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

Lilac
The Flowers

Visiting the Descanso Garden’s lilac garden when it’s blooming in March and April is one of my most treasured and transcendent pastimes. But even breathing in the fragrance of cut lilac blossoms when they’re for sale in front of my local market sends me into a dreamy, mystical, magic-drenched alternate plane of existence.

Indeed, the magic of lilacs is all about the otherworld, the doorway between the worlds, and the perception of things that may normally lurk just out of reach of our conscious awareness. She’s also about high romance—not just passion and attraction, but classical-style romance: knight-in-shining-armor, sonnet-composing, sweep-you-off-your-feet romance.

Magical Uses

Chakra Balancing

To balance your energy field and the invisible wheels of light that are present along your spine, spend time in contemplation with blossoming lilac, inhaling the scent as you do so. You might also like to bring fresh lilacs into your space or healing room or employ the essence.

Magical Power

Fresh lilacs, lilac essential oil (rare, but it does exist), or lilac essence can help you slip into the space between the worlds where all magic is possible and enhance your abilities to perceive and work with subtle magical energies.

Passage Between the Worlds

Lilacs in bloom create a doorway of light between this world and the next. This can be useful in a number of ways, such as in the following rite.

DOORWAY OF LIGHT EXORCISM

If you feel that you are living with earthbound entities and you’d like to ask them to leave, place a vase of a few fresh-cut lilacs into each room and area of your home, and light a white candle near each vase (but not so close that it uncomfortably warms the blossoms). Stand in a central location, hold your hands in prayer pose, close your eyes, and envision a very bright doorway of light pervading your entire home. Being mindful of pet and fire safety, leave the house for five to ten minutes. When you return, leave the candles burning as you light a bundle of dried white sage (so that it’s smoking, not burning—and be sure to carry a dish to catch any burning embers). Then move slowly but surely in a generally counterclockwise direction through each room and area of your home. Before extinguishing the sage, take a moment to sage your personal energy field. Extinguish the candles. Take all the lilac blossoms outside of the house and place them at the base of a tree, and be sure to take a shower or bath when you’re finished.

Peace

Because of lilac’s deep alignment with the subtle reality and the real truth of things (and perhaps because she’s a member of the olive family), she can help establish peace where there has been long-standing grief, drama, heartache, or strife. If she can withstand the climate, you might plant her in the garden and request that she help establish harmony in the home. You might also place lilac essence in the water supply of any person or group of people who could use these benefits, or incorporate lilac blossoms, essence, or oil into any ritual performed for the purpose of establishing peace.

Psychic Abilities

Surrounding yourself with lilacs or lilac essential oil or taking the essence can enhance and reveal your psychic abilities, especially your abilities to perceive and communicate with the spirit world. You might also try conversing with a blooming lilac and requesting that she infuse you with her ability to see into the depths and into the true nature of things.

Romance

Delicious romantic adventures—at least a few of them—are an indispensable component of a magically and spiritually balanced life. If it’s time for you to conjure up a bit of dreamy and dizzying romantic enchantment, incorporating lilacs into your magical workings is an excellent idea. For example, you might make a simple yet potent love potion by placing six drops lilac essential oil in a bottle of red wine and sharing it with a partner or love interest.

Sweet Spirit Summoning

To summon sweet and beneficent spirits into your space or to communicate with deceased loved ones, diffuse lilac essential oil or place fresh lilacs on your altar after dark and by candlelight. Relax, close your eyes, and inhale the fragrance by taking some deep breaths. Visualize the room filled with bright white light. Request an audience with your loved one or, alternately, request that sweet and beneficent spirits enter to protect you and your home and lend their wisdom and beautiful energetic essence. If you’re requesting an audience with a loved one, continue to relax and allow your mind to be open to their presence.

Magical Correspondences

Element: Water

Gender: Female

Planet: Venus