We have all heard the simple charm; "He loves me, he loves me not" and the little ritual of tearing off a petal with each phrase and finding an answer to the query with the final petal. Folklore is full of references to Daisies in association with spring. Young ladies were known to construct daisy chains to adorn their hair to celebrate the season of fresh flowers.
So many flowers are associated with love from lilac to rose to violet. In magick "love" is such a general descriptor that I do not feel it accurately describes the spiritual properties of this flower. I feel that daisies are best employed in love magic for attracting new love. More specifically daisies represent fresh starts, new beginnings and the child-like wonder felt when getting to know something (or someone) for the first time.
Before delving too deeply in daisy's uses in a spiritual practice I must point out that there are a few different flowers that are colloquially called by the name of daisy. In this post all photos are ones I have taken of Chrysanthemum leucanthemum which are very abundant where I live though another species - Bellis perennis - is also referred to as daisy. Their flower are nearly identical but their leaves are quite different. As I will not recommend consuming either flower feel free to use the daisies you have on hand in your magick.
The name Daisy comes from the flower's association with sunlight and is actually a derivation of an older name "Day's Eye". The petals close & open with the cycle of night & day much like the human eye and thus was so named.
Daisies have been associated with both the Sun for obvious reasons and the planet (&goddess) Venus due to the association with love. Personally and with years of anecdotal evidence I feel the both planetary associations work but I feel daisies are more strongly associated with the relational aspects of Venus rather than the romantic ones. I suppose it may be because I am in a happy and long term relationship that I do not partake in attracting new romance into my life.
Very often I instead add daisy flowers to my magickal crafts for the following attributes:
- to encourage joy and happiness
- to attract new friendships
- to encourage child-like-wonder
- in protection magick on the behalf of a child or pet
- in protection magick to ward off negativity from outside forces, or even malignant spirits or jealousy
- to celebrate and honor spring
The enchantment of flowers and herbs begins at the moment of harvest. As a flower associated with the sun, it is best to collect daisies during mid-morning when the sun is just out and the petals are open to receive the warming rays.
Lain flat to dray in a cool and well ventilated place, or pressed between the pages of a botanical press, the daisies tend to dry quickly. Daisies look beautiful dried in a glass jar where they can be easily added to spell jars, bags, and used to adorn candles or altars.
The spell I want to share here is a simple one which feels right for such a simple, common, and lovely flower. In this instance I called upon daisy's association with fresh starts alongside sunflower petals associated with strength and optimism and zinnias with friendship. Normally I keep some details of my magic close to my heart so, let us just say that this spell bag is meant to support the collective of Argentina as we transition into a new era.
Change can be scary for some, and there is a percentage of this country that strongly resists new ideas, so I created this bag so that we embark on this new era with excitement, friendship, strength and joy!
Possibilities with spell bags and witch jars are to add other elements such a earth, gems, handwritten note and other tokens associated with the goal in mind. What you add is up to you and in accordance with your personal bank of symbolism.
As a tarot reader I usually charge up my spells with one or two cards that go along with my intention, whisper a few words over the bag and ingredients as I put them together and leave the entire project on my home altar for the duration of the working. Maybe in a month or two I will renew the spell by adding more freshly dried daisies and adapt the spell as needed.
In wrapping up this article I hope to convey the following sentiment: that these words and photos are my suggestions, not magickal law. I wish merely to inspire and share my experiences -- now it is your turn!