you can add bells (small jungle bells or whichever bells you like) to the door warding – bells are known to ring and alert one to the presence of evil or malicious figures or energy. Tie your bells to the ends of your braid(s).
-For added protection, you can insert nails into the braid(s) in the same way you did the thorns.
-Now all that’s left is to mount this bad boy. Hang this protective charm up either on your door, on your doorframe, or on the wall near your door. It’ll keep your home safe and sound, protected from malevolent spirits, energies, and people alike.
Protection & Banishing Candle Spell
What you’ll need:
-1 candle (red or black)
-Rose thorns
-Salt (optional)
What to do:
-If you choose to include salt in this spell, form a ring of salt around the candleholder and unlit candle.
-Add a ring of thorns, placing them on top of the ring of salt.
-Light your candle and sit for a while, thinking on what you want to protect from/what you wish to banish or cast out. Pour that energy into the candleflame, imagining it growing stronger and hotter and being fed by your energy and your wishes.
-Let the candle burn down on its own.
Binding Spell
What you’ll need:
-Thread, yarn, or ribbon (preferably red or black, or both)
-Rose thorns
What to do:
-Cut nine lengths of your thread, yarn, or ribbon.
-Separate those nine lengths into groups of three.
-Braid each group of three, resulting in three braids.
-You can now either braid those three braids together to form one thick braid, or you can tie the ends of the braids together to form one long braid (but don’t gather the top and tail of the braid and tie it; we don’t want it to form a circle because we still have tying yet to do). -Tie knots into your braid. You can tie either three or nine knots. Most people tie nine if they’re braid is long enough, but I’ve known it to be done with three as well. Think about who it is you’re binding with this spell and what you’re binding them from doing, and, as you tie each knot, say (either aloud or to yourself) –
‘As I tie this, so I tie you.
As I knot this, so I knot you.
As I bind this, so I bind you.
(Insert what you’re trying to keep this person from doing here), no more you’ll do.’
-For added oomph, pierce each knot with a rose thorn. Work the rose thorn into the knot, making sure its securely fixed in the knot. Its not meant to cause physical injury or harm to whomever you’re binding. Think of it as using a nail to fix something into place. You’re using the rose thorns in the same way, pinning down the magic and helping it to stick. That being said, you absolutely can use thorns (in this spell or otherwise) with intention of sewing injury or harm (see the curses section of this post).
-As for what you do with the braid after, that’s up to you. Some folk hang it from a tree for nine days. Some bury it. Some keep it in their home, in a box or jar somewhere. Some simply discard it.
Protection Jar Spell
What you’ll need:
-1 jar
-Rose vinegar
-Rose thorns
-Star anise
-Rowan berries and/or rowan bark
-Apple seeds
-Candlewax (red or black; optional)
What to do:
-For this spell, you’ll need rose vinegar. If you don’t know how to make rose vinegar, the recipe will be included just after this spell. It’s very easy, so stick around for that. Until then…
-Take your jar and fill it at least ¾ of the way with rose vinegar. Remember, you don’t want to fill it completely, just in case anything we add raises the vinegar to the point of spilling.
-Add your rose thorns, star anise, rowan berries and/or rowan bark, and apple seeds to the jar.
-Close the lid of the jar. Many people like to further seal the jar with melted candle wax. If you’d like to do this, it’s best to use a red or black candle (or both!) as they’re both colors frequently used for protection work. All you have to do is light your candle(s) and hold it over your jar, tilting it to drip the wax onto the top of the jar and its lid. Drip to your heart’s content. And that’s that! You have a protection jar. Some people keep their jars on a shelf or table in the main room of their house or near their door. Others bury their jars in their yard or stash it under a porch. Do whatever feels right to you.
Rose Vinegar Recipe
Rose vinegar is a great addition to your magical work and to your kitchen. It can be used in protection, cleansing, and banishing magic, and can be used in some curse work. It can also be used to take the inflammation and itch out of bug bites or some rashes, can be used as a temple massage to treat headaches, can be used as a hair rinse (and is very good for your scalp), and can be added to recipes or used to top a salad.
What you’ll need:
-Vinegar (any kind works, but most prefer to use apple cider vinegar)
-Red or vibrant pink rose petals (they make the prettiest colored rose vinegar)
-1 saucepan or kettle
-1 jar (*Important: While infusing, you don’t want to use a metal lid on your jar. Metal and vinegar are not friends. You can use a makeshift lid of plastic wrap over the top of the jar. If you use a metal lid whilst you store the vinegar once it’s cooled, be sure to not fill the jar all the way up with your vinegar. Vinegar is corrosive and exposing the metal to vinegar can lead to chemicals of the metal breaking down in your rose vinegar, which we don’t want. It’s best just to avoid using a metal lid altogether.)
-1 glass bottle (optional) or decanter to move your rose vinegar to after it’s steeped and ready to use
What to do:
-Heat your apple cider vinegar (or whatever vinegar you’ve chosen to work with) in the saucepan on the stove. Heating the vinegar will give you a head start on the infusion process, as the heated vinegar begins drawing the color, flavor, and properties from the rose petals faster than cold vinegar does. But you absolutely can do this without heating the vinegar, it will just take a little longer.
