The magic of working with Apples

The air is getting a little crisper, and chillier as it blows through the trees around us. The leaves are following the cycle of the season as they change into their vibrant fall colors. We feel the pull to get outside in nature and soak up this changing season and the beauty fall has to bring us. One popular fall activity does just that as we find ourselves walking through an apple orchard and feel the living, moving, earth-shattering energy that swirls invisibly around us. Wrapped up in each juicy, ripe, colorful apple waiting for us to pick from the branches they weigh down. As we walk among the rows of the orchard, growing the food even cherished by the gods, we feel the magic of Autumn itself. As the veil thins during this season, we become more attuned to the other world, and the thinning of the veil. It’s a time when we can cast some potent spells and rituals connected to transition, gratitude, abundance, duality, protection, and accessing our ancestors. Let me show you in this blogpost how that basket of apples you just picked in the orchard can be a magical tool in all of these different kinds of spells and rituals!

Apples what are they?

Apples (Malus domestica) are among the most common fruits eaten in the US and Europe. This is because they grow just about anywhere! Apple trees have been cultivated for over 4,000 years, with origins in Central Asia. Although we do also know they’ve been grown in Europe for thousands of years and were brought to North America with European immigrants over the past few centuries. The apple tree’s ability to self-pollinate makes it a resilient tree and allows it to have many different varieties of colors, tastes, and sizes. Their five-petaled flowers appear in the spring blooming with a brilliant fragrance. The petals are white on top and pink underneath as they bloom. The fruit appears in late summer and ripens in autumn. The fruit can be red, yellow, green, or streaked red with yellow.

Medicinal properties of apples

Many have heard the common phrase ” An apple a day, keeps the doctor away.” What if there was some truth to that? Apples are rich in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber, making them beneficial for overall health from boosting your immune system to aiding in weight management. Apples have been used for centuries in healing remedies, thanks to their antioxidants. Apples are great to use to treat constipation, other digestion issues, and even support a balanced gut microbiome. Apples contain malic and tartaric acids which helps neutralize the chemicals associated with gout even! Apples have even been linked to reducing the risk of chronic diseases, such as heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels and certain types of cancer. They even clean your teeth! The act of eating a whole apple (not sliced and peeled) cleans the teeth and freshens the breath. It helps remove plaque and pushes back the gums to remove deposits.

Symbolism of the apple in magic, lore, and myths

Apples are a true symbol of Autumn and Winter, most likely because, that’s when they are harvested. We’ve also seen them as part of Fall and Winter festivals and celebrations for thousands of years across cultures. But, don’t be fooled while apples are a key focus of fall they are seen throughout the year as well in different cultures. So, don’t be afraid to use them year round. Not only do we see them in festivals throughout the year we also see them apart of many myths and lore. So, many I’d never be able to cover them all here. From seeing the apple as a center piece to Christianity, a gift of healing in Celtic lore, a way to immortality in Norse mythology, an agent of chaos and discord causing the Trojan war, to it popping up in modern pop culture delivering poison to a princess.

First up, in Western and European lore, apples are strongly used to symbolize forbidden knowledge (aka sin), divine wisdom, and self-awareness. We see this in one of the most commonly known myths from the bible and Christianity, which includes Eve ( the first women according to all versions after king James), a serpent, the garden of Eden, and of course an apple!

According to Christian lore, Eve was the first woman who lived alongside the first man Adam in paradise aka the garden of Eden. They were to use the garden as it’s home and care for it’s creatures. But, for some reason neither Adam nor Eve were supposed to ever eat the fruit from this ONE tree within the garden. God himself had commanded them not too. Than one day along came a serpent (aka Satan) slithering his way into the garden and into Eve’s ear. Where he convinced her to grab an apple (aka divine wisdom) from the forbidden tree and to take a bite. She than convinced Adam to do the same. God got pissed for their disobedience and exiled them from the garden and gave Eve the bonus punishment of childbirth for being the first to take a bite.

Next up, we see the apple as a symbol of healing, immortality, and the dead in a few key Celtic, Norse, and Germanic traditions and lore. In the Prose Edda, a key writing to reference for Norse Mythology; the goddess Idunn is the guardian of an apple orchard that grows apples of eternal youth a.k.a. immortality for the gods. Also, in the Old Norse tradition, the alfablot was a sacrifice to the elves/alfar and one of the most commonly used offerings was, you guessed it, apples! In Celtic myth, the enchanting fairy goddess Cliodhna; offers apples of healing and immortality to journeying heroes in the Celtic Otherworld. We see apples again in Celtic traditions as the food of the dead where it is used as an offering to them at different festivals. Like, Samhain which is coincidently also known as the feast of apples. It was also said in Celtic lore, that a magical apple branch called the silver bough allowed the person who held it to pass into the Otherworld safely.

