Welcome to Elune’s Garden! Here you’ll find an archive of all the plants, herbs, flowers, and spices we’ve written about. Feel free to scroll through our list and browse our collection, or you can use the “Jump to Index” link below to get quick access to all herb articles in our library.
Apple: Fruit of the Gods
Apples have a deeply-rooted magical history and are a richly symbol-laden fruit. They are known as the “Fruit of the Gods” in Celtic Mythology, and the Irish revered “The Silver Branch,” a magical artifact said to be needed to enter the Underworld before one’s time. Apple is also known as the “Fruit of the Underworld,” and some have believed …
Baby’s Breath Flowers: The Breath of Innocence
With its tiny, delicate flowers, Baby’s Breath manages to make a statement even in its gentle simplicity. Understanding the meaning of Baby’s Breath flowers means understanding its whisper of quiet power. A poignant and symbolic gift at baby showers, Baby’s Breath flowers express the innocence and guilelessness of a newborn child. The flowers have a …
Banana: The Good Luck Berry
The ubiquitous banana tree is anything but ordinary. Its characteristic, bright green fruit emerges like fingers reaching upwards towards the sky as if desiring to brush the underside of heaven. And it may just succeed in this pursuit. Bananas are prone to prosper. This prolific plant has spread its fruit to every …
Bilberry: The Vision Berry
I had never heard of Bilberry before. I was researching the grain harvest festival of Lammas when I ran across this peculiar fruit. I had initially mistaken the name for another coinage of blueberry, but it is not. It is a very different fruit altogether. I sniffed around online and found the reason I had never heard of bilberries …
Black Cherry Magic
The mysterious energy and deep purple beauty of Black Cherry are mesmerizing and hint at its latent magical potential. Black cherries are the yang to red cherry’s yin, as Black Cherries vibrate with psychic and divinatory power. Symbolically, the tree and its fruit and flowers represent duality and balance. Black Cherries have a connection to …
Catnip: The Cat’s Meow
There’s something curiously amusing about observing a cat intoxicated by the scent of catnip. As the feline’s eyes widen and pupils dilate as if stimulated by drugs, they cannot resist the magic. As such, a cat will roll around on the floor, writhing as if seized by some hypnotic trance. Catnip is a magical plant indeed for both felines and …
Cherry: The Fruit of Immortals
The cherry tree is magical from top to bottom, fruit to root. Its beautiful fruit — deep, red, and sweet — is the basis of countless desserts and delicacies. When the cherry tree blossoms in the Spring and permeates the air with a delightful, sensual aroma, it is a time of enchantment and wonder. The bright pale pink flowers are …
Cherry Blossom: The Geisha’s Flower
Cherry Blossoms are ephemeral and ethereal. They are the gentlest flowers, encouraging us to be inspired by the future and things to come, but also tragedy, as their fleeting beauty is short-lived and transient. Cherry blossom’s energy is shy and delicate, quiet and gentle, and overwhelmingly …
Chickweed: The Enduring Herb
Chances are, if you’ve seen weeds, you’ve seen chickweed. There is no country on this planet where chickweed does not exist, and where it grows, it grows in overwhelming abundance, so it’s hard to miss. Many gardeners consider chickweed a nuisance. She is voracious, hard to eliminate, and will dominate …
Cinnamon: The Yuletide Spice
There’s something about the scent of cinnamon that warms our souls and ignites our passions. It is a powerful spice, much beloved by many cultures, from the Chinese, who used it in healing rituals over 4,000 years ago, to the Egyptians, who used it in the mummification mixture when burying their dead. Replete with the Sun’s energy, cinnamon’s magic lends itself well to …
Daffodil: The Spring’s Trumpet
As the daffodil blooms, it trumpets the arrival of spring. Daffodils are the harbinger of spring, and their blooming is intimately connected to many spring festivals worldwide — including Ostara. The magic of Daffodils, also known as Narcissus, expresses the essence of …
Dates: The Fruit of Ancients
Dates are an ancient fruit, and due to their long history in the human record, it has come to be connected with much magic, fable, and lore. Its storied past has led it from the tombs of pharaohs to the mythology of gods, and where there is a myth, there is much magic. Dates are no exception to the rule. Both dates and the tree that bears this fruit …
Echinacea: The Miracle Flower
It’s no secret that the Native Americans had a robust and powerful understanding of the natural world. They taught early settlers, illiterate of the wonders and magic they had happened upon in this brave new world, how to use Mother Nature’s incredible bounty to survive and thrive. And in the treasure trove of tried and true herbal knowledge that was gifted to these settlers, Echinacea was …