-While your vinegar is warming up, place your rose petals in the jar. You can use either fresh or dried petals, though fresh will give you a much prettier and more vivid finished product. Fresh petals also strengthen the fragrance.
-With your vinegar heated (you want to cut the heat just before it starts to simmer), pour it into the jar. You want the roses to be completely covered and submerged in vinegar – not one bit of dry rose left.
-Cover the top of the jar with a plastic top or your makeshift lid of plastic wrap.
-Leave your vinegar to cool. Once cooled, you want to store your vinegar in a dark, cool place to infuse. This process usually takes about 2-3 weeks. Remember, do not let your rose vinegar contact any metal lids! Whether it’s hot or cold, vinegar simply does not like metal.
-After 2-3 weeks, your vinegar should be a pretty hue of reddish-pink. Now you want to strain the vinegar into glass bottles for storing, keeping the rose petals out of the now finished rose vinegar.
-Your rose vinegar will keep for at least 1 year. I recommend storing your vinegar in the dark, perhaps in a pantry or cabinet. You just don’t want to leave it out in direct sunlight, as that will fade the color of the vinegar faster and potentially shorten your vinegar’s shelf life.
MENSTRUAL HEALTH & FERTILITY
To Bring on a Late Period
What you’ll need:
-a rosebush
-1 apple, preferably red
What to do:
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 the 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 for the rest of the day and night. Your period should return to you within the next three days.
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 blood thinners and 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
What to do:
-First, clean your rose petals. You can do this by adding them to a colander and rinsing them well. You can use either fresh or dried rose petals for this recipe. Rinse your pomegranate before quartering it. If you’ve dried your own apple slices, you should have rinsed them before drying them.
-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 heat and simmer.
-Simmer for about 5 minutes. 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 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 faith.
Beseeching a Goddess/Spirit/Figure to Aid in Fertility & Conception or to Protect a Pregnancy
What you’ll need:
-red rose petals (dried or fresh)
-a candle (red or white)
-an image or symbol of your chosen goddess associated with fertility
This spell involves invoking the aid of any goddess/spirit/figure known to aid in fertility issues, pregnancy, and health issues pertaining to the womb.
What to do:
-Surround your unlit candle by a ring of red rose petals. The candle and the ring of petals should be placed before the image or symbol representing the figure/spirit/goddess you’re invoking.
-Light the candle. As you light the candle, call upon the goddess.
-Now you may say a prayer or invocation, if you so choose. You can think silently on why you’ve reached out to this figure/spirit/goddess, or you can pray aloud. Unload yourself of worries and fears and be open and honest.
-Let the candle burn out on its own.
DIVINATION
Phyllorhodomancy
Phyllordomancy is divining via rose petals and leaves. There are various ways of doing this, but any method of divination using rose petals, roses, or rose leaves is technically phyllordomancy. Here are a couple of methods –
Method One:By Clapping
What you’ll need:
-rose leaf or rose petal
What to do:
This method was practiced by the Ancient Greeks. Take a rose leaf or petal and lay it upon your palm. Ask or think on the question at hand, then clap your hands together. If the sound produced was clearer, louder, or fuller, this means that a positive outcome is at hand. If the sound was duller or quieter, the odds aren’t in your favor and the outcome will be a negative one.
Method Two:By Water
What you’ll need:
-rose petals -a bowl or vessel of some kind
-water
What to do:
Fill your bowl or vessel with water. Take your rose petals in hand and ask or think on your question. Lay or drop the rose petals down onto the water. If the rose petals pull away from each other, the answer to your question is no. If the petals stay together, the answer is yes. You can continue asking questions. After each question, tap the water with your fingertip, or shake the bowl or vessel, to make the rose petals move. Again, if the petals move away from one another, your answer is no; and if they stay together, your answer is yes.
There is another variation of this method in which you place the roses atop the water before asking your question. With the roses floating on the water, close your eyes and gently swirl the bowl or vessel of water whilst asking your question. Remove your hands from the bowl or vessel and open your eyes, observing the behavior of the rose petals. As before, if they disperse upon the water, the answer to your question in no; but if they stay together, your answer is yes.
Method Three:By Air
What you’ll need:
-Rose petals
What to do:
Your hands full of rose petals, think on or ask your question. Cast the petals high into the air and observe how they fall. This method has many variations of its own. Some read the symbols or shapes they see in the rose petals as they fall. Others read where the rose petals lay – Do they form any patterns or symbols? Do they cluster together or fan out? Are there any distinct piles or mounds of petals? And what do these symbols or patterns mean to you? This method is one that intuitive readers will likely take to quicker than those who prefer a set system for their divinatory practices.
Sources & further reading:
Making RosewaterMaking Rose Oil‘A Compendium of Herbal Magick’ – Beryl, Paul
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.