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Rose Magic: Using Roses in Spells & Divination

by Keziah

Spring is rolling right along, and my garden is blooming like mad. I noticed the other day that some of my rosebushes are already budding, and I look forward to their blossoms every year, not only because I enjoy the vibrant hues of my rose shrubs and roses are favorites of the pollinators in my neighborhood (who doesn't love to see happy bees and butterflies hanging around?), but also because roses are a versatile magical ally that can be put to use in a number of ways.

Perhaps best known for their use in love magic, roses can also be utilized in spells for luck, beauty, health, protection, or binding, or in divination work. In this piece, we'll explore some magical uses for roses, including spells and divination methods for all experience levels.

Rose season varies depending on the variety of rose in question and the growing area in which one lives, but many rose varieties bloom (sometimes once or twice and sometimes continually) from midspring through fall, which means that the days of rose blooms are nearly upon us in the northern hemisphere. Hopefully there's something for everyone in this piece, and we can all take advantage of the rose season to come this year.

SPELLS

WISHING SPELLS

There are a few ways to use roses in wish spells. Roses, known for the sweetness of their scent, are believed to attract goodness and positivity, making them the perfect addition to any wishing or fortune spell. Perhaps their sweet scent will be just the thing to attract the outcome you seek.

Planting the Wish

What you’ll need:

A rose petal / rose petals

Pen or marker (optional)

What to do: Share your wish with a rose petal. You can do this by whispering the wish to the petal, by holding the petal to your chest as you think on the wish, or even by writing the wish upon the petal.

Now all you need to do is bury the petal. It’s preferred that you ‘plant’ the rose petal at the base of something growing – a rosebush, a tree, flowers. This adds strength to your spell and helps your wish to grow into being.

Casting the Wish

What you’ll need:

A rose petal / rose petals

Pen or marker (optional)

What to do: This spell is to be done on a windy day. Much like the spell above, you can share your wish(es) with your rose petal in whatever way you prefer.

Hold the rose petal(s) up above your head between your forefinger and your thumb. When you’re ready (and when the wind is blowing), release the petal(s) into the wind and let it carry your wish(es) to fruition.

the Wisher’s Bag

What you’ll need: You can use any combination of the plants listed or all of them! It's entirely up to you!

Drawstring bag or a square of cloth and a ribbon or string to make your own bag with

Bay leaves

Clover flowers and/or clover leaves

Dandelion flowers and/or dandelion roots

Purple loosestrife petals and/or purple loosestrife flowers

Rose petals, rose buds, and/or whole rose flowers

Yarrow flowers

What to do: Fill your drawstring bag (preferably made of something breathable, like organza or cotton) with any, or all, of the above plants. As you fill your bag, think about what you’re wishing for, thinking about it coming true and pouring your hopes into the bag. If the plants were already dried when you put them in the bag, you can go ahead and put the bag in your purse or wear it around your neck, or you can hang the bag up near your door, above your bed, in an area in your home associated with your wish (for example, in an office or study space if your wish has something to do with your work or academics). If the plants were fresh, hang your bag up where sunlight will hit it to dry the plants – on a porch, in the window, anywhere that gets good sunlight. After the plants have dried, you can put the bag in any of the above listed places, or you can carry the bag with you. Every now and then, or every day if you like, hold the bag in your hands and think about your wish, filling the bag of plants with your hopeful energy.

the Wisher’s Working Oil & the Wisher’s Jar

The ingredients listed above in the Wisher’s Bag spell can also be used with a jar instead of a bag.

What to do (the Wisher's Jar): You can either fill the jar with dried plants to make a Wisher’s Jar, or you put fresh or dried plants into the jar and then fill the jar with an oil of your choosing. Grapeseed oil is commonly used. Now you not only have made a wisher’s jar spell, but you’re also making a Wisher’s Working Oil. What to do (the Wisher's Working Oil): You can use this oil as added oomph in any spell pertaining to you meeting your goals or obtaining your wishes. You can use it to:

anoint candles you’re using in the spell,

anoint yourself while working,

anoint tools used in said spell.

