Plant Spotlight #1: Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale
It's been about a year since my journey with plants started and in that time I've become acquainted with so many. I'm doing this series to express my fondness and appreciation for our plant friends, especially the often-maligned weeds. I feel like as a modern society a number of us have forgotten how beneficial they are, whether that be medicinally or environmentally. One reason I love magick so much is because its practitioners have kept this information alive and actively circulating even in this modern space.
This week it was time to mow my lawn for the first time of the season, and I saw my front yard was carpeted in dandelions. I absolutely love the diversity that comes with keeping a natural lawn, but in early spring before the clover and self-heal flowers start to pop up, the dandelions reign supreme. So many bright pops of yellow, I can't help but ascribe a feeling of happiness to them.
Since they were going to be chopped to bits otherwise, I decided to harvest a good chunk of them and dry them. It was my first big "harvest" of the season and I felt so blessed! I picked less than half of them and couldn't believe how many I ended up with.
Dandelions are a versatile plant in magick, and every part of the plant has its uses. I personally love them for abundance and happiness work. In my experience the spirit of the dandelion is ever cheerful! Always welcoming, always open to communication, always ready to help. You can count on him.
The dandelion is associated with the element of air, the Sun and Jupiter, and the deities Hecate and Aphrodite. Its uses include:
- Solar magick, working with the Sun. The Sun is associated with success, happiness, manifestation, enrichment, etc., so it can be used in energy workings to those ends.
- Resilience and personal growth work, as it can thrive nearly anywhere and is a hardy plant.
- Money attraction, tied to its association with abundance.
- Psychic gifts and development. Prophetic dreams (leaves, roots).
- Wish magick (esp. the puffballs/seeds), wish fulfillment.
- Purification. Defeating negativity.
- Calling spirits, interaction with the spirit world.
- Samhain rituals.
- Beauty spells.
- Healing.
- Animal magick, animal protection.
- Dream recollection and interpretation. Astral travel. Sleep protection.
Here are some practical suggestions to incorporate dandelions into your practice:
- A dandelion pressed into your planner can help keep you more focused and productive.
- Keep a dandelion on you to help you feel strong. Ask the spirit of the dandelion for help in remaining resilient during periods of evolution or transformation.
- Add to sachets or charms to help wishes come true.
- Sprinkle the dried leaves around your home to attract wealth and prosperity.
- To send a message to a loved one psychically, blow the seed head/puffball in his or her direction and visualize your message.
- Use the root in sleep sachets or dream pillows for sleep protection and dream recollection.
- Use the seeds to blow away a bad habit or negativity.
If you'd like to purchase dried dandelion flower, leaf, or root to enhance your craft, you can find them in my Etsy shop here: https://aminasapothecary.etsy.com/listing/1519433340
You can find dandelion seeds here: https://aminasapothecary.etsy.com/listing/1516011166
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I'd like to end this entry by giving a final thank you to Mother Earth and the Sun for these many blessings.
Fun fact: In French one of the common names is pissenlit ("piss the bed") because dandelions are, in fact, a diuretic. The other name is dent-de-lion ("lion's tooth") named for the serrated shape of its leaves. Other names in English include: Blowball, Cankerwort, Face Clock, Irish Daisy, Lion's Tooth, Milk-Witch, Monks-Head, Pee-a-bed, Piss-a-bed, Priest's Crown, Puffball, Swine('s) Snout, Wet-a-bed, Wild Endive, White Endive, Yellow-Gowan.
See you in the next one!