Leos are the beautiful souls who are born from July 23 to August 22. They are natural born leaders who seem to have the ability to talk to anybody. They tend to impress people immediately and they dazzle crowds with their charm and charisma. Their confidence means they carry themselves like kings or queens, and they love very deeply. Leos might make a great impression on the public and people in their career field as they blaze their way through the fabulous lives that they build for themselves, but what Leos really want is to love and be loved as passionately as they live. Their ability to create their own reality is renowned, and like all the other zodiac signs, they have their very own zodiac flowers they can use to aid in their magic. Find out about the magic of flowers like yellow roses, marigolds, and rosemary. First, read more about Leo: Leo Traits and Love Compatibility (spiritualblossom.com)
Yellow Roses
It seems like we all have a love affair with roses. There are over 10,000 different cultivars of roses, and if myths are to be believed, roses were created by the gods. Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, found the lifeless body of her most beloved nymph and asked for help to turn her into a lovely rose. Venus made it beautiful, and Bacchus gave it a wonderful perfume, and the god Mars gave the rose thorns so it could protect itself.
For early Christians, roses represented sacred spirituality and Mary the mother of Jesus. Roses represent perfect love and devotion, and persevering through suffering because they bloom magnificently among their thorns. They symbolize spiritual wisdom, and they can be given as a gift to encourage someone in their spirituality. While red roses represent passion and romantic love, yellow roses symbolize the love of friends. Two yellow roses represent that both friends love one another equally, and 13 yellow roses symbolize that the giver will forever be the receiver’s friend. Yellow roses also symbolize happiness.
Leos love their friends as passionately as they love romantic partners and planting yellow roses at home to take care of can help to magically strengthen Leo’s friendships. Each person who is an important part of their Leo’s life can come at least once to do something to tend the yellow rose. As they nurture the rose, so, too the power of their friendship will increase. A cutting from Leo’s yellow garden rose can also be gifted to special friends. Nurture the cutting to make a new plant from the rose, and plant that in the friend’s garden. The connection of the roses in one another’s gardens will help to strengthen the friendship. Read about the friend zone here: How Do I Get Out of the Friend Zone? (spiritualblossom.com)
Sunflowers
Native to the Americas, sunflowers were domesticated at least 5,000 years ago in North America, and in Mexico around 2600 BCE. To the Aztecs and Incas, sunflowers were symbols of gods and goddesses of the sun, and while there are only about 70 cultivars of sunflowers, they are used all over the world for decoration and as food. The seeds feed people, birds, and livestock, and they can be processed into sunflower oil for cooking and sauces. Sunflowers were taken to Europe in the 16th century, and they became so popular in Russia, the village of Alekseyeva has the sunflower on their coat of arms. By 2020, over 20 million tons of sunflower seeds were being grown around the world with Russia and Ukraine responsible for half of that production.
Not only are sunflowers a major food source, but they have potent magic as well. Zuni medicine people used sunflower oil to help remove venom from snake bite wounds and growing sunflowers helps to draw toxins from the soil. Incan priestesses adorned their clothes with sunflowers, wearing them in rituals for sun deity worship and they took sunflowers into the sacred temples. Sunflowers represent loyalty and adoration and are given as gifts on third wedding anniversaries. They are a very important food crop, representative of solar gods and goddesses. They not only represent the lifegiving sun that makes food grow, but the very food that comes from the earth.
Leos are ruled by the sun and the sunflower has been used to symbolize the sun itself. Like the sun, Leos also nurture the people who they love, and the magic of the sunflower is very much like their magic. Leos can plant sunflowers so their gardens can absorb their life-giving power, and the seeds can be used to feed the creatures who visit the garden at the end of the growing season. A bag or bowl of sunflower seeds can be placed in rooms where people who are healing sleep so they can absorb the natural healing powers of the sunflower. You can say a prayer over sunflower seeds like this,” May the power of the life-giving sun bless and heal all who eat these seeds.” Then allow the sun to shine on the seeds for a moment and share them with those who need healing. Take a walk in a field of sunflowers to absorb their natural healing power.