Elder Tree: The Bridge Between Worlds
Elderberry is a fruit of opposites. It has been used for protection from evil, as well as to summon evil in. An elder tree’s roots are shallow, yet the plant is robust. Elderberry is a potently magical fruit used for healing and blessings, but it also finds itself used for curses, summoning ghosts and evil spirits, and …
Fig: The Tree of Life
The fig tree has been there since the beginning. It was there since dinosaurs roamed the earth, quietly watching these massive, majestic beasts dominate the land. Fig was there providing a powerful food source before humans even discovered the versatility that wheat, barley, and grains would one day provide. The fig tree is revered as the …
Grape Magic
Grapes are associated with fertility and garden magic. They also have the property of strengthening mental powers and can be used for money spells. Place them on your altar to draw wealth, or consume them before performing a money spell. You can place grape leaves around the kitchen to …
Honeydew Spiritual Meaning and Magic
Honeydew Melon contains plenty of seeds and, as such, can be used in magical spells, satchels, and talismans to attract abundance. Take a handful of honeydew melon seeds and throw them into the air, then ask the winds to blow in an abundance of whatever it is you seek. Honeydew melon is symbolic of …
Honeysuckle: The Hummingbird’s Joy
Honeysuckle exudes happiness and abundance. From its sweet and fruity, elevating fragrance to its curiously-shaped petals that house delectably tasty nectar inside, honeysuckle is exactly what occurs when Mother Nature decides to spoil us with her bounty. Moreover, unlike most wonderful and pleasant …
Jasmine: The Moonlight on the Grove
Known colloquially as the “Moonlight on the Grove,” Jasmine’s sensuous and mystical power is fabled to be able to attract many of the treasures that one might seek. The flower is beloved and revered in India, used in religious festivals and marriage ceremonies, and the Chinese are known to be fond of jasmine-flower tea. Though she loves …
Jojoba Magic
Jojoba is rich in vitamin E and can be made into a high-antioxidant paste used to treat burns. Jojoba oil is bright golden and is a popularly used carrier oil for the making of essential oils. It has a very long shelf life. Jojoba seeds create a wax that is very similar to the composition of natural skin oil. The seed’s oil has a high …
Lavender: The Scent of Tranquility
The scent of fresh lavender can transport us to a place of utter serenity and refreshing calm. For centuries, many a culture have taken the opportunity to use this herb of tranquility to invite soothing, peaceful energies and usher in a cleansing air. Lavender’s power, like its penetrating and piercing periwinkle …
Lilac: The Paschal Bloom
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. But then, there it is — a burst of bright, purple color on the horizon that is …
Mint: The Panacea
Mint is known as a powerful, potent, and prolific healing herb. Wherever it is planted, it takes root, takes over, and quickly overcomes almost any landscape provided for it to grow, which may be a nuisance to some. However, those knowledgeable of Mint’s incredible power will see …
Mugwort: Artemisia Vulgaria
Mugwort is sacred to the Goddess Artemis, who comforts women in labor, and it is also associated with the moon and thus the cycle of womanhood. Mugwort can be in smudging for protection and divination, and the smoke can strengthen astral projection and lucid dreaming. For sweeping negative energies from the home, weave mugwort into your …
Nutmeg: The Intoxicant
Nutmeg’s story isn’t peaceful. Although it is considered a lucky spice now, it has been quite the unlucky spice for some in the past, and as such, its history is filled with blood. What began as a crop exclusive to the Banda Islands quickly became an excuse to enslave and kill many islanders native to the region. Nutmeg’s lesson is quite clear …
Orange: The Wellspring of Joy
Love is the key to happiness. We sometimes forget this when the ones we love cause us pain. Likewise, we doubt it when we let down our loved ones. Love can be the path that leads to heartbreak, which stings like hell. It often seems there’s just no place for it in such a loveless world. However, oranges want us to remind us that …
Pineapple Magic
In Singapore, there is a fascinating tradition that Chinese people who reside there engage in called “Pineapple Rolling.” Newly-minted homeowners, before first stepping foot into their new home, roll a pineapple into the house. As the pineapple rolls along the floor, they shout the phrase “huat at!” — a Hokkien phrase that means “to prosper.” This is because pineapples are intimately tied to …
Pomegranate: The Fruit of the Underworld
