February 17th, 2012

Ahh, Valentine's week. All pink, flowery things, with an excess of chocolate and cliché cards. It's something of a family tradition to give gifts on the 14th, and my mom, along with a pink scarf, gave me a wee pot in which to plant Forget-Me-Nots. I divided the pot into quadrants and painted each quad specific to an element, and added the Japanese character for each.

土, the symbol for earth, and 風, the symbol for air (wind).

水,water's character, and 火, fire's character.

And I'm sure anyone who is familiar with my blog knows what comes next: an overview of the magick behind the Forget-Me-Not. Know your plants, ladies and gentlemen. Be aware of what influences you have growing in your home. Perhaps your favorite flower has healing properties, or has a mythology tied to it related to your particular patron and/or tradition. Like many plants, the Forget-Me-Not, of the Boraginaceae family, has the root of its name in legend.According to German myth, two young lovers were walking along the side of a powerful river, when the young man saw some beautiful blue flowers growing on a small island out in the water. He swam to the islet, in spite of the danger of the rapids, and picked a bouquet of the flowers for his lady. He had nearly returned to shore when his muscles cramped, and he could no longer swim. He threw the flowers to his lover and cried "forget me not", before the water dragged him under. She, indeed, did not forget him, and wore the flowers in her hair until she died.
In magick, the Forget-Me-Not can be used to for memory and love, both reminiscent of the legend from which it got its name. It also has strong ties with the respiratory system, and can be used in magick aiding the lungs.