Sunflower Meaning and magickal uses
Also called Helianthus
A bright flower of the sun for confidence, wishes, luck and honest wisdom.
- Intentions
- Confidence, Luck, Wisdom, Healing
- Element
- Fire
- Planet
- The Sun
- Zodiac
- Leo
- Day
- Sunday
- Moon phase
- Full Moon
- Chakra
- Solar Plexus
- Parts used
- Flowers, petals, seeds
How to use it
- Wish seed
Hold a sunflower seed in your palm, whisper a wish into it, and plant it in spring. Care for it as it grows, tending your wish along with the plant.
- Confidence altar
Place fresh sunflowers or dried petals on your altar on a Sunday. Sit before them and name three things you are proud of, letting their warmth fill your chest.
- Harvest offering
Leave a sunflower head full of seeds outside for the birds at Lughnasadh or Mabon. Offer it with thanks for everything that grew and ripened for you this year.
Works well with
Substitutes
History and folklore
Sunflowers are native to the Americas, where Indigenous peoples cultivated them for food, oil and dye for thousands of years. Spanish explorers carried them to Europe in the 1500s. Young sunflowers turn their faces to follow the sun across the sky, which made them a natural emblem of loyalty, optimism and solar energy. In modern Western folk magick they are traditionally used for wishes, confidence, health and luck, and are a favorite flower for Litha and the harvest sabbats.
A bright flower of the sun for confidence, wishes, luck and honest wisdom.
- Intentions: Confidence, Luck, Wisdom, Healing
- Element: Fire
- Planet: The Sun
- Zodiac: Leo
- Day: Sunday
- Moon phase: Full Moon
- Chakra: Solar Plexus
- Parts used: Flowers, petals, seeds
Safety: Listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses, but seed shells and salted seeds can upset pets' stomachs. Some people are allergic to the pollen or seeds.
How to use it
- Wish seed. Hold a sunflower seed in your palm, whisper a wish into it, and plant it in spring. Care for it as it grows, tending your wish along with the plant.
- Confidence altar. Place fresh sunflowers or dried petals on your altar on a Sunday. Sit before them and name three things you are proud of, letting their warmth fill your chest.
- Harvest offering. Leave a sunflower head full of seeds outside for the birds at Lughnasadh or Mabon. Offer it with thanks for everything that grew and ripened for you this year.
Works well with: Yellow Candle, Gold Candle, Citrine, Sunstone, Sunday, Litha
Folklore
Sunflowers are native to the Americas, where Indigenous peoples cultivated them for food, oil and dye for thousands of years. Spanish explorers carried them to Europe in the 1500s. Young sunflowers turn their faces to follow the sun across the sky, which made them a natural emblem of loyalty, optimism and solar energy. In modern Western folk magick they are traditionally used for wishes, confidence, health and luck, and are a favorite flower for Litha and the harvest sabbats.
The Witch's Cabinet is a free reference for your practice. Correspondences are traditional associations, not medical advice. Always follow the safety notes, especially with herbs and essential oils around children, pets and during pregnancy.