In other myths like with the Greeks, apples symbolize love, beauty, discord, and war. They are often associated with deities like Zeus, Aphrodite, Hera, Athena, and Eris. My favorite Greek myth involving apples involves the goddess of discord Eris and the cause of the famous Trojan war. In Greek mythology, the Trojan War is probably the most famous event. Today, anyone with any knowledge of the war assumes that it began as a result of the abduction of Helen. But the abduction of Helen by Paris is just one starting point, and preceding this was another starting point where the goddess Eris and a golden apple was involved.

Zeus had arranged for Peleus ( a greek hero) to marry the sea nymph Thetis, so he decided to throw a huge wedding ceremony and celebration. This wedding was so big all of the gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon were invited to the festivities; all except for the goddess of discord Eris. Who of course found out about the festivities AND that she was the only one not invited. Being the goddess of discord she decides to crash the party in a fit of rage, bringing with her a gift to throw in their faces and cause a little chaos. Now, there are a few different versions and theories as to how she got this gift and if you want to hear them all you can listen to me tell them here. But when she arrives, in hand she has a golden apple with the inscription ” to the fairest of them all”. She takes it and tosses it into the room amongst those who rejected her and watches the discord fall upon them all. You see that shiny golden apple would cause a fight between three goddesses (Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite) to claim it that would start a war between human kingdoms resulting in many to fall.

To the Ancient Romans apples were so sacred and important they were to be treasured and guarded. So, much so, this one fruit had their own deity to preside over and protect them! Her name was Pomona. Unfortunately, she’s one of those pagan deities whom most of their information has been lost to history. What I can find about her, is that she was a virginal nymph of the woods who married the personification of Autumn, named Vertumnus. They were a very fertile and passionate match which made them the reason for the bountiful apple harvest every fall. We would see them honored when offerings would be left for them at the edges of orchards. Apples pop up again with the Romans during the festival of Diana, when apple boughs were carried around for luck and prosperity.

We see the apple pop up in English lore and myth as well with the Isle of Avalon. The Isle of Avalon is a mythical island in Arthurian legend that is said to be a place of magic and healing. It is described as a utopian paradise, a fairyland island that is said to be lost in the mists of time. Ruled by the enchantress Morgan le Fay and her eight sisters. This sacred Isle of Avalon is also known as, you guessed it, the Isle of Apples. Because legend says apples grow there all year round as food.

Even now in pop culture the apple is everywhere we look on the iPhone, iPad, and computers. Reminding us of the access to wisdom and knowledge that comes with them. And let’s not forget the apple’s role in one of the world’s most beloved fairytales; Snow white. Its most pivotal moment is undoubtedly when a naïve Snow White bites into an apple poisoned by the jealous Evil Queen, lulling her into a slumber that can only be reversed with Prince Charming’s kiss. Showing us the dark, poisonous, and protective side apples have to offer.

Magical themes of Apples

In witchcraft every single ingredient and tool we use in our spells and rituals has magical themes and energies it can align with and be used for. Apples are no different as you saw in the myths and lore we talked about above. Some of the most common themes associated with apples are love, romance, and attraction spells. They can be used in spells, rituals, or charms to enhance love in an existing relationship, attract a new romantic partner, or promote harmony between others. Apples are also very popular with abundance and prosperity spells. They can be utilized to attract wealth, success, and opportunities for financial growth. Below, you will find a list of some of the other many magical themes associated with apples. Don’t forget you can use all parts of the apple, the bud, petals, leaves fruit, seeds, and wood from its tree as spell and ritual ingredients too!

The apple and the pentacle

The apple and the pentacle have a unique and potent relationship binding them together. Did you know if you cut an apple in half (the “fat way,” not the “tall way,” if that makes sense), you will find a pentacle star in the middle? This along with it’s seeds, which are poisonous, are where apples get their protective qualities from. The apple reminds us that we do not have to close ourselves off to the world in order to protect ourselves. We can bring healing to others AND be open without overstepping our own boundaries. You can also use this center star or pentacle, as an altar by pressing spell ingredients into the flesh of the apple. Using the apple core as an all natural protective altar.

