The Paschal Bloom: Lilac Spiritual Meaning and Magic


The Magic of Lilac

The first sight of lilac flowers blooming in the spring can be startling. After leaving the leaden haze of winter, with the cold and crisp still on the mind and in the bones, the idea that Spring has arrived and the world will blossom soon can feel like giving in to a dangerous hope.

Lilac Flowers is a Harbinger of Spring

But then, there it is — a burst of bright, purple color on the horizon that is impossible to ignore. That sweet, light but pungent scent alerts your senses to the advent of spring, even if your mind has trouble believing it.

One of Spring’s First Blooms

Lilacs are one of the first flowers to bloom, usually around Easter time, and well before the heavy-hitters like roses and the other dramatic, summer-blooming flowers enter.

A lilac tree with deep, purple blooms covered in dew and sitting in a darkened garden.

A Time to Bloom

With its bloom and tantalizing scent, we are awakened to the potential and enchantment of the season that is well underway. It is time to blossom. It is time to bloom. It is time to break out of your shell, bask in the light of the Sun and be prepared to enjoy the bounty of the Earth that will soon arrive.

Lilac Flowers Are Beautiful But Fleeting

But lilac’s magic is fleeting, so enjoy it while it lasts. Like the stunning cherry blossom, lilac blooms only last a short while. This is a lesson we must cherish and make the most of every moment, everything of beauty, every chance at love…before it wilts away.

Harness Lilac Flowers Magic Before it Wilts Away

But tucked within the mystical lilac plant is a magic that can will away dark energies with its lively power, attract romance with its compelling scent, and stimulate our minds to arrive at breathtaking epiphanies…don’t let your chance at this magic wilt away.


Lilac Magical Correspondences

  • Botanical Name: Syringa vulgaris
  • Folk Name: Common Lilac
  • Gender: Feminine
  • Planet: Venus
  • Element: Water
  • Powers: Exorcism, Protection, Love, Psychic Ability

From Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs.


Summer of Love with Lilac

Perhaps you are looking for a short and flirty, casual summer love to pass those long summer days. Lilac is just the flower for this. Rub lilac flowers on your wrists and neck to don the love-attracting scent so that you can find your summer fling.

How to Make Lilac Infused Oil to Attract Romance

Lilac oil is very easy to make and can be used quite effectively in love spells and attracting romance. Simply place a cup of lilac flowers in a large jar, cover with a carrier oil (like jojoba) and let it sit for six weeks. Strain the lilac petals when it’s time, and you have your magical lilac oil.

A wooden crate filled with white and purple lilac blooms, with a blue curtain in the background.

Burn Lilac Incense for a Change of Pace

Feeling stagnant and looking for the winds of change to come and breathe fresh air into your life? Entice them with lilac incense. Burning lilac incense can help inspire new changes and help you see your way to life-changing breakthroughs.

Protection with Lilac

Dark forces cannot withstand the lovely scent and lively color of lilac and are driven away by it. Therefore, planting lilac bushes around the home is a surefire to keep evil at bay.

Fresh Lilac Flowers Repel Unwanted Spirits

If dealing with unwanted lingering spirits in your home, or visiting a haunted space, make sure to have fresh lilac flowers on hand to compel them to vacate…if you so desire.

Two vases of purple and white lilac flowers, near a book with glasses on it and a teacup of coffee.

Crafting Magical Tools with Lilac Wood

Lilac wood is dense and hardy, making it an excellent material for fashioning magical wands, staves, runes, and even instruments. Consider magical tools made from lilac wood to banish evil spirits, raise psychic energies and vibrations, and attract love.

Is it Unlucky to Bring White Lilac Into the House?

Admire the sight of white lilacs, but don’t bring them home — they can be quite unlucky. However, if you happen to find a white five-petaled lilac flower among the bunch, you may want to make an exception because those do bring good luck.

A Sprig of Lilac for a Wise Child

Keeping a spring of lilac over your newborn’s crib encourages them to grow in wisdom and knowledge.

A selective focus photo of lilac flowers in soft sunlight.

Lilac Interesting Facts

  • The name “lilac” comes from the Arabic word lilak, which references a light purple color.
  • As lilac’s bloom time coincides so closely with Easter, they have become the prototypical Easter flower – so much so that lilac flowers are often referred to as paschalia in Greece, Lebanon, and Cyprus.
  • Lilac flowers can be found in other colors besides their characteristic light purple, such as mauve and white.
  • Lilacs are known for their early bloom as flowers appear in early summer just before roses, and other summer flowers begin to bloom.
  • Lilac’s scientific name syringa vulgaris stems from the Greek word syrinx, which means “pipe.” This is about a Greek myth where Pan fashions a pan pipe from the branches of a lilac bush.
  • Known for its sturdy wood, the State of New Hampshire adopted the lilac as the state flower because it symbolized the “hardy character” of the citizens of New Hampshire.
  • Both Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet were inspired by lilac’s beauty and have made paintings that famously feature lilac flowers.
  • Lilacs have a fleetingly short bloom – lasting only three weeks.
  • During the Victorian Era, widows often wore lilac as it was seen as a reminder of old love.
  • Lilac is a member of the olive family.
  • Walt Whitman wrote a poem inspired by Abraham Lincoln’s last days, “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d.” In the poem, lilacs are used to symbolize life after death.
  • Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were fond of lilacs and grew them in their gardens.
  • Lilacs are considered the traditional flower of the 8th anniversary and a suitable anniversary gift. 

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