Hello everyone! What do you know of the beautiful flower Aster? Sit for just a bit and let me tell you all about it.
Here we are mid-august with September and the coming of Fall right around the corner. The Aster “comes alive” in fall and the colours are so beautiful!! Asters are a popular daisy-like flower that have grown wild since ancient times. Asters have enjoyed a colourful history and are part of many legends.
Like many flowers, the aster has the same scientific name as its common name. It came from the Greek word for “star” to describe the star-like flowers. They bloom in late summer when your other flowers are beginning to fade and go through all of Fall and perhaps longer depending on where you live.
The Aster has enjoyed a rich cultural history filled with legends of magical Gods and Goddesses.
Let’s look at just a few of them -
Ancient Greeks:
The ancient Greeks burned aster leaves to ward off both snakes and evil spirits.
According to Greek mythology, when the God Jupiter decided to flood the earth to destroy the warring men, the Goddess Astraea was so upset she asked to be turned into a star. Her wish was granted, but when the flood waters receded she wept for the great loss of lives. As her tears turned to stardust and fell to earth, the beautiful aster flower sprung forth.
Another Greek legend claims that when King Aegeus' son Theseus volunteered to slay the Minotaur, he told his father he would fly a white flag on his return to Athens to announce his victory. But, Theseau forgot to change the flags and sailed into port with black flags flying. Believing his sons to be killed by the Minotaur, King Aegeus promptly committed suicide. It is believed that asters sprung forth where his blood stained the earth.
Asters were believed to be sacred to the Gods and were used in wreaths placed on altars.
Cherokee Indians:
According to Cherokee legend, two young Indian girls who hid in the woods to avoid warring tribes sought the help of an herb woman. While the girls slept, the old woman foresaw the future and knew the girls were in grave danger. She sprinkled herbs over the girls and covered them with leaves. In the morning, the two sisters had turned into flowers. The one wearing the blue fringed dress became the first aster flower that being blue.
England and Germany:
Both the English and the Germans believed the aster held magical powers.
France:
The aster was known as the “eye of Christ” in France. Asters were laid on the graves of dead soldiers to symbolize the wish that things had turned out differently in battle.
United States:
The aster is the birth flower for the month of September and the flower for the 20th wedding anniversary.
Asters are a genus of flowers from the Asteraceae family. It includes about 180 species of flowering plants. All asters produce clusters of tiny daisy-like flowers. While wild asters are typically run the purple and blue range, cultivated varieties may be pink, blue, purple, lavender and white as well. As cut flowers, asters have a long vase life and may last up to two weeks.
All asters are a symbol of patience and elegance. The different colours of the asters do not change the meaning of them.
The Aster has been used in a variety of ways throughout history, most commonly as a means to appeal to the Gods to ward off evil, but there are some other uses, too.
The ancient Greeks made an ointment from asters to heal the effects of a bite from a “mad” dog.
Asters boiled in wine and placed near a beehive were thought to improve the flavour of honey, and asters are used in some Chinese herbal remedies.
The aster flower's message depends on the circumstances. It symbolizes fond remembrance or wishing things were different when placed on a grave but symbolizes elegance in your fall décor. Offering a potted plant of asters is a great way to welcome a new friend to the neighbourhood.
Aster gender: Feminine
Element: Water
Deity: Venus
Other Name: Starwort
The Aster is a magical plant used by Witches in all forms of love enchantment and in Sabbat potpourris. It is sacred to all Pagan Gods and Goddesses and is also one of the traditional ritual herbs of the Autumn Equinox Sabbat.
September is my birthday month, so I will celebrate by getting some of these beauty's and adding them to my yards. I like the idea of fresh flowers, but I will also use cut one's in some wreaths and floral sprays that I am making as gifts. If you haven't had them before, add them! They are beautiful and long lasting as well.
StormloverWolf
Sources: www.eqyptian-witchcraft.com www.flowermeaning.com Magickal Herbalism: Scott Cunningham Wicca Garden: Gerina Dunwitch
image by Richard Loader on Unsplash