Rosa centifolia (cabbage rose); Pierre-Joseph Redouté

GLAMORS & BEAUTY

Rosewater & Rose Oil

Rosewater can be used in a number of magical ways as part of any glamor or spell to amplify attraction or beauty. It can be used as a facial toner, can be used to anoint mirrors and beauty application tools, can be sprayed upon clothing or fabric, can be used to wash hair, and has many other uses and applications.

NOTE: If you wish to use rosewater in any food or drink, be sure to use petals from edible rose variations. Older heirloom varieties are said to be best for cooking with and for rosehip teas. Lady of Shallot, Rosa Blanc Double de Coubert, Rosa Centifolia, Rosa Damascena, Rosa Gallica are popular varieties to use for cooking and teas, as are Wild Roses. And remember, the more fragrant the rose, the stronger the flavor. You can always purchase food-safe dried rosehips, leaves, and petals from tea stores. When collecting hips and petals yourself, always be sure that you’re not using anything that’s been exposed to pesticides or herbicides.

Making rosewater can be incredibly easy as well! You’ll find a few methods of making rosewater here, and of making rose oil here.

It’s said that dabbing a bit of rose oil or rosewater behind your ears magically enhances your beauty, making your best features stand out to those around you and giving you a vibrant, effortless glow that attracts people to you.

Rosewater, rose petals, and/or rose oil are all also a great foundation to build a beautifying bath spell on.

Color Me Pretty Sympathetic Magic

Here’s a little ditty from my childhood. This spell is one that wasn’t at all odd to come across in a schoolyard or classroom where I'm from. It’s something that we partook in as youths before we were really old enough to understand or realize that we were practicing sympathetic magic, which is a fairly common method of magic in that region. This was something that we used to do during recess and at sleepovers or camp as a ‘game’.

What you’ll need:

Paper

Drawing/painting utensils (pencil, pen, crayon, paint, marker, charcoal, etc.)

Rose petals – they must be red or dark or bright pink

What to do: Draw a picture of yourself – it can be a simple picture, but you should include identifying details (freckles, haircut, standout features).

Then, take the rose petal(s) and smear it upon the paper to add color to the cheeks (and lips, if you want to). It’s as simple as that, folks.

We used to fold the pictures up and tuck them away somewhere. At sleepovers, we’d sleep with them under our pillows. Sometimes we’d just hang the picture up in our rooms or on the refrigerator. The beautifying effects of this easy spell aren’t meant to last too long, nor is it intended to drastically change anything about your appearance; it’s just to give you that added glow to your natural beauty.

LOVE

Roses are a well-known aid in love magic and there's a plethora of information around as to how to use roses to such ends, so I'll not spend too much time in this piece dedicated to the matter.

Scattering Rose Petals

It's said that walking through a garden or field and scattering rose petals as you go along could attract new love into your life. Beyerl specifies in the Master Book of Herbalism that doing so unclothed is preferred, but it's also said that doing so whilst wearing white (further symbolizing newness, hope, beginnings) or pink (symbolizing love and happiness) is ideal.

Preserving Love & Promoting Romance and Harmony

What you'll need:

Rose petals (fresh or dried)

A photo of your love

A photo album (optional)

A safety pin or rape (optional)

What to do: Place rose petals near or on an image of your love, encouraging harmonious love and affection between you.

You can pin the petals to a photo, tape them around a frame holding a picture of your love, or keep them on or around a picture in a photo album or billfold.

There is another variation of this work -

What you'll need:

A jar, tin, or box (it should have a lid, so as to keep from attracting ants or other bug or mice friends)

A photo of your love

Rose petals

Sugar

What to do:

Pour your sugar and rose petals into the jar, tin, or box. Place the photo of you love in the bed of sugar and rose petals. This promotes love and sweetness, keeping your relationship happy and romantic. It can also be used for those wishing to draw someone their way in a romantic sense, perhaps someone they wish to date that they feel might not yet see their romantic feelings.

