Rosemary: Folklore, Magical & Healing Properties

Rosemary is an evergreen shrub that belongs to the Labiate family. Let’s take a look at 5 Rosemary Magical Properties.

Originally from the regions of the Mediterranean basin. Up to two meters tall, it has prostrate or ascending stems, very branched, with small, linear, leathery, whitish leaves on the lower side.

Small purplish-blue flowers, bloom together in axillary clusters in different periods of the year, depending on the climate. The whole plant is very aromatic.

5 Powerful Rosemary Magical Properties Explained

Energetically Empowering

Precisely because of its balsamic and stimulating properties that have resonance even from the energetic point of view, it is rightly considered effective in protection rituals, for the purification of environments, to avert evil and to bless the home, and work activities.

It is said that keeping a twig under the pillow ensures a night of good restful sleep.

Its infusion is also useful for washing hands because it drains energy and frees it from negative influences accumulated during divination or a pranotherapy treatment.

A Good Omen for Love

Being a perennial and evergreen plant, it is a good omen whenever you start a business or a relationship, whatever it is, and to ensure its long life.

It is used in spells to strengthen memory and to preserve youth.

Helps you Stay Younger

There is a legend about Isabella, Queen of Hungary, who lived between the 14th and 15th centuries.

It is said that she had her herbalist make a tonic based on rosemary and other herbs, which gave her a fresh and youthful appearance despite being over seventy years old.

Unfortunately, the authentic recipe was lost over the centuries, despite being renowned for its miraculous effectiveness.

Some say that the real power of this lotion should be attributed to rosemary flowers fermented in honey, while others think that all the credit goes to orange flowers.

For the Afterlife

For the ancient Romans, the scent of rosemary cheered the dead and accompanied them in the afterlife.

Still, in the nineteenth century, it was considered a “plant of remembrance.”

It was customary to bring rosemary sprigs, daisies, and sage to the funeral.

A Great Addition When You Miss a Few Ingredients for Your Spells

Given its ability to adapt to different climates and soils, its main characteristic is its versatility.

Traditionally, rosemary is considered one of the magic plants par excellence.

In many Green Magic and Sorcery books, it is indicated as a suitable substitute for any missing ingredient.

In the book by Charles Leland “Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling” a legend mentioned a small group of Witches, turned into cats, part in a boat for a long and adventurous expedition, for the sole purpose of reaching a distant land to find the precious rosemary!

A Great Plant to Create a Bond With

To do magic with herbs, it is not enough to buy them in herbal medicine and then follow the instructions of a book of rituals and spells.

We need to know the plant we want to work with, and possibly cultivate it, grasp its leaves and flowers in person, and establish a relationship with it.

If you don’t have a small garden to grow rosemary, I suggest you keep it in a small a vase, in a place where it can enjoy the sunlight for most of the day.

Use it, both in homemade herbal medicine and in some spontaneous and straightforward protection and purification ritual.

Connecting with Rosemary

It seems trivial, but the plants in the home are rarely looked at for what they really are: living beings that, like everything alive, like to interact with other living beings.

In nature, the interaction between earth and plants, air and plants, sun and plants, water and plants, animals and plants, and even between plants and plants, is something that happens every day.

Some need others to survive, and the other way around. But a plant in the house is isolated from its natural environment, and aside from the daily watering, it tends to be forgotten, left to itself.

Honor the Aura

Like all living beings, plants have an aura, and to perceive the etheric layer, that is, the outer one, is not difficult.

A useful practice to tune into the energy of rosemary (or any other plant or tree) is to approach it, touch it and try to perceive the life in it, its “personality,” its state of health. If you slowly draw your hand closer to the plant, you should quickly notice a density higher than the surrounding space.

Don’t force yourself to hear who knows what, to interpret. Just open up and listen, a few minutes every day.

Slowly you will learn to communicate with the plant and to establish a relationship of empathy with it.

Involve all your senses.

Admire the dark green of the leaves at the base, and the brighter one at the twigs’ apex.