Marigolds
Native to Mexico, marigolds are a very forgiving plant that thrives in most types of soils and are drought tolerant. There are only about 50 species of marigolds but they are so well loved that they have been taken around the world, and some cultivars have even been developed in Europe. This is a flower that is very easy to grow from seed, and some gardeners save the seeds from their own flowers, and plant them every year. Marigolds come in different shades of yellow and gold, and there is even a white marigold you can grow. Some marigolds grow like shrubs and others from a single stem, and the largest marigold is the African Marigold, with each blossom growing up to five inches in diameter.
In pre-contact Mexico, marigolds were the flowers of the dead. Today, people in Mexico still decorate huge wreaths and floats for Day of the Dead celebrations with marigolds to honor their beloved ancestors. It is believed the sweet smell of the marigold will help to guide the dead back to visit their living friends and relatives. Marigolds are used in gardens to repel insects and some varieties of marigolds are used for making delicious teas. Marigolds were given as offerings to Mary the mother of Jesus in place of coins due to their gold color and marigolds also symbolize passion and success.
Leos never stop loving people, even when they have passed on, and marigolds can be used in Leo’s magic for remembrance of their departed loved ones. Plant marigolds on the grave of your ancestors or if the cemetery does not allow this, make some marigold tea, and pour the water next to the grave as an offering. You can also plant marigolds in your own garden in remembrance of a deceased loved one, but you don’t need a garden to do that. Marigolds do well in pots with the right amount of sunlight and water, and you can even make a potpourri of spent marigold blooms to keep in a bag or bowl when you want to guide your dead back to visit you. The dead are honored at samhain and you can read more here: All About Samhain (spiritualblossom.com)
Heliotrope
The beautiful heliotrope would not have existed had it not been for love. The lovely water nymph Clytie fell madly in love with the sun god Helios. The goddess Aphrodite was angry with him for telling her husband Hephaestus she’d had an affair, so to avenge this, she made Helios fall in love with a human named Leucothoe. He then completely abandoned Clytie, who was so heartbroken, she tried to win him back by telling Leucothoe’s father about the relationship with Helios. The father was so angry, he put Leucothoe to death, and this hardened Helios’ heart against Clytie. She sat wasting away for nine days, watching Helios as the sun, and finally changed into the heliotrope flower, which always turns toward the sun.
Somehow from this heartbreak, over 320 species of the flower came about, some of which are used to make perfumes, and others are used to make food coloring. The flowers symbolize devotion and unconditional love. They also symbolize spirituality, forgiveness, and acceptance. The flowers have been used in wedding bouquets to bring the power of fidelity to a marriage. A Leo can give heliotropes to anybody they want to express devoted love to, but they can also be used for self-love magic. Give heliotrope flowers to yourself when you love somebody who does not love you in return, so you don’t pine away for them the way Clytie did for Helios.
Calendula
There are about 15 species of calendula, and they are members of the daisy family that are native to the Mediterranean, parts of Europe, Asia, and Micronesia. Calendula is called the pot marigold, but it’s not the same plant as the marigold that originated in South America. Calendula is not toxic to cats and dogs like some plants are, and it is planted as a companion plant in vegetable gardens because it attracts pollinators. The spent blossoms are often saved and dried because they contain seeds that can be replanted the following year.
Ancient Greeks and Romans wore crowns made of calendula and some early Christians used it in sacred ritual and called it “Mary’s Gold”. Calendula leaves and blossoms are edible, and some people like to put them in salads and a variety of recipes. They are used in stews and broths, dumplings, sweets, and even wine. They can be used in soapmaking, and as a dye. Calendula is also used as a substitute for saffron. It is believed to bless and banish negativity, so it can be made into wreaths or swags that are hung over doorways. The calendula is also considered to be a plant that helps to influence people’s opinions, and can be used in magic to try to be persuasive.
Leos are already charming people, but calendula can be used to help convince people of things. Simply burn calendula to smudge a room before people who you want to persuade of something arrive, and a bag of calendula kept in your pocket during discussions can help to get people to agree with you. Dried calendula under your pillow at night can help protect against bad dreams. Place vases of calendula in your entryways or hang dried bunches of them in window sills for protection. A wreath that includes dried calendula can help repel malevolent energy from entering the house, and calendula petals in a bag under the seat of your car will help protect you.
