“When lilacs last in the dooryard bloom’d, and the great star early droop’d in the western sky in the night, I mourn’d, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring.” Walt Whitman’s poem about this fragrant flower of late spring does a great job conveying the dual nature of lilacs.
Light or deep purple, sometimes almost white or even blue, but always with an intoxicating smell. A celebration of life during springtime, lilacs also have a mystical connection to death and transformation. Lilac flowers only bloom for a few weeks during this time of year, but their bushes can stay alive for up to one hundred years. This makes the flower’s magickal properties even more potent.
Now that we’ve entered the season of lilacs, with Beltane approaching, it’s time to get acquainted with this rich, purple-colored flower and learn how to use it in your Craft.
Lilacs through the ages and myth
Lilacs have been known to our Pagan ancestors for millennia. In its many variations, the flower was native to ancient Persia and the Balkan peninsula and slowly spread throughout Europe. It wasn’t known as “lilac,” though, in ancient times: its official name was and still is Syringa.
Syringa (or Syrinx) was a beautiful nymph who caught the attention of the forest god Pan. The god pursued her to the banks of the Ladon river in Arcadia, where Syringa begged her Naiad sisters to help her escape his advances. Then, according to different versions of the myth, she either transformed into a reedy lilac shrub or hid behind one. Pan grabbed the reeds, looking for her, and quickly realized that he could make musical sounds by blowing through their hollow pipes. This is how the panpipe, or pan flute, was born. In the first version of the myth, Pan used his new musical instrument, made from Syringa’s transformed body, to express his never-ending lust for the nymph and women in general.
We can already see, in this myth, the flower’s association both with protection and with death and transformation. In more recent times, the same flower got another such association—this time with the resurrection of Christ. As it blooms during Orthodox Easter (Pascha), lilacs are called paschalia in Greece, Cyprus, and Lebanon.
The magickal properties of lilacs
From their pale hues that made them synonymous with the color to the deep purple versions of the flower, lilacs have several magickal properties. Most of these properties are tied around the flower’s dual nature: protection and attraction, death and metamorphosis.
In many magickal traditions, lilacs are associated with new and quick booming romances, with playful flirting and summer flings. In Russia, lilacs were believed to bring wisdom to children when hung above their cribs. In the US, they were believed to ward off ghosts and evil, so they would frequently be placed in houses that were thought to be haunted as a way to ward off spirits.
On the flipside, lilacs have also been considered a symbol of old and lost love, with widows wearing them as a sign of remembrance in the UK. And in several parts of England, the flowers were believed to be unlucky unless they were five-petaled—perhaps because they would be placed in coffins to mask the scent of death.
How to use lilacs in spells and rituals
Lilacs are edible and safe to consume, making them a great ingredient for many spells and rituals.
For banishment and protection
Planting lilac bushes around the house is a great way to repel anything from unwanted visitors to malevolent energies and spirits. You can even use one of their branches to carve out a wand or make sustainable alternatives to palo santo sticks for smudging as lilac wood, in general, has protective properties. When the flowers bloom, it’s good to keep some inside your house, especially in rooms where you usually detect negative energies.
For renewal and rejuvenation
Lilac’s association with spring makes this flower a potent ingredient in renewal and rejuvenation rituals and spells. Just smelling the fresh blooms or spraying lilac essential oil to a room can uplift the mood and renew the energies. You can also use lilac as a beauty ingredient. Mixed with witch hazel, it can make a great toner for your face, whereas if you combine it with coconut butter, you can make a body cream that will keep your skin healthy and your spirits high.
For love and attraction
Both the fresh blooms and lilac essential oil can be used in rituals and spells for passion and romance (we have a relevant Beltane spell, where you can read more about that). You can even make lilac essential oil yourself by mixing dried flowers with any kind of natural oil like jojoba or sunflower and infusing it for six to eight weeks. Use that oil in anything from candle magick to dabbing your wrists before going out.
Lilacs and Beltane
Beltane is the Sabbat of opposites, of the Divine Feminine and the Divine Male meeting each other in a union of balance and passion. It’s a time where Nature is alive more than ever, but also a time where we’re aware we’ll soon have to sacrifice the flowers for fruit as we move from spring to summer. Poised between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, Beltane is a meeting of Fire and Water, a day of unique duality. Beltane is also a Sabbat where forest gods like Cernunnos and Pan are worshiped, their virile energies easier to access than ever.
Lilacs are already blooming or starting to bloom in Beltane, depending on where you live. As a flower that’s connected to Pan’s fiery lust and Syringa’s connection to water, lilacs can be placed on your altar or brought to coven gatherings during this season. As you celebrate Beltane’s duality, keep in mind the duality of this beautiful purple flower and let its magick protect and rejuvenate you. Blessed Be!
