The Connection Between Plants & Deities
When looking at the mythology around the various Goddesses and Gods of the world’s traditions, you will always, eventually, find plants. Our green allies make up an important and inspiring part of the stories surrounding the deities- and often we find that plants play a crucial role in the various epic stories of the Gods and Goddesses. For folks who do some type of deity work, the inclusion of plants that have a connection to those deities in rituals, prayers, festivals, meditations, the creation of altars and other sacred spaces, and the contemplation of the mysteries can be quite powerful! Here, I’d like to share a bit with you about the connection between plants and deities and how you can work with both in a truly empowered way.
There are two ways we see plants and deities connected in the lore of our ancestral traditions. The first is through shared virtues- where the vested interest of particular plants overlaps that of specific deities. The second is through mythological involvement- seemingly unrelated plants and deities being connected through how they encounter one another in story. Let’s look at both of these here.
SHARED VIRTUES
When plants and deities share virtues, we see that the areas of life where they have the most influence, interest, and engagement has overlap. A simple example of this is the Goddess Aphrodite, who, having been somewhat reduced to a Goddess of Love, shares connection to the Rose. Both Aphrodite and Rose have folkloric connections to love, sensuality, romance, and fierce passion. We can see here how, even though Rose may not explicitly appear any any myths surrounding Aphrodite, their shared virtues connect them. Similarly, we could be working with a God of Wealth and connect him to herbs which have an established connection to money, prosperity, plenty, and the building of financial wealth. Through their shared virtues, they are connected. On a purely sorcerous and even theurigical level, this makes sense when making petitions or doing ritual work because ‘more is more’. From a devotional standpoint or when we’re celebrating and experiencing the mysteries of a deity, the plant can be a more immediate ally in helping us to attune to the virtues and presence of a particular deity.
MYTHOLOGICAL WEAVING
Another less obvious way in which plants and deities can be connected, and perhaps even more strongly than the ways mentioned above, is when a plant shows up clearly in the mythology of a deity. These are really fun to contemplate because the link is rarely very obvious. While a protective plant and a deity of war have more obvious connections, the mythological links aren’t always so clear. As an example, we have the Phrygian God Attis who is connected to the spring, fertility, love, and mysteries. In his cultic practices, however, we see him linked to the Pine- an evergreen that is alive and well year-long and thus rarely connected to springtime mythos. When studying the tales of Attis, we learn that he castrates himself under the auspices of a Pine and from that moment forward his cultic practices are so centered on this tree that it comes to represent him in ritual funerary processions at the end of the growing season. Here, the virtue links between Pine and Attis aren’t there, but this tree is still linked to the god through some other mystery. Another example I love is the Greek Nymph Mintha. She attracted the lustful gaze of Hades which was not pleasing to Persephone- who subsequently transformed Mintha into a plant. Which plant? Menthe, of course! From that day on the plant was called after the Nymph, all the way into the present day with Mint. Again we see a Nymph with lore that does not have virtue overlapping with the extant lore of Mint, yet the Gods in their vast perspective and wisdom experienced a link and a pattern which makes sense on their level. From here, then, Mint can be worked with as both a living vessel of Menthe and as a sorcerous way to connect with her more directly. Similarly, Pine for Attis, Oak for Zeus, Grapevine for Dionysus, and Grains for Demeter.
There are many ways in which the plants associated with specific deities can be worked with to open the ways for a devotee. Here are a few that I really cherish:
Personal healing work can be done with herbs that are safe for an individual to unwind, explore, clarify, heal, and empower specific energies and patterns within. For example: someone working with a Goddess of Abundance could do internal work with an herb related to the same to be more invested and active in the process. A God of Love can be honored by working with herbs that help us cultivate more love within ourselves.
Many herbs can be crafted into offertory incenses which can be smoldered to both attune to a deity and involve them and as a gift of offering. Because there is affinity between herb and deity, the link between ritual and goddess is strengthened and made more clear.
Teas, brews, ferments, and other drinks can be made as a ritual beverage which can be offered, shared, or somehow worked into a ritual connection. Again, herbs chosen must be safe and appropriate for those consuming.
Altars and shrines can be decorated with bundles, vases, wreaths, and other physical materia of the plants as a way to further attune to the space to the shared virtues or points of mythos.
Scents can be brought in via essential oils, incense, oils, balms, and hydrosols to help alter consciousness and align to the deity of focus.
Once can watch the plants as they grow in nature and celebrate festivals for the deity in alignment with the plants. The time of Rose blooming would take on a significance for someone who works with a deity connected to Rose. The opening of Datura blossoms each evening would be a sacred time of liminality and power for those who work with deities connected to this plant.
Various ritual tooks can be crafted from plant materials or used as artistic embellishment. Wands from specific trees, containers from particular fibers, robes dyed with plant dyes, and so on.
The ways in which plants can be brought into our work with deities is truly endless. Their presence adds to the collective of power and presence in ways that can really only be experienced directly. They are way-openers, path-carvers, initiators, protectors, and agents of blessing on the path.
Below you’ll find a free class on this subject I invite you to watch and enjoy!