Pomegranate radiates feminine energy. Similar to the Empress of tarot, pomegranate is fertile and passionate. However, like the tarot’s High Priestess, the fruit has a hidden, profoundly mystical side. As a result, pomegranate has captivated religious adherents, spiritual thinkers, and powerful witches alike for many millennia. Pomegranate represents the Goddess of Fertility and Spring. However …
Pumpkin: All Hallow’s Gourd
It’s Halloween night. A certain fresh briskness fills the air as children dressed as goblins, ghouls, superheroes, and witches scanter excitedly from house to house, pillaging the neighborhood for treats. In the backdrop of the dark of night is the Autumn leaves, providing a certain fiery orange glow that seems to …
Queen Anne’s Lace: The Wild Carrot
Queen Anne’s lace got its name from a myth in which Queen Anne accidentally stabbed her finger with a needle while she was making lace, spilling her blood on it. This is reminiscent of the reddish-purple flowers disbursed among the plant’s white flowers. To harness Queen Anne’s Lace magic and improve your chances of …
Raspberry: The Handmaid’s Berry
Raspberry is the essence of the Feminine. Tantalizing with her sweet taste and evoking crimson flush, she is also potently powerful, with a piquant aftertaste that surprises and delights the most delicate of senses. It was the raspberry fruit that took a lowly handmaid and thrust her into …
Rose: The Queen of Flowers
To understand Rose spiritual meaning, consider its status as the “Queen of All Flowers.” Rose earns this honor because of its effortless beauty and perfection. Likewise, the flower evokes a sense of wonder, mystery, and enchantment. And while roses are typically used in love magic, they also have uses in raising divinatory energies, unveiling mysteries, providing protection, and …
Saffron: The Queen’s Spice
As the fabled world’s most expensive spice, Saffron has long embodied the essence of wealth, affluence, and luxury. Consequently, queens of lore luxuriated in baths gilded in Saffron and enjoyed its aphrodisiac qualities. Moreover, there’s a mystical power within Saffron wherein many have found their pathway to …
Sage: The Herb of Wisdom
Sage is an herb favored in magical and spiritual practice — and for good reason. The plant has a plethora of powerful magical applications. Among the myriad of energies Sage embodies, it is associated with protection, purification, immortality, and mourning, as well as wisdom and the granting of wishes. Sage most notably corresponds with wisdom and …
Strawberry: The Fragrant Berry
The allure of strawberries goes beyond their vibrant red hue and succulent sweetness. They are often associated with love and passion, making them a symbol of affection in various cultures. In Roman mythology, they are believed to have grown from the tears of Venus as she wept for her …
Thyme: The Herb of Courage
Thyme’s magic is…well, timeless. In Ancient Greece, thyme was infused into baths, and in Greek temples, the smoke from thyme incense was used to spread courage. Egyptians would embalm their dead using thyme, and the Europeans would place it in coffins to help the …
Uva Ursi: The Bear’s Berry
Uva ursi plays a part in some Native American religious rituals, believing that the herb can revitalize the body. It is a prime ingredient in a sacred smoking concoction for Native Americans, trusting that the smoke would carry their wishes to the heavens. Uva ursi bark, leaves, and berries are used for various Native American ceremonies and to teach shamans the art of …
Valerian: The All-Heal
Valerian is powdered and used in sachets for protection and purification and can be placed under the pillow as a sleep aid. When hung in the home, it can guard against lightning strikes, and powdered and sprinkled along the threshold it can deter unwanted guests. It is believed that if a woman pins a sprig of Valerian …
Vanilla: The Love Bean
The sweet scent of vanilla is comforting, welcoming, and warm. It is a scent that engenders a loving, cozy feeling — whether it comes from the vanilla-scented candle burning on the coffee table or the freshly baked cookies with a splash of vanilla extract cooling in the kitchen. We love vanilla — and vanilla inspires us to love. The scent is irresistible and …
Witch Hazel: The Winter’s Bloom
Witch Hazel is as witchy and magical as the name suggests. A peculiar plant with distinctly fringy yellow flowers, Witch Hazel is often called “snapping hazel” for the peculiar way its fruit “snaps open” and ejects seeds upon reaching maturity. Not only is Witch Hazel bewitching to look at and amusing to listen to, but its spiritual power is …
Yarrow: The Companion Herb
Yarrow is like a good, long-time friend — the perfect complement. When needing something to protect against negativity, yarrow provides a shield. Yarrow has been popularly used throughout history by soldiers to heal the wounded in battle, even as recently as World War I. Yarrow is associated with …
