Roses are a pretty popular flower, and it may be because of their various magical properties. (Or it could be because of capitalist Valentine’s Day propaganda; who knows.) They’re my favourite flower, which I didn’t want to admit for all of high school but which I say proudly nowadays, mainly because it means my boyfriend will actually get them for me (see picture above). Also, Kushiel’s Dart, Phedre’s marque, etc, made roses cool again.
Anyway.
The different colors of roses have different magical meanings. White for purity, red for passion (herpa derp), bright pink for love and appreciation of your house and those that inhabit it, orange for vitality, passion, and enthusiasm, purple for power, magic, and passion, and deep burgundy for breaking negativity and protection.
Roses are also good for self-love spells, which may be why they’re my favourite. If roses have been given to you by someone who loves you, keep the petals and dry them — they’ll be especially potent for spells involving protection of yourself or love. I still have the roses pictured at the start of this post, because Nate gave them to me for Valentine’s Day (without prompting, or even expectation that I would get any). Mom tried to throw them out when she visited because “dead flowers are gross”, but they’re dried and well-kept and Nate gave them to me, so I threatened to curse her if she did.
Anyway.
According to Ellen Dugan’s Cottage Witchery, theses different goddesses are associated with roses:
Aphrodite: red and white five-petal roses.
Diana: dusky purple roses or wild roses.
Flora: all colors.
Freya: full red roses.
Hecate: a deep burgundy or chocolatey red rose.
Lakshmi: yellow, white, and pink roses.
Lilith: deep burgundy, thorny rose.
Mary: all roses, but especially white.
Our Lady of Guadalupe: red and pink roses.
Selene: a full white rose.
Titania, the Faery Queen: all roses, the more fragrant the better.
Now, I’m not sure how accurate that is, as the only deity on that list that I’ve worked with, really, is Aphrodite, and She seems to like them fine. The rest — I have no idea. Also, not sure if a few of those mentioned are actually considered deities, though I suppose it depends on who you are and your relation to Them.
But there’s the list, for better or for worse. I do find that Dugan is pretty spot-on with her witchery stuff, so I won’t begrudge her errors in deity lore.
Boom. Roses.