Camellia
Perhaps camelia is considered a flower, but actually, tea is made from the leaves of the camelia! They are found in East and South Asia and while there are more than 200 species, there are over 26,000 different cultivars of the camelia. The camelias used to make tea have white blossoms, but camelias can have flowers that are pink, yellow, or red as well. Tea oil is made from the seeds of camellias and it is used as a cooking oil. Oils made from some other camellias are used to care for blades, and others are used as hair care oil.
Tea represents wealth, hospitality, and sophistication. The flavor of tea leaves combines well with many other herbs and fruits to create an unlimited variety of flavor combinations. This is helpful to making magic happen. When you want to increase your wealth, brew a cup of tea and add some bay leaves to the tea leaves to help draw money. Adding dried rose petals to your tea leaves will help draw love. Used tea leaves also nourish the garden and can be added to compost or added directly to the soil to feed plants. Iced teas can help cool the body in hot weather and hot tea helps keep you warm when it is cold.
There is no limit to the magic that can be done with camelia in the form of tea, and tea can be found both loose and powdered in premade tea bags. While tea has caffeine, many people find drinking tea relaxing, and a cup of freshly made hot tea can be drunk to relieve stress. Tea is also a gift to take to a host or hostess who has invited you into their home in appreciation for their hospitality. Leos can keep a variety of different teas at home to offer to guests, and a big pot of hot tea when company arrives will make them feel right at home. Divination with tea leaves is also done by turning the teacup upside down once the tea has been drunk and seeing what shapes the tea leaves form can give great psychic insight.
Rosemary
Native to the Mediterranean, rosemary is a small evergreen, which means it will still produce branches of delicious rosemary in colder months. It’s difficult to grow quickly from seeds, but it is hardy, drought tolerant, and can live for thirty years. It dries well and keeps for a while, if you don’t use it up first, that is. A myth about rosemary is that it will only thrive where a woman is head of the household. Rosemary is believed to help aid in memory retention and it has been compared to Christ because it lives for about 33 years like he did.
Rosemary is considered a solar herb, and an herb of Leo, which is ruled by the sun. Like Leos, rosemary has a strong presence and some types of rosemary have grown to four to six feet tall, making an impressive statement in the garden. It has been used in medicine to help treat digestive issues and to help relieve stress and is used in perfumes. Rosemary is primarily used as a savory cooking herb and is used in stews, meat dishes, breads, and even to poach pears in a wine sauce. Besides just being delicious, rosemary has cleansing properties, and is used in blessing and purification rites.
Leos can draw from the magic in rosemary. They can place a small rosemary plant in their office space to draw from the energy of its impressiveness, and they can pin a dried sprig of it to their lapel for this if they don’t have space for a live plant. If something is upsetting to them and they want to make it more tolerable, they can rub some rosemary needles between their fingers and massage the natural oil and fragrance into their temples for stress reduction. They can bless everybody at a dinner they host by adding rosemary into their food as an ingredient, and of course, a Leo can dry sprigs from their own rosemary plant and use them as a smudge bundle to purify their home.
Orange Blossoms
Oranges are reminiscent of the sun, and like Leos, they are bright, joyous, and wonderful. Their blossoms are just as amazing. Orange trees grow native in China, Myanmar, and India and it is the tree cultivated most on earth. Oranges are grown worldwide and there are over 70 million tons of oranges grown annually. Oranges are a major source of food and are high in vitamin C, and they have about one fifth the amount of citric acid a lemon has. They are grown commercially in large groves, and in the spring season, the blossoms scent the air with their sweet perfumes.
The flower can be used to make orange blossom water, which is used as a flavoring for food and as perfume. Orange blossoms are associated with love and are used in perfumes and as an aphrodisiac. Orange blossoms magically help bring joy and luck, and they can be used to draw money. The blossoms can be used to make an essential oil, and this is used to help strengthen relationships and make lovers want to commit to one another. Orange blossoms can be used in love spells to draw lovers and then make the relationship a stable one. They are also used for personal stability and in grounding rituals and emotional equilibrium.
