The Magick of Roses: Love, Death, and Beauty in Witchcraft
Colorful Roses
Roses in Witchcraft
Roses are one of the most recognizable flowers in magick, not only for their beauty but also for their wide range of spiritual uses. They are considered a flower of power, carrying both softness and strength. In witchcraft, roses are often used in spells for love, beauty, attraction, and relationships, yet their energy extends far beyond romance.
Love and Attraction: Rose petals are carried in sachets, added to honey jars, or burned as incense to draw love and deepen affection. They are also used in spells for reconciliation, sweetening, and harmony in relationships.
Self-Love and Confidence: Roses are not only for drawing others, but also for strengthening self-worth. A rose-infused bath or ritual oil can be used to boost confidence, enhance personal charm, and encourage self-acceptance.
Protection: While roses are often thought of as soft, their thorns embody protection. They can be used in warding spells, banishing rituals, or as charms against unwanted energies.
Death and Ancestors: Roses have long been associated with death, mourning, and remembrance. They are often placed on graves, used in ancestral rites, or offered to deities who guide the dead. Their petals honor the beauty of life and the inevitability of endings.
Divination and Dreams: Some practitioners use roses in dreamwork and scrying, believing the flower enhances psychic awareness and brings clarity to visions.
In this way, the rose is a flower of balance. It holds the sweetness of love and beauty, the sharpness of protection, and the sorrow of loss. It connects us to both earthly passion and divine devotion, making it one of the most versatile botanicals in a witch’s apothecary.
The Colors of Roses in Magick
White Rose
Roses are not only powerful for their scent and symbolism, but also for the energy carried in their colors. Each shade brings its own meaning, allowing practitioners to choose roses with intention.
Red Roses: Passion, lust, romantic love, and vitality. Often used in spells for desire, deep attraction, and sexual energy. They also symbolize courage and sacrifice.
Pink Roses: Friendship, affection, gentle love, and emotional healing. These are ideal for sweetening spells, self-love rituals, and workings that nurture compassion and kindness.
White Roses: Purity, peace, spiritual devotion, and new beginnings. They are used in blessings, protection spells, funerary rites, and ancestor work, carrying both innocence and reverence.
Yellow Roses: Joy, success, confidence, and friendship. Perfect for workings related to happiness, luck, prosperity, or to strengthen platonic bonds.
Orange Roses: Energy, creativity, enthusiasm, and attraction. These are excellent for boosting vitality, sparking new projects, or igniting passion without necessarily tying it to romance.
Lavender Roses: Enchantment, mystery, and spiritual love. They can be used in glamour magick, psychic development, or to deepen mystical connections.
Black or Deep Crimson Roses: Death, endings, baneful work, and transformation. These roses embody mystery and power, often used in necromancy, shadow work, or as offerings in underworld devotion.
By choosing rose colors with intention, a practitioner can weave more precision into their spellwork. A love spell dressed with red roses will carry fiery passion, while one crafted with pink roses invites tenderness and harmony.
Love and Beauty Magick
Roses are perhaps most widely known for their connection to love, romance, and glamour. In witchcraft, they are considered one of the most potent flowers for attraction and beauty workings.
Attraction Spells: Rose petals are placed in charm bags, scattered on altars, or sprinkled in baths to draw a new lover or strengthen existing bonds.
Glamour Magick: Rose water or rose-infused oils can be applied before social events or rituals to enhance allure and project an aura of charm and magnetism.
Self-Love Rituals: Adding rose petals or rose oil to a bath encourages self-acceptance, emotional healing, and confidence.
Candle Workings: Candles dressed with rose oil or sprinkled with dried petals are used in spells for romance, passion, or reconciliation.
Beauty Charms: Roses are sometimes carried as talismans, tucked into clothing or jewelry, to boost personal charm and attractiveness.
The rose’s connection to love is not limited to passion alone. It is also tied to self-love, healing from heartbreak, and cultivating inner beauty. Whether through oils, baths, candles, or charms, roses are a cornerstone in love and beauty magick.
Death and Transformation
Though often romanticized, roses also carry the energy of endings. Their presence in funerary rites and memorials reminds us that beauty and love are fleeting, but they leave an enduring imprint. In this way, roses connect us to the cycles of life, death, and rebirth.
Roses as Offerings
Roses are one of the most common floral offerings in devotional practice. Their beauty and fragrance carry reverence, devotion, and love, making them a perfect gift to the divine.
Greek and Roman Pantheon: Roses are sacred to Aphrodite and Venus, the goddesses of love and beauty, as well as Adonis, whose myth intertwines with the rose through his blood. They are also associated with Eros (Cupid) in matters of passion and desire.
Egyptian Pantheon: Roses were linked to Isis, goddess of love, magic, and motherhood, as well as Hathor, who embodies joy, beauty, and sensuality. Offerings of roses in temples and rituals were seen as gifts of both beauty and devotion.
Norse Pantheon: While not native to northern climates in ancient times, roses are now commonly given to Freyja, goddess of love, fertility, and beauty, as modern practitioners associate her with flowers that embody passion and allure.
Celtic Traditions: Roses are tied to Brigid, goddess of healing, poetry, and inspiration, and sometimes to Aine, a goddess of love, sovereignty, and the summer sun. Their vibrant petals resonate with her radiant energy.
Other Associations: Roses can also be offered to Inanna/Ishtar (Mesopotamian goddess of love and war), Oshun (Orisha of love, beauty, and rivers), and Rhiannon (Welsh goddess of love and sovereignty).
Roses on an altar, scattered in ritual baths, or infused into oils for anointing are all ways to honor these deities. They carry beauty, devotion, and heartfelt intention, making them a timeless and universal offering.
Bringing Rose into Your Practice
Roses can be used in countless ways in ritual. They can be scattered in a ritual bath, placed upon an altar, blended into incense, or infused into oils for spellwork.
Our Rose Ritual Oil was created to carry this energy. It is a blend intended for love, glamour, attraction, and beauty workings. Use it to dress candles in love spells, bathing rituals, anoint yourself before glamour rituals, or offer it to deities of love and passion.