Rose Water, Perfume, Potpourri, or Incense to Attract Your Desired

In Gillian Kmep's the Good Spell Book she features a spell using rose-scented incense to encourage attraction from someone you have interest in. It's also said, outside of Kemp's work, that wearing rose-scented perfumes or dabbing rose water behind one's ears or at one's neck before going to see the person you desire will encourage their attraction. Burning potpourri or incense featuring rose as an ingredient whilst you ready yourself to see that person can also have the same effect.

Rosa moschata (musk rose); Pierre-Joseph Redouté

PROTECTION, BANISHING, & BINDING

Door Warding for Protection of the Home

DISCLAIMER: If you have cats or other pets that will swat at something hanging or try to chew on something hanging on your wall or door, this is not the spell for you. The rose thorns may cause injury.

What you’ll need:

Rose thorns

Yarn or ribbon (preferably red or black, or both)

Bells (optional)

Nails (optional)

What to do: Cut good, long lengths of yarn or ribbon (red and black are great colors to use for protection, warding, and banishing work). You’ll need at least 9 strands for this spell, but you can add (in multiples of three) as many as you’d like.

With your yarn or ribbon all cut roughly the same length, separate them into groups of three. Braid each group of yarn or ribbon using a simple three-strand braid technique.

Gather the top of the braids together in one hand and secure a knot, tying all of your braids together. You’ll end up with something that sort of resembles the end of a cat of nine tails now. You can either leave your braids like this or you can braid each of the braids together until you’ve formed one thick braided cable.

Whether you’ve chosen to keep your braids separate or braid them together, now is the time to add your rose thorns. Taking care not to poke yourself, pierce the braids with the sharp end of the rose thorns. You want to push it in far enough that your rose thorns are secure and will not fall out. If you like, you can push it far enough in that the sharp end of the thorns poke out the other side of the braid.

If you want, you can add bells (small jingle bells or whichever bells you like) to the door warding – bells are known to ring and alert one to the presence of evil or malicious figures or energy. Tie your bells to the ends of your braid(s).

For added protection, you can insert nails into the braid(s), especially iron nails, in the same way you did the thorns.

Now all that’s left is to hang this protective charm up either on your door, on your doorframe, or on the wall near your door to keep your home safe and sound, protected from malevolent spirits, energies, and people alike.

Protection & Banishing Candle Spell

What you’ll need:

1 candle (preferably red or black)

Rose thorns

Salt (optional)

What to do: If you choose to include salt in this spell, form a ring of salt around the candleholder and unlit candle.

Add a ring of thorns, placing them on top of the ring of salt.

Light your candle and sit for a while, thinking on what you want to protect from/what you wish to banish or cast out. Pour that energy into the candleflame, imagining it growing stronger and hotter and being fed by your energy and your wishes.

Let the candle burn down on its own.

Binding Spell

What you’ll need:

Thread, yarn, or ribbon (preferably red or black, or both)

Rose thorns

What to do: Cut nine lengths of thread, yarn, or ribbon. Separate those nine lengths into groups of three.

Braid each group of three, resulting in three braids.

You can now either braid those three braids together to form one thick braid, or you can tie the ends of the braids together to form one long braid (but don’t gather the top and tail of the braid and tie it; we don’t want it to form a circle because we still have tying yet to do).

Tie knots into your braid. You can tie either three or nine knots. Most people tie nine if they’re braid is long enough, but I’ve known it to be done with three as well. Think about who it is you’re binding with this spell and what you’re binding them from doing, and, as you tie each knot, say (either aloud or to yourself) –

As I tie this, so I tie you. As I knot this, so I knot you. As I bind this, so I bind you. (Insert what you’re trying to keep this person from doing here), no more you’ll do.

You can also use the person's name in place of "you."

