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

Marigold (Calendula)
The Flowers

The name marigold means “Mary’s gold,” and many believe that it was coined because the flower was used to adorn churches during the Middle Ages. Like early morning or late fall sunlight, you’ll find that his energy can be at once soft and powerful or gentle and searing. Simply looking at his glowing, beneficent, sunshiny face is an immediate mood lifter and spiritual boost.

This entry refers to the marigold genus Calendula, or pot marigold. For information on Tagetes, or common marigold, please see the next entry.

Magical Uses

Cleansing and Detoxification

Both physically and metaphysically, calendula is an excellent cleanser and detoxifier. On the physical level, many herbalists recommend drinking calendula tea or tincture to help clear toxins, viruses, bacteria, and infections from the skin, liver, and gallbladder. The tea is also recommended to help clear fungus from the body and to help establish a healthy internal balance. Herbalist and author Jeanne Rose suggests using an infusion of calendula as a skin wash to treat eyes, irritated skin, and diaper rash.

On the metaphysical (magical) level, calendula can help clear energetic toxins stemming from our own thoughts and feelings, the thoughts and feelings of others, long-standing emotional or family issues, spending time in challenging environments, and so on. Like strong desert sunlight evaporating and purifying the lingering remains of a stagnant puddle, he does this in a straightforward and uncompromising manner. For this purpose, you might try drinking calendula tea or taking the essence.

Because everything is connected, calendula’s physical and metaphysical detoxifying properties each have the potential to holistically bolster the other’s considerable effects.

DETOXIFICATION BATH RITUAL

If you’re drawn to calendula and feel it’s high time to clear toxins from your mind, body, spirit, emotions, and energy field, perform this bath ritual on a Sunday during the waning moon. Gather at least one full cup of fresh or dried calendula petals and/or blossoms, one tea bag or tea ball full of dried calendula blossoms, a good supply of drinking water, a white or neutral soy candle, and one cup sea salt. Place the tea ball or tea bag filled with dried blossoms in a mug and pour just-boiled water over it. Cover and let steep as you place the candle, salt, and drinking water near the bathtub and draw a warm bath. When the tea has steeped for at least ten minutes, remove the ball or bag and set the mug near the bathtub as well.

Close the bathroom door and light the candle. Add the sea salt to the bath and swish around until dissolved. Strew the cup of flowers or petals over the top of the water. Hold your hands over the water, take some deep breaths, and direct very bright light into the water as you say:

Great Goddess and Spirit of the Sun, please infuse this water with the powers of purification.

Direct your palms toward your drinking water and repeat. Now direct your palms toward the mug of tea and say:

Great Goddess and Spirit of the Sun, please infuse this tea with the powers of purification. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Blessed be.

Soak for at least forty minutes. As you soak, drink the entire cup of tea and a generous yet sensible portion of the drinking water. Once may be enough, but for more deep- seated or long-standing issues, you may like to repeat this ritual every Sunday of the waning moon (and following waning moons) until you feel sufficiently detoxified. (Optional: add gold essence or calendula flower essence to the bath water and drinking water.)

Happiness

If I had to choose one flower that utterly epitomized the essence of happiness, I might choose calendula. So if your magical objective includes happiness, you might want to consider working calendula into the mix. For example:

HAPPY RELATIONSHIP CHARM

Cleanse two small rose quartz hearts in a clear, moving body of water. Then, with two ribbons—one red and one pink—tie them into a piece of sunshiny yellow flannel with a generous pinch of dried calendula. Hold it in both hands and say:

Our hearts are joyful

We are bathed in love and light.

Visualize/imagine/feel your charm swirling with bright sunshine and pink light; then, in your mind’s eye, see yourself and your partner embracing and being filled with and surrounded by this same light. When this feels complete, open your eyes and place the charm in your shared bedroom.

Health and Healing

Calendula’s vibration generally supports health, healing, and overall well-being. For example, in addition to the healing properties listed in the previous “cleansing and detoxification” section, calendula tea or tincture can help soothe and heal the digestive system, reduce menstrual pain, and regulate menstrual bleeding.

Magically speaking, a pot of growing calendula flowers can help speed and support all forms of physical healing when placed in the patient’s room. Planting calendula flowers in your yard or in pots can help bolster the overall healing energy of your home. Taking calendula essence, drinking calendula tea, or adding calendula essence to a mister of water and misting the space can also enhance the body’s healing process. You might use calendula blossoms in magic worked for the purpose of healing as well.

If you’re a magical practitioner of the poppet-making variety, you may already know that stuffing a healing poppet with dried calendula blossoms can be an excellent idea.

Healing Depression

Because depression usually harbors deep issues that demand recognition and sorting out, I don’t suggest calendula as an initial magical depression remedy—for that I suggest something with more of a complex and radical dynamic such as freesia or lantana—but I do suggest calendula as a follow-up remedy to help clear residual clouds and establish new patterns of positivity and balance. For this purpose, spend time with the blossom or take the essence. You might also like to try the detoxification bath ritual on page 245.

Skin Healing

Calendula can work on both physical and vibrational levels to bring our bodies and minds into the type of balance that facilitates clear and healthy skin. In addition to the skin-healing properties and practices above, for the purpose of healing or clearing the skin, you might:

✵ take two to three drops calendula essence under the tongue

two to three times a day

✵ drink calendula tea daily

✵ bathe your face in steam from hot water into which you’ve added dried calendula blossoms

✵ ask a calendula blossom what changes you can make to your diet or lifestyle to help support your skin-healing objectives

✵ create or find an ointment or skin treatment containing calendula

✵ otherwise work calendula blossoms into magic designed for the purpose

Magical Correspondences

Element: Fire

Gender: Male

Planet: Sun