Garden Deities & Spirits

[SunKat]

Is your magical garden dripping with Wisteria?  Hung low with Spanish moss?  Bespeckled with tea roses? 

Whether you use it for food, pleasure, or magical herbs, your garden is a sacred place where nature meets the nurture of your magical practice. 

It’s no wonder nearly every ancient culture in the world had at least one deity sacred to gardening.  Here are a few to remember, to love, and to get to know better.

Flora (Roman)

Dwelling among the plum blossoms and mimosa flowers of ancient Rome, we find the fertility goddess, Flora.  

Called upon for her service in matters of abundance, Flora’s sacred name is the origin of the English word, flower.

Major Correspondences & Associations

*fertile soil

*flower gardens

*hares and rabbits

*youth

*springtime

The Fae

From Celtic folklore to French art, the fae (or fairies) adorn European culture and myth so far back into antiquity that no one is really sure where they came from.

But there’s a reason fairy gardens are so popular!  The fae have a reputation for dwelling among flowerbeds.  So stick a few of those cutesy-kitchsy figurines among your foxglove to invite the spirit of the woodlands closer to home.

Major Correspondences & Associations:

*honey

*lost objects

*garden miniatures

*flower cakes

*the woodlands

Panacea (Greek)

The Greek goddess of “universal cure,” Panacea has a strong association with medicinal gardens, herbal remedies, and herbal alchemy.

Magical gardeners who specialize in healing magic hold a special place in their spirits for this mythical goddess’ lore.

Major Correspondences & Associations:

*herb gardens 

*natural medicine

*white birds

*the moon

Anu (Celtic)

The earth goddess “from which all life emerged” is almost a metaphor for the fertile ground of the garden.

Anu presides over the sacred energy that initiates and nurtures new life in throughout the natural world.

*fertile ground

*motherhood

*nourishment of all things

Demeter (Greek)

Goddess of the yield, Demeter reminds us of the old spec of wisdom, “reap what you sew.”

Of course, you know from your own experience, this is true both in the garden and in life!

*fall gardens

*harvest season

*abundance 

*success in cultivation

Antheia (Greek)

Presiding over flower garlands, as well as the (eerie, misting, mythical beauty) of the marshlands, Antheia is one of the Greek Charities—or “the Graces” as I prefer them.

Often pictured heavily draped with the spoils of the flower garden, Antheia is among the loveliest, most underrated goddesses of the Greek Pantheon.

Major Correspondences & Associations

*flower crowns

*late spring

*cut flowers

*honey

*myrrh 

Osirus (Egyptian)

If the Nile River was the vein through which all life in ancient Egypt flowed, Osirus is the spirit of that river, and the land made fertile by it.

God of vegetation, afterlife, and rebirth, Osirus is the link between growth, death, and regeneration that cycles throughout the seasons of the garden.

*harvest

*cycle of birth & death

*ankh

Inari Ōkami  (Japanese)

Depicted as both male and female, human and animal, Inari Ōkami is the shape-shifting spirit of agriculture in Shintoism. 

Major Correspondences & Associations

*rice

*foxes

*tea gardens

 

Garden Deities & Spirits - Moody Moons