Poppy
(Papaver spp)
An annual plant the wild poppy has bright red flowers that continue to bloom throughout the summer, the cultivated varieties come in all sorts of colours, and I have orange ones in my garden which I like to use in success workings (orange being the colour of success).
Whenever I think of poppies I am reminded of the scene in the Wizard of Oz where the poppy field makes them all go to sleep so it works well in any workings for insomnia and to help with a restful night’s sleep, it also represents forgetfulness. The red poppy is also the symbol used to help us remember those brave souls that fell in the World Wars.
With the huge amount of seeds a poppy produces it works well for not only fertility spells but also prosperity and money ones.
Poppy seeds work extremely well to confuse, sprinkling poppy seeds around your property will confuse any negative or evil spirits, vampires will also be warned off, apparently vampires are compelled to stop and count the seeds but I am pretty sure they are far too intelligent to be fooled by this ploy!
I also think that the red poppy represents life, death and rebirth – with the blood red of the petals and the fertility of the seeds.
Adding a pinch of poppy seeds and petals to your bathwater will help you over come grief.
Poppy Magical Properties:
Love, sleep, money, luck, fertility, rebirth, grief
Ruling planet – Moon, Mars, Venus
Sign - Capricorn
Element – Water
Gender – Feminine
Taken from A Kitchen Witch's World of Magical Plants & Herbs by Rachel Patterson
