Magical and Medicinal Uses of Lily

Gender: Feminine
Planet: Moon
Element: Water
Powers: Beauty, Fertility, Humility, Love, Peace, Protection, Purity, Strength, Vitality
Magical Uses and History: Lilies, not to be confused with Lily of the Valley, belong to a genus of flowering plants known as Lilium and consists of true lilies. Throughout history, they have been associated with love, purity, and renewal, and used across cultures in spiritual practices.

In Greek mythology, the lily was created from the breast milk of Hera, wife of Zeus. Zeus, wanting his bastard son Hercules to be powerful and immortal like himself, requested Hera breastfeed him with their other children. Hercules sucked so hard and the milk flowed so much, that a few drops escaped, some of them flowing into space, creating the Milky Way, and another dropping to earth to create the first white lily. As such, the lily is associated with strength, vitality, and fertility and can be used to strengthen spells or bring strength, vitality, and fertility to the user. Brides in Ancient Greece often wore crowns made of lilies and wheat to symbolize purity, abundance, beauty, and many brides today incorporate lilies into their wedding bouquets. 

In Roman mythology, however, Venus, the goddess of beauty and love, cursed the lily with an elongated pistil to make it less attractive when she became jealous of their beauty. Ancient Mesopotamians decorated pots with Madonna lilies, while the Ancient Egyptians entombed them with their dead as a gift. This reverence for the lily's beauty lends to its association with beauty, and therefore lilies are often used in beauty and glamour magics, as well as love spells to attract a lover, as well as death magic due to its being placed in funeral arrangements to symbolize purity in passing.

The Easter lily is one of the most famous lilies, its flowers adorning churches and altars at Easter to symbolize the resurrection of Christ. Some suggest that the lily sprung from the blood of Christ as he hung on the cross, thus symbolizing resurrection and life after death, while others believe the lily grew from Eve's tears after being removed from the Garden of Eden, thus symbolizing loss. Despite this, the Easter lily is more strongly associated with the Virgin Mary and is a symbol of chastity and purity. It's believed that lilies were yellow before Mary picked them, upon which they turned white. As such, Easter lilies, or any white lily, can be placed on your altar during Ostara/Spring Equinox to represent resurrection, longevity, purity, innocence, and humility, or used in spells for the same purpose.

While the lily has historically been associated with purity due to its white color, not all lilies are white, and therefore some contradicting correspondences arise. According to the Language of Flowers, yellow lilies represent both falsehood and gaiety, while orange lilies represent hatred, revenge, desire, and passion. the Chinese lily, which is orange and black, is said to mean both "You cannot deceive me" and "In love forever." As such, lilies can be used for a variety of magical purposes depending on their color.

Lily can be used in a number of spells including:

    Protection Spells
    Love Spells

    Cleansing and Purification

    Fertility Spells

    Prosperity Magic

Medicinal Uses: Some species of lilies, such as the Madonna or white lily, have historically been used to treat burns, ulcers, coughs, and inflammation as well as for anti-aging and treating age-related diseases. However, a large number of lilies are poisonous, and therefore should not be used without proper guidance from a doctor or certified herbalist.

Preparation and Dosage: Because many species of lily are poisonous, I do not encourage its use in medicine, unless guided by a doctor or certified herbalist. 

Want to print a copy of this for your Book of Shadows? Click below for your free copy! 

If you liked this post and would like to support future content, please consider leaving a small tip in the jar.