For added oomph, pierce each knot with a rose thorn. Work the rose thorn into the knot, making sure its securely fixed in the knot. It's not meant to cause physical injury or harm to whomever you’re binding. Think of it as using a nail to fix something into place. You’re using the rose thorns in the same way, pinning down the magic and helping it stick. That being said, you absolutely can use thorns (in this spell or otherwise) with intention of sewing injury or harm (see the curses section of this post).

As for what you do with the braid after, that’s up to you. Some folk hang it from a tree for nine days. Some bury it (this isn't recommended if you live in an area where an animal or child may dig this up). Some hang it in their home or keep it in their home, in a box or jar somewhere. Some simply discard it. It's up to you.

Protection Jar Spell

What you’ll need:

1 jar

Rose vinegar

Rose thorns

Star anise

Rowan berries and/or rowan bark

Apple seeds

Candlewax (preferably red or black; optional)

What to do: For this spell, you’ll need rose vinegar. If you don’t know how to make rose vinegar, the recipe will be included just after this spell. It’s very easy, so stick around for that. Until then…

Take your jar and fill it at least ¾ of the way with rose vinegar. Remember, you don’t want to fill it completely, just in case anything we add raises the vinegar to the point of spilling.

Add your rose thorns, star anise, rowan berries and/or rowan bark, and apple seeds to the jar.

Close the lid of the jar. Many people like to further seal the jar with melted candle wax. If you’d like to do this, it’s best to use a red or black candle (or both!) as they’re both colors frequently used for protection work. All you have to do is light your candle(s) and hold it over your jar, tilting it to drip the wax onto the top of the jar and its lid. Drip to your heart’s content.

And that’s that! You have a protection jar.

Some people keep their jars on a shelf or table in the main room of their house or near their door. Others bury their jars in their yard or stash it under a porch. Do whatever feels right to you.

Rose Vinegar Recipe

Rose vinegar is a great addition to your magical work and to your kitchen. It can be used in protection, cleansing, and banishing magic, and can be used in some curse work. It can also be used to take the inflammation and itch out of bug bites or some rashes, can be used as a temple massage to treat headaches, and as a hair rinse.

What you’ll need:

Vinegar (any kind works, but most prefer to use apple cider vinegar)

Red or vibrant pink rose petals (they make the prettiest colored rose vinegar)

1 saucepan or kettle

1 jar (IMPORTANT: While infusing, you don’t want to use a metal lid on your jar. Metal and vinegar are not friends. You can use a makeshift lid of plastic wrap over the top of the jar. If you use a metal lid whilst you store the vinegar once it’s cooled, be sure to not fill the jar all the way up with your vinegar. Vinegar is corrosive and exposing the metal to vinegar can lead to chemicals of the metal breaking down in your rose vinegar, which we don’t want. It’s best just to avoid using a metal lid altogether.)

1 glass bottle (optional) or decanter to move your rose vinegar to after it’s steeped and ready to use

What to do: Heat your vinegar in the saucepan on the stove. Heating the vinegar will give you a head start on the infusion process, as the heated vinegar begins drawing the color, flavor, and properties from the rose petals faster than cold vinegar does. But you absolutely can do this without heating the vinegar, it will just take a little longer.

While your vinegar is warming up, place your rose petals in the jar. You can use either fresh or dried petals, though fresh will give you a much prettier and more vivid finished product. Fresh petals also strengthen the fragrance.

With your vinegar heated (you want to cut the heat just before it starts to simmer), pour it into the jar. You want the roses to be completely covered and submerged in vinegar – not one bit of dry rose left.

Cover the top of the jar with a plastic or cork top or your makeshift lid of plastic wrap.

Leave your vinegar to cool. Once cooled, you want to store your vinegar in a dark, cool place to infuse. This process usually takes about 2-3 weeks. Remember, do not let your rose vinegar contact any metal lids! Whether it’s hot or cold, vinegar simply does not like metal.

After 2-3 weeks, your vinegar should be a pretty hue of reddish-pink. Now you want to strain the vinegar into glass bottles for storing, keeping the rose petals out of the now finished rose vinegar.

