The Magic of Pomegranate
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.
How Pomegranates Led to Persephone’s Downfall
Pomegranate represents the Goddess of Fertility and Spring. However, it is also a sobering reminder of the Queen of the Underworld’s dark bargain and the barrenness of Winter. It only took a scattering of pomegranate seeds for Persephone to seal her fate as betrothed to Hades.
Pomegranate Represents the Secrets Beyond the Veil
Likewise, pomegranates remind us that to glimpse beyond the veil is to see its mysteries. As a consequence, you will never again know the bliss of ignorance.
The Secrets of the Underworld and Pomegranate
Just as a pomegranate is rife with seeds, it is similarly full of palpable, fertile energy. They are a cogent symbol of the world within and around us. Additionally, pomegranates are a compelling reminder of the abundance of gifts and magic in the unseen world.
Pomegranates in Greek Mythology
Pomegranate has profound significance in mythology, particularly Greek mythology. After all, it was the seeds of the pomegranate fruit that ultimately caused Persephone to be bound to the Underworld for four months of the year.
Persephone’s Fall and the Birth of Winter
The Greeks use the story of Persephone and her journey into the Underworld to explain why the seasons change, the fullness of Spring, and the dormancy of Winter.
Hades Kidnaps Persephone
Persephone, the beautiful daughter of the harvest and Earth goddess Demeter, caught the eye of Hades, God of the Underworld. Hades could not contain his desire for Persephone and eventually decided to kidnap her and steal her away to his dark domain.
Demeter’s Sadness Creates an Endless Winter
With her daughter now missing, Demeter was thrust into a deep sadness, and in her melancholy, plants soon ceased to grow, the trees shed their leaves, and an endless winter took over the lands.
Persephone Refuses to Eat
Meanwhile, in the Underworld, Persephone was also beside herself with grief and refused to eat. Hades tried to offer all sorts of delicacies for her to receive sustenance but to no avail. However, Persephone’s will to avoid eating started to break down as her hunger rose.
A Handful of Pomegranate Seeds Seals Persephone’s Fate
When Hades offered her a handful of pomegranate seeds, she could no longer resist, and she finally gave in and ate four seeds. As the Fates would have it, anyone who consumes the food of the Underworld is trapped in the Underworld.
Persephone Becomes The Queen of the Underworld
Therefore, since Persephone ate four seeds, she was doomed to spend four months out of every year by Hades side as Queen of the Underworld. During this time, Demeter mourns her daughter, and plants will not grow. Hence the reason for Winter.
Pomegranate Fun Fact: “Apple Seeded”
Pomegranate’s name comes from the medieval Latin words pomum, which means “apple,” and granatum which means “seeded.”
Why Are Pomegranates Good Luck?
Pomegranates have a long tradition of association with luck and good fortune. Since antiquity, it has been central to Greek culture to open a pomegranate on New Year’s and at weddings. Doing so invites Fate’s good favor for the coming journey. Moreover, pomegranates and presents with a pomegranate theme make consummate gifts to extend similar blessings and well-wishes.
Pomegranates Symbolize New Life and Rebirth
The concept of rebirth is integral to the pomegranate’s symbolism. It is the Queen of the Underworld’s ascent from the depths of hell that assuaged Demeter’s grief. As a result, life begins anew as the Spring with Persephone’s return. Similarly, a new year brings new promises and opportunities. It is a chance to start over with new intentions and goals.
Opening Pomegranate Fruit for Newlywed Blessings
Moreover, marriage begets a brand new chapter in a person’s life – a chapter they now share with someone else. Every newlywed couple wishes their love and future to be as abundant and bountiful as the pomegranate fruit. Opening and releasing its enchantment is a simple way to entreat the universe to bestow blessings upon your new union.
Pomegranate Fun Fact: Pomegranate Grenade
Explosive grenades get their name from the French word for pomegranate, grenade.
Magical Ways to Use Pomegranate
- To find out how many children you will have, throw a pomegranate on the ground with enough force for it to open. However many seeds pop out is how many children you will bear.
- Hang a pomegranate branch above the door to protect against maligned energies.
- Drinking pomegranate juice is said to increase wisdom.
- During Samhain, it is customary to eat three pomegranate seeds in remembrance of Persephone’s journey to the Underworld, but eating anymore than three seeds will cause hardship in the coming year.
- Make an ink using pomegranate leaves and vinegar and use it to write fertility, prosperity and protection spells.
- In Asian culture, it is tradition to decorate the bedroom of a newlywed couple with pomegranates to bless the union.
- Give pomegranate as a housewarming gift to bestow the blessings of abundance and prosperity on a household.
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