Crafting with Physis: Dandelion Divination

Taraxacum officinale, the common Dandelion, is a flowering perennial plant of the family Asteraceae and a chthonic plant that has become sacred to Hecate in modern times. The English word Dandelion comes from the mash-up of the French phrase dent-de-lion, which means lion’s tooth, referring to its coarsely toothed leaves. The French are also responsible for the more contemporary mash-up, “piss-en-lit”, the equivalent of the English folk term, "piss-a-bed", referring to the strong diuretic effects of Dandelion root on the bladder. Dandelions in some Northeastern Italy dialects are also known as, “pis-a-cane”, dog piss, because they are yellow and found along sidewalks where dogs usually do their deed!

All-in-all Dandelions get a pretty bad rap, however, Dandelions have been used as a medicinal remedy for centuries all over the world. They are used for everything from infections, bites, and abscesses, to detoxifying the kidneys and liver. Dandelions are a Mercurial weed associated with the air element and Hermes, which makes them very useful for increasing your psychic ability. In the book “Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs”, Scott Cunningham recommends the use of Dandelion root tea to aid in divination and prophetic dreaming. In some magickal traditions, Dandelions are connected to the Goddess Aphrodite because of her connection to bees, and bees were sometimes seen as psychopomps in ancient folklore; it was thought they were faeries or nymphs carrying souls from the underworld. Hecate is often associated with Aphrodite, Hermes, and psychopomps, and one of Her epithets even calls Her a Goddess of Nature (Physis), which all connects Her to Dandelions and bees. However, it’s easiest to see how Dandelions are associated with Hecate simply due to their chthonic aspects because of how deep their roots go underground to Hades. The connections are endless.

This invasive “weed-daisy” covers the land with great ease because Dandelions are a self-reproducing plant; the seeds are produced without pollination and they spread themselves, resulting in offspring that are genetically identical all across the world. The seeds of Dandelions are an important food source for some birds and the flowers themselves provide nectar and pollen early in the season for butterflies and bees. With its bright yellow sun-like flowers that transform into white full moon seed heads, and its taproot and stem having equal presence both above ground and below if they’re left alone to grow, it’s not hard to see how these Fairy pom poms caught Hecate’s attention. Dandelions are liminal to the core! 

Most everyone is familiar with picking Dandelions after they’ve gone to seed and blowing them in the wind with a wish, but Dandelions are also great for personal transformation spells, crossing liminal spaces, and channeling psychic energy. Dandelions have been used for divination for probably as long as they’ve been called Milk Witch or Witch’s Gowan, a Scottish term describing their yellow and white flowers. With just an empty jar and a few magickal ingredients, you can unleash the power of the Dandy Lion and increase your psychic awareness. 

Dandelion Psychic Wash

Sprinkle this wash on your ritual and divination tools, and yourself, to help channel your psychic ability and knowledge. Gather the Dandelions during the day to harness the energy of the Sun because they close up in the evenings and then craft the psychic wash on a Full Moon evening to draw down its energy into your potion.

Key Ingredients

1 cup Clean Water 

1 cup Dandelion Flowers (yellow head only)

3 drops Clary Sage Oil - lifting of the third-eye veil

3 drops Frankincense Oil - strengthen connection to spirit

3 drops Sandalwood Oil - awaken higher consciousness

The Prayer of Medea to Hecate (below)

Directions

Heat up a pot of clean water to the boiling point. If you have Moon water or flowing spring water, that’s even better. Remove from heat, stir in the flower heads, and leave until cooled. When cooled, strain the water into a jar and set Dandelions aside for later use. Add the oils to the strained water and stir clockwise while focusing on your intention. The chosen herbal oils help strengthen your connection to spirit and the divine while offering you protection from negative energy and the Dandelions help spirits cross the veil and bring you messages. Store your psychic wash in a covered jar or spray bottle with a leak-proof lid. Use whenever needed for divination. You can save the Dandelion heads and dry them out to use later as an offering for Hecate on a Dark Moon Deipnon. When you’re ready to use the wash, simply sprinkle it on your divination tools, and yourself, while reciting the Prayer of Medea to empower your potion.

Prayer of Medea to Hecate 

—excerpt from Ovid, Metamorphoses 7 (Roman epic C1st BCE to C1st CE)

“Stretching her arms to them [the stars] she three times turned herself about, three times sprinkled her head, with water from the running stream, three times let out a wailing cry, then knelt on the hard earth, and prayed:

‘Night, most faithful keeper of our secret rites;

Stars, that, with the golden moon, succeed the fires of light;

Triple Hecate, you who know all our undertakings,

and come, to aid the witches’ art, and all our incantations:

You, Earth, who yield the sorceress herbs of magic force:

You, airs and breezes, pools and hills, and every watercourse;

Be here; all you Gods of Night, and Gods of Groves endorse!”

As you can see, there are many uses for Dandelions, both magickal and medicinal. Whether you see them as weeds or Fairy pom poms is up to you but one thing will always remain true, Dandelions will never die. They are transformational beings that adapt to their environment all throughout the ages, just like the Goddess, Hecate. 

Crafting with Physis

by Rabbit Ass Cece 🐇

Resources: 

Dorsey, Lilith. “Herbal Magick: Dandelion - Nature’s Wonderful Weed.” Patheos Pagan, Sept. 18, 2017 https://www.patheos.com/blogs/voodoouniverse/2017/09/herbal-magick-dandelion-natures-wonderful-weed/

Wigington, Patti. "Dandelion Magic and Folklore." Learn Religions, Feb. 8, 2021 https://www.learnreligions.com/dandelion-magic-and-folklore-4588986

Fraley, Aiyana. “6 Essential Oils To Awaken Your Intuition.” Drops of Yoga, Apr. 12, 2018 https://dropsofyoga.com/blog/6-essential-oils-awaken-intuition/

Ovid. “The Metamorphoses, Bk VII: 179-233 Medea summons the powers and gathers herbs.” Poetry in Translation, trans., A. S. Kline. Copyright 2000 www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/Metamorph7.php

Dandelions - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taraxacum

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Disclaimer: Please note that all recipes and advice given in this article is the opinion of the author, it does not constitute medical advice. Natural products can still cause allergic or other unwanted reactions. Please do not burn, ingest or apply any products to your skin unless you have considered all the possible side effects and checked the laws in your country. Recipes are provided for information purposes only, and you should not use them unless you are able to take full responsibility for the effects and consequences, or lack thereof.