Your rose vinegar will keep for at least 1 year. I recommend storing your vinegar in the dark, perhaps in a pantry or cabinet. You just don’t want to leave it out in direct sunlight, as that will fade the color of the vinegar faster and potentially shorten your vinegar’s shelf life.

Rosa gallica 'Evêque'; Pierre-Joseph Redouté

DIVINATION

Roses can be used as divinatory aids in many ways. One easy way is to wash one's hands in rosewater before working divinatory practices, most especially if the divination pertains to matters of the heart.

Phyllorhodomancy

Phyllordomancy is divining via rose petals and leaves. There are various ways of doing this, but any method of divination using rose petals, roses, or rose leaves is technically phyllordomancy. Here are a couple of methods –

Method One: By Clapping

What you’ll need:

Rose leaf or rose petal

What to do: This method was practiced by the Ancient Greeks. Take a rose leaf or petal and lay it upon your palm.

Ask or think on the question at hand, then clap your hands together.

If the sound produced was clear, loud, or full, this means that a positive outcome is at hand. If the sound was dull or quiet, the odds aren’t in your favor and the outcome will be a negative one.

Method Two: By Water

What you’ll need:

Rose petals

A bowl or vessel of some kind

Water

What to do: Fill your bowl or vessel with water.

Take your rose petals in hand and ask or think on your question.

Lay or drop the rose petals down onto the water. If the rose petals pull away from each other, the answer to your question is no. If the petals stay together, the answer is yes.

You can continue asking questions. After each question, tap the water with your fingertip, or shake the bowl or vessel, to make the rose petals move. Again, if the petals move away from one another, your answer is no; and if they stay together, your answer is yes.

There is another variation of this method in which you place the roses atop the water before asking your question. With the roses floating on the water, close your eyes and gently swirl the bowl or vessel of water whilst asking your question. Remove your hands from the bowl or vessel and open your eyes, observing the behavior of the rose petals. As before, if they disperse upon the water, the answer to your question in no; but if they stay together, your answer is yes.

Method Three: By Air

What you’ll need:

Rose petals

What to do: Your hands full of rose petals, think on or ask your question.

Cast the petals high into the air and observe how they fall.

This method has many variations of its own. Some read the symbols or shapes they see in the rose petals as they fall. Others read where the rose petals lay – Do they form any patterns or symbols? Do they cluster together or fan out? Are there any distinct piles or mounds of petals? And what do these symbols or patterns mean to you? This method is one that intuitive readers will likely take to quicker than those who prefer a set system for their divinatory practices.

Method Four: By Burning

What you’ll need:

Dried rose petals

A fire-safe cauldron, bowl, or pot

What to do: Burn dried rose petals in your room before going to sleep to promote a good night's sleep but also to encourage divinatory dreams to come forth in the night.

Method Five: By Sleeping

What you’ll need:

Rose petals (fresh or dried)

A pillow with a pillowcase

What to do: Before going to bed, tuck rose petals into your pillowcase. This can bring on dreams revealing the identity of your true love or soulmate.

SOURCES & FURTHER READING:

In this post, you’ll find a collection of spells that anyone can try for themselves. I should note, I am a practitioner of a regional traditional magic and a good portion of the spells that I’ve written here are either spells that are heavily inspired by the practice I’ve grown up with or directly from that practice. That being said, none of what is written here is exclusive to that practice, so it can be used by anyone, anywhere without encroaching upon a practice they’re not a part of.

Making Rosewater

Making Rose Oil

‘A Compendium of Herbal Magick’ – Beryl, Paul

'Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs' - Cunningham, Scott

'Doctoring the Devil: Notebooks of an Appalachian Conjure Man' - Richards, Jake

'the Good Spell Book: Love Charms, Magical Cures, and Other Practical Sorcery' - Kemp, Gillian

'Magical Folkhealing: Herbs, Oils, and Recipes for Health, Healing, and Magic' - Conway, DJ