Feel its marvelous pungent and balsamic scent, typically Mediterranean.

Delicately touch its wrinkled leaves, taste its bitter taste with the tip of your tongue…

This will open the doors to a more acute awareness of the energies you work with when using herbs during a ritual or a spell.

It will make you feel like an essential part of the life that fills the Universe.

Dawn’s Thoughts on The Rosemary

An evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean, rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) has spruce-like leaves that are green on the top and whitish beneath.

In the spring and summer, the plant may put out blue flowers if the weather is humid enough. The flowers are labiate, as is typical of the mint family.

A rosemary bush may reach up to five feet tall.

Other Names Polar Plant, Compass-weed, Compass Plant, Rosmarinus coronarium, Incensier

History and Folklore

The word Rosmarinus is from the Latin meaning “dew of the sea”.

Christian folklore says that rosemary will grow for 33 years, until it reaches the height Christ was when he died, and then it will grow no more. Apparently, Rosemary’s flowers picked up their blue color and acquired their fragrance when Mary spread her blue cloak over a rosemary bush to dry while they were on their way fleeing to Egypt.

Rosemary is also associated with Aphrodite and appears in many ancient images of Her.

Rosemary was used to ward off evil spirits and nightmares. The wood was used to make musical instruments.

Folklore/Symbolism	Description
Remembrance and Honor	Rosemary has long been associated with remembrance and honor, used in ceremonies and rituals to pay tribute to loved ones and ancestors.
Wedding Traditions	In some cultures, rosemary is included in wedding bouquets and decorations as a symbol of love, loyalty, and fidelity in marriage.
Protection against Evil Spirits	It is believed that hanging a sprig of rosemary above doorways or carrying it can protect against malevolent spirits and negative energies.
Good Luck	Rosemary is considered a symbol of good luck and is sometimes carried or worn as a talisman to attract positive energy and fortune.
Sacred Herb	Rosemary is considered a sacred herb in various traditions and is often used in rituals, blessings, and spiritual ceremonies.

Rosemary branches were often woven into wreaths worn by brides at weddings and decorated rosemary branches were presented as gifts to wedding guests. In Wales, it was distributed to funeral guests to throw into the hole as the coffin was lowered.

Rosemary was also given as a gift for New Year’s Day, along with an orange, stuck with cloves and it was used with holly and mistletoe to decorate for Yule.

An old saying says “Where Rosemary flourishes, the Woman rules” and in England it was believed that rosemary could not grow in the garden of the home unless the mistress was the master.

In France, Rosemary was burnt, along with Juniper berries in sick rooms and hospitals to purify the air.

During the Middle Ages, it was hung around the neck to protect from the plague. Carrying a twig protected from the evil eye.

Rosemary is believed to attract faerie and good energies. Rosemary in twigs hung over cradles prevented faeries from stealing infants.

A man who is indifferent to the fragrance of rosemary is unable to give true love to a woman and those who smell rosemary frequently will retain their youth.

It was an embalming herb and sacred in Egypt. It was also a sacred herb to the Greeks.

Propagation

Rosemary may be propagated by cuttings taken in early summer from a non-flowering branch.

Alternatively, rosemary can be cultivated from seed.

Choose a sheltered spot with full sun and well-drained soil. Rosemary tolerates clipping well and can be easily pruned into a pleasing shape. If there is ever a danger of freezing, the plant should be brought indoors until the danger has passed, but make sure it gets plenty of sun while indoors and take care not to overwater. Sometimes rosemary will appear to die after it has been brought indoors but will perk up when it is taken out again.

The leaves can be plucked, or the branches cut at any time. Rosemary likes regular pruning.

Rosemary is a good companion plant for cabbage, beans, sage, and carrots. It helps to keep away moths, bean beetles and carrot flies.

Harvesting & Storage

Use fresh or hang to dry in bunches still on the branch. Dried rosemary should be added early in the cooking so the flavors can infuse the dish.

Rosemary also makes good oils and vinegar.

