The Spiritual Impact of Sunflowers- The Occult Language of Flowers
There is something pure and joyful about the hue of a yellow flower. Born in spring and summer, they draw down the sun's energy into their bright faces, reflecting it up to the sky. Of all the yellow flowers, The Sunflower is possibly the most magickally associated with the sun. They are part of the composite family and can grow up to twelve feet tall. Their emblematic faces follow the sun's transit from dawn to dusk. This is known as heliotropism, and it is one of the many reasons why this flower has been named sacred and domesticated for the last four millennia.
I first wrote this article for witchology magazine in 2019.
The sunflower is possibly the most widely grown flower on the planet. Due to its high-quality quality versatile oil. This was not always so. In my complete naivety, I had at one time assumed sunflowers were native to southern Europe; in fact, they are a native species of North and Central America, where over 60 of the 63 varieties originate. The plant is believed to have been domesticated in what is now Mexico around 4600 years ago. It played a big role in the crop production of the Southern North American tribes. The Aztecs of Mexico regarded it as a sacred flower; evidence of sunflowers has been found in temples and at sacred sites. Peru has three native species which grow there and across South America. Sunflowers were greatly revered by the Incas, Known to be used in worship to honour the Sun God. Sunflower heads were worn as flower crowns by high priestesses and would be placed on temple altars. I have seen flower offerings of orange Marigold flowers at Hindu temples in India, it's an impressive sight. I can only imagine how magickal the temples in Mexico and Peru would have looked adorned with sunflowers.
During the late 17th Century, Spanish conquistadors brought the sunflower to Europe. The sunflower began to be cultivated for its high-quality oil. It was given the botanical name Helianthus annuus. Derived from the Greek language. Directly translated, it means Flower of the Sun. Helian, meaning sun, thus flower, is a common name for Greek boys. Which would suggest, like the sun, the sunflower was viewed as male or holding the male properties of the sun. It's hard to find old or reliable folklore about the Sunflower. Much of its native history is lost. There is a Greek myth alluding to the sunflower being a transmuted water nymph called Clytie, who became besotted with Apollo. Her love was unrequited, and she suffered greatly through the rejection. In one version of the story, she starves herself through grief and slowly transmutes into a sunflower as a representation of her love for Apollo. A less macabre version tells that the other Gods take pity on Clytie, seeing that she is in such sorrow, so they change her into the yellow flower so she may match Apollo’s beauty. However, as sunflowers were not brought over to Europe until the 1690's we can surmise this is poetic licence. The original flower in the story was likely a native species popular in native to Greece when Apollo was at his most widely worshipped. There are accounts of European witches and herbalists using the sunflower in spells, rituals and as a carrier or anointing oil. It was used in its early Western magick to make an ointment to aid one to see the Fae. Hoodoo and Voodoo have traditions with sunflowers, extracting their oil for fertility and prosperity magick. Sunflowers are associated with the sun tarot. The flowers often appear within its image card 19th card. This holds a deeper meaning than a planetary association, sunflowers are a representation of integrity, truth and honesty on earth. This may also be linked to the mastery of the conscious mind. Astrological associations are with Virgo and Leo, but sunflowers may be used to represent any sun sign if you are working with your chart in meditation. Sunflowers can be used in a wedding bouquet or as part of any ritual involving integrity, truth or fertility. In many modern rituals
Sunflowers are used to bring luck, love, joy, and make wishes come true. They have a connection with the midsummer festival of Litha. Many witches use it as anointing oil and decorate their altars with flowers for this festival. I have used sunflowers in prosperity spells to good effect. The seeds form geometric patterns similar to the flower of life have found gazing into a sunflower head can bring trance-like states. In masonic lodges, sunflowers are sometimes used to represent knowledge and the Sun or Creator's power. In modern witchcraft, sunflowers are most cultivated for decorative purposes, spell work or as a carrier oil, much the same as in the old days. You can activate and make your anointing oil by leaving sunflower oil outside in the sun to absorb the sun's energy.
Sunflowers have never lost their appeal, frequently appearing in art and literature over the centuries. Their very faces and petals mirror the Sun and its life-giving rays; For this reason, along with Sunflowers’ global agricultural success, it is perhaps a reason for imprint within our consciousness, but butitss joyful beauty will always be the marker for its success.
