Witches all over the world have embraced the houseplant craze as a way of rewilding their homes and their practice. Houseplants are an easy way to meet Mother Nature halfway and, while no substitute for a walk in the park, can go a long way in helping us remain connected to the spirits of the wild. In my new book Houseplant HortOCCULTure, I dive into the magical characteristics of over one hundred of the most popular houseplants as I explore the unique work of developing a spiritual relationship with a living plant. I talk about everything from how to keep them alive to how we can work with the unique rhythms and cycles of living plants as a form of potent magic. In this article, I'd like to continue one of the discussions that I present in the book: workings that will help your plants grow bigger and better. What good is being a witch if we can't have the biggest foliage on the block? 1. Devote Living Plants to Your Gods and Spirits. For me, this is where my devotional practice really took off. There were plenty of times when I forgot to pick up my offering on the way home, or was too tired or busy to procure an offering before a devotional working. It made me feel like a lazy witch and I spent more time sorting through the self-imposed guilt than I did just being in the magic. While I haven't replaced my offering bowls for planters, I have brought plants onto my altars as a form of devotion. Not only has the effort not gone unnoticed, but I have also gotten the sense time and time again that it means more to the spirits with whom I work than a traditional offering alone. To them, their partner plants are a type of eternal flame. By tending to those plants, I am tending to my spirits. While this might not be everyone's cup of tea, if you are interested, here are ten easy to find houseplants that correspond with the two main energies on a traditional Wiccan-style altar. Five Plants for the Divine Feminine: philodendron "Royal Queen," philodendron "Silver sword," Nepenthes (all), Tradescantia zebrina, Syngonium (all) Five Plants for the Divine Masculine: philodendron "Dark Lord," Philodendron verrucossum, banana, bird of paradise, ficus (all) 2. Propagate with the Moon. The Farmer's Almanac recommends taking and propagating cuttings as the moon is waxing or <ahref="https://www.llewellyn.com/encyclopedia/term/full+moon">full but to avoid this practice when it is waning. As part of my lunar work, I have incorporated this timing into my witchcraft and found that doing so intentionally has led to potent magic. While you may not get the chance to harvest herbs with your boline, you know that pothos is just dying for a cut! 3. The Right Kind of Cyclical Thinking. What these cycles teach us is to think big and to understand growth takes time. I go into this more in Houseplant HortOCCULTure, and Arin Murphy-Hiscock has presented beautifully on this in the past at events like HortOCCULTure, but the point I want to raise is that houseplants and their magic almost always involves the potential for longevity. Longevity comes through cycles of growth and dormancy. When we work this into our personal magical philosophy, the ups and downs we experience in our own spiritual practice aren't as disempowering. 4. Do the "Houseplant Hustle." We so rarely get to engage the natural world ecstatically, but doing stuff like the "houseplant hustle" not only brings you into harmony with your plants, but it helps you to connect to them on a primal level. It is in that space, both mentally and spiritually, that peak psychic exchange can occur. For those interested, here is my houseplant hustle playlist on Spotify. 5. Let Your Plants Teach You. In short, if you want bigger, happier plants, the trick is to let your witch power take the lead. That is easier said than done, I know. The good news is that every skill you have developed along the journey can be applied to this work, and if you haven't had the opportunity to develop devotional, ecstatic, or psychic skills as much as you would have liked in the past, every houseplant is a new opportunity to do so. |
Devin Hunter is the bestselling author of The Witch's Book of Power, The Witch's Book of Spirits, The Witch's Book of Mysteries, the critically acclaimed Modern Witch, and Crystal Magic for the ...