The Magic of Flowers: A Guide to Their Metaphysical Uses & Properties - Tess Whitehurst 2013

Dahlia
The Flowers

While at first glance dahlia seems to have a sturdy temperament and a sunny disposition, if you take a moment to tune in to her energy, you’ll find that she’s characterized by decidedly delicate, otherworldly, moonlit qualities. Like the heroine of an Isabel Allende novel, she not only reminds us of the dark and mysterious aspects of life, but she also reminds us that those aspects can be beautiful and inspiring in their own right.

Magical Uses

Dreams

While dreams might appear to be more ephemeral and fleeting than waking life, if we examine what we know about both—namely that all we can know for absolute certain is that both are simply patterns appearing and disappearing in our consciousness—waking life and dreams actually are not so different. And when we choose to view dreams as valid and valuable life experiences, we gain access to entirely new levels of self-awareness and magical power.

Taking the flower essence right before bed and right after awakening can help us with all aspects of dream magic: astral travel, lucid dreaming, remembering our dreams, receiving or divining messages from our dreams, and weaving our dreams into our waking consciousness in ways that empower and heal us.

A sachet of dried dahlia petals under your pillow or near the head of your bed can work in a similar way, especially when magically empowered for the purpose.

Mystique

Want to surround yourself in a veil of otherworldly mystique? Dahlia’s watery, lunar qualities can help you do just that. Consider the following potion.

VEIL OF MYSTIQUE POTION

After dark, in a candlelit room or by moonlight, add nine drops dahlia essence, six drops ylang ylang essential oil, and five drops lotus essential oil to a mister of rose water. Close the lid and shake. Hold the bottle in both hands and say:

As the moon ensorcells with her cool glow

As the ocean conceals her depths below

As the west wind o’er the earth doth flow

Mystique surrounds me where I go.

Mist your entire body and aura before any event or situation during which you’d like to be shrouded in an invisible cloak of wildly magnetic mystery.

Occult Wisdom

If you’re drawn to magical studies, chances are you were a magical person of some sort—a witch, village wise person, shaman, etc.—in at least one past life. It’s also quite probable that magical or psychic abilities run in your family. Dahlia can help us remember and activate the occult wisdom and magical abilities stored in our memories and genes, and she can facilitate our magical studies by connecting us with the lunar realm. To receive these benefits, take the flower essence or incorporate dried dahlia blossoms into magical workings related to enhancing your magical studies and fortifying your magical path.

Similarly, dahlia can be useful for rituals involving initiation or dedication to one’s chosen magical path. For example, during an initiation ceremony, an initiate might drink from a glass or chalice of red wine or well water containing nine drops dahlia essence. (This would also work well for self-dedication or initiation ceremonies.)

The Sweetness of Shadows

Despite all the spiritual talk about white light and sunshine, the fact remains that there is beauty in darkness and sweetness in shadows. This is something goth kids and horror film enthusiasts already know, but the truth is, we all know it! Why else would Halloween be synonymous not only with death and fright but also with candy and fun, and why else would vampires in movies always be so wildly attractive?

While many might find the idea of beauty in darkness to be disturbingly deviant, there are actually a lot of benefits to this perspective. Excitedly looking into the shadows and ascribing a delicious quality to our fears and even our eventual death allows us to be more psychologically complete. In other words, instead of always trying to coast along the sunshiny surface of things and desperately struggle to “stay happy,” we get to bravely gaze into the darkness and go deep.

Dahlia knows all about this. It’s perhaps no coincidence that she’s the national flower of Mexico, where the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) holiday epitomizes the celebration of the sweetness of death, shadows, and the dark side.

If you’re ready to stop running from the dark side and instead face it with joy and delight, dahlia flower essence can help. Interestingly (especially when coupled with exercise and counseling), this can help with depression and other types of mental illness by releasing and activating energy that has formerly been trapped and stagnant because of fear. Please note, however, that employing dahlia for this purpose can sometimes cause things temporarily to seem worse before they get better.

Transmutation of Emotions

What we call negative emotions really only pose a problem when we hold on to them and they start to enslave energy by getting stuck in our consciousness. On the other hand, when we consciously process them and move through them, they eventually become things like wisdom, joy, happiness, energy, vitality, and freedom. In fact, we might think of “negative emotions” as dead wood. Just sitting around in the backyard for years on end, that wood will get crusty and stinky and start to attract spiders and mold. But if we throw it in the fire instead of letting it sit there, it becomes brightness and beauty that warms our hearts, brightens our lives, and fuels our joy.

Dahlia helps with this, which is another reason she can help with depression and other types of mental illness. She’s also helpful for easing grief and healing long-standing childhood issues. Interestingly, this may be coupled with an activation and enhancement of our creative expression. Creative blocks may be healed and art may flow forth in abundance as we channel our old pain and formerly stagnant emotions into the formation of beauty.

For any or all of these purposes, try taking the flower essence or creating a ritual involving dahlias.

Magical Correspondences

Element: Water

Gender: Female

Planet: Moon