Apple Peel Reading

Apples have been used in divination practices, such as apple peeling or apple seed reading. They are believed to enhance psychic abilities, intuition, and provide insights into the future. Apple peel reading, is a form of divination also known as pomatomancy. It is a traditional practice that uses the shape and letters formed by apple peels to gain insight and predict future events. This method has been used for centuries to seek guidance and answers and is really popular to do around the fall harvest time. The practice is really very simple, carefully peel your apple skin in one piece and remove it, allow the peel to fall, and let it reveal messages through its shapes, letters, and symbols to you.

Duality and the apple

Since, I am a grey witch I look for the duality in every single energy I work with including the tools and spell ingredients I use. And man is the apple ripe with the energy of duality. We see it in the themes it represents from love and discord, to death and immortality, to healing and protection. This fruit is connected to opposing energies and forces in almost every sense, along with the changing of the seasons and transition. Not only that, it’s such a versatile tool you can use it, in pretty much every area of your life. Which adds another juicy layer of duality to this fruit with each bite.

We can’t forget that the most popular time to work with this tool is in the fall when they are being harvested and there are plenty to go around. The fall season is a really unique pocket of liminal space and time for us to connect to duality. We get to be surrounded by the bounty and abundance of the fall harvest and all the joy, celebration and gratitude that brings. While we are also confronted with the reality of nature beginning to die around us and the dark cold winter that is very soon going to be upon us.

Correspondences for the apple

First, what is a correspondence? A correspondence is an item or symbol that is meant to connect you to a specific energy thru it’s representation. It is seen also as an item to respect, honor, and venerate that energy as well whether it be a deity, an archetype energy, the zodiac energy the moon is currently or for a magical tool/ fruit the apple, which I will list below for you to use. Remember this is just a start to the list for you. You can use any correspondences that connect the magical themes and energies of the apple Just follow your intuition on what you choose to work with!

Ways to work with the apple

We’ve talked a lot about apples in this post so far, including the magical themes associated with them. Those themes are the energies we can connect to with apples. They are how we can use them to build our spells and rituals. You have many options on how you want to include them in your spells and rituals and many different ways to work with them. Below you will find a list I put together of some ideas for spells, rituals, and ways you can work with them using the themes and magic we can harvest in each juicy one.

Red apple love spell

One of the most common spells associated with apples are all about love, romance, and attracting a partner. Try this simple tried and true love spell using a red apple to attract that special someone whose been the apple of your eye today!

What you will need:

How to perform this spell:

First, take a knife and cut your red apple in half the long or tall way revealing the pentacle star in the middle. Next, take your piece of paper and write your name and the name of that special someone whose caught your eye. Once done take as many deep breaths you need to in and out until you feel yourself surrounded by love and comfort within your sacred container. Visualize that love surrounding you and that special someone. What it feels like, looks like, and will be like to have. Than, take your piece of paper and fold it towards you. when done place it in the center of your apple over the pentacle. Next, take your rose petals, and lavender buds placing them on top of the paper. With all your spell ingredients now placed in the center of your apple, take the other half and place it on top to make it whole again. Wrap it up tightly in the twine to seal the love and attraction in. Take your spell outside and bury it in the earth under a healthy growing tree giving it a place for your love to bud and bloom.

Rotten apple banishing spell

Don’t forget apples aren’t only juicy and sweet but, their seeds give a poisonous and protective side to them as well. This makes them a great tool to use in protection spells like banishing a problem or situation from your life. Try out this simple spell using an apple to do just that below!

What you will need:

How to perform:

First, take a knife and cut your red apple in half the long or tall way revealing the pentacle star in the middle. Next, take your bay leaves and rub each half of the apple with them visualizing the problem or situation in your life you wish to be banish. Take the two halves and put them back together still focusing on the problem or situation you wish to banish. Next, take a deep breath in as you pick up the skewer and on your exhale as you visualize the problem or situation no longer affecting you, stab the skewer through both halves with force. Then, take your black ribbon or string and tie your apple together sealing the problem or situation in the center where it can no longer affect you. Take your spell outside and bury it in the earth. As the apple rots with the problem or situation inside it will be banished from your life.

Autumn abundance simmer pot

Apples are very popular with abundance and prosperity spells. They can be utilized to attract wealth, success, and opportunities for financial growth. Paired with the abundance of the harvest and autumn swirling around us now is great time to do some kitchen magic .One of my favorite types of kitchen magic spells to do are simmer pots. Simmer pots are easy to do, very potent, and they leave your house smelling amazing and full of magical energy! Use this recipe to bring the abundance of autumn into your home today using apples as the core. If you need to learn more about how to use simmer pots you can read my blogpost in the link here!

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