The Heliotrope or Cherry-pie plant is famous for a scent that conjures up vanilla, marzipan, meringue, and cherry-pie. The intense aroma fights fatigue and lifts the spirit. Prophetic dreams can be enhanced when inhaled while sleeping. Heliotrope flowers in purple, blue, and white splendor symbolize love and eternal devotion.
Heliotrope is derived from Greek words for sun and turning. Heliotrope or Turnsole plants symbolize the sun’s life-giving light. The flower heads turn to face the shifting sun. Symbolically this points to lovers focusing on each other or devotees following their God. It signifies faith and salvation.
Heliotropes belong to the Forget-me-not or Heliotropium plant family. In the language of flowers, they express eternal love, forgiveness, acceptance, and godly devotion. A bouquet of Heliotrope flowers is a potent and fragrant way to say, ‘I am intoxicated by love.’ This flower has magical and spirit-healing properties worth investigating.
What Heliotrope Flowers Symbolize
Heliotrope flowers grow in thick clusters of tiny flowers, adding a scented abundance of flower power. Such an intense dose of purple represents powerful color therapy. This can be beneficial in spiritual matters and problems relating to the crown chakra, like depression.
Heliotrope flowers are connected to the element of fire that embodies passion, purification, enthusiasm, creativity, authority, and motivation. Fire and sun energy heats up the heart and body and invigorates the mind. Heliotrope energy helps keep the inner fire burning by meditating on the beauty of flowers.
Heliotropic is a botanical term referring to all plants that turn their leaves or flowers to the sun. This attribute of Heliotrope flowers symbolizes romantic love and a prayerful attitude. Proclus, the Neoplatonic Greek philosopher that lived in the 5th century AD, believed that Heliotrope plants were praying to God as they moved with the sun.
The mineral connected to Heliotrope flowers is the agate. This stone is known for cooling and soothing energy. Bloodstone crystal is connected to the Heliotrope flower by name; it is called the heliotrope stone. It’s a green jasper stone spotted with red hematite. The red symbolizes drops of Christ’s blood that fell on stones below the cross.
Heliotrope flowers and stones are worth meditating on for their power to transform dark energies into light. Heliotrope plants are poisonous to humans and animals. The message in the beauty of this toxic flower is to not just look at appearances. Beauty can be deceptive. Other symbolic associations with Heliotrope flowers include:
- Happiness and joy
- Attraction
- Affection and devotion
- Following your heart
- Dream fulfillment
- Longevity
- Success and wealth
- Courage and self-esteem
- Self-forgiveness
- Warnings against toxic energies
- Intoxicating love
- Invisibility
- Mystical union with the Divine
- Enhanced emotional power and energy
Mythology And Cultural Significance Of Heliotrope Flowers
Heliotrope flowers are linked with absolute devotion and never-ending love through the Mythic tale about a water-nymph, Clytia. She was the lover of the Greek sun god, Helios. Sadly, he broke her heart by leaving her for Leucothoe, a mortal princess.
Clytia shared her sorrow with Leucothoe’s father, King Orchamus of Persia.
The King buried his daughter alive as punishment, which caused Clytia even more dread. The sun god returned, shunning the nymph’s love, and she lay down in desperate sorrow, following the sun god’s heavenly travels with her gaze. Helios turned Clytia into a Heliotrope flower that still follows the sun’s daily path with its flowerhead.
The myth of Clytia adds forgiveness, acceptance, transformation, and unrequited love to the symbolism of the Heliotrope flower.
Magical And Spiritual Meaning Of Heliotrope Flowers
Heliotrope flowers have a history of being used in magical rituals. Those casting a magic spell using Heliotrope will have their intentions mirrored back at them. A chant with good intentions will bring good things to the practitioner; bad intentions will beget evil effects.
Heliotrope flowers have impressive levels of energy vibration that improve clairvoyant abilities. Using these flowers helps to foster self-confidence in your own spiritual powers. Heliotrope essential oils are used to anoint objects and candles in magic rituals and fortune readings. Fresh or dried flowers are used in these magical ways:
- Exorcisms and banishing spells, using incense and flower mixtures.
- Wealth attraction by carrying flowers in wallets and pockets.
- Healings using flower sachets.
- Prophetic dreams when sleeping on a pillow stuffed with Heliotrope flowers.
- Locating lost objects or people by sleeping on a heliotrope-stuffed pillow.
- Invisibility charms for avoiding unwanted attention are created by stuffing an animal horn with flowers and wearing it as a talisman on your body or in a pocket.
- Sun rituals for enhancing masculine and solar attributes of the personality.
- Divination and seeing beyond superficial appearances.
- Self-forgiveness rituals to let go of grudges and self-inflicted burdens.
Hermes Trismegistus was an occult philosopher who is reputed to have left many writings that combined material and spiritual practices. In the Hermetic tradition, astrology, herbalism, alchemy, magic, and the natural world were all connected. Here are some clues to the medieval uses of Heliotrope flowers.
In Hermetic writings, Heliotrope flowers are connected to the Lesser dog Star (Canis Minor) and the Agate stone. According to Hermes Trismegistus, Heliotrope flowers are used in the following ways in occult traditions:
- Pennyroyal and Heliotrope flowers are combined and used in rituals to win the favor of God and specific people.
- To gain the assistance of spirits of the air.
- To bestow health.
- To enhance magical powers.
Color Symbolism Of Heliotrope Flowers
There is a specific vibrant purple-pink color named Heliotrope or old Helio in Victorian times. This color represented devotion and was worn by grieving widows. The color symbolism of Heliotrope flowers add a more profound message to their gift of scent and beauty.
Purple Heliotrope flowers symbolize royalty, pride, admiration, spirituality, and accomplishment. Bouquets of Heliotrope flowers are ideal presents to say congratulations or convey compassion. This is a good choice for those you love and admire.
Blue Heliotrope flowers symbolize everlasting devotion, peace, trust, serenity, intimacy, and contemplation. This is a perfect flower to gift your partner or lover.
White Heliotrope flowers signify purity, honesty, and innocence. It makes an elegant wedding gift or birthday gift to those you respect and admire.
Conclusion
The Heliotrope flower embodies the power and healing of sunlight. It communicates undying love and faithfulness. Even if the intense joy of the color does not entrance you, then the magical cherry-vanilla-pie scent definitely will.
