Tulips come in many different colours adorning gardens at this time of year.
They’ve been use to relieve bee stings and insect bites, as well as scratches and skin irritations.
Although some, like with most medicines, have reported allergic reactions.
Tulip sap has also been used to treat coughs and colds, as they have antiseptic properties.
In Afghanistan the tulip was eated to gain strength.
Tulip essential oil can be used topically as a moisturiser.
Red tulip petals can be crushed and rubbed on the cheeks to give a natural blush and to conceal blemishes.
During World War II and the famine of 1944-45 in Holland, the Dutch people ate tulip bulbs because there was nothing else to eat.
Tulip bulbs are now known to be toxic.
Today however, we use only the petals of the tulip in culinary preparations. The colorful and tasty sweet petals can be used in salads.
In Turkish legend, there were once two star crossed lovers, a princess named Shirin and a stonemason named Farhad.
Shirin’s father opposed the love match, as a princess cannot marry a lowly tradesman.
He ordered Farhad to complete a complex task.
While the stonemason was off doing as he was told, Shirin’s father sent the young man a message saying that the princess was dead. Overcome by grief, Farhad took his own life.
As soon as Shirin heard this news, she ran off to find him. When she discovered his body, she too killed herself and their blood pooled together to form the tulip.
In Turkey, the word for tulip is the same as the word for turban, and it is considered a charm against evil.
Eventually, through trade routes, the tulip made its way to Holland, where it became the national flower and is now associated with good luck and fortune as well as love.
Tulips have a number of different magical associations and are available in so many colors.
Planting the bulbs around your home in the fall will give you a goodly collection of tulips to use in the spring, so it’s not a bad idea to put in a bunch of different varieties. This will give you a lot of different magical options once they begin to bloom.
(Consider the colours you are using in your spell and your intention.)
Lots of love always xxx