Leos might come across as the people who are in control of things, but under that strong image they project, they have very delicate feelings. Orange blossom water can be worn as a perfume when they are upset about something. The goal is not to ignore feelings, but to experience them and discover what they mean. Allowing yourself to truly feel what you are feeling and then objectively observe those feelings will help you to manage them in healthy ways. Simply put a few drops of orange flower water in your bath and have a relaxing soak while you think about how you feel and ask yourself why you feel that way. Leos are people of action, and they will want to do something to make themselves feel better, but allowing the magic of the orange blossom to help you to fully understand your feelings first will make your magical solutions all the more powerful.
Corn
Also known as maize, corn was grown in Mexico up to 10,000 years ago and is believed to be propagated from a small plant that had an “ear of corn” that was about the size of the human thumb. Then about 6,000 years ago, it started being grown in other parts of South America. It is now grown all over the world as the most widely grown grain with over 1 billion tons of corn being grown annually. It is used to make food for people and animals, and is brewed into bourbon, and turned into oil for fuel. The stalks are used in animal feed and they can be turned into compost to nourish the soil. The husks are used to wrap food in for things like tamales, and to make dolls. Even corn silk is used in folk medicine as a diuretic and as an antidepressant.
Corn is associated with the sun and is considered a life giving divine plant. The goddess Tonantzin is an Aztec mother goddess of corn. Her name is a Nahuatl word that means “our mother” and serpents were sacred to her. Serpents may have represented blood, or the presence of spirit in the Aztec religion, both of which are symbols of life. Tonantzin’s temple was destroyed by Catholic priests and an apparition of the Virgin of Guadeloupe, mother of Christ where it once stood was interpreted by Aztecs as the goddess Tonantzen appearing. Her temple was on the Hill of Tepeyac, and a basilica was built there. Aztecs would travel to the basilica to pray to the goddess instead of the Christian god.
Corn represents life, hope, and nourishment, as well as fertility and prosperity. A successful corn harvest could feed people until the following harvest the next year and was extremely important to people back before refrigeration and the global food trade. Today, corn is still important and its magical energy to bring life can be used by Leos. Eating corn products is always a good way to draw nourishment from it, but more ritual can be involved. Make some popcorn, and while it is cooking, pray over it, asking Tonantzin or your personal deity to grant good health and healing to you. If you and your partner are looking to have children, pray for fertility before eating the popcorn, and if you know somebody who is going through a bad time and needs encouragement, pray over the popcorn with them to give them some hope for success.
A Surprise Bouquet
Leos are always thinking of the people they love, and they appreciate it when they know you are thinking of them too. Taking the time to pick out a bouquet of flowers to surprise them with is perhaps the most magical gift you can give to a Leo. If you are a Leo, you are always thinking of gifts and surprises to give to people, because the people you love are the center of your world and giving a surprise bouquet of flowers to them will make them love you even more. Make sure to let your loved ones know what kind of flowers you like so they will know what to surprise you with. You can always make sure to treat yourself to a nice big bunch of fresh flowers or new plants from the nursery, too. You are worth it.
Leos know how to use their magic to manifest what they want, and their flowers are just one of many magical tools they can use to do that. Give cuttings to your friends of your beautiful yellow roses to connect the energy of your garden to theirs and it can strengthen your friendship. Read tea leaves for divination and include dried calendula blossoms in a wreath to ward off negative energy from your home. Wear orange blossom water as perfume to ease your sorrows and give blessed popcorn to people who you love when they need uplifting and encouragement. Your magic is real, and your flowers can make it more powerful. Find out more about Astrology with a reading today: Online Psychic Readings
About the Author: Lady Saoirse has studied magic and lore for most of her life but started walking her own Magical Path after being spiritually reborn in the desert. Today she is a High Priestess for The Temple of the Goddess, she is a psychic advisor and spiritual counselor, she shares her gifts as a Psychic and Content Writer for SpiritualBlossom, and she writes for The Green Egg. She has written for Mysticsense and PaganPagesOrg emag.