Magical Attributes

Rosemary is male in nature and ruled by Leo, the element fire and the sun. 

It’s sacred to Hebe, Aphrodite and the Virgin Mary.

Rosemary can be used in spells for fidelity and remembrance as well as to dispel jealousy.

Rosemary is useful for ritual baths, and for making sacred herbal water for ritual cleansing, blessing and purification. Bathing in rosemary will enhance your memory and will make you more memorable to those you meet throughout the day.

Use rosemary in spells to enhance memory, including those spells for success in school. Also use for spells to retain youth and burn as incense when you are meditating or doing dream work to remember your past lives.

Place rosemary under your pillow to help you to remember your dreams and to keep away nightmares and other unwanted nighttime visitations.

Rosemary may be used in handfasting ceremonies in a variety of ways. It can be carried or worn by the bride and/or groom to symbolize love and loyalty and it may also be gifted to guests for the same purpose. If a bride and groom plant a rosemary plant together on their wedding day, they can watch it as it grows to divine the family’s fortune.

If you haven’t chosen a mate yet and have several to think about, name a pot for each one and plant rosemary in each pot. The one that grows the fastest and strongest is your best choice. If you don’t have any options, make a poppet of yourself and stuff it with rosemary to attract a lover to you. You can also do this to attract healing energy.

Burn rosemary and juniper together to aid with healing, and to fumigate a home where there has been a long illness to drive out the negativity associated with disease. It can also be burned with sage to fumigate a ritual area or to drive negativity away from any space, object or person.

Wear Rosemary oil on those occasions that you want to make a lasting impression.

Household Use

Rosemary branches are wonderfully easy to work into wreathes when fresh and hold their fragrance and color well when dry.

Sprigs of Rosemary can be placed in your dresser drawers to protect your clothes from moths.

Healing Attributes

An infusion of rosemary makes an excellent hair rinse, gradually covering gray hair, and adding strength and shine to any color hair. It also helps reduce dandruff and stimulate hair growth. Rosemary oil rubbed into the ends of hair will also help reduce split ends.

Rosemary oil massaged into the scalp is believed to prevent baldness and stimulate hair growth.

Healing Property	Description
Digestive Aid	Rosemary has been used to aid digestion, relieve stomach discomfort, and support overall digestive health.
Respiratory Health	It is believed to have expectorant properties, helping to alleviate respiratory issues such as coughs and congestion.
Headache Relief	Rosemary has been used to provide relief from headaches and migraines, either through inhalation or topical application.
Anti-inflammatory	The herb is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce inflammation and ease joint and muscle pain.
Stress Relief and Relaxation	Rosemary is often used for its calming and soothing effects, promoting relaxation, reducing stress, and improving sleep quality.

Massaging the body with rosemary oil will increase circulation, relieve aches and pains and warm the limbs.

Used as a toner, rosemary will help bring blood to the surface of the skin and acts as an antiseptic and astringent.

Cautions

Rosemary should not be taken internally in large doses. Rosemary should not be used medicinally by pregnant women, but it is okay for them to use it as a food seasoning.

Culinary Use

Rosemary is excellent with chicken, lamb and vegetables. It is especially good with potatoes. Dried rosemary should be added early in the cooking.

Additional Notes

Scientific evidence suggests that rosemary does in fact stimulate the memory centers of the brain. So use a sprig of rosemary as a book-marker and wear rosemary oil when studying and on test day to help you remember what you need to know.

Give a dear friend a rosemary bush, or a rosemary wreath as a parting gift, as a symbolic promise that you will never forget him, or her.

As a symbol of fidelity, a rosemary bush, or crafts made of rosemary are suitable wedding gifts.

Keep some Rosemary oil on hand to dab behind your ears on those days that you wish to make a lasting impression, such as opening night, a job interview or a hot date. Wear rosemary oil whenever you want to be unforgettable!

Footnotes

1. Image Rosemary Flowers from tdlucas5000 on Flickr Creative Commons License no changes made to original

2. Image  Rosemary (drying herbs) by